How “The Story of Cosmetics” Gets It All Wrong and How You Can Really Avoid Toxins
Did you ever see the story of stuff? I watched it a long time ago and remembered thinking it did a good job of pointing out some problems with our high-consumption society, but dropped the ball when it came time for a solution.
Their latest video, The Story of Cosmetics, was even worse. From start to finish they preach “you’re just a victim” of the big bad industry. Yes, of course the cosmetic industry is bad. They make a fortune off of lies.
It is the job of these companies to make us believe that if we just cover up problems with shampoos, cleansers, deodorants, and makeup that we will be more attractive and therefore happier. They don’t care what goes into these products as long as they perform some sort of slight of hand that they can heavily market to a group of people with disposable incomes who take no responsibility for what they put in or on their bodies.
It is not the responsibility of a government or manufacturer to protect us from ourselves and our own poor decisions. We have to realize that a large corporation’s first priority is the bottom line.
The Real Solution
You wanna’ know how to protect your family from toxins hidden in even the most “organic” of personal care products? Don’t buy any of them. Not a single one.
- Wash your hair with baking soda and vinegar.
- Wash your face with a real soap, made by yourself or someone you trust.
- Give your babies a bath with this same soap.
- Don’t spray anything on your body or hair unless it’s water or an essential oil.
- Find a deodorant alternative that works for you. Coconut oil is great.
- Don’t wear makeup.
The bottom line is this: if you buy a product that contains toxins then you are responsible for those toxins entering your body. If you can read, you can avoid them. If you stop buying toxic products eventually companies will meet your demand for cleaner products.
No one cares more about the health of your family than you – take responsibility.
So true! Just like the oil spill is everyones fault since we’ve created such a demand that getting on the profit train as quickly as possible was more of a priority than safety for BP. These companies are only supplying a demand, and we’ve given them the A.O.K. to load their products with chemicals because we’ve continued to buy them.
It always bothers me to see people buying chemical laden garbage because it has a Breast Cancer Support Ribbon on it. That product is giving you and your whole family cancer, if you really want to take a dint out of cancer numbers stop buying it.
Genevieve – I agree on the BP issue. Consumers hold more power than they think.
awesome post! thanks for being bold enough to share the REAL truth.
Whoa. You are TOTALLY right, sister. I felt the same unsatisfied feeling when I watched The Story of Cosmetics . . . I felt that there was so much more she could say on avoiding that stuff. I LOVED The Story of Stuff (it changed my life – seriously), but this one felt a little rushed. Hmmm.
Anyway. YES. So, so right on here. Thanks for driving the point home, Shannon!
What do you think about lye? I get soap from someone who uses coconut oil, honey, goat’s milk and lye. Is that about as “clean” as soap gets?
Rachel – Lye is a natural substance that comes from the ash of wood. People have been making soap out of it for a very long time. Your soap sounds ideal!
I agree with everything except for the statememnts “Don’t wear makeup. After you go through a period of cleansing your skin will look better than it ever has.” Some people have skin conditions such as acne, or scars from acne, very large pores, rosacea, etc. These people, myself being one of them, rely on makeup to feel comfortable with our own skin. I was never blessed with beautiful skin, and as I age it gets worse. I have done everything “natural” that I can to no avail. I also cannot afford expensive, more natural make-up, so I concentrate on feeding my family the more expensive healthier nourishing foods and buy the cheap makeup. It is amazing the number of women I have met who complain of poor complexion, and they don’t have a single scar, lesion, or visible pore on them! How I would love to have skin like theirs!
Right on. I do like the Story of Cosmetics if only because it presents the issues in an accessible way that everyone can relate to. I’m currently doing a year-long Beauty Detox on my site where I ditch all of my products and create everything from scratch. I’m trying to do it in a balanced way so people realize they DO have an alternative to these products – so many people just have no idea that it could even be a problem!
Amen, sister! It’s amazing how much stuff we think we need when really we just don’t. There’s a scene at the end of Barbara Kingsolver’s book where the main character, an American her children in Africa, brings them to visit their Grandparents in the U.S. The first time the chilren visit a grocery store they ask their mom “Woah, what is all this stuff?” She replies – a lot of things people don’t need. I feel that way every time I am in a drug store or a big grocery store. We really don’t “need” any of this stuff they are trying to sell us.
Corinne – I know you can make your own decisions but I want to ask you to evaluate the statment that you need make up to feel comfortable in your own skin. I am sure you are a beautiful woman with or without make up, and more importantly you are a loving, kind, intelligent woman.
