5 ways to combat harmful chemicals in the US cosmetic industry:
- Educate yourself. Do you have the vague idea that there might be icky chemicals hiding in your personal care products? There probably are, and it’s important to understand why they’re there, and how they might be harming you and your family. Don’t settle for a vague understanding of the danger of mainstream personal care products; you won’t be convinced enough to change your routine when it gets inconvenient. Read into the way our cosmetic industry works, and understand the harmful evidence that’s out there — if your experience is like mine, it won’t take you long to get to the point of no return. Here are some great resources to start with:
- Got 2 minutes? Read this article
- Got 8 minutes? Watch this video:
https://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-cosmetics/
- Got a few hours? Read this book: “Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry”*
Note: I can’t recommend this book enough for parents or those pregnant / planning to ever be pregnant. For example, here’s an excerpt on phthalates, one of the ingredients the US cosmetic industry is notorious for, that I can’t unread:
“By the summer of 2005, phthalates were all over the news again, due to a first-of-its-kind human study by Shanna Swan, PhD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester. Swan measured the levels of phthalates in the bodies of pregnant woman, then studies their male infants at birth. The study found “a significant relationship” between the levels of phthalates int he mothers’ bodies during pregnancy and changes in the genitals of the boys. The pregnant women with the highest phthalate levels — equivalent to the levels currently found in about a quarter of US women — were more likely to have baby sons with smaller penises and incompletely descended testicles.”
2) Put your money where your mouth is. Stop buying products from large cosmetic conglomerates, period, until they have reformed the way they manufacture their products. Here’s a list of the “Big 7” conglomerates and the smaller brands they own — as well as how they’re tracking towards eliminating the 16 top chemicals of concern from their manufacturing process:
http://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/big-7/
Key learning for me here was, don’t fall for the marketing of a lovely store like the Body Shop. Sure, maybe I walk in and find a fairly innocuous and “all natural” lotion there (and it even passes my Think Dirty audit!) — but in purchasing it, I’m ultimately supporting L’Oreal which is failing to address 12/16 of the most concerning chemicals involved in their manufacturing process.
3) Explore new, safer products. Download and start using the ThinkDirty app to evaluate your own collection. Fall in love with the world of alternative, natural, and often grassroots-effort beauty products out there. Cutting ties with the Big 7 won’t leave you deprived or short on awesome and affordable options; you don’t have to do DIY or pay a premium to make better decisions. Have fun discovering the story behind smaller brands, choose your favorites, and grow to become a loyal and passionate advocate for them.
Here are my personal favorites:
Acure, Pacifica, Dr. Bronner’s (#OG), Juice Beauty (pricey but awesome for peels, serums, etc.), Primal Pit Paste, David’s Toothpaste
And here are some more brands that I look forward to checking out — I can’t vouch for any of these personally yet, but they were either recommended to me, or ones I’ve seen that look initially promising:
Native Deodorant, Lush Cosmetics, Zao Organics (makeup), Nourish Organics, Olio E Osso (note: beeswax, so not vegan), Rejuva Minerals (makeup), The Honest Company (great option for mascara, I’ve been told), Vita Liberata (all natural self-tanner that passes the Think Dirty test!)
For lots more options, check out ThinkDirty and MadeSafe’s databases of products.
4) Get involved. There are groups of smart and passionate people working hard to turn the ship around on unsafe cosmetics. Here were the top organizations I found that seem to be super reputable and highly vocal about personal care products, with immediate action opportunities offered by each.
Actions you can take immediately:
- A bipartisan bill has been introduced called the Personal Care Products Safety Act that looks like it would introduce a lot of awesome reforms. Read more about the bill here, and most importantly, submit a quick e-form to your local Senators endorsing your support here.
- Sign a petition that sends a letter to L’Oreal’s CEO, asking him to “rid the company’s products of chemicals linked to cancer and fully disclose its secret fragrance chemicals”:
https://bcpp.secure.force.com/actions/BCPPActions?actionId=AR19887
- Sign a petition that demands L’Oreal “remove chemicals linked to breast cancer from anti-aging products”:
https://bcpp.secure.force.com/actions/BCPPActions?actionId=AR19888
- Donate to any of the above orgs — your funds keep them in business and caring about this stuff.
5) Be vocal. Don’t wimp out on sharing what you know about the potential harm of our mainstream personal care industry. My personal goal is to ensure all of my closest friends and loved ones (I’m thinking the ~10 closest people to me, today) know about this subject. If everyone who knew the dangers of the cosmetic industry took the time to ensure their loved ones weren’t completely unaware, we’d go a long way in turning up the volume on this conversation.
