by Patti Coughlin, LMT, owner True Bodywork

When I was younger, I had no problem flying out of the house without makeup on.  Now, unless there’s a fire, I’m not going anywhere without “putting my face on.  I know I’m not alone.   Having learned about the long held potentially dangerous practices of the cosmetics industry, I wonder if I’d be better off going out sans makeup.

As young girls,  we watched with adulation as our mothers meticulously applied her favorite shade of lipstick punctuating the process with a perfect blot.   Just as their mothers did, we do the same thing in front of my daughters.   It’s as if we are passing down a tribal ritual.

The thought that we could be prettying ourselves with poison grabbed our attention in 2007 when media sources shocked the public with headlines of lead laden lipstick.   Just last year, Rodale revealed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) neither tests nor determines the safety level of cosmetics and still does not consider the toxic metal to be a safety concern.  Much like the fox watching the hen house, the beauty industry’s self-policing review panel, The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CFTA) is regulated by legislation that has not been updated since 1938!

There are about 884 chemicals that are known toxins commonly found in hair care products, deodorants, lotions, perfumes, and makeup.   While warning labels on cigarettes, alcohol and prescriptions are now a mainstay, the FDA lacks the authority to alert consumers about the safety concerns of the beauty products we lavish ourselves with.   The cosmetics industry says that the amount of chemicals are in such small amounts that they are safe for consumer use, and we are only beginning to gather research about the ill effects of these products we use multiple times per day.

The 35 billion dollar cosmetics industry is one of the nation’s largest and most profitable enterprises and, along with the entertainment business, it not only survived but thrived during the Great Depression.   As consumers tighten their pocketbooks, the industry is looking for even more clever ways to market their goods while keeping an eye on their bottom line.   One way they do this is by using cheaper ingredients wrapped in posh packaging.  Let’s face it, for many consumers, if it looks pretty and smells good, they buy it.   With news that most teenagers use an average of 17 personal care products every day, many companies have started marketing to  “tweens” and the “X” generation who tug on their parent’s heart and purse strings.

So, how do we stay pretty during an ugly economy?   The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) offers sound advice as well as a powerful search tool for those looking to stay beautiful without compromising their health.  Look for companies that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics which means that they are pledging to make safer products and to provide transparency to consumers about their products.  Happily, there are also a growing number of cost effective, natural and safe beauty lines available such as Organic Fiji,  Apriori Beauty and Naturally Safe Cosmetics.

Want to learn more?  Please join us at The 5th Annual Day of Renewal benefiting the Breast Cancer Fund.  See you in the lavender fields!

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