Natural Skin Care with Shmutzies
Natural skin care by the numbers
The numbers don’t lie! When you look at natural skin care and try to decide if going natural with your beauty products is worth it, look at the statistics that have been listed about this insane industry. And some of these numbers are not favorable. Why? Because the beauty industry is a conglomerate and the large corporations that make these products do not have your best interest in mind. They are just looking for profit.
What does that mean for you, your health, and your skin? It means that it’s your job to find the right products for you; products that are natural and do not contain harmful ingredients. Let’s look at some numbers, shall we?
4 pounds:
the average amount of lipstick a woman will ingest over her lifetime. Ingest! Not on purpose but because lipstick is on your mouth and will undoubtedly get into your digestive system.
11:
Percentage of the 10,500 ingredients used in personal-care products that the US government has documented and publicly assessed for safety. Um, what? 11%?
1,300+:
The number of ingredients banned in cosmetics in the European Union. Europe folks, not the United States. Many of those ingredients are used in the US.
11:
The number of ingredients banned in cosmetics in the United States. Did you read the numbers above? 1,300+ as opposed to 11. 11! What the heck America?
600:
The number of companies that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics. Do you know how many companies are in the beauty industry? More than 600. Try over 100,000.
20:
Percentage of personal care products that contain at least one chemical linked to cancer. 20% may not seem like a large number but considering there are millions of personal care products on the market, we thank that number is staggering.
$160 billion:
Amount spent annually on skin and hair care, makeup, cosmetic surgery, fragrances, health clubs, and diet products. We want to look and feel good but at what expense? And we don’t mean monetary expense; we mean at what expense to your body are you willing to go?
Most people just assume cosmetics and personal care products are tested for safety before reaching stores. The truth is personal care and beauty products are one on the least regulated industries in the United States.
Current federal law regulating cosmetic safety hasn’t been updated in over 80 years. This leaves the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency responsible for regulating cosmetics and personal care products, with virtually no power to perform even the most basic functions to ensure the safety of an estimated $84 billion cosmetic industry.
So, what can you as a consumer do? You can start doing your homework and pick products that are made with natural ingredients. Most smaller companies make their bath and beauty products with natural ingredients. They make them in small batches so that harsh chemicals and preservatives aren’t used.