What would we do without our make-up routines? You may go with just a splash of you favorite lipstick and a fresh face or maybe you are like those I envy…..full face and fabulous! Either way, we all have our favorite beauty routines and products that are must haves. If you are like me, you try to choose cosmetics that are as natural and non-toxic as possible. Because really…who needs that. However, it turns out that it may not be so simple. Labels on cosmetics and beauty products can be deceiving. Toxic chemicals are often hidden in the word “fragrance”. What?!
If you are a woman of color the stats on toxicity levels are well, down right frightening. We turned to EWG.org, Environmental Working Group, a non-profit whose mission is to empower people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment and drive consumer choice and civic action. They are a cosmetics and beauty product watch dog in addition to food ingredient reviews. They reported “ fewer than one-fourth of the products marketed to Black women scored low in potentially hazardous ingredients, compared to about 40% of the items marketed to the general public”. We found this outrageous! Who has not reached for a conditioning product to make those lovely curls soft, shiny and bouncy no matter your background. We dug deeper and we found an amazing link to their database where you can type in your beauty product of choice and see where it falls on the toxicity score and why.
Grab a cool drink and be prepared to spend at least a good thirty minutes. It becomes enthralling once you see what is in the lipsticks, shampoos, lotions and potions we use every day, thinking the pretty green label and words “natural” and “healthy” have put you in the safe zone. Take a look at their Skin Deep cosmetics database search portal. We get no affiliate money from this link. We thought you should know what we found out and check your own products. We all want to be around for years to come and our beauty products should not shorten that journey. Now, you know….pass it on :) We got you girl! :)