Category: Producers

A Producer’s Perspective: The Gaia Hypothesis

November 7, 2020

Dear Humans, 

 

Have you ever heard of the Gaia Hypothesis? It states that all the spheres of the Earth come together to form a complex system, where it strives to find an optimal environment for contemporary life (Carpenter, 2010). With that being said, it shows that humans depend on nature as much or even more than nature depends on humans. Everything is connected. From the hydrosphere to the atmosphere and biosphere, it is all interlinked with one another. Since you humans require resources from the Earth, why are you harming it? 

 

Producers vision: The Gaia Hypothesis

In the beauty industry, the Gaia Hypothesis comes into good use by providing producers with an aim of the green products they should strive for. As stated earlier, the Gaia hypothesis posits that nature and humans are all connected, hence, protecting the environment would reap benefits for humans as well. A producer should strive for an environmentally friendly production method and ways that help the end-of-life of a product to be sustainable. In order to have a healthy functioning system on Earth, natural ingredients are needed rather than the toxic chemicals that are present in your beauty products today. 

 

Outcome: Zero Waste

If beauty companies are able to adopt the concept of the Gaia Hypothesis, Zero Waste can be achieved. During production, it is crucial that biodegradable materials are used for the packaging. After consumption, the packaging can then be easily recycled, hence allowing a zero-waste situation. This also requires the cooperation of the consumer, but this will be covered in another post. Stay tuned!

 

Successful example of The Gaia Hypothesis: Seed Phytonutrients

In terms of production, their bottles are made from paper where it is 100% from recycled materials (Young, 2019). They partner TerraCycle, where their entire bottle and pump can be recycled. As an additional incentive, they even have an heirloom herb seed hidden in their packaging for consumers. This is to encourage their consumers to support more resilient plant growth across the planet. From production, to end-of-life to giving back to nature. Isn’t it perfect?

(Source: LO’real, 2018)

Producers, I leave you with this. I hope that the Gaia Hypothesis has inspired you to lead your company differently where beauty and nature can be seen as a single entity. 

 

Hopeful vibes,

Mother Nature 

 

References: 

Carpentier, C. L. (2010). The Vanishing Face of Gaia – By James Lovelock. Natural Resources Forum, 34(4), 333-335. doi:10.1111/j.1477-8947.2010.01335.x

L’Oréal. (2018, May 03). Seed Phytonutrients: Farmer Fresh and Seed Obsessed. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.loreal.com/en/news/brands/seed-phytonutrients-farmer-fresh-and-seed-obsessed/

These Biodegradable Natural Beauty Brands Are Giving Back to the… (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://pebblemag.com/magazine/living/biodegradable-natural-beauty-brands

 

A Producer’s Perspective: Solutions (End-of-Life of a Product)

November 6, 2020

Dear Humans,

As previously mentioned, producers have been major culprits of pollution in the cosmetic industry. They have vastly exploited the palm oil industry to produce beauty products such as moisturizers and inserted numerous harmful chemicals in your fragrances. These methods of production have caused the beauty industry to contribute to air, marine and land pollution in many ways. Also, when cosmetic waste is discarded in landfills, they seep into the soil and cause other pollution hazards.The end-of-life of a beauty product continues to pollute the environment and it tracks back all the way to the producer. Hence, this post will propose two ways of attempting to solve the issue of the end-of-life pollution caused by a beauty product in the perspective of a producer.

