logic, lead, lipstick and legislation

In December 2011, the FDA published an updated report on lead levels in over 400 brands of lipstick and found the average concentration to be 1.11ppm (parts per million), just a mere .04ppm higher than the study conducted in 2009 where the average was reported at 1.07ppm. These results weren't exactly newsworthy, given they are essentially the same. Right before Valentine's Day, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) and Environmental Working Group (EWG) started riling up the media with scary headlines about the danger of lead levels in lipstick. I must give props to the CSC PR team, who resurfaced and twisted the FDA report on a timely date when people may be focusing a bit more on their pucker, but where's the logic here?

who's dodging a bullet?

I'm taking a moment to step away from the science behind what's going on lately in the cosmetics industry and the media to examine the logical side of it. While earning my Master of Science degree, I learned the process of collecting, examining, interpreting data and drawing conclusions in both qualitative and quantitative methods. It was my single best take away from my previous profession because it has endless applications. Logically, I do not understand how the CSC has twisted the new data on lead in lipstick so drastically and the media has jumped right in and turned it into a fear-mongering frenzy.

The data does not show anything new...
Yes, there are trace amounts of lead in lipstick.
And your drinking water.
And the soil we grow food in.
And the air we breathe.

I've been thinking a lot about the multiple previous attempts to pass safe cosmetics legislation and how this ties in to product labeling, and the latest media scare around lead. One of the main provisions the CSC and EWG are pushing for is stricter guidelines around labeling to show trace amounts of substances that make up an ingredient. We do not even have this type of labeling scrutiny in place for the food we eat, which we all know (both scientifically and logically) is entering our bodies by ingestion. Forget skin absorption from cosmetics, folks! Why is our government being tied up with scrutinizing lipstick in the name of "health" and "safety"? Bottom line, life is full of choices, and wearing lipstick is a choice, not a necessity.

Eating, drinking, and breathing on the other hand are not choices. We must fuel and hydrate our bodies and breathe to continue to be alive. Let's gain some logic, perspective and focus as we move forward with what is legally considered safe and healthy in personal care and cosmetics. If there is so much concern about what you are choosing to apply externally to your body, shouldn't we be examining the sources we need to ingest internally to sustain life first?

These folks have covered both the scientific and the rational sides of the "lead in lipstick issue" if you're interested in reading more:
Dene Godfrey, Trever Butterworth, Robert Tisserand, John Hurson, PCPC via Skin Inc and there are more I'm missing so please add your links. As always, I recommend www.PersonalCareTruth.com as a great balanced, science based resource on legislative issues too.

Support Small Innovative Green Cosmetics by Opposing the Safe Cosmetics Act 2011

Please support your favorite small, eco friendly cosmetics businesses and sign the petition to oppose SCA 2011 HR#2359. Do not be fooled by the name of this proposed bill. We all want our cosmetics to be safe, but the unfortunate way this bill was drafted will only make it impossible for the small, eco friendly companies who paved the way and innovated natural and organic personal products to survive under the new proposed regulations.

I invite you to read more at PersonalCareTruth.com from a wide variety of well known experts in the industry about the specific implications of this unnecessary bill.
The Impact of The Safe Cosmetics Act 2011 on Small Businesses by Kayla Fioravanti, formulator, aromatherpaist and owner of Essential Wholesale
Ten Reasons Why You Should Not Support SCA 2011 by Robert Tisserand, world renowned aromatherapist and author of numerous books on aromatherapy
Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 by Cindy Jones, microbiologist, farmer and small cosmetics manufacturer who grows herbs she uses in her formulations
Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011: cover-table-of-contents-and-sec-611-definitions by Kayla Fioravanti

We all want safe cosmetics, but this bill (as worded) is only based on propaganda. Do not make everyone from consumers to innovative natural companies pay for the fear mongering generalizations the highly funded special interest group, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics & the EWG, have backed.

