Catherine Glinskaya English 1102 Mr. Anthony Borrero 02.20.

13

Whats in it?

Every morning after we turn that annoying alarm clock off, we proceed to our daily rituals. We wash our face, brush our teeth, use shampoo, shower gel. Women apply crmes and lotions to prevent their skin from aging. Men use shaving cosmetics to look nice and neat. But we never question what are we really applying. Is it safe? We trust the companies that produces that toothpaste we have just brushed our teeth with, or that soap we are washing our hands with, even hand sanitizer that is our must have product. We trust the companies and are pretty sure that the government has everything under control. Should we? We generally accept the idea that if the product is on the market shelf, it is safe. But is it? In this essay I will consider the issue of the safety of cosmetics. The inquiry led me to several discussions surrounding the question of cosmetics. Accordingly, the issue of regulations of cosmetics industry and in particular the productions of the cosmetics emerge in the discussion. This binds with the question of safety of the products and implies analysis of the ingredients. The inquiry about cosmetics safety leads to the arousal of the question related to potential danger to our health. And, almost inevitably, the research of the questions mentioned above prompted me to consider several options for an alternative.

To start with, I need to say that one of the articles I found online while browsing internet caught my attention by warning me that the cosmetics that we are using on a daily basis may be unsafe in its prevailing majority. Rachael Pomerance talks about danger that certain chemicals included in the cosmetics may cause. (Pomerance) I started to research this further. I was pretty sure that there have to be some regulations that will make it clear and that will stabilize this peculiar question. As I predicted, there are several organizations and laws that are called to regulate and monitor cosmetics industry. (Chapin-McGil) There is even a list of chemicals banned for usage in the United States. They were banned by FDA the agency that seems to play the major role in any regulations in regards to cosmetics. The FDAs website offers the information to public. (FDA) As an interested consumer, I printed out the list of prohibited chemicals. Expecting quite a substantial number of pages of the document, I found only two. It contains only 8 prohibited chemicals and provides some information on restricted ingredients. Why such a small number, while European Union, for example, has banned over 1,300 chemicals? Dene Godfrey in his article clarifies that the list of chemicals prohibited in the USA contains only those that have been used in the cosmetics before, opposed to the list in EU, which contains all potentially dangerous chemicals, such as warfarin and radioactive substances. (Godfrey) It looks like the EU is being precautious by listing all the harmful substances that potentially might be used in cosmetics industry some time in the future. They are imposing the regulations in advance, so that no evil genius thinks about any of them as substitutes. Well, shouldnt the FDA follow EUs example and ban the whole list of dangerous ingredients too, just for the safetys sake? Especially if this countrys population is renown for doing something that is implied by common sense not to do, like, lets say, putting a cat into a microwave for it to dry out, and after cats death to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer of that microwave brand, because they did not warn not to put animals in it?

I am not sure if FDA is to be blamed of all the deadly sins of the cosmetic industry. During the research of the regulations issue I came to find out that FDA plays little role in monitoring the manufacturing of cosmetics. Again, looking at the list of prohibited ingredients posted on the FDAs website, it clearly says that cosmetics are not subject to FDA premarket approval authority, with the important exception of color additives that are not coal-tar hair dyes. (FDA) It appears that any manufacturer of the cosmetics that women and men use on daily basis can list anything as ingredients, with an important exception of color additives, and get away with it. Therefore the cosmetics industry occurs to be self regulated. That makes me wonder. In the modern world of capitalism I do not trust companies so much, as their main goal is not a satisfied and healthy customer, as they want us to believe, but their own profit. It seems that the consumers are left to choose for their own what to consider safe and what companies to trust. Due to the fact that companies define for themselves what is safe and healthy, it makes me, as a consumer, wonder if there is any danger caused by chemicals used in cosmetology, and whether the ingredients in my makeup are hazardous? I researched this question further and came across the video posted by the members of the campaign for toxic free cosmetics. (Organic) It lists 12 top toxic chemicals that are widely used in cosmetic products. Almost every product we use contains either cancerogenic or hormone-disruptive chemicals, in addition to the blend of others that cause eye damage, depression, diarrhea, skin irritation, and even death. (Organic) The picture of reality seems pretty depressing. According to the video, we are softly (or not really) killing ourselves. Is that an end? Are we doomed to be exposed to toxic ingredients? In the current circumstances of self-regulating cosmetics industry, with FDA playing minor role over regulations and the potential danger of the ingredients cosmetics contain, one question is left, how to protect ourselves? The first and foremost answer would be to pass governmental laws that will in reality regulate the content and safety of cosmetics. (Benhaim) Even if to fear

the worst, several other options do exist. In the meantime, while FDA tries to do what it can, the companies and organizations for non-toxic cosmetics, such as Organic and Toxic Free Products, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and others offer some alternatives to consider. (Organic, Safe) A good idea for consumers would also be to raise self-awareness about this peculiar situation around the safety of the cosmetics, and to choose the products that contain less or do not contain harmful chemicals at all. Luckily, the Environmental Working Group launched the database where it provides the information on brands, products and chemicals they contain, as well as rates them on the scale of toxicity. (Environmental) I am, in particular, interested in that database, as it provides a handful of useful information. But before following its pieces of advice I need to make sure I can trust it. Further investigation in this filed will help to find credible information about the research the campaign conducts and to make sure that the results available to consumers are accurate, where I also have some doubts about the accuracy of the provided information. (Channel) In the meantime, why not to consider using organic or mineral cosmetics? It is said to be healthy and even healing in some cases. Should we be doubtful about the safety of this branch of cosmetics? Is it regulated? And if it is, then how does the control occur? Can we really trust the regulations? Should we consider green chemistry as credible research resource? While all those questions, and many more to come, are still buzzing in my head, the only outcome I can leave off here is that the choice is ours.

Cited Sources

Benhaim, Paul: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjwgLEPUIVQ

Channel One News: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzZOmbToVTg

Chapin-McGil, Greta: http://www.ehow.com/facts_5071101_marketing-requirements-beautyproducts.html

Environmental Working Group: http://www.ewg.org

FDA:http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/SelectedCosmeticIngredients/ ucm127406.htm

Godfrey, Dene: http://personalcaretruth.com/2011/03/the-eu-has-banned-over-1000-chemicalsthe-fda-has-only-banned-9/

Organic and Toxic Free products: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4cCq4F0ZCs

POMERANCE, RACHEL: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2012/07/31/how-safeare-your-cosmetics

SAFE COSMETICS ACTION NETWORK: http://safecosmetics.org/section.php?id=75