Average spending on mascara, lipstick and other beauty accoutrements in Britain rose by 40 percent over the last five years to more than $1.9 billion, the London Independent said Wednesday. In toppling France, a British woman will spend an average of $69 this year on cosmetics, compared to $61 in France and $42 in Germany and Spain, industry analyst Mintel said.

While British women spend more, analysts said they’re going for the understated look, the Independent reported. Researchers said French women wanted to stand out in a crowd, Spanish women were more concerned about their appearance and image, while German women want others to be aware of them in public.

Analyst Michelle Strutton said changes in attitudes and fashion were behind the boom, the London Daily Mail said. Strutton said the British makeup market rebounded from the downturn in the 1990s when the look was more natural, the Daily Mail said.

Women who apply make-up on a daily basis should think twice before spending those 15 minutes in front of their mirror, as a research conducted in the UK has found that they could be inviting serious health problems.

The study discovered that every day the average woman applies 175 different chemicals to her body in the form of cosmetics and toiletries.

And out of those 175 cosmetic products, most of them contain a cocktail of different chemicals – many of which have been linked to various health problems.

The list of potentially harmful ingredients in everyday cosmetics includes chemicals linked to cancers, hormone problems and skin-irritations.

"Some of the chemicals in everyday toiletries may trigger irritant reactions or allergy. Reactions are particularly seen in patients with atopic eczema and those with sensitive skin,¡± the Daily Mail quoted Professor David Gawkrodger, a consultant dermatologist and spokesman for the British Skin Foundation charity, as saying.

"Most reactions will be to the face or hands, and sometimes on the arms and legs," he added.

And now a campaign group is calling for cosmetic manufacturers to display more information on what their products contain and to reveal about their side effects.

The group, which is set up by the manufacturers of natural products, is especially concerned about three commonly occurring ingredients, which it says can be extremely harmful.

The group identified the ingredients as:

Preserving agents called parabens often used in moisturisers and body creams have been linked to breast cancer and also to skin inflammations.

Foaming agents such as sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate used in shampoos are said to be skin irritants.

And lastly the disinfectant formaldehyde in shampoos and handsoap can make skin flare up and is linked to asthma and headaches.