M2.2 Personal Care Products

The two skincare products I chose to look up in the Safe Cosmetics Database are Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 and OGX Conditioner Nourishing Coconut Milk. The lip balm had a hazardous score of 3 and the conditioner had a hazardous score of 5. I am very shocked that my conditioner received a moderate score because the product is advertised as free of any harsh chemicals and are made from sustainable ingredients. I also did not think lip balm products would be an area of concern because I always thought it was a simple product with only a few ingredients to make. Doing this exercise was a huge cue for me to start changing my consumer behaviors because the hazardous ingredients in the cosmetic products can really damage my health. I think a lot of consumers, including me, do not know about these risks because we expect the government to regulate these products and make sure they are safe before companies are allowed to sell them, just how they would with drugs. I had that expectation and that had led me to stay uninformed about harmful personal care products. I think everyone has the right to know about these risks because like Rachel Carson stated in her book, Silent Spring, since we are the consumers who endure and suffer from these risks, the public has the right to know. When the public is ignorant about these risks, we are unable to make informed decisions.