 

 

  1. Take-Back Programmes

 

Take-Back Programmes are programmes for beauty products that allow the customer to return the packaging of a product once they have finished using it. This will give the producer a chance to recycle their product and ensure that it is not thrown away and discarded unethically. To encourage customers to take part in these programmes, companies usually have an incentive or freebies for consumers who do their part. While most companies simply offer to recycle used packaging, some companies even go a step further to send boxes to their houses to get their customers to fill up the boxes and recycle all their products. This would definitely help with the problem of soil pollution where cosmetics

 

TerraCycle 

TerraCycle is an innovative recycling company that works with companies like Kiehl’s and The Body Shop and they strongly encourage their consumers to participate in their take-back programmes. They even have the TerraCycle Zero Waste Box, where they send it to you at a small price and allow you to send back all the products that you want to recycle. From hair gel tubes to lip balm tubes to lotion dispensers, you name it! To know more about what they do, feel free to visit them here https://www.terracycle.com/en-AU/

Figure 1: The Body Shop launching their Take-Back programme (Source: Edie, 2019)

 

2.  Research & Development for Greener products 

In order to take a step forward towards greener production, beauty companies have to take the first step to invest in research and development for greener products. A notable company that has invested in research development is Shiseido from China (Lim, 2020). Shiseido believes that their mission is to create green products and that it is just the right time to start as both producers and consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious. Also, an additional benefit for companies is that many consumers associate greener products with good health which will further spur the support of consumers (Tolnay, Koris, & Magda, 2018). With this trend, iot is beneficial for companies to invest in R&D for greener products in the long-term. This will most definitely help to close the life cycle of a beauty product greener products are usually biodegradable or can be recycled. 

(Source: Shiseido, 2020)

Hence, in order for us to move towards greener products and not contributing to end-of-life waste, producers have to take the first step to initiate take-back programmes and invest in research and development for their beauty products. By stepping forward, it is indeed a good effort towards reducing the negative impact that the end-of-life of beauty products has on the environment.

Chill vibes,

Mother Nature 

 

References:

Lim, A. (2020, April 08). Eco-friendly beauty for China: Shiseido’s new R&D centre to focus on development of green products. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/Article/2020/04/08/Eco-friendly-beauty-for-China-Shiseido-s-new-R-D-centre-to-focus-on-development-of-green-products

Shiseido Co., L. (n.d.). Research Areas. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://corp.shiseido.com/en/rd/development/

The Body Shop launches in-store take-back scheme for plastic packaging. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.edie.net/news/5/The-Body-Shop-launches-in-store-take-back-scheme-for-plastic-packaging/

Tolnay, A., Koris, A., & Magda, R. (2018). Sustainable Development of Cosmetic Products in the Frame of the Laboratory Market. Visegrad Journal on Bioeconomy and Sustainable Development, 7(2), 62-66. doi:10.2478/vjbsd-2018-0012

 

Solutions – Sustainable Brands available in Singapore

October 28, 2020

Dear Humans,

I am back this week to share with you some sustainable brands in Singapore. You can make a difference by choosing the right brands to support. By supporting sustainable brands, you are also watching your carbon footprint and controlling what you emit into the very planet you live in. To inspire your next shopping spree, I will recommend some eco-friendly beauty brands. 

  • Balm Kitchen

    • Botanical-based skincare brand
    • Sustainable supply chain and ingredients
      • Utilises ingredients sourced from eco-friendly suppliers and manufacturers who participate in preservation of the environment
      • Ingredients sourced from USDA, ACO, ECOCERT and Soil Association approved farms and manufacturers  
    • Recyclable product packaging
      • glass, PET and BPA-free packaging 
      • Customers’ orders packed in reused bags
      • No external product packaging to reduce unnecessary waste
    • E-invoices for all orders to avoid printing invoices 

Source: Balm Kitchen

You can check out more about Balm Kitchen here: https://balmkitchen.com/pages/about-balm-kitchen

 

  • Liht Organics

    • High organic content
      • Formula made up of 90% organic ingredients, 100% natural content
    • High performance makeup
      • Extremely long lasting makeup and pigmented for various purposes from indoor to outdoor shoots or even daily wear
    • Shade for everyone
      • Use flower petals and mineral rocks to achieve different shades across various products

Source: Liht Organics

To learn more about them: https://www.lihtorganics.com/our-story/

 

