Green | January 17, 2009 | 62 comments

Your Face Is Killing You

source: http://bitchmagazine.org/article/beauty-secrets

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St_Alia_10191
Did you know that the FDA doesn't regulate cosmetics? Did you know that one-third of the top 33 lipsticks contain more lead than the FDA conciders safe to ingest? How about that only 11% of the ingredients used in makeup and perfume (of which there are roughly 10,000) have been assessed for their safety to the human body by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, which is funded by the Personal Care Products Council which answers to the Office of Cosmetics and Colors which sends their information to (you guessed it) the FDA. And that manufacturers aren't obliged to stop using the ingredients the CIR finds unsafe? And that they HAVEN'T stopped using them?

Why hasn't anyone told us about this? Could it be because magazines are funded by the revenue from makeup and perfume ads?

There is mercury in our mascara, lead in our lipstick, carcinogens in our cosmetics.

So who's going to protect us?
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    Green,   Culture,   Art and Style,   Earth and Science,   2 more
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    Culture,  Green,  Art and Style,  Earth and Science,  5 more
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62 comments // Your Face Is Killing You

  • Alisa_Panova
    • 0
      Alisa_Panova  

    • Very interesting. Thank you for posting.

      As for the discussion. The article doesn't talk exclusively about make up, but cosmetics. That includes moisturizers and deodorants. So even if you stay away from your beloved mascara you still might be exposing yourself to health hazards.

    • 3 years ago
  • thevacantgeneration
    • 0
      thevacantgeneration  

    • What about REAL eyebrows?!

      So glad I don't need to paint my face to feel beautiful.

      Face painting is for wild psychedelic escapades and is best done with a burnt stick from the fire.

    • 3 years ago
  • LizzyTheLion
  • PeachYogurt
    • 0
      PeachYogurt  

    • I knew this. There are websites you can look at to check the lead levels. Dior is notorious for having highest lead levels in their lip glosses.

    • 3 years ago
  • VegaNerDiva
    • 0
      VegaNerDiva  

    • I try to let all my friends & family be aware that they should avoid parabens (which are in almost all makeup) even some that tout about how natural they are.

    • 3 years ago
  • dariusvons
  • Alisa_Panova
    • 0
      Alisa_Panova  
    • dariusvons:

      You should know that a fair deal of women use make up very lightly - to make the skin look healthier. How does that make them whores? Does using deodorant and brushing one's teeth make a woman a whore too?

      You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Generalizations, misuse of language with a poor knowledge of the topic are true sins.

      In case English is not your first language:

      Whore
         /hɔr, hoʊr or, often, hʊər/ (noun)
      A woman who engages in promiscuous sexual intercourse, usually for money; prostitute; harlot; strumpet.

    • 3 years ago
  • dariusvons
    • 0
      dariusvons  

    • the FDA wouldn't regulate cosmetics anyway... ithey're NOT food or drugs. also the FDA is evil and corrupt and would probably not do anything about deadly cosmetics as long as the companies who make them pay the FDA enough to not care.

    • 3 years ago
  • tigerlily83
    • 0
      tigerlily83  

    • This is a bit shocking -- I thought for a long time that the FDA would have to approve something that goes on your body. However, I believe cosmetics are safer than they were in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. I could be wrong though, it could be worse.

      I'll definitely be checking out the cosmetic safety database now and making sure everything I use is ok.

    • 3 years ago
  • RepressThis
    • 0
      RepressThis  

    • it would only make sense for a board of scientist to regulate an industry that provides products to be used on and near parts of the human body that are easy capable ingesting potentially hazard chemicals/heavy metels. I mean the cosmetics industry only pulls in multiple billions of revenue a year, stuff like this is bound to slip thru the cracks, just cover it up with some shimmering foundation and slap some glossy lipstick and we wont have to worry about it because it will be all pretty again. sarc

    • 3 years ago
  • ejasun
  • blackdaylight
  • CroatianPimp
    • 0
      CroatianPimp  

    • ITS BECAUSE OF MONEY I MEAN MONEY RULES EVERYTHING WHEN WE AS HUMANS FOCUS ON DA CARE OF MANKIND RATHER THEN MONEY THEN WE WILL MAKE A HUGE STEP FORWARD

    • 3 years ago
  • createpeace
  • tomofnorthcal
    • 0
      tomofnorthcal  

    • I prefer women who wear very little or no makeup. In addition, the 1970's beauty (10) Bo Derrick only wore natural oils and very little or no makeup.

