However, with the increasing popularity of makeup, we have to start asking some tough questions about quality, testing, chemicals, and more! But maybe the most important question of all is... "As beauty companies strive to be number one in a booming industry-- are they really keeping your best interest in mind?"
Maintain Your Health
Did you know that smearing toxic products on your skin will lead to a toxic body? It only takes 26 seconds for what you put on your skin to show up in your bloodstream! That's pretty amazing, isn't it?! But it can also be pretty scary when the ingredients can be harmful to our health.
Sadly, cosmetic regulations in the Unites States have not been properly updated for decades. In fact, we only have 11 products banned due to toxic concerns while Europe has banned over 1,400. That's a little crazy isn't it?
BHA, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde, parabens, parfum (or fragrance), petrolatum, sodium laureth sulfate (SLS), and triclosan are common highly toxic ingredients that are commonly found in retail cosmetic products. What do these all have in common? Long term exposure may be linked to serious illnesses, emotional issues, infertility, disability and more! Yet, they still are considered "safe" by the US government.
Hidden Ingredients
Did you know that it isn't required for companies to fully disclose all of their ingredients? They can hide hundreds of added harmful ingredients behind words like "Fragrance", "Natural Flavors", "Proprietary Blends" and other deceptive tactics.
Some companies will knowingly include harmful ingredients, but call them something that sounds natural to help ease consumer's minds. Sadly, we even see this with so called "natural" companies. Several "non-toxic" companies such as Ava Anderson and 100% Pure have been in the spot light for quality issues recently. Have you heard about it?
Ava Anderson recently left her company saying that her brand's quality has suffered and she has been bullied out of her own business. 100% Pure has included a few controversial ingredients like Japanese Honeysuckle Extract and parahydroxy benzoic acid. Elizabeth Moriarty, a phytochemist and organic inspector, had this to say this about Japanese Honeysuckle....
"It is a highly processed and concentrated paraben extraction that may or may not be contaminated with synthetic parabens where it is manufactured in Singapore. I am particularly distressed by the fact that so many companies are evidently using the latter version of 'Japanese Honeysuckle Extract' and simultaneously claiming 'NO PARABENS' on their labels." (Elizabeth Moriarty)
Moral of the story: Know who you are buying from!
Lead and Heavy Metals
Very few companies test every batch of makeup for heavy metals and other contaminates, but we know that to maintain safety-- each batch of makeup should be tested!
Exposure to heavy metals has been linked to health concerns including reproductive, immune and nervous system toxicity yet they are often being found in large number in makeup when tested by third parties or the FDA. Common heavy metals found in makeup are lead, arsenic, mercury, aluminum, zinc, chromium and iron.
Currently, there aren’t any laws requiring manufacturers to label what their cosmetics contain so the burden is completely on consumers. Margie Kelly, of the Breast Cancer Fund and Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “Lipstick is especially alarming because you could ingest it and there’s no safe level of exposure to metals like lead. Plus, it’s something you may apply multiple times per day over many decades, so the metals can buildup in your body.”
Can you imagine your reaction if someone used your beloved dog to see if dumping eye products in their eyes caused irritation, infection or blindness? Or what about if they started smearing your adorable cat with cream to see if it would cause a chemical burn? This is what happens to innocent animals all over the world with cosmetic testing!!
Is our eyeliner really so important that we would have countless animals suffer because of it? Don't you agree that we are in a technological age that no longer needs this barbaric practice?! Please say no to companies who support animal testing!
And remember.... "However, animal testing isn’t just limited to make up, but all cosmetic products. Aveeno, Acuvue, Johnson and Johnson (Band-Aid), Pfizer Chapstick, Clairol, Clean and Clear, Garnier, S.C. Johnson, and L’Oreal are just some of the many companies which test on animals." (True Activist)
Cleanliness
You may have seen a theme, but let me tell you a story about something a little different. Have you ever been to a makeup counter and they let you use the tester? One a scale of 1-10, how sanitary do you think those testers are?
What would you say if I told you that one in five of makeup testers contains yeast, mold, and — brace yourself – fecal matter! BAH!! Do you want that on your face?!
So for goodness sakes--- avoid the testers!! Only use samples or just figure it out based on the color shown on the box!!
Healthy Options You Can Trust
You can always find more non-toxic personal care and beauty recipes on my Recipe Page!
2. Beauty Counter. After a lot of research and talking to Beauty Counter's Director of Partnership and Policy, I am extremely pleased with their transparency and dedication to safety.
Beauty Counter refuses to use any products banned in Europe in any of their products, they require full ingredient disclosure, they never test on animals, and they inspect every batch for heavy metal and contaminates.
Beauty Counter refuses to use any products banned in Europe in any of their products, they require full ingredient disclosure, they never test on animals, and they inspect every batch for heavy metal and contaminates.
You can find out more about Beauty Counter here.
3. EWG's Skin Deep Database. Check out their list of retail products or search your favorites to find out how green (or toxic) they really are!
You can search their site here.
Reader's Poll
What do you think about your brand of makeup!? If you have a great non-toxic brand that you love-- comment below and tell us about why it's so amazing! (please no affiliate links or spam)
You can search their site here.
Reader's Poll
What do you think about your brand of makeup!? If you have a great non-toxic brand that you love-- comment below and tell us about why it's so amazing! (please no affiliate links or spam)
This is a great article Sherri!! Love all the information you provided. I did want to say that I don't always take the EWG information as gospel. They lack so much information about ingredients and have absolutely no information on many ingredients and still rate them as harmful. Not sure what they base these ratings on and much of their info is sorely outdated. There are much better resources for ingredient information out there.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about ingredients being omitted on labels though. So many people who are selling what they call "organic" or "natural" try to hide some ingredients under "fragrance" or something else so that the public is unaware of what is actually in there.
Hi! I have tried making my own mascara and it spoils too quickly-- I'm still working on it! For now I use Beauty Counter or Sweet Savvy Minerals. They are both great!
ReplyDeleteAs for the essential oils-- the cheap ones are pretty much not good ones. BUT most 15 ml essential oil bottles have 300 drops and they cost less than $30. If you consider that most DIY recipes take 2-10 drops of an essential oil, then they really are more cost effective than many retail products. In fact, we save over $800 a year just by using DIY beauty products and my skin is better than ever! In contrast, when I used cheap essential oils for one of my DIY beauty routines-- my face turned bright red, felt itchy and then broke out. So it may be tempting to use cheaper ones-- but you may not get the results you want as many of them are for aromatherapy only.
I hope that helps! Have a great weekend!