Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Painted Faces (part 1)




I think I have mentioned this before... if not, let me say this again. We are slaves to the Cosmetic industry from before most of us can remember.

Barbie taught little girls that to be beautiful, your hair needed to be straight; you needed to wear make up and be really really skinny with big pointy boobs and long legs. Preteen and Teenage girl magazines showed us pictures of models who were in their 20's dressing their age (or little girls imitating them, with WAY too much makeup on).

For centuries, women (and... um... men) have relied on makeup to keep them looking like they have beautiful skin... sexy lush lips... drop dead gorgeous eyes... and a desirable body.

But didn't you ever wonder...

What the hell am I putting on my body?

Well let me tell you...



"WARNING! If you would like to choose to NOT know what is in your daily hygenie products... please ignore the following reports, below this warning. This list may cause readers to be grossed out and/or offended at the Cosmetic Industry. It is also possible that you may not want to wear your favorite makeup, face care products, etc, ever again..."



This part of the article has been developed from a series of different references...



1. This has been quoted from "Beauty. The New Basics" By Rona Berg

  • Human Placenta: The protein-rich lining of the womb, expelled after birth, was first used in cosmetics in the 1940s. Because of its hormone content, manufacturers claimed that placental material would stimulate tissue growth and eradicate wrinkles. When the FDA challenged these claims, manufacturers changed their pitch, but still claimed that placenta was an aid to aging skin.
  • Animal Amniotic Liquid: The fluid that surrounds and protects the cow or ox fetus, touted as a valuable source of protein and vitamins, is used in moisturizers and shampoos (some of those big scientific name no one can pronounce)
  • Fish Scale: Used in some glittery eye shadow
  • 'Live' sheep cells: used in anti aging skin treatments
  • Beetle Carapace: the shell of a beetle is the source of 'carmine', a common ingredient in red lipstick
  • Cattle, Ox, or swine brain cells: Used in moisturizers"


***

2. The following, more surprising items, have been quoted from a CNN article by Adrienne Crezo, called:


  • Sodium chloride (table salt) ~ used in many 'foamy' products
  • Oleoresin Capsicum (pepper spray) ~ in lipstick
  • Diatomaceous Earth (a component in dynamite) ~ found in natural toothpastes, deodorant, absorbent powders, cuticle cream, and in mild-exfoliation products due to its gentle abrasiveness
  • Simethicone (gas relief drops) ~ used in cosmetics during the manufacturing process to reduce the surface tension of air or gas bubbles, causing them to collect and rise upward
  • Urea (formerly extracted from urine) ~ widely used in all manner of cosmetics as a skin-softener and humectant





[end of part 1]

GASP... don't forget to breathe

4 comments:

adrienne said...

Hi! I'm glad to see that you used my article as a resource. That's very humbling and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. This is a great blog!

I would like to note that there is a slight misunderstanding with my information about Capsicum Oleoresin's use in cosmetics. The lipstick mention was a joke, which you can see if you look at the article again. Capsicum's primary use is for muscle-pain relief creams and for lip plumping products (the "bee-sting look"), not for ordinary lipstick. I just don't want readers to be alarmed by the misunderstanding.

adrienne said...

Hi! I'm glad to see that you used my article as a resource. That's very humbling and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. This is a great blog!

I would like to note that there is a slight misunderstanding with my information about Capsicum Oleoresin's use in cosmetics. The lipstick mention was a joke, which you can see if you look at the article again. Capsicum's primary use is for muscle-pain relief creams and for lip plumping products (the "bee-sting look"), not for ordinary lipstick. I just don't want readers to be alarmed by the misunderstanding.

adrienne said...

Hi! I'm glad to see that you used my article as a resource. That's very humbling and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. This is a great blog!

I would like to note that there is a slight misunderstanding with my information about Capsicum Oleoresin's use in cosmetics. The lipstick mention was a joke, which you can see if you look at the article again. Capsicum's primary use is for muscle-pain relief creams and for lip plumping products (the "bee-sting look"), not for ordinary lipstick. I just don't want readers to be alarmed by the misunderstanding.

adrienne said...

Hi! I'm glad to see that you used my article as a resource. That's very humbling and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. This is a great blog!

I would like to note that there is a slight misunderstanding with my information about Capsicum Oleoresin's use in cosmetics. The lipstick mention was a joke, which you can see if you look at the article again. Capsicum's primary use is for muscle-pain relief creams and for lip plumping products (the "bee-sting look"), not for ordinary lipstick. I just don't want readers to be alarmed by the misunderstanding.