Thanks for your support in keeping your favorite small eco friendly brands around!

Why Do Emulsions Need Preservatives?

In our current green focused marketplace, many consumers are looking for the most natural and organic personal care products they can find. Since opening The Grapeseed Co. flagship store last fall, I've become even more aware of the many misconceptions and misunderstanding consumers have around natural and organic products and the use of preservatives. Santa Barbara is a very consciously green community filled with people and businesses that are leaders in making policy change to support eco-friendly initiatives. I love this about Santa Barbara, but it also means we get very specific questions since our store attracts a lot of eco-conscious people who read ingredient labels before purchasing. They do not just buy a skin care product because it smells fabulous or feels wonderful! Our staff is constantly asked, "Why do you use preservatives in some of your products but not in others?" or "Why don't you use the 'natural' preservatives in everything you make?" 

Operating a retail store gives us the opportunity to interact and educate consumers face to face daily; I like to refer to these situations as "teachable moments". I very quickly realized we needed to train our staff to use these teachable moments to help clear up confusion and educate our consumers on using preservatives in botanical products and why they are so important to use in emulsion formulas.

Let's start with the basics... What exactly is an emulsion?  

Emulsions are fairly simple to understand; they are formulas that combine water and oil. Preservatives must be used in any formula that contains water, juice (like aloe or local grape that we use) or a distillate (like green tea, white tea, lavender or chamomile) to ensure the formula is safe to apply to the skin and does not go rancid within a few weeks after being manufactured. Bacteria becomes a breading ground in emulsions. It grows when formulas that contain a water, juice or distillates and oils are mixed without the use of a preservative. Any emulsion formula like a lotion, shampoo or body wash needs a preservative to be stable and have a decent shelf life. 

In most emulsion formulas, the preservative is a very small percentage of the overall formulation-- we're talking under 1% to 2% of the total formula. If you look at an ingredient deck, you will usually see the preservative listed as one of the last ingredients in the formula. Proper FDA labeling requires personal care product manufacturers to list the ingredients by the percentage they are used, with the exception of anything under 1% which does not need to be listed in the order of percentage of total formulation. For example, an ingredient that is 0.5% of the total formulation could be listed in the ingredient deck before an ingredient that is 0.8% of the total formulation. Any emulsion you see that does not use a preservative is much more dangerous to apply to your body than an emulsion that's been preserved properly and probably either has one of a few things going on: 

~It has a very short shelf life (we're talking weeks to a few months)

~The manufacturer is not including the under 1% preservative being used in the ingredient deck, or listing it as something other than it's INCI name 

~The product needs to be refrigerated

 Products that are not properly preserved can lead to bacteria and fungus growth and other nasty stuff that (in my opinion) is much more dangerous than the 1% of preservative added to a natural or organic formula. Personal care product manufacturers are required by the FDA under GMP (good manufacturing practice) to test every batch they make for micro-organisms that can lead to bacteria, yeast, mold and fungus growth before bringing the product to market.

The only way to safely use natural preservatives (such as citric acid, rosemary oleoresin, vitamin E or certain essential oils like tea tree) and have a decent shelf life on a product is with a formula that has NO water, distillate or juice components. Many of our products that are not emulsions do not contain anything but natural preservatives since there is no juice or distillate in the formula, which explains why we use under 1% of synthetic preservatives in some products in our line and not in others.

Please visit the other website I co-founded with Lisa Rodgers, PersonalCareTruth.com for current, truthful, science backed info on ingredients used in the personal care industry. There is a lot of misinformation out there, especially on the internet, concerning cosmetic and ingredient safety. Personal Care Truth is dedicated to bringing readers science backed info on ingredients from the experts in the industry. Below are links to posts on different types of preservatives if you would like to learn more about specific common (and not so common) preservatives used in personal care products: 

Potassium Sorbate

Grapefruit Seed Extract

Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate 

EDTA

Phenoxyethanol 

Japanese Honeysuckle Extract

and Dene Godfrey's extensive series: Parabens in Perspective

Introduction

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

Part X

The Safe Cosmetic Act of 2010 is Not the Solution

I'm taking a moment to update you all on new proposed cosmetic legislation that will ultimately impact everyone, from large cosmetic companies, to small, green indie manufacturers (like me), to anyone who sells personal care products and cosmetics, to you, the consumer. 

