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Overview
“Anybody can put anything in a bottle and call it natural. And they do.” – Annie Leonard, Executive Director, Greenpeace
We talk a lot about what goes in your body, but it’s equally important to talk about what goes on your body. Although not able to control everything we come in contact with, we do have control over what we use on our skin each and every day.
Ironically, many of the products marketed to keep our body “healthy” and “clean” actually do more harm than good. We all use shampoo, toothpaste, soap, deodorant and more daily, even multiple times per day, but these products are too often laden with toxic ingredients with potential, probably or known links to cancer, birth defects, reproductive harm, neurotoxicity and other negative health risks.
Think about the products in your bathroom. On most conventional brands, you’ll find a list of unpronounceable and untested synthetic ingredients. Just one chemical, “fragrance”, found in many body products, can contain hundreds of distinct chemicals that companies are not obligated to disclose to consumers as they are “proprietary”.. We expose ourselves to hundreds of individual chemical ingredients daily, many are toxic. So, with all of these products on the market, you might ask, who is at the front lines, ensuring they are actually safe for our humans?
In the United States, no governing body conducts pre-market safety testing or reviews ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products, not even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The federal law designed to ensure that personal care products are safe has remained largely unchanged since 1938. In contrast, Europe has banned nearly 1,400 harmful chemicals from cosmetic and personal care products, while the US has only banned 11.
The personal care industry also contributes directly to environmental degradation and climate change. The plastic used to produce, package, ship and store products ends up in landfills and contributes to an already enormous pollution problem. Chemicals in the products themselves make their way into waterways, further polluting natural resources, including the petroleum-based chemicals found commonly in personal care, which are harmful to people and the environment.When opting to buy safer, earth-friendly products, we still must become informed consumers. The claims on product labels don’t always match what’s inside. Without government oversight, words like natural, herbal, pure, and organic (unless it has a certified organic seal) are largely meaningless. This is called greenwashing, wherein a company markets products as natural or ethical, but ingredients and business practices tell an entirely different, conflicting, problematic story. To make sure products are truly safe, check for third party certified labels, such as the USDA Organic label, Non-GMO Verified, or the Leaping Bunny for Cruelty-Free products.
THINK
When you buy personal care products, what are you looking for? How often have you flipped the package over and read the ingredient list? Even then, do you know what anything really means? Let’s take a look.
ACTIVITY
Start with filmmaker Annie Leonard’s “Story of Cosmetics” video.
- Share two facts that you learned.
- How might you apply this information in your own life?
DELIVERABLES
Upload a PDF Document with your responses using the upload button below.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
THINK
Even if you read ingredient labels before purchasing products, you may not get the full story. A single ingredient can actually represent hundreds of different chemicals with proven health risks. In the United States, there are no laws requiring that ingredients found in “fragrance” or “parfum” be listed on packaging or anywhere else, which means a serious lack of transparency for consumers: YOU!
ACTIVITY
Download the Think Dirty App or use EWG’s Skin Deep Database or app. Pick one personal care product that you can’t live without. Scan the barcode into the Think Dirty app or search for the product on the Skin Deep database. If you can’t find that specific one, pick another or use the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics’ Red List to check ingredients from the product label.
- According to your research, what is the overall hazard rating of your product?
- How many ingredients did you find to be potentially hazardous? Share the most hazardous ingredient in your product and basis for that rating.
Do some research to find a sustainable alternative for your conventional product. Look for brands like Acure, Dr. Bronner’s, Everyone and more. You can also check out Made Safe’s Certified Products list for additional ideas.
- Share the name, brand and ingredient list from your clean option and where you found it.
- What is the cost of the conventional product vs. eco-friendly product?
- Will you make the switch? Why or why not?
Create an infographic comparing the conventional and eco-friendly product. Include at least three facts on each side.
DELIVERABLES
Upload a PDF with your infographic using the upload button.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
THINK
Now that you better understand the impact of daily choices, we invite you to make your own product! DIY bath and body products ensure total transparency, plus you will create less waste by reducing packaging and likely save money.
ACTIVITY
Look up a natural DIY recipe that you can make with ingredients that you already have at home. Think about which products you use most often that would be easy to replicate. Make a DIY product to share with your family or household. Document the process (include photos!) and include responses to the following questions:
- What recipe did you choose?
- How did you present and store your product? (did you use something you can repurpose)?
- Share your DIY product with your family or household.
- How did they like it?
- Did they seem open to switching personal care products?
- Take a photo and share it on social media with your recipe. Tag @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
DELIVERABLES
Upload a PDF with your photo, recipe and responses using the upload button.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.