Recently, I was in the market for a new foundation. With the cooler weather around the bend I figured it’s a good time to take it up a notch from my tinted moisturizer.
I ended up at the Dior counter. The make-up lady went on about how fabulous her Airflash foundation works — goes on light yet provides full coverage. I briefly tried to scan the ingredients, but the slick packaging in French didn’t reveal much. Since it sounded exactly like what I wanted I spent the sixty something dollars, and considered it my beauty investment for the season.
When I got home I looked further into my new foundation — what exactly was in Airflash that made it so fab? I didn’t have to click very far to see that the first ingredient is butane.
Butane? The stuff they put in lighters?
Ew!
I’m certainly no nontoxic beauty expert, but I knew I couldn’t keep this product — no matter how fab it is.
So back to my old standby — Laura Mercier Tinted moisturizer. But wait, now I had to know…what’s in this one?
I came across this site which lists thousands of products along with their toxicity level.
The news was not pretty– Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer scored a 6! (10 being the most disgustingly toxic product.) I got a little pit in my stomach. I’ve been wearing this product for years. How can I go on slathering my skin with propylparaben?
This newfound awareness didn’t sit well in my beauty routine. And just like any bit of information that sheds light on a dark corner–it’s hard to ignore.
Going green at home is a big undertaking — one I’m not about to take on today. But knowledge is power. By going down this rabbit hole of cosmetic toxicity I discovered Laura Mercier has a newer version without parabens and scored a 3! Sure — there’s still some questionable ingredients in the product, but it feels like a step in the right direction.
I also found this line that makes a tinted moisturizer without any of the yucky stuff…they got a 2 in toxicity rating!
Now the question is where do I draw the line? Is it okay for me to use a 3 product, but nothing above a 1 for my kids? I haven’t been as careful as I could. And just as with everything, I need to find the right balance for me and my family. Arming myself with information is essential so I can choose wisely. But I also need to to make these decisions from a place of connection in mind, body and soul.
Here’s another site I found to be useful on the topic.
Which nontoxic beauty products do you love?
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I am on this same journey! I make most of my own beauty products, and am co-founder of Flora x Fauna. We are brand new and just getting started. Would love to share some samples with you! As far as makeup I am still searching! Here is our blog – http://floraxfauna.com/about-us/
Melissa, that’s awesome — you’ve literally taken things into your own hands by making your own products…congratulations! I’m heading over to your blog now to check it out. Thanks for sharing your link!
Personally – I love RMS Beauty line. Rose-Marie Swift is a makeup artist who got very sick several years ago – turned out it was due to the toxic levels in the makeup she was using/suppling for shoots. It takes some getting used to, but worth trying! AND a lip and cheek product with lots of pigment yet silky smooth/ not a hard to remove stain – all in one yummy coconut base? SOLD! http://www.rmsbeauty.com/shop/Beauty-truth.php The video on the last link of your post was an eye opener when i first saw it a little over a year ago – even after I had already started making a switch to cleaner products. it motivated me even more to really look into what I was putting into (and on!) my body. I always send the the link to anyone i know that may benefit from seeing the reality of the cosmetics industry.
Wow, butane! Really? Why is it I wonder that they are allowed to use these kinds of ingredients at all? I don’t use much makeup, but I do use Natio tinted moisturiser sometimes…it has a sunscreen which I would prefer to go without, but boy, it’s so hard to find one! I’ll definitely be paying more attention, thanks Elysha.
Brandy, That video is an eye opener! And it can feel like an arduous road to go down when making the switch to cleaner products…it’s really helpful to have friends help show the way. Thank you for sharing the link to RMS Beauty! I have looked into it, and will definitely tryout some of her products.
It’s crazy what the beauty industry can get away with. Apparently, there’s a lot of unregulated products that ends up in our hands (and on our faces!) I’ll be paying better attention as well. Small steps… Thanks, Sara!