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Personal Care Product Chemicals that we can test for:

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PC 01    Almond Oil, Sweet
Used as a carrier oil in aromatherapy, and in some personal care products.

PC 02    Aloe Vera Gel    
Used in personal care products and cosmetics; also in some creams and gels to treat eczema, burns, etc.; can be taken internally to help digestive problems.

PC 03    Apricot Kernel Oil    
Cheaper than almond oil, so used more often in personal care products to soften skin; used as a carrier oil in aromatherapy.

PC 04    Avocado Oil    
Used as a food oil and in personal care products; used as a carrier oil in aromatherapy.

PC 05    Beeswax, Unbleached    
Used to make fine candles, cosmetics, shoe polish and pharmaceuticals; also used to make bone wax, which is used to stop bone bleeding during surgical procedures (once applied it remains in place in the body; some people have experienced adverse reactions).

PC 06    Butyl Paraben / P-Hydroxybenzoic Acid N-Butyl Ester / Butyl 4-Hydroxybenzoate
A widely used preservative in creams, cosmetics, food and beverages; typical products include hand creams, body lotions, tanning lotions, shampoos, skin cleansers, skin toners, moisturisers, hair conditioners, hair dyes, eye shadows, foundations and after-shaves.

PC 07    Cocoa Butter / Theobroma Cacao    
Used to make moisturisers, soaps, cosmetics and lip balms; used to make chocolate including white chocolate.

PC 08    Coconut Oil / Cocos Nucifera    
Used in skin moisturisers and soap; in India and Sri Lanka used to style hair; used in vegetable oil and manufacture of processed foods.

PC 09    Dehydroacetic Acid    
A preservative used in personal care products, medicinal creams, cosmetics and foods.

PC 10    Diazolidinyl Urea     
Used as a preservative in cosmetics, skin care products, shampoos and conditioners, bubble baths, baby wipes and household detergents.

PC 11    Dibutyl Phthalate / Di-N-Butyl Phthalate / N-Butyl Phthalate / DBP / Phthalic Acid Dibutyl Ester
Used as a solvent for dyes, in cosmetics (particularly nail polish), food packaging, perfumes, skin emollients, hair spray and insect repellents; a commonly used plasticiser (makes plastics more flexible and easier to handle).

PC 12    Hydroxyethylcellulose    
Found in personal care products (e.g. Hair conditioners, body toning creams, mascaras and shaving creams); also used in dry-eye medication and vaginal creams and gels.

PC 13    Imidazolidinyl Urea    
A preservative found in skin, body and hair products, antiperspirants and nail polishes.

PC 14    Isopropyl Myristate    
Found in hand and body lotions, moisturisers, deodorants, body sprays, pre-shave lotions, mascara, after-shave and medicinal creams; also used as a non-pesticide treatment for hair lice.

PC 15    Jojoba Oil    
Extracted from a shrub; used in hair care products, cosmetics and skin care preparations; used as a carrier oil in aromatherapy.

PC 16    Methyl Paraben    
A widely used preservative in creams, cosmetics, food and beverages; typical products include hand creams, body lotions, tanning lotions, shampoos, skin cleansers, skin toners, moisturisers, hair conditioners, hair dyes, eye shadows, foundations and after-shaves.

PC 17    Nitrosamine Mix    
Found in some personal care products; not intentionally added, but are formed accidentally during manufacture or storage (levels increase over time); research shows over half personal care products and cosmetics have detectable levels; also formed when nitrates (usually from food or drinking water) react with amines naturally present in food and in the human body; also in tobacco smoke.

PC 18    Octyl Dodecanol    
A common ingredient in cosmetics, hair conditioners, nail care products, deodorants, vaginal creams, etc.

PC 19    Oxybenzone / 2-Hydroxy-4-Methoxybenzophenone    
Absorbs UV rays; used in sunscreens, skin care and lip balms

PC 20    Palm Oil    
Used in the manufacture of soap, cosmetics, detergents, candles and printing ink; used as a cooking oil, in baby formulas, to make margarine, and in many processed foods; used in production of biodiesel fuel.

PC 21    Paraphenylenediamine /p-phenylenediamine 1,4-Benzenediamine / 1,4-Diaminobenzene / 1,4-Phenylenediamine    

Widely used as a permanent hair dye (when a reaction to hair dye occurs, this is the most likely culprit); may also be found in dark coloured cosmetics, temporary tattoos, photographic developer and lithography plates, photocopying and printing inks, black rubber, oils, greases and gasoline; also found in textile or fur dyes.

PC 22    Poly(ethylene glycol) Distearate     
Widely used to make cosmetics opaque; used to make soap and medicinal ointments.

PC 23    Propyl Gallate / E310    
An antioxidant used in personal care products, cosmetics, sausages, margarine, and chewing gum; used in manufacture of paper packaging that will be in contact with food.

PC 24    Propyl Paraben / 4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid Propyl Ester / Propyl 4-Hydroxybenzoate    
A widely used preservative in creams, cosmetics, food and beverages; typical products include hand creams, body lotions, tanning lotions, shampoos, skin cleansers, skin toners, moisturisers, hair conditioners, hair dyes, eye shadows, foundations and after-shaves.

PC 25    Propylene Glycol /PG / Propan-1,2-Diol/ Propylenglycolum    
Used in the preparation of perfumes, in personal care products (e.g. Cleansers, skin creams, toothpastes, shampoos, hair conditioners, hair dyes), and cosmetics, and in drugs; used as a preservative in some food (e.g. Ice cream and sour cream); used as an anti-freeze, a solvent and a mould inhibitor; also used in artificial smoke and fog machines.

PC 26    Resorcinol / 1,3-Benzenediol /Resorcin    
Used in hair dyes, anti-dandruff shampoos and sunscreens; used to treat acne and skin complaints; also used to dye fur and leather and in wood adhesives.

PC 27    Shea Butter / Butyrospermium Parkii    
Widely used in cosmetics as a moisturiser and an emollient; used as a cooking oil in West Africa, as well as sometimes being used in the chocolate industry as a substitute for cocoa butter.

PC 28    Sodium Lauryl Sulphate / SLS /
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / SDS    Used in personal care products such as toothpastes, shampoos, shaving foams and bubble baths for its thickening effect and its ability to create a lather.

PC29    Stearic Acid / Octadecanoic Acid    
Found in personal care products (e.g. Moisturisers, hand creams, body lotions, tanning lotions, cream soaps, eye shadows, mascaras, hair dyes, foundation, and shaving foams); used as a lubricant in nutritional and medicinal tablets.

PC 30    (+)-α-Tocopherol Acetate / Vitamin E Acetate    
Found in face wash creams, hair conditioners, hand creams, foundation, eye shadows, lipsticks, and similar products.

PC 31    Wheatgerm Oil
Used in natural personal care products, and some medicinal creams.

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