H.R 5786 the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 was released yesterday. I've had a chance to read through the document multiple times and have huge concerns and questions with the bill as drafted. The entire bill can be downloaded by clicking the link above. In attempt to share my personal experience and not turn this post into a novel, I'm directing you to check out these posts that summarize and highlight just some of the many issues with the Safe Cosmetic Act of 2010 draft. I urge you to read the bill as well.

Safe Cosmetics Act 2010

Comments & Concerns Regarding The Safe Cosmetics Act 2010

Interestingly enough, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CFSC) released The Story Of Cosmetics, a “shockumentary” on cosmetic safety on the very same day this proposed new legislation was released...

This was no coincidence.  

It's time to tell my own personal story, something I have been a bit hesitant to do on Green Skincare Blog up until this point. An important note to all those who support CFSC and the new bill, the signers of the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics Compact were not notified in any way shape or form as to the lobbying and orchestrated release of the CFSC video with the proposed legislation draft.

I know this first hand because my company is still listed as a Compact Signer... even though I have asked multiple times to be removed due to the detrimental direction the Campaign was heading in squashing small businesses, along with the lack of science behind their agenda. I last attended an annual compact meeting at Expo West in March 2009 where I was threatened if I did not update my products in the Skin Deep system, my company would be removed as a Compact Signer. That was 17 months ago. I have not updated my products in their system, and have not been removed from the Compact. I have chosen to register with the FDA Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program (VCRP) and have always listed our complete ingredient decks on TheGrapeseedCompany.com. I have sent multiple emails asking to be removed from CFSC completely, the latest sent just last week.

I still have not been removed as a Campaign For Safe Cosmetics Compact Signer. 

Lisa Rodgers, my co-founding partner at PersonalCareTruth.com and I have directly tried to work with the CFSC. After the proposed Colorado Cosmetic Bill failed, the co-founder of CFSC left multiple comments right here at Green Skincare Blog. Following our online interaction, Lisa and I had a conference call with Stacy Malkan, co-founder of the CFSC, about our concerns with the Campaign and lobbying for legislation that would hurt the small, innovative, natural companies. Stacy commented during our conversation, and in writing on my blog that her "view on Skin Deep is that it is not a perfect system and never can be, because of what it is trying to do -- analyze an entire industry based on available data, which is very limited due to the historic lack of safety regulations for chemicals."

I am still perplexed by the fact that co-founder of CFSC herself is pointing out flaws with the Skin Deep rating system CFSC Compact Signers are required to register their formulas in! I do not want my business associated with an organization lobbying to put me out of business based on fear mongering and lack of science. I support safe cosmetics based on scientific research. CFSC has not shown the science to back their rating system in Skin Deep.  The way this bill is written would impose huge fees on companies big and small which we will all end up seeing when we purchase our daily essentials, from soap to mascara.

So while CFSC is touting support for this bill from their Compact Signers, I must ask:

• How many other companies are there out there like me who have asked to be removed and the CFSC has not complied? 
• Why haven't they complied? (I think I know the answer to this one... but what do you think?)
•  How many of the companies on their signer list have gone out of business and are still listed as compact signers? 
•  How many are just plain scared to be removed due to the obvious power this “nonprofit” currently has over our government and pending legislation? (if you’re wondering why that’s in quotes, read The Revealing Truth of the Money Trail of EWG)

We all want to make sure the personal care products we use are safe, but do we want our government to create a paperwork nightmare that regulates down to nanoparticles when we don't have the science (ironically from the words of Susan Roll, a founding member of CFSC) to back it? You can listen to Ms. Roll's live statement from the Colorado hearing by clicking the link above. There may be room for improvement in FDA regulations concerning cosmetics, but The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 in it's current form is is not the solution. 

