{5}It takes cleanser, moisturiser, make-up and a favourite lipstick to ensure the average woman is ready to face the worldbeauty
But a daily routine like this leaves her with more than a polished appearancebeauty
She also absorbs almost 5lb of chemicals through her skin every yearbeauty
Some of the man-made compounds have been linked to cancer, while others may irritate the skin or even cause it to age prematurelybeauty
Biochemist Richard Bence warned that the chemicals found in everyday beauty products could be doing untold damagebeauty
Mr Bence, who has spent three years studying the ingredients in cosmetics and toiletries, said: "There is a growing amount of research questioning the ingredients found in conventional beauty productsbeauty
"We really need to start questioning the products we are putting on our skin and not just assume that the chemicals in them are safebeauty
"We have no idea what these chemicals do when they are mixed togetherbeauty The effect could be much greater than the sum of the individual partsbeauty"
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Among the chief chemical suspects are parabens - preservatives widely used in skin and hair products, including soap, shampoo, deodorant and baby lotionbeauty
Capable of stopping bacterial growth, parabens are also thought to mimic the effects of the female sex hormone oestrogen, which is known to help tumours growbeauty
Traces of the chemical have been found in breast tumour samples but the link with cancer is, however, hotly disputedbeauty
Sodium lauryl sulphate, which helps soap, shampoo, shaving foam, toothpaste and bubble bath lather up, can irritate skinbeauty
Other potential irritants include benzyl alcohols, which are used to scent and preserve perfume, makeup and hair dyesbeauty
Cocamide MEA, which binds the ingredients of many moisturisers, is also a suspectbeauty
The average woman absorbs 4lb 6oz of chemicals from toiletries and make-up every year, the industry magazine In-Cosmetics recently reportedbeauty
Mr Bence, who last year founded a website which specialises in organic beauty products, said absorbing such chemicals is more dangerous than swallowing thembeauty
"If your lipstick gets into your mouth, it is broken down by the enzymes in saliva and in the stomachbeauty
"But if the chemicals get straight into your bloodstream, there is no protectionbeauty"
Sodium lauryl sulphate is among chemicals banned from health and beauty products certified as organic by the Soil Associationbeauty
Soil Association spokeswoman Clio Turton suggested beauty enthusiasts should try to reduce the number of products they use each daybeauty
"Many women are using over 20 different products a day, bombarding themselves with hundreds of different chemicals - is that eyelash conditioner really essential?" she saidbeauty
The warning follows research showing nine out of ten women apply make-up past its use-by datebeauty
The Royal College of Optometrists warned that old ipstick or mascara could be a "hothouse" for bacteriabeauty Cosmetic and toiletry manufacturers insisted that their products are safebeauty
Dr Christopher Flower, of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association, said: "There is no reason at all to be worried about the safety of any productsbeauty
"They are all covered by EU-wide regulation which requires them to be safe - there are no ifs and buts about itbeauty
"The cocktail effect of chemicals is an urban mythbeauty
"We do know how different chemicals react individually and can predict how they interact with each other and this is taken into account when the safety of products is assessedbeauty"