Where there is money, there is corruption. I am not being cynical. This is a statement of fact. If a little lie or a bribe here and there can get a favor done or make someone a lot of money, it is thought to be ‘just business’ if you turn a blind eye to the obvious immorality of the deed. Why am I being all preachy today? Well, I was reading up about cosmetic companies as part of my research, and I discovered a lot of things that I wish I didn’t know, but I’m kind of glad I do.
Honestly, it’s disquieting to know that there are so many facts that the cosmetic industry lies to us about either by omission or by shamelessly covering them up. I thought I’d share it in a post with you so that at least you can make an educated decision the next time you pick up a jar or bottle of goo mass-marketed by these soulless business people.
What Cosmetic Companies Will Not Tell You
The word ‘certified’ on any cosmetic product is a blatant lie 99.99% of the time. You want to know why? Because there is no – not even one! – body that regulates the industry. I’ll spell out what this means even though it’s apparent – cosmetic companies can say anything they wants to, market anything they want as anything they want and no one will say a word to them. They will not be checked at any point.
So you can take it for granted that the claims made by these companies are all lies.
Next – and this is what shocked me the most – companies generally ‘greenwash’ their ingredients. Yes, I know. I hadn’t heard of this term before either. In layman’s terms, the company ‘brainwashes’ you into thinking that their product is ‘green’. They accomplish this by listing the source of a chemical in the ingredient list instead of the actual chemical. So even if you are savvy enough to do some research into product ingredients, you will still be misled because they are not being truthful about what they are putting in there, and what will eventually end up on your skin and in your body.
This is ILLEGAL. But who’s watching them? I’ll tell you who. Absolutely nobody. Refer to point one – these companies can do anything they want to without repercussions.
In addition to printing inaccurate ingredient names, they shuffle the list of ingredients too. This is a common enough marketing ploy and I’m surprised that I did not realize it before and it had to be pointed out to me. They put all the natural and pure ingredients at the top of the list on the bottle. So what you first see are all these lovely names that you recognize and you go, ‘Ah, this is perfect’. Very few people, if any, actually read all the way to the end of the list; that’s where all the harmful ingredients are listed, all the carcinogens that will affect your body without you knowing it.
In effect, the cosmetic industry is making us sick. And we are paying them billions of dollars every year to do it! Would you believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg?
This is interesting and important information. It’s abominable no regulation exists on the cosmetic industry in the United States. Since you write this is the tip of the iceberg (and I certainly believe it), would you please share with us additional information of what you have found? Do you recommend any particular articles or sources? Thank you.
Hi Moi
You know, I agree!
I think I will do a little series of articles at a later date that will delve a little deeper into the subject of cosmetic companies and regulations.
I will keep you posted!
Becca