  • Mandy T

    • Singapore’s 1st all-natural and the most-awarded eco-friendly bodycare brand
    • A range of products for your perfect spa day – bath salts, ambient aroma essentials, body scrubs etc

Source: Mandy T

More about Mandy T: https://www.mandytskincare.com/mandy-t-brand-philosophy

 

  • Nail Deck

    • Effective and chip-resistant nail lacquer that eliminated harmful toxic chemicals like Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Camphor, Formaldehyde Resin, Xylene, Ethyl Tosylamide, Phthalates and Parabens
    • Mission One Billion: Incentivises consumers to return empty bottles with $0.25 each bottled recycled
      • Accumulative point system for next purchase with them

Source: Nail Deck’s Instagram page

More about Nail Deck: https://www.naildeck.com/our-story

 

  • Solos Cosmetics

    • Affordable makeup products without palm oil and chemicals like Paraben

More on Solos Cosmetics: https://soloscosmetics.com/pages/about-us

 

  • 13rushes

    • Worked closely with manufacturing partners to minimize resource wastage during production
    • Sustainable materials such as aluminum (highly recyclable) were chosen to reduce our ecological footprints

      Source: 13rushes

More on 13rushes: https://www.13rushes.com/pages/about-us

 

By supporting these sustainable brands available in Singapore, you can effectively reduce your environmental footprint and do your part in the fight against pollution from beauty product consumption. These recommendations can also set the bar for other beauty brands out there as it has been proven that beauty and environmental protection can both be achieved at the same time. Perhaps, beauty doesn’t really need pain.

Lovely vibes,

Mother Nature

 

References:

Hong, S. (2020, September 28). Sustainability in Singapore: All-natural local beauty brands that are kind to the environment. AsiaOne. https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/sustainability-singapore-all-natural-local-beauty-brands-are-kind-environment

Solutions – Production Processes & Chemical Pollution

October 26, 2020

Dear Humans, 

Remember I mentioned how chemical pollution from fragrance products can be minimised just by tweaking certain aspects of the product? Today I would share with you what can be replaced or added to reduce chemical pollution when using the product. Fragrance products ranging from scented candles to perfumes to deodorant to air fresheners all have the ability to modify the air composition. Previously I shared about how the usage of air fresheners would increase the concentration of secondary pollutants in the air as the harmful chemicals in the product reacts with primary pollutants in the air. Some examples of secondary pollutants would include: “formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, picric acid, and methyl vinyl ketone” (Kim, Hong, Bong & Cho, 2015). Producers often add harmful chemicals into beauty products in order to create an artificial scent. Most commonly added fragrance chemicals are Acetaldehyde, Benzene and Formaldehyde which can also be found in your air fresheners. Moreover like air fresheners, your spray-on deodorants and perfumes can emit as much air pollution in the form of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as motor vehicles do (Pierre-Louis & Tabuchi, 2018). 

Source: Simone Noronha for The New York Times

Producers now play an important role in reducing emissions of chemical pollutants into the atmosphere as they can choose to exclude these harmful chemicals from their beauty products. Producers can avoid emissions of VOCs by eliminating VOC-based propellants from their fragrance products. For instance, instead of having the VOC propellants, producers can adopt alternative components to change the way it is used. Air fresheners sprays can adopt a diffuser style way of dispersing fragrance instead of using aerosol cans. Spray-on deodorants can remove it from aerosol cans to solid or powdered form. Solid deodorants from Lush Cosmetics use a base of propylene glycol derived from rapeseed oil, sodium bicarbonate derived from salt water, and sodium stearate derived from vegetable oil. This is melted down into naturally astringent herbal infusions and vinegars, and antibacterial essential oils (Letten, 2020). Scents from these deodorants are naturally derived hence chemical emission during usage is significantly reduced. Powdered deodorant from Lush Cosmetics is also contained in recycled bottles and after consumers are done with them, they can return the bottles to Lush to ensure that it is recycled (Letten, 2020). To reduce chemical pollution through release of chemicals contained in beauty products, producers can replace these synthetic scents with natural ingredients like what Lush did with their solid deodorant. Instead of using Limonene for citrusy fruity scents in perfumes or even air fresheners, producers replace it with actual citrus fruits.

