Little Magazine 14
GET. WOKE.
Let’s start eliminating the BS, shall we?
Green.
Organic.Clean.
These words evoke a sense of pureness and farm-fresh foods. “Organic Skincare” sounds so wholesome, doesn’t it? It’s like rubbing your face in fresh fruits, mother nature 🌱and goodness, except—that’s literally the worst thing you can do. 😳 (Stop putting lemon on your face, y’all! The pH just ain’t right!) So let’s get down to the nitty gritty and do some sleuthing. You’ll emanate some ooh’s 😯and ahhh’s😵 in this article series for sure. Note: This article was informed by my homie and skincare Guru (who humbly requested to remain anonymous) (MBA, JD, LLM), 2nd generation of the family-owned business Dermaesthetics, Beverly Hills. You have most likely used DBH products on your face without realizing it. “Guru” is an educator, entrepreneur, and advocate for truth.
Psst… this article is a little read-heavy and photo-light, guys. If you wanna save this for later, scroll to the end for a cute animal video. 😉 I gotchoo.
What does “clean” mean?
We don’t really stop to think about that, do we? We’re used to everyone telling us what’s what. Wellllll let’s knock that off, bc that’s just silliness. Let’s get woke. 🤗 Here’s a SUUUUPER condensed explanation, aka little mag style Cliff’s Notes version, of “Clean:”
-The terms “Clean,” “Green,” and “Natural” are not regulated terms. There are no rules.😱 Awesome. Comforting, right? That should be a slap of a wake up call for ya right off the bat. A gross simplification across the board is “eliminating what’s considered harmful”… but according to who? Drinking too much water can make you sick! And getting chemo can make you well. You get my drift.
-Essentially, the big dogs: Sephora, Harpers Bazaar, Allure, Beauty Giants, Large companies (Goop) and influencers as well as ads, inform what we’re supposed to believe is “clean, green, natural and organic” bc they put the ad dollars💰in (aka brainwash us).
-Just like hot gossip, PR pros take one article or incident and it takes off until it’s crystallized in our heads—the general public—so that we believe it to be true. (Wait for it.)👀
-These articles are usually grotesquely misinformed (even with “scientific data” backing it up), and information is manipulated to the point where it’s just hearsay! But it’s pushed in marketing and subsequently down our throats nonetheless til it’s seemingly irrefutable. It’s preposterous to erroneous, at best, much less fact. It’s all for the Benjamins 💵, in the end, as they say. Are we surprised? No. Should u stop 🖐🏼 being a sucka? YES!
Let’s sip the tea, y’all. 🍵
Para-bens.
You know you don’t like ‘em. 🙅🏻♀️ You don’t even know what they are, but you just know they’re bad. That’s what you’ve been told to think, at least. Let’s break it down. Netflix reference: If you like Unsolved Mysteries, Fear City and Jeffrey Epstein, you’ll like this. Grab your popcorn.🍿
Definition: Parabens- any of various “esters” used to preserve ingredients in products so that they don’t oxidize. It encapsulates materials so that they don’t expire. It’s a heavier oil that protects and preserves the product.
Bad rap: They are easily absorbed into the body and thought to mimic estrogen in the body, leading to reproductive organ harm, thyroid disruption, and hormone-related cancers.
Case Study: (You waited 👀for it… here it is!) Harpers Bazaar wrote this article on Parabens earlier this year making claim after claim about Parabens, citing study after study. Here’s one of them. They used this article to claim that they “found a link between paraben exposure and gestational diabetes mellitus.” That’s literally the title. 🤦🏼♀️ They must have not read the article. C’mon, guys. 😒 Here are some FACTS:
-This study was done in Wuhan, China (super localized test group for a demo, don’t you think?).
-Study consisted of 1,087 women. Again, that’s kinda small, dude. Seriously. My high school graduating class almost had that many people. Just saying.
-ONLY 👉🏼METHYL & PROPYL 👈🏼 Parabens are currently used in cosmetics in the U.S. This study highlights 3 other Parabens in a collective. That automatically should negate this article as pertinent.
-Study’s Conclusion: “To the best of our knowledge… our findings suggest that exposure to EtP may increase the risk of GDM.” Now, I’m no lawyer… or scientist, for that matter, but I can read 📚and I have a brain. I think something comparable to this might be: “To the best of my knowledge, eating Mc Donald’s may make you obese.”
-Soooooo…to quote Bazaar: “The European Commission banned several types of parabens for use in personal care products: isopropyl-, isobutyl-, phenyl-, benzyl-, and pentylparabens. All five are still approved for use in the United States. FDA scientists have reopened investigations into parabens and cosmetics several times and continue to monitor new data, but their conclusion remains, “At this time,we do not have information showing that parabens as they are used in cosmetics have an effect on human health.” YEAH, bc you’re MISUSING information and none of this makes sense! 💥Translation: In the context of a nail polish conversation— “Marsha and Karen said that paint is banned in their neighborhood, but in our neighborhood it’s still USED (on houses)!!! Our town mayor is looking into it but says that nobody has died from (nail) polish yet!”
-I’m not necessarily pushing for Parabens and am not a Paraben advocate. I just don’t think ignorance is a particularly wonderful way to live, and I don’t appreciate it when people use manipulation to push their agendas (and distribute false information)— and instill fear and cause confusion, especially when they’re in a position of authority to inform people in the right way. ✊🏼😤
There's definitely more where that came from, but the bottom line is: you can't believe everything you read, even when you think it comes from a "trust-worthy" source. We live in a time of information-saturation (as y'all know) and manipulation. Just because it says "green" doesn't make it good and just because it's on the hyped industry "bad" list doesn't mean it's bad. Putting lab-generated Lactic acid on your face, for example, is far better for your skin than straight lemon juice. Let's defer to the experts, but also do our homework and try to strike a fine balance.🤗
If that was a little intense, here's a cute video of animals!!!😁💗🐶 I just care about your beautiful faces, y'all. Stay woke. And happy. And kind.
See you next Tuesday, ya skincare smarties! -Renee :)