What do the following events have in common?
Franklin D. Roosevelt established the March of Dimes.
The first ski lift in the U.S. opened in Vermont.
Adolf Hitler took direct control of the German military.
Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia.
Synthetic yarn was officially named "nylon."
The tape recorder and ball point pen were invented.
The year was 1938.
What else happened that year?
1938 was the last year that the U.S. passed a federal law regulating the cosmetic industry.
Now, I don't know about you, but as someone who works in a highly regulated healthcare industry, this fact is absolutely appalling to me. I am very familiar with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 and thankful that it was implemented. However, let me just say that if we still regulated drugs only under laws that were last passed in 1938 (including this one)...well...I can't even tell you how scary that would be!
Current buzzwords such as organic and all-natural make skin care products and cosmetics fly off the shelves, as many consumers assume that these words are synonymous with safety. The truth is things that are natural are not always safe. Cocaine is natural...and it's an illegal substance. Arsenic is natural...and lethal. Lead is natural...and was removed from paint products decades ago. All-natural products can be great...if they also have safety data behind them.
"Clean eating" and "whole living" have become concepts that are popular in our society for good reason. People are concerned about what they are putting in their bodies as they become more aware of the benefits. But how often do we think about what we put on our bodies? Skin is our body's largest organ, and much of what we put on it is absorbed into it. That is why we have so many great medications that are applied topically (onto the skin).
I have never considered myself a "product junkie," but when I really stop and think about what I put on my skin in a normal day the list is quite long... face wash, lotion, perfume, chapstick, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, the list goes on and on...and that's not even mentioning makeup! According to the Environmental Working Group, women use an average of 12 personal care products containing 168 ingredients, and men use about 6 personal care products containing 85 unique ingredients on a daily basis.
A growing body of scientific evidence continues to support the link between environmental exposures and cancer. And while modern medicine continues to advance in the treatment of cancer, the incidence of cancer especially in children continues to increase, mostly for unknown reasons. I work every day with children who are fighting for their lives as victims of cancer, and I come home each night to a baby girl who is growing up in a world where the potential for toxic exposures is found everywhere. Each of these young, innocent lives motivates and inspires me deeply to pursue a lifestyle of safer alternatives.
One way that I have chosen to do that is through the pursuit of safe skincare and cosmetics, products that I use every single day. Fortunately I am not alone in my desire to "clean up my act"- one company that is challenging the status quo and demanding stricter regulations in the beauty industry is a company called BeautyCounter. This company takes very seriously the fact that the European Union restricts nearly 1400 ingredients, while the U.S. only restricts 11. This is a company that believes we deserve better, and they are actually doing something about it.
BeautyCounter has the strictest ingredient selection process known in the U.S., and they have created The Never List - a list of 1,500 questionable or harmful ingredients that they do not use in their products, no matter what. This list includes ingredients such as formaldehyde, oxybenzone, parabens and pthalates, among many, many others. (What, you didn't know formaldehyde is widely used in cosmetics? The thought of formaldehyde takes me back to my high school anatomy class where we dissected cats...preserved by formaldehyde. Ohhhh, the smell... and as it turns out, it's a known carcinogen).
If you've made it this far, you can tell that I'm slightly passionate about being part of a movement towards a safer world for our children to grow up in. It's my hope that when my daughters are my age, they won't have to think twice about reading ingredient labels on their skincare products (and on food too!) because there will be stricter regulations in place to ensure safety. But in the meantime, I have decided to join the movement as a BeautyCounter consultant so that I can not only make smarter decisions in my own household, but I can also help empower others to be more informed.
Please take the time to look at your current personal care products and read the ingredients. Be informed about what you are putting on your body as well as in your body. If you have questions, or want to know more about this movement and our mission "to get safer products into the hands of everyone," please visit www.beautycounter.com/leighpeek. I would also love to know what ways you are pursuing a healthier lifestyle...comment away!