    • 3 years ago
  • chokolat3warmth
    • 0
      chokolat3warmth  

    • make up makes girls or women look alot worse, and if you need to wear that crap to look beautiful, guess what you probably arent that beautiful, or you can be if you just stopped hiding behind that mask of mercury.

      all natural is the way to go, but please continue to shave.

    • 3 years ago
  • gonzolively
    • 0
      gonzolively  

    • Did you know the FDA doesn't really care about your health? If it's endorsed by the FDA I usually look the other way. I advise anyone to read up on their criminal ways.

      Buenas Tardes!

    • 3 years ago
  • wierdobeardo
    • 0
      wierdobeardo  

    • I call bullshit on this article. The FDA does regulate somewhat.

      Ask holly wood actresses, they go out of the country to buy their illegal cosmetics.

      (don't ask me how I know this)

    • 3 years ago
  • MamiRed413
  • crazy_french
  • sirach481
    • 0
      sirach481  

    • Oh you poor girls, actually I prefer women who wear very little to no makeup. I'd much rather be with a natural woman than with a victorian doll.

    • 3 years ago
  • mIssmagnOlia
  • YourFuneralGuy
  • SHAWN_RITTIMAN
  • MornRail
    • 0
      MornRail  
    • Image

    • Barkway said this should be titled, "your vanity is killing you" and I couldn't agree more. Mostly because I was about to skip over this article. I feel like I don't care. I don't wear much make-up except a little bronzer and Burt's Bees lip balm. And I check out ingredients in everything from what I consume to what I wear.

      I think the American people need to be smarter about what they're buying. It shows an example to these companies. We want the government to butt out so much and then in other cases we want them so badly. Take the CPSIA(link after the jump). They're ruining small business who sell children's clothes and toys. They think they are doing it for our safety even though many home-based business owners pride themselves on using all-natural, child-safe materials. They're just making it more expensive.

      Go away or stay? It's hard to decide sometimes but until then, we need to start being smart consumers. It's time for us to be regulators!

    • 3 years ago
  • MiguelSanchez
  • YourFuneralGuy
  • YourFuneralGuy
    • 0
      YourFuneralGuy  
    • Image

    • As a funeral director and an activist on death avoidance I want to say thanks for putting this information out creatively.

      It is good to get folks to think about this and things we do every day that add to our demise.

      Your Funeral Guy

    • 3 years ago
  • barkway
  • barkway
    • 0
      barkway  

    • Thank heavens I've never been a "girlie-girl" into all that makeup and clothes and hair stuff! I had always prided myself on the money I saved compared to other women but now I can boast better health too!
      Of course it wouldn't matter how many deadly things were in makeup anyway since everyone blames smoking for just about every illness and death on the planet regardless of other factors and even if you don't smoke!

    • 3 years ago
  • NFUSA
    • 0
      NFUSA  

    • Why don't more people know about this? So many people are so concerned about their superficial looks but at what cost when the crap you're putting on yourself is dangerous to your overall health?

    • 3 years ago
  • petarro
  • anglcazn
  • Brendan_M
    • Brendan_M  
    • This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
  • barkway
    • 0
      barkway  
    • Brendan_M:

      Europe has LESS strict regulations for cars, my friend. That's why American car companies make and sell cars that get up to 50 mpg over there that they can't sell here because of our emissions regulations.

    • 3 years ago
  • Mafioso
    • 0
      Mafioso  

    • Well I'm sure their face (whoever is being killed) was killing their social life, which is why they resorted to using makeup... maybe they should get a better job if they are going to be vain and buy some high end organic products.

