3,561,596 members
12,429,752 petition signatures
$19,571,785,510 diverted from Big Pharma
What are all those chemicals in your shampoo? your lipstick? your aftershave? And what do they have to do with asthma, cancer and learning disabilities?
Submitted by Drew Kaplan on July 29, 2010 – 4:17 pm8 Comments
The Story of Cosmetics, released on July 21, 2010 at examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo. Produced by Free Range Studios and hosted by Annie Leonard, the 7-minute film reveals the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from hazardous chemicals and towards safer alternatives. The film concludes with a call for viewers to support legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.
Excellent information, but not conclusive. Dr. Samuel Epstein has been lobbying for consumers for years to get carcenogenic ingredients out of personal care products. Authored several books on the topic. He is the Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition: http://preventcancer.com/about/epstein.htm
I am concerned about the safety of our personal care products, however more government oversight is not the answer. The FDA has enough to do and it doesn’t do a good job with the responsibility it does have. We need to education consumers. People need to be responsible and learn what is good for them and their families.
Be very careful about the power you give to the FDA. It will come back to haunt you for sure. (Better yet, get rid of the FDA)
Be smart, read labels, sue the companies. Best way to stop this madness is live pure…DON’T BUY THEIR chemically filled products. They will move to the certified organic types if that is where the money is.
Before you take everything in this cosmetic “shockumentary” as gospel, ask yourself if the makers and backers of this video are as altruistic or as well informed as they make themselves out to be. The organizations behind this definately have an agenda of their own based on attempting to take control of this huge $ market. The Compact For Safe Cosmetics and those behind the Skin Deep Database are, right at this moment, backing a bill in Congress that will wipe out the small businesses that make handmade soaps, lotions, creams, bath salts, etc., with crushing new laws that will be impossible to afford or keep up with unless you are a hugh cosmetics manufacturer. This particular industry has a very safe history and helps support alot of families across America while providing customers with wholesome products. And if that happens just about the only place you will be able to get these products will be from huge cosmetics firms. Are their some products out there with some nasty gunk in it? Sure. But it is our responsibilty as consumers to get better informed from more than one source so we can base our opinions on real facts and good science and not on a campaign of dis/misinformation and poor antiquated science.
I agree with Cathy and Robin. The FDA is not the answer. Informed buyers is a free market will always force the manufacturers to follow the money. I do hope Cathy will share some specifics about the bill she warns is being backed by the EWG and Skin Deep. I would like to think I can continue to rely on them as an impartial source for information on healthy alternatives.
I got Leukemia when I was 38 years old. How? I will never know. Have you noticed how more and more people are getting cancer? It’s almost as common as getting a cold. Just telling me to educate myself on ingrediants is great. Let’s see, how many extra hours or days do I have being a working mom with two kids. Oh, and how much extra time do I have to read all the lables in the store. It would take all day to do just a little bit of shopping. I agree, there should be a regulating organization set up with laws and standard to protect the people. I hope this will happen. I think this world is pretty sick and greedy and doesn’t really care about the individual person. It’s seems to be all about money and buying politicians. It just makes me sick. The answer? We need to pull together people and demand to change laws and get an organization that can not be bribed to allow toxic chemicals into our products. Can this ever really be achieved? Who can we trust? I’m going to sign petitions, contact goverment officials. If we get a lot of people to do this, then things might change. We should all count in this world. Especially in this country where we have “freedom” to speak. We need to be heard.
Conclusive enough for me! I use a hyoallergenic fragrance free shampoo, a simple natural fragrance-free bar soap, and baking soda and water under my arms as a deodorant. Baking Soda, Borax, and natural dish soap and laundry soap for cleaning. That is it! No hair coloring, makeup etc. Works fine and keeps chemicals out of the environment.
Bathroom = fragrant free glyserine soap, Burt’s bees shampoo/conditioner (even though i dont like the amount of soy in all their products!)but love the phalates, Parabens and PCB free promise.
Kitchen = Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide (2 seperate spray bottles) that when sprayed together on the counter will kill all germs and gross-ness quicker than any lysol product!
Laundry = Borax!!! (can use as shampoo too with Citric acid as conditioner!)
Thats it!!!
Baking soda is also a great house hold cleaner to have on hand!
i am also eliminating toilet paper with the use of a Bidet.