If you have been keeping abreast of the latest updates about the cosmetics industry, you probably know by now that most of the mainstream makeup that we use daily, are full of extremely harmful chemicals. Yes – many of the products that we apply on our face can actually cause cancer and serious birth defects.
Before we pooh pooh these ideas (after all, how much can a bit of BB Cream or eyeliner hurt you?), we would do well to remember that skin is the largest organ in our body, and 1 in 5 Americans will get skin cancer this year. Would you voluntarily expose this organ to cancer causing chemicals each and every day? I hope the answer is no… Yet, that is what each of us is doing on a daily basis.
Much has been made of the fact that the EU has banned about 1,400 different chemicals from cosmetics and personal care products, while the U.S. has banned a paltry 11.
Yes, we all know that we should be careful about the ingredients that go into our cosmetics and personal care products, but with so many brands flooding the market, how do we decide which products are good for us? Usually, we go for the reputed brands, assuming that such big names will never make a product that will harm our health. And yet, most of the time, these big names are also the biggest offenders. They’re all about maximizing profit, and they have lobbyists and legal teams to cover up their misdeeds.
Most of the major drugstore and department store brands fall woefully short on safety and environmental standards, even though they may be very popular. As a typical example of mainstream cosmetics brands, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics checked for the most dangerous chemicals that have already been proven to be highly toxic, and found that all of the drugstore and department store products (like Maybelline, Clinique, L’Oreal and similar brands) either openly contained these toxic ingredients, or contained them in secret (as an unlisted ‘contamination’).
The bottom line is that drugstore and department store brand makeup and cosmetics are simply not safe.
As consumers, it is both our right and duty to be mindful about the cosmetics that we use and to ensure that we shun any products which can pose a health hazard to us and our children. Once we start avoiding products that are harmful, we will hit the cosmetic giants where it hurts most –their revenues and bottom lines– forcing them to swap out the most dangerous ingredients for (hopefully) safer ones. It is up to each one of us to make that happen.
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), “Nearly 90% of the 10,500 ingredients the FDA has determined are used in personal care products have not been evaluated for safety by the CIR, the FDA or any other publicly accountable institution.”
Fortunately, there are several nonprofits that have taken it upon themselves to analyze and rate the various personal care products that are available in the market. Tools like GoodGuide and the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database provide critical health information about many consumer items including personal care products. And if you want to check how effective these products are, then sites like Beautypedia and the user reviews on Amazon provide useful information (keep in mind that there are a lot of fake consumer reviews out there!)
Here’s a great video that explains how so many toxins end up in our makeup:
So, the next time you buy any of your favorite makeup, visit a few websites like EWG Skin Deep and GoodGuide and see if they withstand the safety test… or simply purchase products from your health food store that have zero ingredients that sound like chemicals.
When choosing products we urge you to go natural not just for yourself but also for the world around you. Many cosmetics are animal tested and can have harmful effects on the very animals they are tested on.
Knowing what’s on your skin can give you peace of mind, especially without the long, complicated names I know I’ve gotten used to seeing. With ingredients you understand, natural products can make it a lot less scary.
Don’t fall for exotic trends! Every now and then, a bizarre new trend promises to be the magic bullet for all your skin care woes but ends up being downright cruel, whether to you or the planet. The use of human and cow placenta extracts is at the top of our list for being kooky and just plain crazy, especially since they contain a raft of hormones. Another weird practice du jour is the fish pedicure, which involves having dozens of tiny nibbling carp exfoliate your feet in 94-degree Fahrenheit water, a procedure we’re sure is not PETA-approved. I can’t believe this world. Companies are making fun of us whilst making huge profits.?
Vegan cosmetics are known for having fewer ingredient lists than non-vegan cosmetics and the less you put on your skin, the better condition it will be in.
Make sure “natural” is really natural. Toxic synthetic chemicals are the biggest issue in the beauty industry today, so it pays to hone a keen eye when it comes to examining product labels.
There are more and more natural beauty products on the market than ever before. I strongly suggest that you check your labels before investing in cosmetics because often what is in them is bad for you.
Using products that only contain a few ingredients, or making your own products creates a simpler life. If you have a reaction to something, it is easy to isolate the cause. Keeping things simple can reduce your cost and the amount of waste you produce.
The issue about harmful ingredients in cosmetics isn’t specifically JUST for your skin. It’s often easy to forget about the environmental impact of beauty products. Just one bottle can bring up a lot of uncomfortable eco-questions. Is the packaging recyclable? What about the ingredients in the product? Were they grown with synthetic chemicals and fertilizers? What happens when those chemicals go down the drain? What’s that doing to our water supply and the local ecosystems? Multiply these questions by all of your skincare products.
Oh my, this is true. They even claim that the fishes eat your feet’s dead skin cells! And it will become baby smooth afterwards.
Reduce the number of chemicals on your skin and keep your insides just as healthy as the outside.
The nice thing about going vegan with your beauty routines is that you’re instantly avoiding any big ‘no’ ingredients without having to read the label. Plant based products sit a lot better on your face and your skin finds it so much easier to absorb them, so letting your skin breathe with natural cosmetics just makes sense.