40% of chemicals added to consumer products end up in the atmosphere (Pierre-Louis & Tabuchi, 2018).

Therefore, removal of chemicals in products is a significant step in mitigating fragrance-based chemical pollution. As I have discussed some ways on how producers can reduce their chemical pollution by changing components of the product as well as replacing chemicals with natural ingredients, I hope you understand how important the production process of these products have a large impact on chemical pollution control. Other than producers finding alternatives for toxic chemicals in their products, producers should observe business ethics like honesty and integrity and accurately include the ingredient list on their products. This way it allows consumers to be aware of what they are putting on their body and help them make more informed shopping decisions. Greenwashing remains an issue globally and it is crucial for brands to be responsible and hold themselves accountable in order to reduce chemical pollution from usage of beauty products. Next time I would share role models of sustainable brands available in Singapore, see you soon.

Cool vibes,

Mother Nature

 

References:

Kim, S., Hong, S. H., Bong, C. K., & Cho, M. H. (2015). Characterization of air freshener emission: the potential health effects. The Journal of toxicological sciences, 40(5), 535–550. https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.40.535

Letten, A. (2020, February 10). Aerosol last year: Why naked is the next big thing in deodorant care. Retrieved, 2020, from https://uk.lush.com/article/aerosol-last-year-why-naked-next-big-thing-deodorant-care 

Pierre-Louis, K., & Tabuchi, H. (2018, February 16). Want Cleaner Air? Try Using Less Deodorant. New York Times. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/climate/perfume-pollution-smog.html

Solutions – Greener Method of Production (2)

October 24, 2020

Dear Humans, 

Globally, the packaging industry for beauty and personal care products, which primarily reflects plastic packaging, makes up nearly $25 billion in sales (Borunda, 2019). Apart from finding alternative sources for production, producers can also modify their products’ packaging to facilitate recycling and biodegradation after consumers finished using the products. Other than L’Oreal, another green firm that I would like to highlight is Lush Cosmetics. For the longest time, Lush Cosmetics has been championing naked products. Their naked packaging aims to eliminate excess plastic use in packaging. 

Source: Lush Cosmetics

Lush Cosmetics is well known for their plastic-free bath bombs and solid soap as pictured above. Apart from removing plastic packaging for their products, Lush Cosmetics also created a recycled carrier for consumers to carry home their loots and reuse these boxes the next time they visit. 

 

The video below would introduce how Lush Cosmetics created their COLOURFORM box:  

This way of packaging products reduces excess plastic waste (such as bottle containers and plastic carriers) that could potentially be incinerated or thrown into landfills. With producers’ modification on product components such as packaging, waste management at the product’s end-of-life can greatly reduce air, water and soil pollution. Producers’ effort to minimise their products’ carbon footprint can have a trickle-down effect on the consumers. Consumers purchasing either L’Oreal or Lush Cosmetics’ products would contribute less to environmental pollution as their products are considerably greener and more sustainable. These two brands are only examples of how other personal beauty products (shampoos to toners to makeup) can implement modifications to their supply chains and product components to reduce environmental pollution. Stay tuned to learn how fragrance products can be improved to reduce emission of chemical pollutants.

