Writing is like singing...

For me, writing is like singing because I am good at it, but I am too intimidated by what other people will think to show the public. Both my singing and writing have been criticized in the past, which made me more hesitant to show people. Recently, I received an F on my Business Administration essay and ever since then I have been worried about my writing skills. Thankfully, my essays in English were given really good grades, which makes me feel a lot more confident about my writing. Now, I am planning on writing a blog over summer about the toxicity in make-up because I feel that my writing is developed enough to show others. Similarly, when I was little, my dad criticized my singing once and ever since then I have been scared to sing in front of other people. My boyfriend dared me to sing a few songs at Open Mic Night, so I did it and to my surprise, I got a lot of very positive feedback. Now, I plan on performing at every Open Mic Night because it is something I enjoy doing and I feel much more confident about it now.

Movie Poster

Fairytale Story about Cosmetics

Once Upon a Time, there was a girl named Lucy who grew up in a small town in California. One of Lucy's favorite parts of the day is the morning because she gets cleaned up and pretty before her long day. Her morning routine was to wake up, take a shower, brush her teeth, do her hair, makeup, put lotion on and get dressed. Well, one morning, while Lucy was in her bathroom, the Beauty Fairy came to warn Lucy about the cancer causing ingredients that are used in every single product. At first Lucy laughed because she never thought that the products she supported and loved so much would actually be a cheap concoction of cancerous toxins. After talking to the fairy, Lucy realized that there was a lot to learn about the things she buys. Once she found evidence of this problem, Lucy did everything she could to change the cosmetics industry. With the help of the Beauty Fairy, Lucy made the world a better place by advocating for regulation of makeup and labels. By the time she was done, everyone knew what is put in their products and she saved the lives of millions.


The End !

Research Log #5

Citation:

I created a survey of 15 questions and gave it to 15 girls and 5 boys in Chico.

Summary:

I created a survey that showed how oblivious people are to the corruption in the cosmetology industry. The survey was given to 15 girls and 5 boys. The results showed that the boys knew even less than the girls did about toxicity in cosmetics. A lot of the boys did not realize that cosmetics also referred to deodorant, shampoo, shaving cream, cologne, sunscreen and toothpaste, not just make-up. The girls showed only a little bit of knowledge about fragrances and other chemicals, but they were completely oblivious to how toxic these chemicals are. Both groups did not know that these products cause cancer, birth defects, allergies, and organ toxicity. Most did not even know that the products have no regulation and that most of the ingredients are not listed on the label. 15 people did not know that there were ingredients listed on the label of these products. 

Also, every single person listed that they use at least 10 products daily.

Response:

I was surprised by how unaware most people are to the toxicity in their daily products. Most people recognized the name of the most common chemicals used, but nobody could tell me what they are or what they are used for. Everyone surveyed was surprised by what these chemicals do and the reactions our bodies have to them. Also, only one person knew that these companies were not required to regulate their products and the other people who were surveyed thought that these companies were regulated. This shows that most people are completely in the dark about this issue because it is only common sense that these companies should be controlled. I expected the boys to be more unaware of the problem than the girls because girls use and care a lot more about these products. After speaking to these individuals, all of them showed interest in changing what they use. I believe that if everyone was educated on this issue, that most people would throw away their current toxic products and buy the ones that are safe.

Next Steps:

The next step is to make more people aware of the chemicals to look out for, because then people will start to buy products that are better for their health. I know that most people will be concerned as soon as they hear that these chemicals can be fatal. If more individuals buy from the companies that are not corrupt, then the other companies will see that that is what the consumer wants, and eventually change their ways. Buying a product is basically a vote for the company to continue what they are doing. If more people take away their “votes” then the industry will change. The only thing these companies care about is their business, so they will change in order to be more successful. It all starts with the consumer and things will change once the industry sees what is in demand. How hard would it be to educate people about this? Could the industry change if more people stopped buying harmful products? Would the message get through to the company or is it too hard to change a worldwide industry?

Research Log #4

Citation:

O'Connor, Siobhan, and Alexandra Spunt. No More Dirty Looks. New York: Da Capo 
     Press, 2010. Print.

Summary:

This book was definitely a great tool for my research paper. It basically went through all the secrets of toxicology and why/how the make-up companies do what they do. This book gave me countless facts on what the chemicals are, how the FDA works, and much more. I learned that Europe has banned more than one thousand ingredients for use in personal care products but the United States has only banned nine! This shows that the United States is not doing their job to regulate the products that are being put on the market. This is an obvious problem but the laws do not include cosmetic companies in their regulations. Also, Fragrances are the worst carcinogenic products because fragrance companies are not required to list their ingredients at all! This is an obvious problem because the fragrance companies can put almost anything in their products and get away with it! Another thing I like about this book is that it gives a list of “Dirty Ingredients” which are a list of chemicals to look out for, as well as descriptions about the chemical and it does. One troubling thing I learned was that companies that claim their products are “organic” do not always mean it. Since there is no government agency overseeing these cosmetics, it makes it easier for them to get away with the label even though it is not even close to true.

