Yes, Let's Define "Safe Cosmetics..."

TODAY'S RANT: I just HAD to respond to these posts from a Linked In group I belong to -- here's the conversation that got me all riled up:

To me 'safe cosmetic' means a cosmetic (something that affects the surface layers of the skin on a temporary basis) that has been manufactured to be stable physically, chemically and microbiologically for the duration of the usable shelf-life. It should be made with Good Manufacturing Practice, stored in accordance to instructions and contain chemicals that have been tested and proved to have no detrimental effects in the dose and presentation of this particular formulation. I may have missed something but that is what I have for now. In a nutshell it is an applied safety relating to the ingredients > manufacturing method> supply chain> in-use instructions> disposal.

Response from another Linked In group member:

I know I teach my clients that cosmetics is simply placed on the top layer of your face. So as long as you have no skin reaction then the safest cosmetics is the one you regularly remove. Cleansing the face morning and night and allowing the skin to air is more important to me than the brand of make-up you use.

And here's my response:

FACT: 60% of products applied to the body actually enter the bloodstream, and those that don't enter your body are washed off into the environment. Ingredients that are not readily biodegradable are affecting our water supply, the creatures living within our waters, and entering our soils.

QUESTION: Who is doing the "testing" to ensure safety? If it's not an independent research institution, the results can be compared to the testing done by tobacco companies with their own hired scientists, claiming that nicotine does no harm...

I believe "safe" should follow the PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE: The health of our planet and all living things upon it should take priority over cosmetic applications to the body (products used to improve appearance, as opposed to products used to improve health). 

Definition of the Precautionary Principle from Wikipedia (http://bit.ly/3hGeAc): * precautionary principle or precautionary approach states that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of scientific consensus that the action or policy is harmful, the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those taking the action.  

This principle allows policy makers to make discretionary decisions in situations where there is the possibility of harm from taking a particular course or making a certain decision when extensive scientific knowledge on the matter is lacking. The principle implies that there is a social responsibility to protect the public from exposure to harm, when scientific investigation has found a plausible risk. These protections can be relaxed only if further scientific findings emerge that provide sound evidence that no harm will result.   

In some legal systems, as in the law of the European Union, the application of the precautionary principle has been made a statutory requirement.*

A Metaphor: Is All the HOOPLA Over "Unsafe" Cosmetics Really True?

If you had a choice between dating a super popular, flashy, charming guy who was suspected of murder, but was out on bail because the jury could not establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt, or dating a "nice boy" from a good family who had a flawless criminal record and gave you everything you could possibly dream of in a relationship... Which guy would you choose? (Hard to decide? What if it was your daughter making the decision...?) 

Parabens or Herbs? The Precautionary Principle & NYR Organic

Do a search for "rosemary cancer" on the web, and you'll come up with dozens of articles describing the benefits of using "cancer-fighting" rosemary.

one example: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1021464/Adding-rosemary-steak-help-prevent-cancer.html

Do a search for "parabens cancer" on the web, and you'll come up with dozens of articles outlining the potential dangers of using "estrogen-mimicking" parabens.

one example: http://articlehubseurope.com/cancer-hub/why-should-you-choose-a-paraben-free-anti-aging-moisturizer/

Considering that 60% of what you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream, what would YOU feel more comfortable putting on your body?

“Most beauty companies use ingredients until they are proven unsafe. We take the directly opposite approach and follow the ‘Precautionary Principle’ – if an ingredient has not been proven to be safe, we presume it is unsafe and don’t use it.” --Neal’s Yard Remedies, Owner Peter Kindersley

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics on YouTube

A July 4th message from a friend, to appreciate every day of the year...

As tawdry as it can all seem sometimes, the Bernard Madoff stuff and political gridlock, as I set the table this morning and tie my red white and blue ribbons on the candelabra, sprinkle out my same-colored confetti, the flag hangs, I unfurl the beat-up souvenir copy of the Declaration of Independence and see the beautiful signature of John Hancock and Jefferson and I still get goosebumps. Invariably when I read excerpts to my kids, I well up, and I am not a sentimental person.