Cheers to Better [safer] Beauty,
L
Franklin D. Roosevelt established the March of Dimes.
The first ski lift in the U.S. opened in Vermont.
Adolf Hitler took direct control of the German military.
Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia.
Synthetic yarn was officially named "nylon."
The tape recorder and ball point pen were invented.
The year was 1938.
What else happened that year?
1938 was the last year that the U.S. passed a federal law regulating the cosmetic industry.
Now, I don't know about you, but as someone who works in a highly regulated healthcare industry, this fact is absolutely appalling to me. I am very familiar with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 and thankful that it was implemented. However, let me just say that if we still regulated drugs only under laws that were last passed in 1938 (including this one)...well...I can't even tell you how scary that would be!
Current buzzwords such as organic and all-natural make skin care products and cosmetics fly off the shelves, as many consumers assume that these words are synonymous with safety. The truth is things that are natural are not always safe. Cocaine is natural...and it's an illegal substance. Arsenic is natural...and lethal. Lead is natural...and was removed from paint products decades ago. All-natural products can be great...if they also have safety data behind them.
"Clean eating" and "whole living" have become concepts that are popular in our society for good reason. People are concerned about what they are putting in their bodies as they become more aware of the benefits. But how often do we think about what we put on our bodies? Skin is our body's largest organ, and much of what we put on it is absorbed into it. That is why we have so many great medications that are applied topically (onto the skin).
I have never considered myself a "product junkie," but when I really stop and think about what I put on my skin in a normal day the list is quite long... face wash, lotion, perfume, chapstick, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, the list goes on and on...and that's not even mentioning makeup! According to the Environmental Working Group, women use an average of 12 personal care products containing 168 ingredients, and men use about 6 personal care products containing 85 unique ingredients on a daily basis.
A growing body of scientific evidence continues to support the link between environmental exposures and cancer. And while modern medicine continues to advance in the treatment of cancer, the incidence of cancer especially in children continues to increase, mostly for unknown reasons. I work every day with children who are fighting for their lives as victims of cancer, and I come home each night to a baby girl who is growing up in a world where the potential for toxic exposures is found everywhere. Each of these young, innocent lives motivates and inspires me deeply to pursue a lifestyle of safer alternatives.
One way that I have chosen to do that is through the pursuit of safe skincare and cosmetics, products that I use every single day. Fortunately I am not alone in my desire to "clean up my act"- one company that is challenging the status quo and demanding stricter regulations in the beauty industry is a company called BeautyCounter. This company takes very seriously the fact that the European Union restricts nearly 1400 ingredients, while the U.S. only restricts 11. This is a company that believes we deserve better, and they are actually doing something about it.
BeautyCounter has the strictest ingredient selection process known in the U.S., and they have created The Never List - a list of 1,500 questionable or harmful ingredients that they do not use in their products, no matter what. This list includes ingredients such as formaldehyde, oxybenzone, parabens and pthalates, among many, many others. (What, you didn't know formaldehyde is widely used in cosmetics? The thought of formaldehyde takes me back to my high school anatomy class where we dissected cats...preserved by formaldehyde. Ohhhh, the smell... and as it turns out, it's a known carcinogen).
If you've made it this far, you can tell that I'm slightly passionate about being part of a movement towards a safer world for our children to grow up in. It's my hope that when my daughters are my age, they won't have to think twice about reading ingredient labels on their skincare products (and on food too!) because there will be stricter regulations in place to ensure safety. But in the meantime, I have decided to join the movement as a BeautyCounter consultant so that I can not only make smarter decisions in my own household, but I can also help empower others to be more informed.
Please take the time to look at your current personal care products and read the ingredients. Be informed about what you are putting on your body as well as in your body. If you have questions, or want to know more about this movement and our mission "to get safer products into the hands of everyone," please visit www.beautycounter.com/leighpeek. I would also love to know what ways you are pursuing a healthier lifestyle...comment away!
Cheers to Better [safer] Beauty,
L
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