I have read several books on the cosmetics industry and the first shocking bit of information I had known little about was that many companies we buy our make up, facial cleansing and moisturizing products, body products, etc from actually produce two different formulas - the product they sell here in the United States and the product (a much safer product) in European countries. The European Union came up with a Cosmetics Directive which they have banned 1000+ chemicals that are not allowed in products sold in European countries...the United States - 11. There are many wonderful people and organizations working on getting the Safe Cosmetics Act passed here in the United States that would hopefully get our number up a little higher.
Anyway, I was shocked that companies bother to have two different formulas because to me that seems expensive but when asked why they did that instead of selling the safer formula in both places...it was stated in one of the books - "Because they can." Basically, American women will still buy the formula that is not safe. And yes ladies, we do want the latest and greatest on what is going to make us thinner, younger, prettier, perfect skin, etc. but at what cost, eventually? I would like to change that - the more information I put on there a long with many others will hopefully cause a few women to buy the safer alternatives and make these companies that have bad ingredients realize we are no longer going to allow them to essentially ruin our health!
There is a lot of information out there on these subjects and you wonder what you should believe/not believe, what is true, not true, etc. I decided to think out side the box a little because I don't think we will know the extent of what some of these chemicals are capable of doing. There is not a big list of studies and research done on the health risks associated on ingredients in our products because it would be extensive and expensive and once someone knows the possible risks, who would want to sign up for that study? The research would also have to be done over years - we are just seeing effects now from the last 20 years or so. Think about this - the numbers are out there, cancer rates are sky rocketing – in a much younger age group than you should see certain cancers, reproduction problems in baby boys, birth defects, earlier puberty that could result in earlier cancer diagnosis, skin problems, asthma, etc…the list could go on. Yes, I do think the way we eat doesn’t help this either but that is another issue. Also, do you think that maybe the research and studies aren’t done because the information they would find out could cause the $50 billion dollar industry to go bankrupt? Who would want to fund a study or do one on their products that will put their company out of business?
Our skin is the biggest organ and yes it does have the ability to get rid of toxins. And the argument is that many of the bad ingredients in our products we use can't cause much harm because the chemicals and toxins in the product are in small doses – well the skin, liver, kidneys, etc. has a heck of a time filtering these toxins and chemicals because we are using these products every day and sometimes several times a day. I understand that the idea of switching products and making healthier choices can be overwhelming and expensive. You do not have to go throw everything out at once and replace it. Start small. What do you use the most daily? Look at that product and check the ingredient list, if you are not comfortable with what you see, replace that one first and go on from there to the next product you use the most. Also think about how much you are using and the size of area you are using it on.
Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful day!
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