Response:

This book made the research assignment so much more exciting for me! I now have a very reliable resource to take information from. This book got me so much more interested in the subject that I want to do more research on my own! I can’t believe how corrupt this industry is. I am amazed by it every time I learn something new about it. I always thought that there was some corruption behind the Organic companies, but I never thought that they would completely lie about their ingredients. It is so obvious that there needs to be stricter regulation on these products because they are becoming inhumane. It is unfortunate that people have to take advantage of the system, because it shows that without regulation or inspection, people cannot be trusted to do the right thing by themselves.  Fragrances were always a little bit suspicious to me. I always wondered why they smelled the way they did and what was used to create them. Now I know that all fragrances are a concoction of carcinogenic chemicals that may smell good, but will probably create problems in the long run. It is sad to know that they are so bad for you, because most of my friends are obsessed with perfume and other products that have heavy doses of fragrance in them. I used to be too, until I found out about how bad they are. I still have a little bit of reading to do in this book, but I look forward to learning more.


Next Steps: 
 Now that I have learned so much about this problem I can start to make a change on my own. In order to make a change, there needs to be a regulation on these companies to make sure they are not just saying what their customers want to hear. There is no way that these companies should get away with lying to the people who support them. How is this legal? Why don't we hear about these kinds of lies more often? How do the companies keep this information concealed? 

Research Log #3

Citation:

Maddan, Heather. "Five Questions for Mark Schapiro." San Francisco Chronical 7 
     Oct. 2007, Final ed.: G1. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. 
     <http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/>.

Summary:

This article answered a couple of questions that I had about toxins in cosmetics. It was an interview of Mark Schapiro, editorial director of the Center for Investigative Reporting in San Francisco and author of the book, "Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power". There were very important questions answered that helped me better understand what goes on that us consumers do not know. Apparently, the European Union’s seventh amendment was forced and updated the 1976 Cosmetics Directive, as well as bans the use of any chemicals determined to be carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins, otherwise known as CMRs. The difference between Europe and America is that European Union countries enforce the codes on their cosmetic companies, while America does not have a law that requires companies to put their ingredients on the label. Schapiro states that, “without cosmetic regulations, the United States has become a dumping ground for toxic waste in attractive packaging. The very lipsticks, eyeliners and blushers banned from European shelves are widely available in the United States.” Thankfully, the information on these toxic chemicals that the EU knows is made public, so that people around the world can see. With this research, they have found that the phthalates and carcinogenic have been used in American nail polish for years, but is now regulated in Europe. This article was definitely an eye opener. I am looking forward to finding out more information on this corruption.

Response:

I am SO happy I found this article! It answered numerous questions I had and also brought up some new information that really caught my attention. It was nice to know that the author is a male because it shows that he does not have as much of a connection to the problem. He is obviously doing this for research purposes. It surprised me that the European Union has been regulating cosmetics for some time. I think it shows a lot that it is so strictly enforced because no country would spend that much time and money on something that is not important. The United States needs to learn a few things from their neighbors. Notice what is banned in other countries that isn’t banned in the US. It is obvious that there is a reason why these chemicals are not sold on the shelves in the European Union.


Next Steps:
Now it is time to learn from the European Union and start to regulate the chemicals used by this industry. They already have a list of tested ingredients to avoid, now it is time to take this research and ban the chemicals from our products. The questions I have now are:
How hard would it be to change an industry and get rid of the corruption? 
How do you get this process started?
Who is involved in this change? 
How would this change effect prices or sales for this industry? 

Research Log #2

Works Cited:

Sutton, Rebecca. "Teen Girls' Body Burden of Hormone-Altering Cosmetic 
     Chemicals." Cosmetics Database. Environmental Working Group, 2007-2011. 
     Web. 24 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ewg.org/reports/teens>.

Summary:

This article was very helpful because it targeted a group that I can relate to- teenagers. Laboratory tests were done and the results were extremely surprising. Sutton states that they, “detected 16 chemicals from 4 chemical families - phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks - in blood and urine samples from 20 teen girls aged 14-19. Studies link these chemicals to potential health effects including cancer and hormone disruption. These tests feature first-ever exposure data for parabens in teens, and indicate that young women are widely exposed to this common class of cosmetic preservatives, with 2 parabens, methylparaben and propylparaben, detected in every single girl tested.” Every single person tested for this was contaminated! Averages of 13 hormone-altering cosmetic chemicals were detected as well. I learned that most teens use an average of 17 toxic products per day, as opposed to the average adult woman who uses 12. The problem is that these girls are still developing and growing, so these harmful chemicals are risking their transformation from childhood to adulthood. All of this is a result of the Federal Health statutes that don’t require inspection of these products.

Response:

It scares me that my friends, family, and I are exposed to so many chemicals without even realizing it! I used to be one of those girls who constantly bought new products to smell good, feel good, or look good. Now, I am finding out that these products could kill us or ruin our reproductive systems! These test results were very revealing to me because they show that everyone is easily susceptible to toxins. I know so many people who use 20 or more products per day because they have no idea what the repercussions are. Who would be worried about a tiny bottle of lotion? It makes sense that these chemicals have the ability to seep into our skin and mess with our hormones, but why do these businesses allow it? I could not imagine giving the people who support my business a bottle of cancer. This behavior is immoral and inhumane because they are secretly tearing apart our bodies!

Next Steps:

The next steps are to change the regulation of these products to be more strict and to inform everyone about this horrible epidemic so that they can make better choices at the store. Every person should know the real results after using these products because not only will you get soft skin, but you will also get cancer, allergies, and reproductive and organ damage.