My entry point into the true depths of a green lifestyle came through cosmetics and personal care products. Much of the information that we used in the formation of Teens Turning Green (originally Teens for Safe Cosmetics) came, and continues to come, from the national Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. And right now, I am buzzing about one of their stellar resources. Last month, the campaign released, what I consider, a landmark film by Annie Leonard about these very toxins and what the industry and government need to do to regulate and protect human and environmental health, The Story of Cosmetics: The Ugly Truth of ‘Toxins In, Toxins Out.’ Leonard’s 2007 film The Story of Stuff, an eye-opening story of where our stuff comes from and where it goes when we throw it away, blew me away; it is nothing short of brilliant. And this seven-minute short on cosmetics is equally, if not more, powerful!

Leonard narrates the animated piece, asking questions from the point of view of an everyday consumer. In reference to her personal care products, she asks questions whose answers are unknown: “How does it do that?” “What is this stuff?” Chemicals linked to cancer, neurotoxicity, birth defects, asthma, and more make up ingredient lists, even in products targeted to babies and young children still in development. Describing the bathroom as a “minefield of toxic chemicals,” Leonard sheds light on how products directly affect consumer health, as well as that of workers and communities. The average woman uses twelve products daily and the average man six, each with a dozen or more chemicals -- only 20% of which have been tested. The bottom line is that no one knows the effects of these products; there exists an enormous data gap. We are merely waiting to see the ramifications, a dangerous place to exist when babies are born pre-polluted and body toxicity levels are off the charts. I, like Annie Leonard, have been body burden tested -- and it is startling what our bodies retain, the combined effect, the accumulation of exposures in our systems.

There are endless sources of toxins in our surroundings, including the products that fill the shelves of drugstores and cosmetics departments. So what are we to do? Lessen the burden on our bodies wherever possible. Buy products that have been tested for human health and safety, for they most certainly exist! If you are searching for brands that work, check out our Teens Turning Green’s list of Greener Alternatives.

But Annie traces the supply chain a step further. “What counts is when companies and government agencies decide what should be allowed on the shelves.” Currently, there exists no regulation on labeling or packaging; herbal, natural, organic lack any legal definition. Leonard celebrates this fact sarcastically, “I get to choose between meaningless claims on a bottle!” We must demand better of the manufacturers and government indeed.

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