I’m not especially keen on cooking. Honestly, I do not even enter my kitchen that much (couldn’t tell you where the spoons are if my life depended on it). But when I learned that there are natural cosmetics recipes that you can make on your own, I decided that things had to change. I entered my kitchen, found my cupboards and fridge bare, went to the grocery store for supplies and tried my hand at making my own cosmetics for the first time in my life.

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Most of us use cosmetics in our daily life? How many of you are sure that the cosmetics we use are safe to our skin and the body? We ought to take a while before we answer this question; because there are a variety of cosmetics available in the market with variable prices. Cosmetics start from a very low price and range up to a very high price. Some settle for the cheapest available cosmetics and some go in for the highest priced cosmetics. After all, all of us want to look good and young.

But the danger behind it is not known to many. May be the cosmetics with the lowest price has as its ingredients certain products that are harmful or even carcinogenic. So, how do we choose our cosmetic companies? On what basis can we brand cosmetics as safe? Well, is it the responsibility of the FDA or the manufacturer?

What Does the Law Say?

Cosmetic products and their ingredients are not subject to any approval from the FDA premarket approval authority, with the exception of color additives. Their legal authority over cosmetics is different from that over other products such as drugs and medical devices regulated by the agency. It is the sole responsibility of the companies to ensure the safety of their products before marketing. Recall of hazardous cosmetics from the market can also be done only by the distributors. If the safety of a product prior to marketing cannot be substantiated, then the product can be misbranded unless the following warning statement is displayed on the product label:

“Warning: the safety of this product has not been determined.”

Have any of you seen the above warning statement in any of the brands you use?

Reason for Non-regulation of Cosmetic Companies by the Government

The primary reason is of a loophole in the definition. The FDA does not regulate products that are labeled as dietary supplements along the lines of marketing claims, unless they can be considered a drug product. FDA defines a drug product as a substance used in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of a disease. Cosmetics cannot claim to treat, cure or prevent a skin disease.

At present, the FDA does not have a premarket approval system for cosmetic products. Because of this non-regulation, many companies may have false marketing claims. Since the industry is self-regulated, the FDA does not step in. Also minimal FDA involvement with cosmetics makes them more affordable. Costs involved are high for government-controlled research studies. A day when the company invests into such government procedures, the company does not generate revenue that day. All this can be avoided by deregulation.

In conclusion, although FDA regulation of cosmetic companies may be beneficial in some ways, the costs in doing so far outweigh the benefits. Perhaps, random samples can be monitored for contaminants in the future.

So, the manufacturers of cosmetics should act in a socially responsible manner to provide safe cosmetics in addition to improving the revenue.

So readers, what are your thoughts on this? Do you think cosmetics industry must be regulated?

Hello my Luvies!

Hope you guys are all doing great, ive taken some time off from everything and travelled around a bit.  Its been really great fun but now its time I knuckled down and started writing some beauty guides again.

I have a few already written, its just a matter of me uploading them to the site.  I really hope you will enjoy them!

In the meantime, my pal Rachel over at Spa Beauty Schools has created an awesome (and mind blowing) graphic on the costs of cosmetic surgery!

Take a minute or two to check it out, you will be amazed!  Also, when you get the chance, go check out her site its a really good read if you are interested in all things beauty.

Until next time, I will see all of you soon!

Becca

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If you are looking for the short answer, it’s yes.

I recently learned that cosmetic companies are not straight shooters at all. I was shocked and disgusted by the lengths that these big companies will go to just to make more money. The greed astounds me. But these guys do not suffer any repercussions, not at all. But you know who will? You got it – you and I and the millions of women, men and kids who use these cosmetics.

Anyway, I’ve been doing some more digging into what the industry tells us that’s not quite kosher. I really thought I should share it with my readers to spread awareness. So here goes.

What Cosmetic Companies Lie About

First, let me just bring to your notice that it is mostly the giants of cosmetics who frequently embellish their claims. The smaller companies are usually more true to what they say their product will do, but do not take this for granted.

The main claim most cosmetic companies make is that the ingredients used in their products are not toxic and are completely harmless. They argue that even if they use an ingredient or substance that is universally defined as a poison or a toxin, the quantities are so small as to negate the ill-effects of applying said product to your skin. Now, while it may be true to some extent that the quantities are rather small, think about this – how often do you use that product with the toxic chemicals? How many times a day and for how many years?

Your skin is not just a shield. It is living tissue that is constantly absorbing everything that you put on it, whether good or bad. Years of applying toxic goo on your body means that there is a buildup somewhere in your body that will not be detected until it is too late. Even if a company says it has done tests, the tests are only for a limited time period like a few weeks or a couple of months. It is not possible to draw definite conclusions in so short a time.

The next false claim – and this one really eats my goat – is that if the label says ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ then it is so. Not!

There are no laws to regulate the use of certain terms on cosmetics products. So a product may have some natural ingredients and state that it is a natural product. And although there are certifications that a product has to acquire before it can be termed ‘organic’ there are many harmful chemicals that can still exist in the product.

I could go on for pages and pages. The point is that most claims made by the cosmetics industry are untrue. There may be a little truth to them, but it is stretched out and glorified to make you believe that they have found a miracle cure for acne or aging. Do not fall for these cheap marketing gimmicks. Research the claims made by a company before you buy any of their products.