10 Ugly Truths - Costmetics Safety

Well well well, who would have thought that I was going to be posting something in R&D? Haha. I thought that it would be fitting here just because it didn't really fit in anywhere else. One of the organizations to which I belong, the American Marketing Associaton, planned a marketing week and one of the speakers was a guy from this place called Clean Water Action. It's one of those green companies, but he handed out this pamphlet, which I just thought was really interesting. So I'm just going to summarize on what I read.

I think this is really important because this is something that IS NOT LIMITED TO JUST WOMEN!!!

SOURCE: http://www.safecosmetics.org/index.cfm

There are many toxic chemicals that are in our beauty products as well as in our bodies. They end up in our bodies because many of these chemicals are able to be absorbed through the skin, inhaled, or ingested. Contrary to what the title suggests, these toxic chemicals are not just found in make-up, but also in other personal care items like shampoo, deodorant, and lotion.
Most people think that they're safe if they don't use these products each day or only use a limited amount, but even though the cosmetics industry may label a product as safe for use because the amount is so small, there is still a risk. No one uses just one product a day, and the amount of toxins that are contained in one person's everyday morning routine may become harmful in the long run.
Some questions may arise such as: Why isn't the government protecting us? This is because there are a lot of loopholes in federal law. These loopholes do not allow the government to require safety testing or to approve the safety of these products. The responsibility falls on the cosmetics industry rather than the government.
It is probably easy to see why the industry would rather not disclose the truth behind their products. For example, companies may only minimally test their products just to make sure that the ingredients don't cause things like rashes or other small reactions. However, companies are not mandated to test for long-term negative health effects, which the reading lists as "cancer or the inability to have a healthy child." It is estimated by the Environmental Working Group that 1/3 of personal care products contain at least one chemical that is linked to cancer.
So you would think that this would be a reason that people would push for change, right? Wrong. The Cosmetics, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA) has fought against these laws, arguing that the industry can regulate itself.
But there is hope, however. Many companies are starting to make safer products and continue to make safer products in the future.

When I first heard about this I was pretty appalled to hear that this was going on. Of course, I am one of those people that tends to be painfully optimistic, borderline Utopian. But I guess it's also because it's something that I had absolutely no prior knowledge about until the speaker came in.

I guess it can be expected considering that the industry is the one that controls the standards. After all, for most people, profits are king. If something is deemed to be safe in the short term and doesn't cause anything topical like rashes or swelling right away, why not just put it on the product line? From my reading I found that even companies that claim to be "green" or "all natural" aren't always that.

It just upsets me that these companies write long and elaborate mission statements that pledge their responsibility to the community when they are putting many products on the shelves that may be harmful to the public in the long run. Taking care of customers and shareholders isn't important if it means you can't make products and therefore a profit? I don't think so. I just think that companies need to get their priorities straight. Sure, it will be at a loss. In fact, it will definitely be at a loss, but there is no reason to be putting harmful ingredients into everyday products that can cause seriously harmful effects.

In fact, if these corporations don't think that they can function, just take a look at the European Union. In the European Union, there are over 1,110 ingredients that are banned from cosmetics. In the United States? Ten. And you STILL see various toiletries and cosmetic products in Europe.

Despite all this, I am glad to see that a lot of companies are adding their names to the Safe Cosmetics list, because like their campaign says "Use Daily" shouldn't come with a warning.