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Have you ever read a book that has completely changed your life? I recently started reading No More Dirty Looks by Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt. Essentially this book is about the use of chemicals in the beauty industry and the issues that may arise. Cancer and birth defects are no joke.
I picked this up from my local library a few weeks back. Although this may sound dramatic, I knew as soon as I started reading it that my mind would be blown. The books focuses on the way regulation of chemicals works in the beauty industry (in the past and at present). They delve into what different chemicals are and why they are harmful to our health. Unfortunately there are such minimal regulations for cosmetic companies and they get away with ingredients with potentially harmful long term effects. It seems that the United States and Canada have the most lax rules and have only banned seven chemicals. There are few restrictions on cosmetic companies and product recalls are rarely done. This is because the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) cosmetics office has a budget that is less than 0.2 percent of the FDA’s total annual budget and this office only has a staff of thirty. Therefore they have little resources to ensure the safety of cosmetics.
I was amazed to learn that laws are stricter in the European Union and they have banned 1000+ chemicals; in fact, the United States reformulates products they send to the E.U. (although they do find loopholes). Not only are these harmful chemicals being used but they also are not always listed on the products themselves. Scary right? The authors mentioned that through their research they learned that the dosage is a huge factor in determining safety. We may not be impacted by a product immediately but we could be using the same moisturizer for years and it may lead to serious health consequences down the road. Scary right?
The book goes on to discuss different categories of products, from makeup to skincare to perfume and even nail polish. They listed dangerous chemicals in products, alternative options and some do-it-yourself ideas.
Through reading this book, my perspective on beauty has entirely changed. I have picked up this book from Amazon to reread and have as a reference. I am still terrified by my exposure to these products but I intend to thoroughly go through my makeup and skincare products.
Would you be interested in a more in depth review of this book on my YouTube channel?
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