We recently ran across an article from USA Today that examined some of the claims clean beauty companies are making to justify their stance on products they deem unsafe. We’ve already spoken a little bit about concerns of ingredients and the difference between cosmetics and drugs, but we wanted to revisit this topic to address some other concerns these companies raise that could be concerning to the consumer.
First, let’s talk about what kind of ingredients companies that produce skin care products, like Central Solutions, Inc, can and can’t use.
The FDA bans the use of ingredients if they have been linked to dangerous side effects. It is not uncommon, however, for some entities to fight to eliminate ingredients they believe to be harmful, even though in most cases the ingredients are only shown to be harmful in large quantities.
Rather than use scare tactics to manipulate people, we prefer to rely on good science to inform customers. For example, when used in small quantities, well-vetted preservatives help create a stable, usable product free of microbial growth often occurring in products using a “soft” (or even no) preservatives. While the lure of marketing words such as “natural” can be strong, the exclusion of certain ingredients will unquestionably create public health concerns far exceeding any risks associated with additives often detailed in fear-based marketing approaches.
And speaking of ingredients, these companies also have a bad habit of using scare tactics to dissuade you from using ingredients that are already present in your body. The example USA Today offers is propylene glycol (a primary ingredient in antifreeze) which is also present in most people’s bodies in small quantities and isn’t considered harmful in these quantities. In fact, propylene glycol is included on FDA’s ‘generally recognized as safe’ list. We also examine formaldehyde in our original blog post.
While it isn’t always explicitly stated, there is also an implication that the FDA does nothing to regulate cosmetics. While it’s true that the FDA doesn’t exercise the same kind of oversight regarding cosmetics as it does for drugs, there are still checks and balances in place to make sure companies don’t take advantage of consumers. This includes regulations around the kinds of ingredients that are used and labeling. It also includes taking legal action against companies who do not follow these guidelines.
Ironically, something the FDA doesn’t control is the use of the words organic, hypoallergenic, or natural. Any company can claim that their product is organic, hypoallergenic, and all natural without having to offer any kind of basis for this verification. So be careful when you are paying top-dollar for a cosmetic product without understanding what is in it, especially if they don’t use any kind of preservative. This means their product may go bad faster, need to be replaced more often.
For more information regarding the FDA’s Law and Regulations please visit their website at www.fda.gov.
If you have questions about our ingredients please e-mail us at sales@centralsolutions.com
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