I am very recent to the health and nutrition universe and have made some radical changes in the last nine months just to our diet after reading Nourishing Traditions and Food Rules cover to cover. My first attempt at gardening is the stuff of sitcoms, but I just harvested the first organic zucchinis grown by our own hands just this week! I would be very interested in resources describing deodorant alternatives and natural acne treatments. I have a 17yo daughter who has hideous acne problems, severe scarring and, of course, has been using commercial deodorants since puberty. (Corinne-even though I do not generally wear make up, I have let my daughter slather it on because it makes her feel *better* about her face. She is so very sensitive about it; I have some insight into your feelings I think!) I would love to make changes for her, but particularly, I would like to start my 11yo daughter out on a more natural trek through puberty. Just this VERY MORNING I wrote *deodorant* on my grocery list because I decided that she needed to start wearing it. So, please, set me on the right track, O you amazing gals who have gone before!
@HollymMead,
The comments on this post might be a good place to start!
http://simpleorganic.net/the-simple-organic-natural-deodorant-challenge/
Megan – Thanks for the heads up!
@Megan at SortaCrunchy,
I am whipping up a batch of the homemade recipe from Passionate Homemaking that the natural deodorant challenge wound up endorsing. Thank you for the link!
HollymMead – See Megan’s comment. I like rock stone deodorants or coconut oil.
Well, I would have to respectfully disagree with your post. I thought “The Story of Cosmetics” did a great job explaining the issue in terms that the “average” consumer can understand. And while doing so is admirable, not everyone wants to make their own beauty products. The suggestions offered in the video for finding acceptable commercial alternatives are good. Lastly, I second the person who said makeup is a necessary evil for some. I can relate. I’ve tried the 100% natural products, and they don’t offer enough coverage for my skin. So, I made a compromise with the Costco (Kirkland) foundation (yes, Costco makeup–it’s surprisingly very good!) It’s not as pure as some, but at least the foundation is free of parabens and some of the other more icky stuff. I think if one is doing their best to avoid chemicals overall, eating pure food and drinking clean water, and getting enough rest, it’s okay to not be perfect all the time. The same premise holds for those who have tried *every* natural deodorant, and nothing works except the conventional stuff. Are they just supposed to live with body odor? I think we need to be realistic in our expectations of ourselves and others.
Gabriella – Thank you for your thoughts. And I’ll have to respectfully disagree that makeup is a “necessary evil”. My skin was really red, blotchy, and pimply in my early 20s. I washed with every “miracle” cleanser, tried all sorts of moisturizers, and used all kinds of cover ups and a green-tinted anti-redness cream. It never seemed to fully fix the problem so I covered up with makeup. When I stopped wearing makeup it took a few months for my skin to renormalize and then it just cleared up. I also fixed my diet, which helps too.
My point is not that we should use natural alternatives and expect the same results. My point is that we have grown dependent on deodorants, makeup, etc. to sustain an unnatural balance. Sweating is good for us, but horrible body odor is caused by something more systemic. So deodorant just masks a deeper problem. Same for makeup, though in my own experience makeup is more of an emotional/spiritual issue than a physical one.
Thanks Shannon for this post. I loved the Story of Stuff because it made people think. I felt the same way you did about the Story of Cosmetics. I have two daughters so I want them to be used to using natural products now. It is much cheaper and fun to make our own. Wondering what you use for dish soap and what is the recipe for baking soda/vinegar shampoo?
I agree! I was really hoping for more with The Story of Cosmetics, though I’m not terribly surprised at their conclusions. It’s similar to all their videos, so far — the government’s job is supposed to take care of us (no), so because they’re not, we should get on to them.
It is good to take a stand and voice our opinions, to some degree. But in our capitalist world, money talks much louder. Simply don’t buy these things, and that’ll make a much more powerful statement.
I go with an 80/20 principle with things like this. It’s pretty hard to be 100% toxin-free in this world, though I do try. So long as I feel like I’ve got about 80% on target, I give myself a bit of grace with the other 20%. That’s my answer to issues like finding deodorants that work, wearing makeup, etc. etc… I think we need to look at the big picture of our health, in other words.
Thanks for posting this, Shannon! Good discussion.
Sounds like you are truthfully reminding us of the relevance of the Latin phrase: “caveat emptor.” Let the buyer beware indeed.
It has taken me a long time to come around, but I go without by choice for the most part now. My husband actually dislikes when I wear makeup and I for some reason still sometimes take that as an insult instead of a great big compliment. I now do all of the above suggestions and wear light high quality makeup on special occasions.
loved this post and the comment too! thanks for posting shannon.