 

Peaceful vibes,

Mother Nature

 

References

Borunda, A. (2019, April 18). The beauty industry generates a lot of plastic waste. Can it change? National Geographic. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/beauty-personal-care-industry-plastic/ 

Shemazing. (2017, September 6). Saving the earth, one bathbomb at a time: Lush expand naked packaging. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.shemazing.net/saving-the-earth-one-bath-bomb-at-a-time-lush-expands-naked-packaging/

Shepherd, A. (2018, May 14). The naked truth: Packaging-free cosmetics. Retrieved 2020, from https://sg.lush.com/article/naked-truth-packaging-free-cosmetics 

 

Solutions – Greener Method of Production

October 22, 2020

Dear Humans,

After delving into so many environmental pollution problems caused by consumers and producers, today I will share with you the ways how producers can minimise their environmental footprint. One big problem about production of beauty products would be the method of production itself. As I have emphasised previously, many producers of beauty products use palm oil to achieve moisturising properties. However, many firms still use unethical and unsustainable methods to get palm oil – mass deforestation. To clear these peatlands, forests are set on fire hence releasing air pollutants and hazy conditions to surrounding countries. This has led to widespread deforestation, releasing excessive amounts of CO2 into the air and worsening air pollution and inducing haze (Obidzinski, Andriani, Komarudin, & Andrianto, 2012). Apart from air pollution, effluent from leakage during palm oil extraction can also lead to soil and water pollution.

 To curb these pollution problems, producers can adopt alternative sources of production. For instance, producers can opt for deforestation-free and sustainable palm oil. A good example would be L’Oreal who has implemented sustainable ways of sourcing for raw materials such as palm oil, soya oil and wood-fiber based products (L’Oreal, n.d.).

Furthermore, 100% of the palm oil that L’Oreal uses complies with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standards since 2010 and the rigorous Segregated (SG) model (L’Oreal, n.d.).

L’Oreal aims to achieve zero-deforestation by the end of 2020 by getting its raw materials from a deforestation-free source approved by proper authorities. 

L’Oreal is a good role model in the beauty industry as it is able to create effective products while being environmentally conscious. Apart from observing a sustainable sourcing action plan, L’Oreal also has also set targets in its production and distribution facilities and also the end-of-life of the products. 

 

L’Oreal’s targets to fight climate change

L’Oreal has achieved successes in its attempts to go green. For instance, L’Oreal reduced carbon emissions from its plants and distribution centres by 78% since 2005 despite the increase in production volume (L’Oreal, n.d.). L’Oreal actively engages in innovation to improve its production methods as well as its product’s end-of-life journey. The firm serves as an inspiration for other beauty producers and together with more firms engaging in greener methods or sources for production, air, water, soil pollution from deforestation can be mitigated. Next, I would share other ways producers can modify their products to reduce pollution during their end-of-life journey. 

Hopeful vibes,

Mother Nature

 

References:

L’Oreal. (n.d.). Achieving “zero Deforestation”. https://www.loreal.com/en/articles/achieving-zero-deforestation/ 

L’Oreal. (n.d.) Fighting Climate Change. https://www.loreal.com/en/commitments-and-responsibilities/for-the-planet/fighting-climate-change/

Obidzinski, K., Andriani, R., Komarudin, H., & Andrianto, A. (2012). Environmental and Social Impacts of Oil Palm Plantations and their Implications for Biofuel Production in Indonesia. Ecology and Society, 17(1). doi:10.5751/es-04775-170125

 

The Horrors of Fragrance within the Production of Beauty Products (II)

September 6, 2020

Dear Humans,

 

I am back to further elucidate the issues chemicals in your beauty products have on the environment. Apart from creating your products’ synthetic musks, chemicals can also be found in other aspects. Chemicals can often be found in your products to achieve the ‘magical’ longlasting, smudge-proof, fast-results effects your beauty products claim to offer. Chemicals very often are utilised to enhance the effects of the products. For instance, coal tar dyes, Triclosan, petroleum-based PEG (polyethylene glycol) are added to allow for long-lasting tinting, prevent bacterial growth and greater product absorption respectively (Brueck, 2019). A plethora of toxic chemicals can be found prevalent in multiple beauty products. 