I urge you all to voice your opinion and oppose The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 in it's current draft. If you're interested in learning more about the science behind what's in your skin care products, visit Personal Care Truth.

This bill will not ensure your body is safer. 

It will make the price tag on your personal care and cosmetic products much higher. 

It will squash small businesses paving the way in innovation and green cosmetics right out of the industry.

We need to be vocal, not scared. We need to tell our stories. We need to stand up to the CFSC and make sure they are not using our businesses as "numbers" to show support of this bill. You may feel the impact in your wallets if you don't. No matter how green you consider yourself, we all use personal care products daily. This bill will impact everyone.

Perhaps this post will finally get me removed from the CFSC Compact Signers list?

As I step off my soap box, I have one last thought that has been lingering in the back of my mind for months... why is the government targeting the cosmetic industry? We have a proven track record of safety. What you apply to your body doesn't affect your system in the same way as what you put into your body... if we're concerned about health issues, cancer and safety, shouldn't we be scrutinizing diet, fitness and lifestyle choices... things that are actually scientifically proven to affect health? We have no legislation in place to cover what we eat or our lifestyle choices... why is the target pointed at the cosmetics industry?

Thank You! Personal Care Truth or Scare

I'm thrilled to share the formal release of my new site in collaboration with my co-founder, Lisa Rodgers. We graciously thank you all for the amazing feedback and support and are psyched that PersonalCareTruth.com is making the rounds in cosmetic and beauty industry news! Thank you to all my wonderful readers for confirming the need for truth in the cosmetic industry; for consumers to understand what's in their cosmetics and discuss their questions with industry insiders.

I'd like to thank the following fabulous folks for supporting us and writing about us:
Cosmetic Design: New website offers consumers product information based on scientific research
Inside Cosmeceudicals: PersonalCareTruth.com Launched
Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild: Personal Care Truth or Scare, Information Based on Scientific Facts
Chemists Corner: New Source For Personal Care Science Information
Essential U: Personal Care Truth
Indie Business Blog: Personal Care Truth Launches!

Support Truth based on Scientific Research in Cosmetics. 

Visit Personal Care Truth and grab the badge!

PersonalCareTruth.com is here!

Good Morning,

I  just launched a new website! My latest venture has been a labor of love and ultimately frustration with the crazy misinformation out there about what is safe in cosmetics and personal care products.

My good friend Lisa Rodgers, creator extraordinaire of Cactus and Ivy, and I have been collaborating for months on this massive project. Lisa contacted me one morning with an idea based on a dream. I could not have asked for a more solid partner to cofound the site with! Lisa shares my work ethic, passion, and need to spread the truth, based on scientific research when it comes to beauty products.

I invite you all to spend some time at Personal Care Truth. This site was founded by beauty industry insiders, but meant for YOU ~ everyone and anyone who is concerned about what they are putting on their skin. Personal Care Truth is not about scare tactics, generalizations, fear mongering, or hopping aboard what’s considered trendy at the moment. Personal Care Truth is about education, facts, questions, research, sharing knowledge, and empowering consumers to make the choice that’s right for their families. We believe it is more powerful to provide information to educate and empower YOU as opposed to scaring you with information that has not been backed by science.

Welcome to Personal Care Truth ; come meet and learn from our well researched contributors. World renowned experts share their knowledge and research in the industry.

One more person I must give a shout out to is Jennifer Smith of Eco Office Gals. Thank you so much for helping us build the site and being the wonderful, entertaining person you are. We could not have done this without you.

Have a fabulous Monday, and let us know what you think about PersonalCareTruth.com

cheers,


 BTW, You can also follow @PrsnalCareTruth on twitter.