I have to agree with Gabriella. I would say that the Story of Cosmetics is not aimed at the culture generally found on Nourishing Days. And I’m not sure that they’ve “got it all wrong.” After viewing the video, I thought it was a great starting place. It was not created to teach people to make their own soaps or use coconut oil as deodorant. I think the point of it is to inform mainstream consumers that the products they’ve been using are not as great as the producers have made them seem. I personally don’t wear make-up (I’m a Nourishing Days kinda gal), but I know many women that do. I think you were being a bit harsh in your criticism of the video. Most women that use a fair amount of products are unlikely, after watching this, to throw everything away and investigate how to use baking soda for teeth, though they may consider looking to a brand that is known for using better materials and gradually work their way here. Please realize that not everyone “gets” the Nourishing Days kind of lifestyle right away, if ever. Like in the blog “Kitchen Stewardship,” this is about baby steps.
Holly – I think you make a good point that if no one has ever heard these things then it is a good introduction. I just think that they approached the solution wrong. Government regulation is not the answer. You can’t get good regulation out of a corrupt government.
I absolutely LOVE this!!! I am trying to make a transformation for my family and am very excited to see the changes. Thanks for your advice, support, and help.
I lived with a roommate that was allergic to perfumes and my family went without scented products for a few years. As a result of that, I sorely missed smelling nice. Unscented products just didn’t keep me from stinking once I got the least bit sweaty. I became very self-conscious of my smell and felt unfeminine. I continued to use scented, conventional anti-perspirant/deodorant and still do. I have a tough time believing in the efficacy of rock crystals and coconut oil. I’m willing to try…come winter, but I would never impose it on my husband. His smell is so strong that I wouldn’t stand any hint of natural body odor.
Shannon, this is a wonderful, insightful post. Many folks take care with the toxins in their food and then forget about what they put on their skin!
Would love it if you would consider sharing this blog or another post at Monday Mania. Hope to see you there!
Natural can be great but please keep in mind it doesn’t always mean better. There are natural irritants just like there are synthetic. Plenty of natural products exist that contain skin irritants. Perfect examples are mint and eucalyptus oils. So you do have to be careful with the essential oils also. As someone with rosacea, I have to be very careful about what I put on my face. That means looking at the ingredient list to find out what each substance is. There are websites out there that can do that for you or you can do it yourself. Bottome line is, if you really want to protect and nourish your skin, it’s best to consider the individual ingredients in a product, natural or not.
Shaunna – Excellent points. Always be mindful.
I think I am going to respectfully disagree, too. Not everyone can make their own products– it’s a sign of a certain kind of privilege if you can. For example, the people in the parts of the country with very hard water cannot use baking soda and vinegar to wash their hair. There are some alternatives like shikakai, but how do you know what’s really in that package? How do you know it hasn’t been adulterated with a harmful brown powder? If, because baking soda and vinegar don’t work, you try to buy a shampoo with only ingredients that are ok for you, how do you know that the company has listed all of the ingredients on the label? They’re not required to. What if there is no shampoo that you can buy in your geographical area that has a rating of less than “3” or “4” on the Skin Deep index? That’s happened to me.
So, while I agree that people need to be responsible consumers, that’s a hard thing to do when the die are weighted in favor of the corporations. It’s not the government or a manufacturer’s responsibility to protect us from ourselves, but it is their responsibility to, at the very least, be honest.
Aydan – Thank you for your comment. I don’t believe that it is a sign of privilege to make your own (less expensive) cosmetics or choose simply not to buy any at all. I have very hard water and am still able to use baking soda to wash my hair.
I do agree that manufacturers and the government have a moral duty to be honest. The sad truth is that they are not, and we can not trust them to protect us.
@Shannon,
Do you mind my asking how you get the hard water to work out? I would like to stop using the shampoo that makes my head itch! For me, the problem is baking soda + dissolved calcium –> soap scum. I did search for “shampoo” with the search box, but my apologies if you posted about this and I missed it. (I came here via SortaCrunchy.)
Thanks!
Aydan
Aydan – I am still struggling with the no poo routine. We have very hard water and I have been all over the place with it. Currently I use baking soda alone to wash, no vinegar rinse as that tends to make it oily. I think brushing your hair is key to distributing oils and getting a health head of hair and scalp. Once I “figure it out” I will post on it.
I’m not sure how making your own products is a sign of privilege. I am a single girl who lives by herself and makes little money and I make lots of my own products. It takes more time but it is much cheaper. My deodorant and toothpaste are homemade and dirt cheap to make. It makes more economic sense to me to spend a little more time making something and having it be less expensive. I used to spend a lot of money on natural and organic products and then I realized I could make a lot of them myself. I have not tried baking soda in my hair yet but I have tried vinegar. I will have to try this.