More than 200 possible endocrine-disrupting chemicals currently in use in cosmetics and personal care products have been identified by The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX)

You promote your products as “nourishing”, “organic” or even “30-day Super Magical Hair Loss Treatment”. But, how true are they? All these chemical terms and ideas might be a little difficult for you to break down and digest. So here is a video to help you better understand the toxic chemicals that can be found in your products:

The video mentions that those of you who produce these products have the final say on what gets put on the shelves. As mentioned previously, studies have shown that many of these producers do not fully disclose the types and amount of toxic chemicals they injected into their products (BCPP, 2018). Without proper disclosure about toxic ingredients in a product, such cases of asymmetric information impedes consumers’ ability to make wise and conscious decisions. To further minimise the release of harmful chemicals, producers have to first, practice higher transparency and second, avoid carcinogenic and potentially neurotoxic ingredients in their production of vanity goods. However, producers are not the only one who should be responsible for the destruction of my land, I shall illustrate the damage consumers have caused subsequently.

Wary vibes,

Mother Nature

References:

Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP). (2018, September). Right to Know: Exposing toxic fragrance chemicals in beauty, Chemicals Linked to Breast Cancer in Skin Care (Rep.). Retrieved September 2, 2020, from Breast Cancer Prevention Partner website: https://d124kohvtzl951.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/26092837/BCPP_Right-To-Know-Report_Secret-Toxic-Fragrance-Ingredients_9_26_2018.pdf 

Nudelman, J. (2019, December 05). It’s a Fragrance Ingredient Transparency Race to the Top. Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP). Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://www.bcpp.org/its-a-fragrance-ingredient-transparency-race-to-the-top/ 

Zanolli, L. (2019, May 23). Pretty hurts: Are chemicals in beauty products making us ill? The Guardian. Retrieved September 1, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/23/are-chemicals-in-beauty-products-making-us-ill 

Brueck, H. (2019, June 21). Cancer-causing toxins were just found in foundation and sparkly makeup – here are 11 chemicals that could lurk in your lipstick, lotion, and eye powder. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/dangerous-chemicals-in-beauty-products-makeup-list-2019-6 

 

The Horrors of Fragrance within the Production of Beauty Products

September 4, 2020

Dear Humans, 

 

Various brands of deodorant

Various brands of perfumes

How many of you recognise these products? Yes, these are your commonly used fragrance products. Today, I’ll illuminate and explain how your fragrance products poisoned the air you so very much rely on.

In 2016, beauty products including personal fragrances made up 75% of fragrance sector sales (BCPP, 2018). Producers also support the usage of up to 3999 fragrance chemicals (Simonsen, Deleuran, Johansen & Sommerlund, 2011). This means that fragrance components hold a significant role in your everyday beauty products. Furthermore, studies have shown that many of these producers do not fully disclose the types and number chemicals they utilised to create their synthetic scents (BCPP, 2018).

“1 in 4 of the fragrance ingredients we detected were linked to adverse, chronic health effects.” – BCPP, 2018

Hence, it is important to address how the chemical components within these products contribute to chemical pollution. Chemical pollution can be defined as the rise in chemical pollutants in the environment that are “not naturally present” or have been found in “higher than natural values” (Environmental Pollution Centre, n.d.). 

Some common fragrance ingredients and chemical pollutants would include:

  • Acetaldehyde: found in production of perfumes – a potential carcinogen
  • Benzene: starting ingredient for most perfumes – a carcinogen and a developmental and reproductive toxin
  • d-Limonene: found in cleansing products, eyeshadows, mascaras and more – can cause respiratory diseases and damage to multiple organs
  • Formaldehyde: a carcinogen
  • Paraben: found in shampoos, facial cleansers, lotions and more – can lead to breast cancer and issues with reproduction/development

This is just the tip of the chemical iceberg that constitutes your beauty products. The frightening fact is that such a myriad of harmful chemicals can be found in your seemingly ordinary and common everyday beauty products. Follow me as I will continue to unmask the underlying damage your chemicals have on the environment.

