Why I Demand The Full Monty

Cosmetic Counter

 

“Oh, you mean you want to see all the chemicals?” 

Full disclosure.

Is that too much to ask from the cosmetic industry? We, as consumers, need to see the full Monty, the full ingredient list; it is our right. And I notice, that we are often not aware of when it’s missing.

A twitter friend and I are having a conversation about safe, eco-friendly ingredients in cosmetics. She is processing the idea of switching over to healthier cosmetics, and she asked me about a particular well known brand of makeup which she has been using for years, as it works really well for her. “What do you think Lisa, not so good on the ingredients eh?”

I suspected that they were not. 

But, in keeping an open mind, I did a bit of research.

I began by poking around on the their website, looking for the ingredient listing of each product. Of any product, and sheesh, I really had to work for it.

Which is not all that uncommon.   

Another online cosmetic site brags about their ‘green’ this and their ‘green’ that. I was impressed. At first. Then I went looking for the full Monty. Ah. There was an ingredient tab. Good sign. But…the list was only a partial one, listing only the ‘key’ ingredients. Again. Not the full list.

I say, “Where’s the beef?”

Back to our original company…When I finally did find ingredients (by typing the word ‘ingredients’ into the search bar) all that was listed was a few ingredients for each product. These ingredients were more like a selling point, well known ingredients such as avocado oil & jojoba oil. “Key’ ingredients again.

I knew this was not the complete list. 

But not everyone would. I found it downright deceiving. A true red flag.

But, I wasn’t done yet. So, since I had to go to the mall for my daughter’s birthday gift (What can I say, I have a soon to be 11 year old daughter who just loves Justice) I stopped off at Nordstrom first to look at the line more closely in person.

By the way, I have to tell you that I have respect for this brand of makeup and the artist herself. Her products do work, very well. I have her books and she is an inspiration in the beauty world. It was sure great fun to look at all her products at the store; such eye candy!

But I digress. I asked the woman behind the counter if I could see the ingredients on the newest foundation. She was with another client, so she showed me the sales sheet designed to help the salespeople with new products. It listed, again, only the key ingredients that would promote the product. The very same that were on the website.

I then told her it did not list all the ingredients, and could I please see the actual box.

And she said,

“Oh, you mean you want to see all the chemicals? It will be hard to read, you would have to be a chemist”. 

She actually said that. 

And indeed, after looking at several product boxes, it was like reading from a chemistry text book. Now, I don’t buy into the ‘if you can’t pronounce it, don’t use it theory, because sometimes very innocent ingredients have long, technical names. For example, sodium cocoamphoacetate is a biodegradable mild surfactant made from the fatty acids of coconut oil and the Latin name for oregano is origanum vulgare. You would never know that it was an eco friendly ingredient if you were afraid of names you didn’t know.

However, this cosmetic line contains many of the toxic ingredients I would stay away from, for both my personal health and that of the earth.

So pay attention to ingredients. When you are shopping, whether it be on-line or in person, look for & ask for the ingredients. The full Monty. Trust me, if they have nothing to hide, the full Monty will be up front and center, showing off.

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Lisa

Written by Lisa DL

Lisa D Liguori is the founder and beauty expert behind Simple Beauty Minerals, a green healthy-beauty marketplace, featuring handcrafted mineral makeup, botanically based organic skincare and pure essential oils - with a seriously skilled personal touch.

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