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Permalink Reply by Rachael Pontillo on June 28, 2011 at 1:24pm

I have been concerned for a long time, which is why I have taken the holistic path of aesthetics. So many people are not aware of any risks, mostly because they trust their government to keep them safe. Unfortunately this hasn't happened. I support the EWG as well as the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011, as well as Sen. Lautenberg's proposed Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 because I don't believe change can happen unless there is enough education out there. 

 

I have researched and written extensively on this subject and will continue to do so. Once more companies manufacture with safer ingredients, prices will have to come down. But that won't happen and change won't happen until the demand is there. These campaigns are gaining a lot of momentum and have already been responsible for many changes (including the FDA's new sunscreen labeling regulations).

 

I know a lot of people have a hard time believing that these chemicals can cause problems after long-term use/exposure, and many don't want to change their products for a variety of reasons. Many attribute this debate to fanaticism, and a marketing ploy; claiming that companies whose products do not contain these harmful chemicals are using panic and fear to sell their products. Many magazines and newspapers won't publish articles about the risks because they don't want to anger their advertisers (Glamour magazine recently broke the ice with Melinda Wenner Moyer's article).

 

I hope these new laws pass and pass quickly, because formaldehyde is not the only concern out there, and most people can't even pronounce the ingredients on their product labels, nevermind have the ability to determine if they are safe or not. Canada and the European Union have been much more proactive and strict about regulating chemicals in products...it is time for the US to not only meet but to surpass their efforts.

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Permalink Reply by Carrie Patrick on June 28, 2011 at 1:38pm

Wow, thanks for the great reply Rachael! Are any of the things you have written on the subject available online? I'd like to check some of them out, if you have links.

I think this is a topic that it's important to keep watching -- there are a lot of things which were thought to be completely safe or even beneficial by previous generations, but later turn out to be incredibly dangerous. (One of my personal favorites is radium water, yes radioactive water, which was sold for many years as a health tonic in the days before radiation was well understood. They didn't stop selling it until people's JAWS STARTED FALLING OFF ... seriously.)

I believe regulation based on reputable current research is a good thing for both the clients and the estheticians who touch large quantities of products every day.

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Permalink Reply by Rachael Pontillo on June 28, 2011 at 2:05pm

I totally agree! And you are correct...many things that people grew up using for generations with no problem are causing serious health problems later in life. And people still say things like "I've used these products/ingredients my entire life and I'm perfectly fine." For me, it's really the same thing as people saying "well I smoked and drank when I was pregnant in the 1950s and my kids turned out fine".That was before the dangers of smoking and drinking during pregnancy were known! Things change! Debates like this really exhibit how much humans truly are creatures of habit.

 

Here is a sampling of some recent links...many of the ones from my blog were ones I wrote that were originally published on Blogcritics or Technorati...I'm putting the blog post links because they are the most easily accessible :)

http://www.holisticallyhaute.com/2011/06/are-organic-dry-cleaners-f...

http://www.holisticallyhaute.com/2011/05/preservatives-found-in-une...

http://www.holisticallyhaute.com/2011/05/toxic-chemicals-out-safer-...

http://www.holisticallyhaute.com/2011/05/why-synthetic-fragrances-s...

http://www.holisticallyhaute.com/2011/03/baby-steps-to-better-healt...

http://www.holisticallyhaute.com/2011/01/what-you-put-on-your-body-...

http://www.holisticallyhaute.com/2011/03/what-is-big-deal-about-par...

http://www.holisticallyhaute.com/2011/03/sgw-hidden-dangers-of-suns...

 

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