:: Running from the Thought Police ::

:: Thursday, November 11, 2004 ::

Makeup Is Bad For You

And you don't even know it - yet.

Students use cosmetics every day, but sophomore in ACES Joanna Rinaldi is trying to get students to understand how those products are really affecting their bodies.

Rinaldi is beginning an educational awareness campaign on campus about makeup products and the dangers that exist for those who use them.

"I just want people to become more aware and to think before they consume," Rinaldi said. "We have a tendency to assume that the government is going to protect us and it's not."

Rinaldi started investigating makeup products as an honors project for her Community in Environmental Social Movements (ENVS) 430 class. She said the topic caught her eye because of the lack of regulation in the United States. Rinaldi said the Food and Drug Administration strictly bans only nine chemical ingredients from products while European regulations ban more than 40 ingredients.

Statistics show that 89 percent of the ingredients in cosmetics have not been evaluated for safety, according to Environmental Working Group, an organization that conducts environmental investigations. Rinaldi said that although some of the ingredients used in cosmetic products can accumulate in the body and cause birth defects for women, she's noticed that most products do not even list their ingredients.

:: The Squire 7:39 PM :: email this post :: ::
...