Roll out of bed, get in the shower, shampoo and condition your hair, wash off your body, wash your face, get out, put on deodorant, put in some hair product, put on your makeup, go to class. Does this sound familiar? A girl’s beauty routine is not a force to be reckoned with but studies have found that a lot of the cosmetic care we use today has long term health effects for the future.
(Image courtesy of EnrichList)
Let’s play game: go gather up all the products you use in one day. Yeah you, go do it. It’ll be scary but worth it, I promise. Now line them up and go to Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. Enter the names of the products in the search bar and be amazed (or frightened)!
The things we put on our bodies are unregulated and commonly made from poorly tested chemicals, makers can almost use any ingredients they choose, and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) cannot require safety tests or recall harmful products (a lot of these products are tested on animals puppies, kittens, mice, etc., but that’s a whole other blog post). In general, for things like moisturizers, makeup, nail polish, and soap, less is more. Use fewer products- your bathroom will be cleaner, but make sure you check the ingredients too! Also keep in mind that “dermatologist-tested”, “gentle”, and “natural” could be hype! Be mindful of these things and your body and skin will thank you! If you want to learn more, I highly recommend the Story of Cosmetics! It’s fun, informative, and it condenses all this information and more into an animated short.
What cosmetic product that you use regularly had the worst health effects? Take a picture and tweet it to @HerCampusDrexel, #CampusCollegiette!