The Link between Makeup and Pollution
A few days ago, I was scrolling through Instagram when I came across an advertisement for “anti-pollution” makeup, a Dream Urban Cover Foundation by Maybelline that promised “essential protection against the effects of urban life” (Maybelline, n.d) by reinforcing a protective barrier against pollutants and harsh weather. A quick Google search dive revealed that this “anti-pollution” trend was not recent news but had become popular since 2019 (Figure 1), with companies offering ranges of anti-pollution skincare, makeup and facials, marketed in respect to the urban pollution we are exposed to daily. Such products aim to shield the face from pollution or either penetrate deeper layers of skin to cleanse it of nanoparticles and dirt (Niven-Phillips, 2019)
Figure 1: The Rising Trend of “Anti-Pollution” Beauty
Indeed, such a trend highlights the growing awareness surrounding the pollution that comes with our 21st century urban lifestyles. What is ironic however, is the beauty industry highlighting such pollution while their own hands are not clean themselves. The manufacture and marketing of beauty products, from skincare bottles to the composition of makeup products itself, the industry is stained with pollution at every stage.
Indeed, such a trend highlights the growing awareness surrounding the pollution that comes with our 21st century urban lifestyles. What is ironic however, is the beauty industry highlighting such pollution while their own hands are not clean themselves. The manufacture and marketing of beauty products, from skincare bottles to the composition of makeup products itself, the industry is stained with pollution at every stage.
The Manufacture
First and foremost, the underlying principles of makeup products seem to be wasteful in nature, with consumers constantly buying and throwing out their makeup in response to new makeup trends or seasonal colours. Many products are designed to be ‘one-time use only’, meaning they cannot be refilled but instead one must buy a whole new product, incurring even more waste that could be avoided. Furthermore, the very chemicals within makeup are often unsuspectingly toxic or health damaging in nature, unsurprisingly given their confusing names that one cannot out rightly identify on the ingredients list. The Environmental Working Group reports that women are exposed to 168 chemicals from an average of 12 products a day, including hormone-altering chemicals like phthalates (Lupkin, 2015). Adding to the list is lead that is found in lipstick, mercury in mascara, and talc in blush that has been linked to cancer and respiratory issues (Martinko, 2020).
Aside from consumer exposure to such chemicals, is the scary question of: What about the workers who collect these chemicals? Recently, a Refinery29 video went viral, garnering 10.1 million views on a documentary that exposed the exploitative practice of mica, a shimmery mineral that goes into almost every single makeup product.
In the mica mines, child workers are exposed to fine dust that can cause infections, disease, and permanent lung damage, on top of the risk of mine collapse. The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation in India, a country that supplies 60% of total mica production, estimates that every month 10 to 20 children die in mica mines (Lebsack, 2019). The coverup of such exploitation is extreme to the point that UK brand Lush Cosmetics was denied independent verification and tracing of their mica supply by Indian suppliers and instead recommended armed accompaniment should they wish to visit the mines (Lebsack, 2019). In response, Lush Cosmetics switched fully to utilising a substitute biodegradable shimmer pigment in place of mica, highlighting that the pollutive and exploitative effects of the mica industry actually can be avoided, yet many beauty corporations choose not to.
The Marketing
The beauty industry recently came under fire for its often over-extravagant and hence wasteful press release kits to influencers, that generate tonnes of plastic and packaging waste. Influencers worldwide, from America to Singapore began to refuse such media kits or wasteful packaging, urging the beauty industry to relook at its waste patterns.
Labelled as ‘beauty pollution’, the industry creates 120 billion units of mostly non recyclable packaging annually (Brownsell, 2018), which of course equates to pollution from their production and disposal. New consumer awareness surrounding such practices and its environmental consequences means brands are slowly losing the “social license to use plastic packaging” which is driving a new era of green goals in the beauty industry (Borunda, 2019). Brands such as L’Oreal have declared “New Plastics Economy Goals” that aim to be 100% plastic free by 2025, 50% of which will be recyclable material (Borunda, 2019). On the consumer side, there are various Environmental watchdog resources that can aid us in our pollution free journey. The Environmental Working Group for instance, has a Skin Deep Cosmetics Database that catalogs over 70, 000 beauty and personal care products into hazard ratings (low, moderate and high) based on their ingredients (Wilson, 2017). For more information, click here.
Author: Madeleine Shutler
References:
Brownsell, A. (2018, November 10). Why bold, bedazzled makeup is everywhere. Retrieved July 04, 2020, from https://i-d.vice.com/en_au/article/zmj7kj/why-bold-bedazzled-makeup-is-everywhere
Lebsack, L. (2019, May 4). The Makeup Industry’s Darkest Secret Is Hiding In Your Makeup Bag. Retrieved July 04, 2020, from https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/05/229746/mica-in-makeup-mining-child-labor-india-controversy
Lupkin, S. (2015, April 28). Women Put an Average of 168 Chemicals on Their Bodies Each Day, Consumer Group Says. Retrieved July 04, 2020, from https://abcnews.go.com/Health/women-put-average-168-chemicals-bodies-day-consumer/story?id=30615324
Martinko, K. (2020, May 12). 20 Toxic Ingredients to Avoid When Buying Body Care Products and Cosmetics. Retrieved July 04, 2020, from https://www.treehugger.com/toxic-ingredients-avoid-when-buying-body-care-products-and-cosmetics-4857867
Maybelline. (n.d.). Maybelline Dream Urban Cover SPF50 Foundation 121ml (Various Shades). Retrieved July 04, 2020, from
Niven-Phillips, L. (2019, March 24). The latest trend in skincare: Anti-pollution makeup sales soar. Retrieved July 04, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/mar/24/anti-pollution-skincare-beauty-products-sales-rise
Wilson, J. (2017, December 07). Get Some Earth Day Beauty Goodness. Retrieved July 04, 2020, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/organic-beauty-products-earth-day_n_5184712