The Cosmetic Chemical War Needs to Stop
Lise
Over the past months, I have been updating and moving posts from my blog on Google’s Blogger platform to my main site. Reading through this oldie from TEN YEARS AGO, I was disappointed to see how relevant it still is.
Maybe it’s time we rethink how we communicate and share information, because from where I’m sitting, there’s too much mud slinging and bashing going on – from both sides of the beauty fence.
Chemical Free Cosmetics
This all starts with a rather disturbing TV ad for a 'natural' cosmetic series from 2010. The ad was simply put together: a continuous list of chemical names slowly rolled across the screen, similar to how movie credits are presented.
Each chemical had the word 'no' in front of it. As the names rolled by, a soothing female voice explained how healthy and chemical free this new, all-natural product series was, and that all of the dangerous chemicals you were seeing on the screen were nowhere to be found in this wonderful series of skincare products.
I don't remember all of the names from the ad, but did recognize quite a few of them, for example:
No Monoterpenes
No Sesquiterpines
No Phenols
No Benzyl Alcohol
No Esters
No Ketones
No Farnesol
They ALL sound dangerous, don't they?
However.
The chemicals on this list are present in essential oils and have a variety of beneficial functions: such as to help heal, calm, disinfect, deodorize, battle infection, soothe, preserve, stimulate cell regeneration, and do all kinds of other health-inducing things.
Of course, if you overdose or misuse them, they can become irritants – even toxins. But then, so can C-vitamin, green tea, and bananas. Even plain old water can be dangerous to your system if you overdo it.
Chemical Free Isn’t Possible
To this day, I don't remember the name of the advertised products because my attention was drawn to the utterly distasteful function of this ad – to sell products by fearmongering and spreading misinformation.
In retrospect, I believe ‘chemical ignorance’ was at the root of this ad and am happy it is no longer legal (in Europe) to advertise any cosmetic as ‘free from’.
Somewhere along the line during the forward march of green beauty, the word ‘chemical’ became synonymous with danger. Instead of focusing on the benefits of using natural and organic products, the major players of the green beauty movement have helped create a generation of chemophobes.
Air is a chemical. Water is a chemical, and we need both to survive.
In short, making a chemical free product is simply impossible.
If you choose to work with plant-based ingredients, that’s fine. But don’t delude yourself they are chemical free. Plants are packed with chemicals.
The Green Bashers Are Just as Bad
Equally distasteful are the 'chemically knowledgable’ folks who have an understanding of chemical substances yet find it necessary to publicly bash anything and anyone who uses the term ‘green’ or ‘clean’.
Really, folks?
Does disdainful flaunting of your knowledge by bashing those who haven’t yet learned to understand and appreciate chemicals really help anything or anyone?
Only someone who feels personally threatened acts by lashing out in such defensive manner. Why on earth do you feel threatened by people who are merely trying to find a more natural (and environmentally friendly) alternative?
If you prefer to work with (and use) petrochemicals and synthetics, that’s fine. But don’t disregard, disrespect or vilify those who choose to focus on plant-based / natural.
Just because they don’t have the same background / education / experience as you doesn’t mean you can’t learn from them.
So, Who’s Going To Take the First Step?
News Flash: We can all learn from each other if we stop bashing and start sharing knowledge with mutual respect. After 10 years of witnessing so much unproductive twaddle from both sides, I am at a loss as to why this is so monumentally difficult to understand.
Do Tell
Have you witnessed people arguing over cosmetics ingredients /chemicals like their life depended on it? What did you do?