 

Cautious vibes,

Mother Nature

 

References:

Acetaldehyde: Hazard Summary (Rep.). (n.d.). Retrieved https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/acetaldehyde.pdf

Benzene. (n.d.). Retrieved September 02, 2020, from https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/chemicals/benzene 

Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP). (2018, September). Right to Know: Exposing toxic fragrance chemicals in beauty, Chemicals Linked to Breast Cancer in Skin Care (Rep.). Retrieved September 2, 2020, from Breast Cancer Prevention Partner website: https://d124kohvtzl951.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/26092837/BCPP_Right-To-Know-Report_Secret-Toxic-Fragrance-Ingredients_9_26_2018.pdf 

Darbre PD., et al. (2008). Paraben esters: review of recent studies of endocrine toxicity, absorption, esterase and human exposure, and discussion of potential human health risks. Journal of Applied Toxicology.

Environmental Pollution Centres. (n.d.). What Is Chemical Pollution: Environmental Pollution Centers. Retrieved September 02, 2020, from https://www.environmentalpollutioncenters.org/chemical/ 

Formaldehyde. (n.d.). Retrieved September 02, 2020, from https://oehha.ca.gov/chemicals/formaldehyde 

Limonene. (n.d.). Retrieved September 02, 2020, from https://cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient/limonene-0

Safe Cosmestics Australia. (2018, February). Benzene In Fragrances. Retrieved September 02, 2020, from https://www.organicbeautyaward.com/articles/how-to-avoid-benzene-in-cosmetics-and-what-the-experts-say-about-this-chemical-273 

Simonsen, A. B., Deleuran, M., Johansen, J. D., & Sommerlund, M. (2011). Contact allergy and allergic contact dermatitis in children – a review of current data. Contact Dermatitis, 65(5), 254-265. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0536.2011.01963.x

 

Pollution by Production of Beauty Products — Palm oil (II)

September 2, 2020

Dear Humans,

I’m back! Remember how i told you I’ll enlighten you more about pollution caused by palm oil? Here’s the bad news…….

Air pollution

Have you ever seen smoke wafting from the tropical fires in Indonesia? 80% of the fires in Indonesia are being set to clear land for palm oil plantations. To ensure that they are able to handle the demand of production, forests filled with rich biodiversity are cleared at an alarming rate (Pramudya, Hospes, & Termeer, 2017). When such a humongous plot of land is burned, it releases excessive and dangerous amounts of carbon dioxide and smoke into the air. This is especially damaging as these ‘carbon sinks’ store more carbon per unit area than any other ecosystem (Besar et al., 2020). 

Apart from Indonesia, neighbouring countries suffer as well. The haze from the fire travels to countries like Malaysia and Singapore and the plumes are large enough to blot out the skies there (Forsyth, 2014). 

Source: Lim, 2019

Soil and Water Pollution

To make matters worse, the production of palm oil causes soil and water pollution as well. Whenever palm oil is extracted, effluent is generated. This leakage would then pollute freshwater downstream and in turn affect surrounding biodiversity (Hosseini & Wahid, 2013). Furthermore, albeit only small amounts of pesticides are used in plantations, soil quality will still be influenced upon its application (Obidzinski, Andriani, Komarudin, & Andrianto, 2012). 

Source: Marusiak, 2012

For you to easily visualize the damages caused by palm oil extraction, I’ll leave you with a video. Now, whenever you use your shampoo in the shower, do think about the plumes released into the air and biodiversity losing their homes.

The problem with palm oil: 

 

Worried but hopeful vibes,

Mother Nature 

References: 

Besar, N. A., Suardi, H., Phua, M., James, D., Mokhtar, M. B., & Ahmed, M. F. (2020). Carbon Stock and Sequestration Potential of an Agroforestry System in Sabah, Malaysia. Forests, 11(2), 210. doi:10.3390/f11020210

Forsyth, T. (2014). Public concerns about transboundary haze: A comparison of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Global Environmental Change, 25, 76-86. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.01.013

Hermesauto. (2019, September 09). Haze threat looms over Singapore as Indonesia forest fires rage. Retrieved September 02, 2020, from https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/haze-threat-looms-over-singapore-as-indonesia-forest-fires-rage

