Try saying that one fast five times. These utterly unpronounceable chemicals are used to add flexibility to a product – such as stopping a hairspray feeling crunchy or a nail polish going brittle.

They’re also used in household cleaners and vinyl flooring, which isn’t quite what you want to hear about something you’re potentially slathering on your body or ingesting in your lipstick.

However, studies indicate that when phthalates end up in the water (which can happen all too easily with make-up that you inevitably wash off), they can cause abnormal changes in marine life.

There’s also been some less-than-pleasant side-effects on human health like asthma, and while the studies are preliminary, they’re one ingredient you might want to consider cutting out.

Luckily, alternatives do exist. BareMinerals BarePro Lipsticks are the ultimate lip treat, with sunflower seed and jojoba waxes to keep them soft and supple, and a huge range of 20 shades, from nudes to deep berries.

They’re long-wearing but not drying, and as kind to your lips as they are to the planet.

5 beauty ingredients to avoid if you want to help the planet as well as your skin