To all the Ladies out there…. And the Men who can influence your ladies J
Everyone wants to look their best.
Especially us humans. We take a lot of effort to show-case an attractive image. We spend considerable time in grooming ourselves and
hopping in and out of stores to pick the best outfits and footwear. Mere
grooming is not enough – we need to visit salons that burst with synthetic
smell, boast of transformations of ordinary people into super-models
who look slick and artificial. If all that is not enough, to keep the
continuous “care” going on, we plunder the hyper-markets in search of the
all-powerful beauty product that will make us radiate beauty in all
directions.
Recently, Down To Earth, a magazine by the Centre for Science and Environment, came out with a revelation on all such cosmetic brands in India. It is shocking to see that all the costly and posh brands that we splurge our
money are on the list of harmful cosmetics. You can read more about the report in their January 31st issue : http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/beauty-and-beast.
Cosmetics as an industry is on an
upward trend with Indian revenues of Rs. 26,000 crores and with our demand is
all set for a 17% leap year on year.
And for the industry to flourish
like this, we will be bombarded with images of men and women who are perfect in
every sense. For women, it is the lady with flowing black hair, an ultra-fit body, someone who can multi-task with children, family and work and is independent and
successful professionally; For men, it is the picture of the superhero he-man,
with teeth as white as milk and strides like a tiger, roaming around in SUV’s that
conquer mountains with ease. Advertising and marketing create an image of
beauty, strength, success in our minds and dictate what is right, beautiful or
to be celebrated. It stops “Our” thinking but tells us what you should do to
gain power in your life that will make you the most valued (and envied!) by
all.
The irony is in the fact that
celebrities advertise such brands and make money out of such deals. We apply a
toner, a base, a foundation, a fairness cream, a protective cream – all
claiming to remove the black spots and make the skin glow like gold. So what do
you expect when you want to glow like a metal – but Metals in your
cream?
The ingredients in your crème are
Metallic.
Lead, Mercury, Chromium, Nickel.
Lovely white underarms – don’t they shine like mercury?
If you remember some biology, try
answering this - Do you remember which is the largest organ in your body? Ahem,
it is the ‘Skin’. We willingly feed this organ food, which we will
never consume through our mouth. Cosmetics can cause serious problems. One
common ingredient found in a shampoo is sodium laureth sulfate(SLS) acting
as a cleansing agent but equally present even in car wash soaps. SLS in
combination with other chemicals is a possible carcinogen and can cause skin
and eye irritation. For foaming, look out for ingredients that are amines like
diethanolamine (DEA). When absorbed by the body, they are hormone-disrupting
and are linked to cancer. Lead present in lipsticks can cause skin irritation
and slow accumulation can also lead to build up to toxic levels. Effects are
kidney damage, respiratory system disruptions and heart palpitations. To
preserve the product, parabens are used. These are similar to the estrogen
hormone and have been linked to infertility in women. Serious side effects
result from accumulated large doses of the ingredients that weaken the immune
system and can cause cancer.
US and Europe have better norms than
India, that are enforced strictly and followed by cosmetic giants. In fact,
Europe has an effective regulatory mechanism that protect its
consumers. The EU in its definition of cosmetics includes “products that are
used on the external body to improve appearance or condition and which do not
cause any harm from their usage.”
But in India, no one has bothered
much. Chemicals banned elsewhere are freely used here as ingredients that we
consume in the form of crèmes and lotions. Formulations that might be rejected
in countries across the world end up in Indian bodies.
The efficacy of these products is
first tested on animals!
Rabbits, mice, rats and guinea pigs
are widely used for experimenting with cosmetics in “toxicity testing”. Harsh
chemicals are rubbed on delicate shaved skin to test their “harshness”. Liquid
chemicals are dripped into the rabbits eyes to see if their cornea is
eroded over time. This is done to assess the level of harm the chemical can
cause when applied to the skin or the human eye. After being treated to such
horrendous treatments, these animals either die due to chemical toxicity or are
killed in the labs.
There are a few countries that have
banned the testing and sale of cosmetic ingredients on animals – European Union
and Israel. India has banned animal testing for cosmetics in 2013 followed by a
ban for house hold products also. But the door of cruelty remains open through
foreign lands. This means that although products and ingredients manufactured
in India cannot be tested here, the same can be done in foreign labs and
brought home in the pretext of imported products. And one of the biggest
consumers of cosmetics, the United States, continues to exploit animals even
though modern non-animal tests that are more reliable are available in the
scientific world.
People for ethical treatment of
animals (PETA India) has published a list of brands that are part of the
non-animal brigade and the ones that still test on animals.
All material that is used finally
trickles down to the earth
What happens to the foam after you
are done with your bath? What happens when you wash off the fairness cream?
It goes into mother earth.
And from the earth it gets recycled
into the food system. Lakes in urban areas are polluted by water contaminated
with metals. This could be from your cosmetics and other cleaning agents used
at home. Examples are detergents and washing powders. The lake water is used
for irrigation and thus the soil is subjected to the chemicals that
you use at home. Plants don’t differentiate much – they willingly absorb lead,
mercury and other trace elements. And humans willingly consume this. No amount
of cleaning the vegetable can un-bond these chemicals from these veggies. They
are part of the vegetable tissue that we eat.
One great video that shows
the dark side of your lotions is the “The Story of Cosmetics”. You can
watch it on this link:
A little thought can go a long way to keep
our family and especially children safe
Remember Not all cosmetics branded as natural/herbal/organic are safe
and non-violent
Name the brand and it is out there in the harmful list. Most of
them carry hidden ingredients and are tested on animals
Spread awareness – Talk to your family and friends about it.
Show them the above documentary.
There will be people who agree and then those who don’t. At least, plant a seed
of doubt.
Can you pronounce that ingredient on
the back of your shampoo?
Look at the ingredients in your herbal shampoo, soap and
lotion – many of them may be carcinogens/heavy metals. There are lot of
views on the safety of using sunscreens also. Choose wisely.
Try natural cosmetics – Granny and
the internet are great places to search
There are lot of recipes on the net.
Anything that you are willing to eat is what you can put on your skin safely.
Some items in your kitchen that can be effective for skin are turmeric, aloe,
neem, coconut oil and sesame oil. You can use homemade bath powders - plain
green gram powder will give you a squeaky clean feeling! You can try making
effective deodorants and shampoos that don’t lie about what is inside them.
Eat lots of healthy food
Tomatoes when eaten provide natural ways to deal with the sun from
inside. Same with cucumber – you can find a list of foods that keep your skin
healthy from inside out.
This
graphic is from the downtoearth site.
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| Creams and their fairness |
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