greenbeauty
The Bottomline:
Green
By Andrew Tan
”Organic” labeled retail items have had an The cleanser is certainly biodegrada-
abysmal sales record last year, according to ble; the bottle not so much. It comes close
a recent study conducted by TABS Group, a though. Made of 100% food-grade, post-
market research firm. Though, no surprise consumer recycled materials, Kiehl’s ma-
here. The entire retail sector has already nufactured the bottle from discarded food
slipped with the proverbial rug. The 2009 and beverage containers collected in recy-
sales forecast is just as dark and stormy. cling programs.
It’s a good thing some retail companies Kiehl’s body cleanser passed a stringent
have roots that grow beyond the bottom line. ”Green” Test as the first Cradle-to-Cradle
Dedicated to fine quality skin and hair care CertifiedCM beauty product. This means
products, the venerable New York-based that Kiehl’s body cleanser surmounted di-
company, Kiehl’s since 1851, has recently verse judging criteria including safe ma-
partnered with actor Brad Pitt to form JPF terial use, responsible energy and water
Eco Systems, a charitable foundation com- usage, and responsible company behavior,
mitted to global environmental initiatives. such as publicly communicating corporate
Kiehl’s Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid ethics and fair labor statements.
Body Cleanser is a product specifically intro- Is this certification important?
duced in support of the initiatives by JPF Eco Yes.
Systems. The first of these is to help Brad For starters—skin can absorb nearly 60%
Pitt’s ‘Make It Right’ initiative supporting the of whatever substance is applied to it. Horri-
devastated communities of New Orleans’ fying, if you consider that the chemicals lis-
Lower 9th Ward, which had taken a beating ted on many of the mainstream soaps and
from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 100% of the skin cleansers read like a toxic waste ma-
net profits from the sale of the body cleanser nifest. Numerous traditional products use
will support the foundation’s efforts. compounds that can contaminate water and
soil upon disposal and cause cancer. The
Based on rumors, the body
FDA doesn’t have the money or resources
cleanser is so eco-friendly,
to test the safety of every single chemical.
so eco-innovative, that if I
Real danger awaits those who use poorly
took my bottle, buried it in
designed skin and body care products.
Parabens in particular are nasty for wo-
the ground, walked away,
men. Parabens can act like estrogen hor-
and came back 28 days later, mones in the body and increase the risk of
I would discover…nothing.
breast cancer. Recent studies have found
Poof!
parabens in breast tumors, and parabens
can pass from mother to developing fetus.
16 OUR GREEN BOOK
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