Wednesday, September 3, 2008
If you’re a fan of irony, you may be pleased to know what’s behind your healthy glow.
OK, that’s the most positive intro I could craft. The ugly truth is that your beauty regimen may have dangerous ingredients at work. Lead, mercury, formaldehyde, as well as components of rocket fuel, are just a few terms I came across when researching what goes into personal care products from the biggest names in the beauty biz.
And guys, a shower and a shave could be enough to lower your sperm count and contribute to testicular tumors. That’s because in the U.S., the average man’s daily routine exposes him to 80 chemicals each day, according to Stacy Malkan, author of the book "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry." The average woman’s tallies more than twice that. Skin is the body’s largest organ and because it is so porous, what goes on your body is as important as what goes into it.
Despite this, the beauty industry isn’t overseen by a government agency like the FDA. Instead, an industry-sponsored panel, called the Personal Care Products Council, tests products for short-term safety concerns like rashes and swelling.
In Europe, more than 1,100 chemicals have been banned from beauty products because they're linked to cancer and birth defects. Probably causes cancer? Those Europeans, what worrywarts. Here in the U.S., chemicals are innocent until proven guilty.
It’s surprising to me that a for-profit industry using some 10,500 ingredients makes its own rules. The lenient regulation is one reason you aren’t likely to find lead listed with ingredients on a tube of lipstick.
Beauty industry lobbyists fought a California state Senate bill this summer that aimed to rid lipsticks of lead. The argument is that a little lead on the lips won’t kill you. And they’re pretty sure that’s true.
Unfortunately, lead is far from the only undercover ingredient used. In fragranced products, there may be hundreds of unlisted ingredients. “Natural” and “organic” claims mean little in the cosmetics realm and often show up on the most chemical-laden products.
If you’ve seen me lately around campus, you may have noticed my one-woman boycott.
But I don’t preach abstinence. You can learn how to have safe sexy make-up. Ah, and I can’t quite find the right pun about the Burt’s and the Bees.
Start by taking it off. Fewer products mean fewer chemicals in our bodies, fewer chemicals in our waste stream and fewer unknown effects to worry about.
Don’t rush into things. Ease into replacing your products, starting with those you use most frequently like shampoo and deodorant. The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit team of researchers, can tell you what labels won’t. Skin Deep, the group's online database, allows you to search the toxicity of more than 25,000 products.
And then it starts to feel pretty good. For me, it’s a matter of looking twice at what goes into my body. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised if the industry I ask to mask my blemishes has a flaw or two it’d like to cover up.
English is an Overland Park junior in journalism and economics.
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Comments
English: That hydroxyacetic acid really complements your skin tone
I actually use pure rocket fuel as shaving cream... are you saying this is a bad idea?
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