Hosseini, S. E., & Wahid, M. A. (2013). Pollutant in palm oil production process. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 65(7), 773-781. doi:10.1080/10962247.2013.873092

Marusiak, J. (2013, June 12). New venture seeks to eliminate palm oil waste. Retrieved September 02, 2020, from https://www.eco-business.com/news/new-venture-seeks-to-eliminate-palm-oil-waste/

Obidzinski, K., Andriani, R., Komarudin, H., & Andrianto, A. (2012). Environmental and Social Impacts of Oil Palm Plantations and their Implications for Biofuel Production in Indonesia. Ecology and Society, 17(1). doi:10.5751/es-04775-170125

Pramudya, E. P., Hospes, O., & Termeer, C. J. (2017). The disciplining of illegal palm oil plantations in Sumatra. Third World Quarterly, 39(5), 920-940. doi:10.1080/01436597.2017.1401462

Pollution by Production of Beauty Products — Palm oil

September 2, 2020

 

Dear Humans, 

Before we start, let’s take a look at this picture. Trees charred and burnt to the ground, not a single animal in sight. Yes, it is the infamous activity humans engage in, deforestation. Although this may seem familiar to you, what you may not realise is that this is what happens everyday in order for you to enjoy your beauty products at home. This my friend, is my biggest enemy, the extraction of palm oil. 

Source: Prasad, 2019

With it’s low cost and high productivity, palm oil is highly sought for in the beauty industry. Palm oil and it’s derivatives such as glycerol and fatty acids are ingredients used in beauty products for it’s emollient and foaming properties (Bom, Jorge, Ribeiro, & Marto, 2019)

Source: Miller, 2019

Basically, there are 3 main products from the oil palm tree. Firstly, crude palm oil, which is extracted from the flesh of the fruit. Next, palm kernel oil is squeezed out from the seed of the fruit. Lastly, palm oil expeller which is leaked out during the process of extraction. These 3 types of products from palm oil are refined and then processed in order to produce numerous types of beauty products (Maluin, Hussein, & Idris, 2020) . 

In order to produce quantities to meet its demand, forests with rich biodiversity have been cleared over substantial areas. To clear these peatlands, forests are set on fire, releasing air pollutants and hazy conditions to neighbouring countries. This has led to widespread deforestation, releasing excessive amounts of CO2 into the air and worsening air pollution and inducing haze (Obidzinski, Andriani, Komarudin, & Andrianto, 2012). 

I have to go, but I will return shortly in my next post to enlighten you further about the devastating consequences that the extraction of palm oil for your beauty products has caused to our beautiful planet. 

Tense and worried vibes,

Mother Nature 

 

References: 

Bom, S., Jorge, J., Ribeiro, H., & Marto, J. (2019). A step forward on sustainability in the cosmetics industry: A review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 225, 270-290. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.255

Maluin, F. N., Hussein, M. Z., & Idris, A. S. (2020). An Overview of the Oil Palm Industry: Challenges and Some Emerging Opportunities for Nanotechnology Development. Agronomy, 10(3), 356. doi:10.3390/agronomy10030356

Miller, S. (2020, July 21). Why Palm Oil In Your Cosmetics Is Controversial. Retrieved September 01, 2020, from https://thenakedchemist.com/why-palm-oil-is-controversial/

Obidzinski, K., Andriani, R., Komarudin, H., & Andrianto, A. (2012). Environmental and Social Impacts of Oil Palm Plantations and their Implications for Biofuel Production in Indonesia. Ecology and Society, 17(1). doi:10.5751/es-04775-170125

The Swaddle. (2019, December 12). Report: Major Global Brands Continue to Drive Indonesia’s Deforestation by Buying Illegal Palm Oil. Retrieved September 01, 2020, from https://theswaddle.com/brands-drive-palm-palm-oil-deforestation-indonesia/