But as I skimmed the language this morning, I was struck by the words "Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed." It made me feel thankful for the election last year, and whatever anyone's position, that there was such engagement and participation. When I get discouraged about the country and the world, a little taste of Independence Day makes me feel better.

Have a great 4th!

--Danna Breen, Portola Valley CA

From The Toxic Consumer (Karen Ashton and Elizabeth Salter Green, 2008)

"The first synthetic chemicals were created in the late 1800s, but it wasn't until after World War II that the industry really took off. Chemists previously working on chemical weapons for combat use realized that many of the deadly poisons they had been concocting had a useful peacetime role: to wage agricultural war against the various pests and insects that damage crops. Shortly after that came the realization that other synthesized chemicals of similar structure could be employed, at great profit, to "improve" our consumer products and way of life.

"This from DuPont in the 1950s:

"Better things through better living ... through chemistry"

... thereby heralding the coming of age of nonstick, easy-clean, disposable living. But, as most of us know from experience, there is no such thing as a free lunch. There's nearly always a downside when things come too easily--and this is one part of the story of man-made chemical production at the turn of the twenty-first century. Synthetic chemicals are largely used in consumer products to make things more attractive, easier to use, longer lasting, smoother gliding, and so on. But how enthusiastic would the average consumer be about a product if it also offered a significant dose of toxicity as part of its "new-and-improved" formula?

"As industry designed chemicals to make our lives better (and their profit margins greater), they failed to create tests to detect their effects in the environment or to ascertain what they would do to us or to our babies in the womb. In the meantime the chemicals were gradually invading every aquatic and terrestrial system in the world. It took us another forty years, until 1990, to finally face up to the reality that the same chemicals that had purported to improve our lives were also undermining the very fabric of what makes it possible for animals and humans to reproduce."

Why I'm doing what I'm doing.

When I was growing up, you heard the neighborhood children playing ball in the street after dinner. We knew everyone on the block, and we all looked out for each other. We didn't worry about what the turkey on the table was injected with, or whether our apples had been sprayed with pesticide, or whether the drug our mother was taking would cause infertility in her children.

I've been called a "nit-picker" by some... But I'm not seeking the negative; I'm seeking safe and simple. My focus right now is on "righting the wrongs" of my generation. I'm currently organizing a movement on the peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose to replace ornamental landscaping with edible landscaping, promoting organic gardening and training the unemployed to test, detoxify and enrich soil, re-establish native plants and use the land we live on to nourish us. I'm working with a number of nonprofit organizations and a growing number of volunteers who want to make this happen. This is my passion!

To support my volunteer efforts, I've been asked to be a Founding Leader of the first home party plan in the United States offering certified organic skincare. I'm also distributing a new line of household cleaning products that contain no poisons--entirely enzyme-based ("WowGreen" --U.S. manufacturer, no "green washing" here, and reasonable prices).

I want to be a positive force for a healthier world in whatever small ways I can. Except for synthetic medications that my body needs to survive in this day and age, I will not put anything knowingly in or on my body or inside or outside of my home that will wash down the drains and pollute the environment. It's the old adage, "If you're not a part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

I believe in educating people, and helping others open their eyes to what's happening in the world around us. Why do you think chemical sensitivities and allergies and asthma and cancer are on the rise? I believe that short-sighted, high-profit invention, consumer desire for everything "new-and-improved," and extraordinary regulatory laxity have played a role in causing the global issues we're facing now. Did you know that since the chemical industry took off in the '40s and '50s, over 80,000 new chemical compounds have been introduced to the marketplace--with minimal testing for their impact on health and the environment?

It's time for us all to pull our heads out from under the sand and take a stand. One small stand--or big stand--at a time. And I believe in picking nits--if you don't start with your own head, those bloodsuckers will end up infesting everyone else you care about...