The cosmetic industry is laced with numerous environmental issues. many cosmetics are full of dangerous and harmful chemicals as well as many violate human rights and or animal rights. In this blog, I will be discussing why these chemicals should be banned. In the other blogs I went into some detail on the chemicals, but did not go into an argument about them being banned in the cosmetic sector as well as examine how they can violate social principles.
Before I explain why they should be banned I would like to go into the controversy of the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA). This body regulates food and drugs, but still there is not regulation on the cosmetic sector. The FDA expects that makeup will reviewed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review. However this body is ill-equipped to review and eliminate the usage of harmful chemicals in cosmetics. As well as they are unable to enforce regulatory measures on ingredient usage. They have no power. How does a non-profit group such as the CIR hold the billion dollar cosmetic sector accountable?
California issued a warning for all California pregnant women to switch to formaldehyde - free nail polish as fear of it harming the baby. Even though cosmetic companies know the potential risks of formaldehyde in their cosmetics they still use it as an ingredient.
Another issue is concerning state laws; for example the US government does not require companies to label or list all ingredients in "Fragrance" and the government cannot compel companies to reveal what chemicals they used. To my surprise, even products listed unscented still contained " Fragrance" as an ingredient.
Lead is often found in color additives used in lipstick. In 2010, the FDA examined 4000 lipsticks and stated that they contained lead, however the trace amounts were considered to low to have an effect on humans. However, according to Environmentalists, they might not be harmful to humans, but if washed down the drain they could have implications on the aquatic system.
Another aspect of the cosmetic industry is that it can have an environmental and social impact. Many cosmetics use palm oil. The desire for more palm oil has caused the clearing of land and jungle for plantains. This has created deforestation, social issues with regards to violation of indigenous human rights, as well as destroyed the habitat of endangered animals such as orangutans and Sumatran tigers.
A study done by the CDC found that Phthalates can act as endocrine disruptors in rodents. Many environmental groups have claimed that this should be looked at concerning humans as well. However the CDC claims, " That rats are not human so you can't assume a rodent model will hold true to humans". However despite their reluctance to consider Phthalates a problem for humans, many companies after this discovery have decreased the use of Phthalates in their products.
Despite numerous criticisms by environmental groups on these products, and by numerous health organizations, these products still remain in cosmetics. I believe that our governments should be able to ban products for our safety. However in our current capitalistic system money buys power. With the cosmetic industry earning roughly 456 billion dollars a year, and contributing billions to our economy, what government would want to tie their hands?
In conclusion, the only way I believe that cosmetic conglomerates can be held accountable for their action is buy what consumers purchase and what they demand.
It is impossible for a consumer to live 100 percent ethical and a sustainable lifestyle while living in society, however there are numerous things we can do:
- We can consider buying products that are made from close to 100% natural ingredients.
- Write to cosmetic companies requesting a change- demand that they do not use Palm Oil for example.
- We can buy local
- Stay educated on current environmental issues
- Look for products that use sustainable packaging and products
- Products that are fair trade - and do not use child labor
References:
https://www.acme-hardesty.com/green-cosmetics-sustainable-beauty/
https://www.self.com/story/controversial-cosmetics-ingredients-research
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/news/New-Plastics-Economy_Background-to-Key-Statistics_19022016v2.pdf