Images of Nature
Cosmetics Having a Green Makeover: The Beauty of Responsibility
Many humans today rely on personal care products in order to look good, and smell good. It is no longer just about being hygienic, but also a way to attract other people. Everyone has their favorite personal care product that they love using to make their hair shinier, or their lips redder, but do humans ever consider what ingredients are in these products that we depend on in our everyday lives? After doing some research, it was interesting to find how many of the products humans use in their day-to-day lives which contain ingredients that are linked to cancer, learning disabilities, and asthma. Some ingredients in products like lipstick include lead, tin oxide, iron oxide, and titanium oxide. Many more products include chemicals and ingredients that have unknown health risks. These products do not only affect humans, but they affect the environment when manufacturing, packaging, and distributing the products. Although humans are still currently very unaware of how these toxic ingredients can affect the environment, scientists know that the ingredients of these products seep through human skin, into our bodies, and into human excretions which are later introduced into the environment. Another way is that these ingredients also can get washed down the drain when people wash their bodies, their hair, or when washing makeup off their faces. A number of these personal care ingredients have been found in rivers and streams. The chemicals contaminate the water and affect the hormones in many organisms (Safe Cosmetics Action Network). If the ingredients in these products are harming humans, what must be their impact on the environment and wildlife? Although this question is still not very clear today, some cosmetic corporations such as Aveda have taken a huge step in trying to help the environment by incorporating corporate responsibility into the manufacturing of their products.
Aveda is an
Many humans today rely on personal care products in order to look good, and smell good. It is no longer just about being hygienic, but also a way to attract other people. Everyone has their favorite personal care product that they love using to make their hair shinier, or their lips redder, but do humans ever consider what ingredients are in these products that we depend on in our everyday lives? After doing some research, it was interesting to find how many of the products humans use in their day-to-day lives which contain ingredients that are linked to cancer, learning disabilities, and asthma. Some ingredients in products like lipstick include lead, tin oxide, iron oxide, and titanium oxide. Many more products include chemicals and ingredients that have unknown health risks. These products do not only affect humans, but they affect the environment when manufacturing, packaging, and distributing the products. Although humans are still currently very unaware of how these toxic ingredients can affect the environment, scientists know that the ingredients of these products seep through human skin, into our bodies, and into human excretions which are later introduced into the environment. Another way is that these ingredients also can get washed down the drain when people wash their bodies, their hair, or when washing makeup off their faces. A number of these personal care ingredients have been found in rivers and streams. The chemicals contaminate the water and affect the hormones in many organisms (Safe Cosmetics Action Network). If the ingredients in these products are harming humans, what must be their impact on the environment and wildlife? Although this question is still not very clear today, some cosmetic corporations such as Aveda have taken a huge step in trying to help the environment by incorporating corporate responsibility into the manufacturing of their products.
Aveda is an