    • 3 years ago
  • ruebezahl
  • numinant
    • 0
      numinant  

    • it's also not much of an incentive to know that a lot of cosmetics are made up of the rendered fat of roadkill and dead pets.

      nor is it helpful that many cosmetic companies employ the draize test (you'll recognize it as the one where bunnies are confined in rows and have toxic chemicals administered to their eyes) or the LD-50 test on an array of furry mammals (LD stands for lethal dose--50 refers to the percentage of 'test subjects' that die within a given period of time).

      and yeah, applying paint to one's face every day has got to be wearisome.

    • 3 years ago
  • numinant
    • 0
      numinant  
    • numinant:

      just google 'rendering plant'

      here's one of the first results that comes up:

      http://www.jivdaya.org/rendering_plants.htm

      but you'll have to do your own research because obviously you'll be skeptical about whatever i post. even as an animal rights advocate, i had trouble believing this when i first heard about it, so i don't blame you.

      i believe there was also a video posted on current once about a guy whose job it is to collect roadkill and deceased pets for processing.

    • 3 years ago
  • uponrooftops
  • neocongo
  • St_Alia_10191
  • thea_inthecity
  • Hunab_Ku
  • foebea
  • foebea
  • Elligirl
    • 0
      Elligirl  

    • That's why I go to SkinDeep.com to make sure I'm buying the safest products possible. It's ridiculous that these products aren't regulated more. It just shows that industry will NOT self-regulate.

    • 3 years ago
  • malathion
  • AreOh
  • St_Alia_10191
  • naty_forty
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • 0
      DeliaTheArtist  

    • I barely wear make-up, but this article needs to get attention. Where's the responsibility on the part of the companies? Disgusting. Women should be made aware of this and really demand for their health to be put before money.

    • 3 years ago
  • St_Alia_10191
    • 0
      St_Alia_10191  

    • Exactly! And that's what's the problem. It is a social requirement for women to wear makeup. They are perceived as being less of a woman or not caring about their appearance because of it. Now, I like wearing makeup, and I rarely go out without at least mascara on. I always wear makeup to work, I concider it part of my professional attireI don't always wear makeup, I choose to. But I choose to because I get treated better when I do.

      Wearing makeup isn't voluntary when you HAVE to wear it to get the treatment you deserve.

    • 3 years ago
  • orchidsofdesire
  • St_Alia_10191
    • 0
      St_Alia_10191  
    • St_Alia_10191:

      Thanks for that. Some of the posters seem to think I'm telling women they HAVE to wear makeup and that's the ONLY SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE OPTION. When what they don't realize or acknowledge is that we women have to wear makeup just to get recognition and respect, especially women in customer service sectors like you and I.

    • 3 years ago
  • barkway
    • 0
      barkway  
    • St_Alia_10191:

      boy have you been brainwashed!
      Imagine if the majority of women just said "Enough. I'm not wearing it and I'm the same person without it as I am with it!" It's so hard for any real change when the sheep just keep following the herder and cowering from the sheep-dog.

      And as an aside, there are organic makup companies. I've seen their products in the stores (twice the price of course but hey, it's YOUR paycheck! I prefer to spend mine on things my family really needs).

    • 3 years ago
  • mrop
    • 0
      mrop  

    • I really don't like make-up. It always smells funny anyway. Married 32 years and I've never seen my wife wear even lipstick.
      It's a strange custom to paint your face and yet most American women thinks it's some kind of requirement.

    • 3 years ago
  • St_Alia_10191
  • NotFooled
  • AlexBush
  • SarahAna
    • 0
      SarahAna  
    • St_Alia_10191:

      I don't know what everyone else's reply to your post has to do with anything, but eyeliner on men! Men who wear eyeliner look the worst! If men must wear any makeup, it should be cover up, so they can have clear, even-toned skin.

    • 3 years ago
  • bleach4bleach
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