A Natural Beauty
Green - The new Black
By Alexandra Frerking
They say black goes with every- other rather frightening things, they
thing. It is considered one of the most are still being put in cosmetics. Some
versatile and flattering shades in the people have allergies and have learned
whole crayon box. Well my friends, it to stay away from certain cosmetics.
is time for black to move to the side and Those of us that don’t have particularly
allow green to take the stage. Granted, sensitive skin are routinely exposing
a lot of you are probably saying, “but ourselves to toxic chemicals.
black is so thinning”, and I would Besides cancer and allergies,
definitely agree with you there. So do these chemicals affect humans in other
not by any means drop your current adverse ways. They can disrupt the
wardrobe into the Goodwill bin, in favor endocrine system, which is chiefly
of emerald hues. The green I speak of is responsible for producing messages
more a way of life than a piece of cloth- to your body for growth, tissue repair
ing. and reproduction. They can also harm
We hear about it every day. Cars the reproductive system in a number of
are going green, and the environment is ways, from causing cancer in reproduc-
breathing a small sigh of relief. Whole tive organs to causing birth defects.
companies are going green by making Simply put, some of these chemicals
sure their carbon footprint is minimal. can have negative effects on just about
And I’m sure a lot of you are doing your every system in the human body.
part by recycling. But in this fast crazy So, why are they still being
world it’s so easy to overlook little day used? The government has stepped in
to day things. When was the last time to some degree in regulating the cos-
you stopped to think about what was in metic producers’ use of these chemi-
your makeup case? There are prob- cals. There are some that have been
ably days when you realize that you’re banned completely for use in cosmet-
almost out of your favorite lipstick, and ics. Others have just been restricted on
this can always be a cause for alarm. the amount that can be used, what they
But have you ever pondered what was deem is a safe amount. Still, a little
actually in that lipstick? bit scary. Even scarier, not all of the
There are things in there that really ingredients are actually listed on the
should be a cause for alarm. Take a look label. They are sometimes considered
at the list of ingredients on the package. “trade secrets” and therefore don’t have
Chances are, if you don’t have a chemi- to be listed.
cal engineering degree, you really have How can you tell if the prod-
no idea what is in there. There are prob- ucts you know and love have these
ably a few names you have seen before chemicals in them? You can start by
on various labels, but if someone asked reading the label. If you’ve already
you what kind of chemical compound it thrown out the packaging, the U.S.
was you probably couldn’t tell them. Department of Health and Human
Many of those ingredients are Services has a website that has many
in a class of chemicals called petro- cosmetics’ ingredient lists. Simply
chemicals. The first half of the word type in the product you’re looking for
gives away their origin, they are in fact and the list will appear. Each item is
petroleum based products. There really are not a whole lot of things in our world a link. The link will show you what other products it is used in as well as the tests
these days that are not in some way connected to petroleum. It has created many a it has undergone. If you find yourself having trouble understanding the test results,
convenience for us. However, putting it directly onto our bodies every day may not there is another site that spells out the effects in plain English, Cosmeticdatabase.
really be the healthiest thing for us. com. Simply pop in the chemical name in the search bar, and it will show you on a
Here’s the scary monster-in-the-basement part: Some of the chemicals that scale of 1-10 of just how dangerous that particular ingredient can be. Just to give
are listed on those labels, which you’re probably having trouble pronouncing, are you an idea, a chemical called Butylated Hydroxyanisole is listed in quite a few
hazardous to humans. Although they have tested positive to cause cancer and some products by a couple of major drugstore brands. It scored a 10.
1
Northshoerian JuneJuly 2009.indd14 14 6/16/2009 1:15:13 PM
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52