In the past 4 months I have ventured more into skincare. I
have been trying different products based off YouTube recommendations from know
skincare influencers. I also reference to a friend who does extensive research on
products but it never dawned on me to see if these brand and non-brand skincare
items contain hazardous toxins. Watching the Safe Cosmetic 101 video opened a
new avenue for me that I had not explored. I couldn’t help but think of all the
new products I have tried and the exposure I have been putting myself through. The
fact that less than 20% of chemicals are assessed with safety baffles me. It
makes me wonder why our country allows us to continuously be exposed to toxins.
As mentioned in the Safe Cosmetic 101 video we have the
right to know. I believe that many of these giant industry producers don’t
change formulation because government does not ask them to. Harmful chemicals
continue to go unnoticed and unchanged because we as consumers don’t call for
attention. I thought that the video was very informative because she reviewed
many chemicals that are widely used in many products. I thought it was amazing that
there is also information available in Spanish for Spanish-speaking
communities. Overall, I am impressed by Safe Cosmetics 101 and their effort to
have companies do away with hazardous chemicals. I now feel the urge to go through
my skincare items and do away with those that pose a bigger threat to me rather
than simply helping me age well.
As for the Ken Cook video, I thought that his video was very
informative and shed light on the effects of chemicals. So far, I have been
commenting on household and personal care products but Mr. Cook gave a
presentation that put chemicals in a real situation. I was most taken back when
he discussed that there were 10 subjects that had 287 chemicals present in
their blood of which 212 had been banned 30 or more years ago. I wonder what
the future will look like if we don’t make a change. We need to be proactive and
update outdated laws that are having a huge impact on our lives like the Toxic Substances
Control Act (TSCA). Not modernizing TSCA is costing us years in our lives and
birthing defects.
We need to shift the mentality that protects profits,
polluters and companies. We need a law that protects people and public health. Otherwise
the silent pandemic caused by industrial toxins will continue to cause birthing
defects and shorten life expectancy. Mr. Cooks video allowed me to see the
damage that is being done by the statistics he provided. It’s truly astonished
that I am just now becoming more aware of the environmental toxins I am exposed
to every day and the complications that rise from exposure. I learned a great
amount of information from both videos.
-Iliana
Hi Iliana,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your review of the two videos. I would agree that policy change is a step in the right direction in reducing chemical exposures; we need to stop supporting the polluters and start protecting the public. In the beginning of your post you mentioned that some of the products you were testing were based on recommendations for skincare influencers on Youtube. Depending on their followings and popularity, some of these influencers get paid to promote and advertise certain products. Do you think that these individuals owe it to their viewers and followers to mention the chemicals and possible toxicity of the products they are promoting? I think that you stated something very important in your post; "It’s truly astonished that I am just now becoming more aware of the environmental toxins I am exposed to every day and the complications that rise from exposure". I think your statement is true for most of the United States. This course is introducing me to all this important information that I too feel I should have known before. Its definitely time that this information becomes common knowledge. Some people do not have the resources to look up ingredients on the internet, therefore companies should be required to provide all toxicity and hazard information on their products.
-Navdeep
Hi Iliana,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we really need to make a change in our legal system about the substances we come into contact with. I think there needs to be more transparency and honesty about what companies are putting in their products, especially since those products often times come into direct contact with our bodies for hours at a time. I don't know about you, but I put my make-up on at around 6am in the morning, and it doesn't come off until around 10pm, which means its making contact with my skin for up to 16 hours at a time, sometimes longer. Let's not forget about the women who might forget to wash their face before they go to sleep, that is an even longer amount of time for the toxins from make up to sink in and do harm. Because of this, I really agree that the legality of this situation needs to be re-evaluated, and consumers should be more educated on what they're putting into their body, especially us women who love make up, but never intend to harm ourselves.
Aveena