Articol publicat in "UNICA" - Sep. 2000 - Metallic ... beauty! by Bianca Brad Hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen form almost 90% of the human body. Excluding these four major elements, the remaining 4% are minerals. Most of these minerals are actually metallic elements. We do not usually consider metals as very important elements for our body. And yet an iron deficiency leads to anemia and lack of calcium leads to bones weakening. Without these metals the body cannot function as it should. Minerals deficiency weakens the body, which may not coordinate its functions anymore. And it is not all: the skin will also suffer of it. Minerals excess attacks the body. This used to happen a lot in the past when cosmetic products contained poisoning substances. The wish to create a good impression by using cosmetics appeared a long time ago. In Egypt aristocrats were putting minerals on their face, in order to add colour and define the characters and Greeks used to paint their faces. Women used to varnish their teeth and eyebrows and were trying everything for keeping their skin white (bronze was a sign for the people working outside). For several centuries (including the beginning of 19th century) a whitening agent formed by carbonates, hydro-carbonates and carbon oxide. These aggregated agents were leading, with each application, in some cases, to paralysis and even to death. At the end of the 19th century the zinc oxide was used as facial powder, replacing that killing mixture. Harmful substances were also used for eye-shadows, based on lead and antimony sulfite and for lipstick – mercury sulfite. The antiperspirants and deodorants appeared in 1890 and they contained aluminum chlorite. In 1940, due to unsatisfied customers, it was replaced by aluminum chlor-hydrate. That’s it, we suffer in order to be beautiful! Today the cosmetic products do not present such a danger, even if some of them contain elements such as: iron, slaked lime, silicon, talc or zinc. Many persons suffer due to allergies caused by these substances. The nickel (in zippers or cloth accessories), the chrome, mercury (used to manufacture the contact lenses), some medications and cosmetics products may cause allergies. The hair also suffers due to the paraphenylediamin from the permanent hairstyling solutions. The allergies are also due to substances contained in the perfumes, soaps, paints, oils, and insecticides. There are special products for the sensitive persons. Unfortunately, no matter how healthy we try to leave, we all have toxins in our body. Even if I envy Cleopatra for the delight in the milk baths, I am very happy we have the possibility to become beautiful without risk to damage our body. So let’s take care of ourselves, let’s make us beautiful and let’s be proud of us!