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Wed 29 Mar, 2006 03:41 pm
Met a strange and lonely woman a few weeks ago who immediately told me that a certain mid-grade cosmetic company's stuff is full of dangerous things.
Wished I had asked her what those things are and how she knew that.
How do we find out what is in our cosmetics -- in English, not in chemical jargon? How do we learn whether those things are bad for us?
I know most nail polish -- sold without cartons and no content labeling -- contains phthalates, a plasticizing agent that is a carcinogen. I have heard the new microprocessed cosmetics may be harmful to the immune system.
What else puts women at risk? Some face creams feel very plastic.
I think a lot of info is out there on the net, and ..
have to ask why you don't want to hear chemical jargon. I am more wary of "common names" than I am for chemical jargon.
I am wary enough re what is going into comsetics, or has been going into cosmetics, but I wouldn't call actual identified compounds 'jargon'.
I think chemistry is chemistry, and can be argued from the point of view of chemistry. Calling it all jargon is ... sort of lame.
I'm not an apologist, close to the opposite, but questioning your premises. Flailing anger is near worse than silence.
I call it jargon because a lot can be hidden under the chemical name.
For example, all shampoos contain "laureths" or some variant. Laureths are coconut oil compounds.
Nail polish often has phthalates in it and phthalates are carcinogens. Since phthalate reminds me of phenolthaline and since nail polish smells it, I figured phthalates are plasticizing agents. They are.
I can figure out what are sugars, and a few other compounds, but, telling me what is in a cosmetic in chemical terms isn't necessarily telling me what is harmful.
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