This month’s stupid plastic crap is vibrating mascara. Yes - it vibrates. Not only is the mascara tube made of plastic, but it has a battery that is guaranteed to last 130 applications. Then what? It will be in a landfill for centuries. Lancome has one for $34.00 and Maybelline has one for $15.00. I think both are pricey.. It vibrates 7,000 times per minute and is advertised as the ultimate beauty tool.
I have nothing against mascara. I have some myself. The issue is not
just that this is a completely wasteful product. It is also that cosmetics like mascara are the most unregulated products in our lives. We put personal care products on every inch of our bodies. Cosmetic manufacturers may use any ingredient without approval from the FDA. Many of the ingredients that are in these products are suspect in contributing to asthma, early onset of puberty in girls, feminization of boys, cancer, as well as other problems. Cosmetic companies maintain that none of their ingredients are health risks because of the small amount that is used in each product. They may be right – we just do not know for sure. Keep in mind that we put these products on our skin, in our eyes, in our vaginas, on our lips. This is what makes them personal! We use many of these products everyday. How do the chemicals in multiple products interact? That issue is a big unknown.
If you want to know how your mascara is rated, go to
Skin Deep, a website by the Environmental Working Group, that scientifically tests personal care products and rates their safety. I looked up the mascara with the best rating which is 2 out of 10, 100% Pure Ultra Lengthening Fruit Pigmented Mascara. (Ten is the worst.) I have Ecco Bella Botanicals which is rated 3 out of 10. The big four chemicals that you have to avoid in cosmetics are fragrances, phthalates, parabens, and Triclosan.
Check your brand out on
Skin Deep. After all, you put it very close to your eyes. It can be risky. Buy beauty products that have little or no plastic packaging. Be good to yourself and the earth.
This month’s stupid plastic crap is vibrating mascara. Yes - it vibrates. Not only is the mascara tube made of plastic, but it has a battery that is guaranteed to last 130 applications. Then what? It will be in a landfill for centuries. Lancome has one for $34.00 and Maybelline has one for $15.00. I think both are pricey.. It vibrates 7,000 times per minute and is advertised as the ultimate beauty tool.
I have nothing against mascara. I have some myself. The issue is not just that this is a completely wasteful product. It is also that cosmetics like mascara are the most unregulated products in our lives. We put personal care products on every inch of our bodies. Cosmetic manufacturers may use any ingredient without approval from the FDA. Many of the ingredients that are in these products are suspect in contributing to asthma, early onset of puberty in girls, feminization of boys, cancer, as well as other problems. Cosmetic companies maintain that none of their ingredients are health risks because of the small amount that is used in each product. They may be right – we just do not know for sure. Keep in mind that we put these products on our skin, in our eyes, in our vaginas, on our lips. This is what makes them personal! We use many of these products everyday. How do the chemicals in multiple products interact? That issue is a big unknown.
If you want to know how your mascara is rated, go to Skin Deep, a website by the Environmental Working Group, that scientifically tests personal care products and rates their safety. I looked up the mascara with the best rating which is 2 out of 10, 100% Pure Ultra Lengthening Fruit Pigmented Mascara. (Ten is the worst.) I have Ecco Bella Botanicals which is rated 3 out of 10. The big four chemicals that you have to avoid in cosmetics are fragrances, phthalates, parabens, and Triclosan.
Check your brand out on Skin Deep. After all, you put it very close to your eyes. It can be risky. Buy beauty products that have little or no plastic packaging. Be good to yourself and the earth.