Opting for toxic-free cosmetics is the best thing you can do for your skin, your health and the environment. Enhancing your beauty through products like plant-based cosmetic mineral makeup and organic cosmetics is the new way to promote long-term health. There is no reason why one should continue to use toxic cosmetics.
Most cosmetics on the market are made up of chemicals that are banned in other countries. This is due to the incomprehensible position of our government, which gives cosmetic manufacturers a free hand to make rampant use of these harmful chemicals. That topic, although explained in this article, will be treated in detail separately in another article. The first thing we need to do is figure out how to protect our skin and general well-being from the harmful effects of these toxic cosmetics.
New research has shown that exposure to toxic chemicals that wreak havoc on our hormones could increase the risk of breast cancer. This is particularly true for teenage girls and pregnant women when they are exposed to these active ingredients in cosmetic products. Europe has made great progress in regulating cosmetics. The European Union (EU) has approved an amendment to the “Cosmetics Directive”, the law that regulates cosmetics in the 15 EU countries. It would ban the use of any and all chemicals known or suspected to cause cancer, birth defects, or genetic mutations in cosmetic products. Hundreds of chemicals (more than 1,100) were banned.
Some American cosmetics companies responded by saying that “American women are not as concerned with cosmetics as European women.” How dare they decide what worries one has! A large cosmetics company had a real disconnect and responded to a written request about the use of phthalates (pronounced phthalates and just a fancy word for fragrance and found in over 79% of all cosmetic products), saying that ” US products that our laws will allow for both the consumer and the environment.” In South Korea, however, that same company, in response to similar consumer concerns, acted somewhat differently when the “Women’s Committee of the Korean Federation of Environmental Movements” tested 24 products for a known toxic ingredient. as phthalates. One hundred percent of the products tested had phthalates. Ninety-six percent had more than two phthalates. Fifty percent had more than three, and eight percent had four different types. Now, the same company that responded to the US query by saying that what they used was safe, has now responded in South Korea this way. “Our company does not use DEHP and DBP (phthalates), about which concerns have been raised, as components of our products.” They subsequently removed all phthalates from their products.
Another very large company took a position in the US, but when challenged in the UK said the following: “We agree with the position of the Women’s Environmental Network on the inherent toxicological potential of phthalates. We take a precautionary approach and will only use an ingredient if it is safe and approved for use in cosmetic products. As a result of this approach, a program is already in place to remove phthalates from our products.”
In April 2004 there was a march on the US Capitol that organizers say was the largest of its kind. More than a million people joined the March for Women’s Lives and it became the launching pad for an organization known as the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. The campaign message promotes toxic-free cosmetic products. It has pledged to replace dangerous chemicals found in cosmetic products with safer alternatives within three years. To accomplish this, she asked cosmetic manufacturers in the US to do four things:
1. Remove chemicals banned by the European Union from all products sold worldwide.
2. Inventory all products for chemicals of concern.
3. Develop a plan to replace hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives within three years.
4. Publicly report your progress.
Within a few months, a small number of companies began signing the Pact for Safe Cosmetics. In 2007, some three years later, more than 500 companies had signed the Pact. Ninety of these companies were from outside the US However, all of the signatories were already natural product companies, and notably, not even one major US cosmetics company was listed. The reason? The US cosmetics industry is the least regulated industry under the auspices of the FDA. How does the FDA determine if a cosmetic product is safe? The answer is no. Leave security in the hands of the individual companies themselves. In other words, if the cosmetic company feels its product is safe, it can go to market.
In 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics ran a full page ad in the US today. The ad said “Putting on makeup shouldn’t be like playing with matches” and featured a girl smearing lipstick on her face. Three major cosmetics companies were named in the ad. Within three months, the three cosmetics companies removed the EU-banned chemicals from their lipstick and produced what essentially became a toxic-free product.
Let’s be clear here. This example represents just one product in a line of cosmetic products found in the hundreds per cosmetic company. So while this was a big step forward, it’s just a small step in the grand scheme of things with the ultimate mission of getting all cosmetic companies to reformulate their lines to new standards for toxic-free ingredients in all products, which will result in safe products. , healthy and toxic-free cosmetics for everyone.
Everyone can help advance this important process by buying and buying only certified organic personal care products. To do this, one should look for the certification logos on any cosmetic product that one buys. These logos will be prominently displayed alongside the non-animal testing, biodegradable, etc. logos.
