Toxic-free cosmetics – for lasting health

Opting for non-toxic cosmetics is the best thing you can do for your skin, your health, and the environment. Enhancing your beauty through products like vegetable-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 of the cosmetics that are 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 subject, although explained in this article, will be dealt with in detail in a separate article. The first thing we have 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 adolescent girls and pregnant women when they are exposed to these active ingredients in cosmetic products. Europe has made great strides in regulating cosmetics. The European Union (EU) 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 ” U.S. products that our laws will allow for both the consumer and the environment.” However, in South Korea, the same company, in response to similar consumer concerns, acted somewhat differently when the “Korea Federation of Environmental Movements Women’s Committee” tested 24 products for a known toxic ingredient. like 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 what they were using was safe, 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 asked 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 consequence of this approach, there is already a program in place to remove phthalates from our products.”

In April 2004 there was a march on the United States Capitol that organizers say was the largest of its kind. Over a million people joined the Women’s March for Lives and it became the launching pad for an organization known as the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. The campaign message promotes non-toxic cosmetic products. He vowed 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 to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics. By 2007, some three years later, more than 500 companies had signed the Pact. Ninety of these companies were from outside the US However, all signatories were already natural products companies and notably not even one major US cosmetics company was on the list. The reason? The US cosmetic 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. It leaves security in the hands of the individual companies themselves. In other words, if the cosmetics company feels that its product is safe, it can go on the market.

In 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics ran a full-page ad in the US today. The ad read “Making up shouldn’t be like playing with matches” and showed a girl smearing lipstick on her face. The ad named three major cosmetics companies. Within three months, the three cosmetic companies removed EU-banned chemicals from their lipstick and produced what essentially became a toxin-free product.

Let’s be clear here. This example represents just one product in a line of cosmetic products that are in the hundreds per cosmetic company. So while this was a huge 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 of non-toxic ingredients in all products, which will result in a safe product. , healthy and toxic-free cosmetics for everyone.

Everyone can help advance this very important process by shopping for and purchasing only certified organic personal care products. To do this, one should look for the certification logos on any cosmetic product one purchases. These logos will be prominently displayed alongside the non-animal testing, biodegradable, etc. logos.