uses six, each containing a dozen or more chemicals. With repeated use, many of these chemicals can be present at concentrations above the individual’s acceptable daily intake. The list of potentially harmful chemicals used in cosmetics includes many—such as lead, methoxyethanol, mercury, nitromethane and phenacetin—that have been linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, hormone disruption, brain damage and other health issues. Unfortunately, many women are confused about how to find safe and effective beauty care products with which to replace the chemically laden ones. Several companies are committed to offering products to the public that are more beneficial for their whole wellbeing, not just how they appear on the outside.
Natural Skin Care and Cosmetics:
Use This, Not That by Ana Mercedes Kranzlin
T
he United States is the biggest cosmetic market in the world, with estimated revenue of about $55 billion, 7.2 billion of which came from Internet sales in 2010. As new cosmetics continue to flood the market, consumers must navigate many concerns, including what products are best for specific skin types or particular age-related concerns and perhaps most importantly, how the ingredients that comprise the products might affect their health. A dawning realization that the chemicals in cosmetics could increase the risks of cancer and other diseases has driven efforts to produce safer, more natural and organic products, free of the potentially harmful synthetic ingredients. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) researches and publishes data about the safety of cosmetics, 28
Fairfield County Edition
expressing concerns about the lack of premarket safety testing for chemicals that go into personal care products. EWG notes that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated, “…a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from FDA.” Hundreds of cosmetic chemicals that have been banned in the European Union continue to be used in the United States. According to the nonprofit Story of Stuff Project, the self-regulated cosmetic industry has assessed just 20 percent of the ingredients in beauty products for long-term safety and has rejected only a handful. In the short film, The Story of Cosmetics, creator, director and host Annie Leonard notes that the average woman uses 12 personal care products daily and the average man
natural awakenings
Minimally Processed Skincare One such business is the family-owned Neal’s Yard Remedies, founded in England in 1981. Independent consultant Rosanne Conoscenti, of Fairfield County, describes the Neal’s Yard approach to skin care: “We try to pinpoint the main skin care concern for each of our customers and address that first. Our skin changes with the seasons and of course, as we age, so we always need to be evaluating what products are best for us.” Conoscenti says that it is important to evaluate and potentially change the products we have been using because the skin is the largest organ of the body and may absorb many of the ingredients that we apply to it. “There are many well-publicized trials showing that as a population, we are increasingly contaminated,” she comments, pointing out reports that traces of hundreds of chemicals have been found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns. “If we can minimize the chemicals in our food by choosing minimally processed and organic food, why would we not do that in our skincare?” she remarks. All of Neal’s Yard Remedies products are also vegetarian and cruelty-free.
Fruits, Vegetables and Flowers Make Us Look Better LUSH—a British company founded in the 1970s with local retail stores at the