“Spread Love, Not Germs” But What About Pesticides?
There has been a non-stop push in the beauty industry to go “green”, and there’s a good reason!
According to The Story Of Stuff Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, “The average woman in the U.S. uses about 12 personal care products daily. The average man, about 6.” And these products contain dozens of toxins. People think that small doses in their shampoo or face cream doesn’t effect them but the small amounts used in our daily personal care routines add up!
All the while, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has no legal right to recall an item due to injury unless reported to the agency by manufacturers themselves. In other words we’re trusting companies to report themselves for faulty or dangerous products. Does that sound right? I don’t think so.
The Story of Stuff Campaign for Safe Cosmetics was founded in 2004 but despite their efforts, in 2011 big companies are still getting caught using dangerous chemicals or even worse, lying about being “green” on their labels.
The current issue? Bath & Body Works “Summertime” scented soaps. They contain Triclosan which is considered to be a pesticide. That’s right, we’re “cleaning” our hands with a toxic chemical linked to hormone disruption (thyroid and estrogen effects), cancer, and is poisionous to aquatic life. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t have anything good to say either! Both the agency and administration agree that Triclosan makes hands no more cleaner than regular soap and water.
According to the LA Times, “The anti-triclosan coalition includes more than 150 nonprofit organizations, including Clean Water Action, the Breast Cancer Fund, Commonweal, Environmental Working Group, Friends of the Earth, Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition and Women’s Voices for the Earth.”
So the question then becomes “WHY?” Bath & Body Works has no response. They continue to sell and market the soap to teenagers under the slogan “Spread Love, Not Germs.” I’m taking the liberty of calling it their “spread toxins” campaign.
For more information look at the following links:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Will you still buy Bath & Body Works soap? Give us your feedback in the comments section below.
