A DailyMail.com analysis has exposed how some of Americans’ favorite Christmas stocking stuffers contain harmful ingredients that are banned in Britain.
European and British laws governing the ingredients allowed in products and foods are more strict, banning several toxic additives that have been linked to cancer and infertility.
DailyMail.com chose five popular gifts millions of Americans will open this year and analyzed the ingredients in the same products – or similar equivalents – Brits may be unwrapping come December 25.
Lip Gloss
A relatively inexpensive cosmetic that can be popped into the stocking of any trendy beauty addict, lip gloss is the finishing touch on a made-up face. However, the up and coming cover girl should be on the lookout for a dangerous ingredient she could be unknowingly swiping across her lips — titanium dioxide.
Some American lip glosses contain a harmful ingredient UK products don’t – titanium dioxide
A lip gloss product available from a popular beauty store is said to contain titanium dioxide in the US, but it does not appear on the ingredient list for the same product sold in the UK.
The ingredient is banned from use in foods in the EU and UK — but it is still allowed in American foods — and is permitted for use in cosmetic products.
Titanium dioxide is a fine white powder or dust used in paper, ceramics, paints, inks and cosmetics. It is also found in candies such as Skittles and Starbursts.
Despite its ubiquitous use, the International Agency on Cancer designates titanium dioxide as a carcinogen because studies have found an increased incidence of lung cancer from inhalation in animal studies.
Perfume
Those with style will say no outfit is complete without a few spritzes of their signature scent. However, wearers beware — when misting your favorite scent you could be exposed to lilial, also called butylphenyl methylpropional.
Popular perfumes in the US may contain lilial, a substance connected to endocrine disruption, allergies, and skin irritation
Lilial is a chemical compound used as a perfume in cosmetic and laundry products.
A luxury perfume available from a global beauty supplier lists the ingredient in the US product but it is notably absent from the UK’s version.
The substance has been connected to organ system toxicity, endocrine disruption, allergies, and skin irritation.
The European Union’s European Commission has classified lilial as reprotoxic, a chemical adversely affecting fertility and fetal development — possibly causing harm to a fetus during pregnancy.
The commission declared that lilial ‘cannot be considered as safe.’
While the compound can be found in perfumes in the US, lilial is banned from use in the UK.
Bronzing Mist
If you’re taking advantage of the holiday season for a vacation to a tropical island and don’t want to arrive looking ghostly, you may reach for popular bronzing products to get a pre-breach tan.
As you spray on a fake tan, you may come into contact with propylparaben, a substance in the paraban family
As you spray on that fake sunkissed glow, you — and others — may come into contact with propylparaben.
Propylparaben is a substance in the paraben family. It is used as a preservative by the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
Companies use parabens in products that can degrade in order to prevent and reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and mold, which increases the lifespan of a product.
However, the chemicals can mimic the female hormone estrogen, which can disrupt the body’s natural biological processes.
Studies have shown repeated exposure to parabens may negatively interfere with endocrine processes related to breast cancer.
Parabens have been banned in the UK and EU, but are still permitted for use in products in the US.
Holiday Candy
For those who would rather eat their gifts than wear them, there is plenty of holiday-themed candy to stuff their stockings with. A fun one popular among kids is the traditional Bag of Reindeer Farts.
‘Santa’s favorite Christmas teat’ contains Red 40, a harmful food additive
While it’s fun to eat ‘Santa’s favorite Christmas teat,’ the small bites of pink cotton candy contain several artificial dyes that have been tied to multiple serious health conditions.
Red 40 is listed among the candy’s ingredients.
While the additive may make the candy eye-catching and tasty, it can also make it harmful to your health.
A recent study in mice linked Red 40 to immune disorders, inflammatory bowel disease and has been found to be contaminated with benzidine and other carcinogens.
Additionally, the dye has been associated with hypersensitivity reactions, with studies showing consumption of artificial food coloring produces statistically significant increases in ADHD symptoms in children.
The food additive is banned in the EU and UK but continues to be permitted in the US.
Christmas Marshmallows
Another stocking stuffer for loved ones with a sweet tooth, the classic Christmas Peep.
Coming in all shapes, sizes, themes and colors for virtually every holiday, these classic marshmallow candies contain the food dye Yellow 5.
These classic marshmallow candies contain the food dye Yellow 5, which could cause ADHD symptoms in kids
Like Red 40, Yellow 5 has been found to be contaminated with benzidine and other carcinogens. It also has been associated with ADHD symptoms in children.
Research has shown exposure to Yellow 5 causes damage to human white blood cells and it has been associated with asthma symptoms and skin irritation.
The food additive is banned in the EU and UK but continues to be permitted in the US.
In October, the maker of Peeps, Pennsylvania-based Just Born, became the first company to announce changes to its ingredient list after California passed a law banning several potentially carcinogenic ingredients, including a food dye additive.
Just Born announced it would no longer use Red 3 in any of its products. However, it has made no announcement on other dyes, including Yellow 5, used in its treats.
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