When it comes to what we eat, the food industry follows strict standards to ensure safety, but when it comes to what we apply on our bodies it’s a completely different story.
The average American woman uses approximately 12 personal care products, containing 168 chemicals. Men, on the other hand, use 6 products daily with 85 unique ingredients. And while most people may assume these products are safe, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Minimal oversight
In the US, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulates the cosmetic industry. Yet according to their website, the agency does not require cosmetic manufacturers to use any specific tests to demonstrate the safety of individual products or ingredients.
So far, the U.S. FDA has only banned or restricted 11 chemicals from cosmetics. In comparison, the EU has banned 1,328 chemicals from cosmetics that are known or suspected to cause health problems.
With so little oversight from the FDA, cosmetic companies have incredible freedom to use whatever ingredients in their products. This means that every single day, consumers are using chemicals that could be linked to allergic reactions, inflammations or irritations as well as rising rates of breast cancer, asthma, reproductive problems, and a host of other issues.
Plastic pollution
The beauty industry is one of the top offenders when it comes to plastic
waste. According to the latest reports from Zero Waste Week, beauty packaging amounts to 120 billion units every year. The problem with plastic packaging is that it can take up to 1,000 years to degrade. It winds up in the oceans killing sea turtles, birds and fish through entanglement and ingestion.
But plastic pollution is not only bad for marine life - researchers have discovered plastic microfibers in tap water and in over 100 aquatic species consumed by humans.
Microbeads
Plastic microbeads act as exfoliants in facial cleansers and body scrubs. They are tiny plastic particles no bigger than 5mm.
Because they’re so small, microbeads don’t get filtered out by wastewater treatment plants. Instead, they get discharged directly into rivers, lakes and oceans, damaging the wildlife there.
Although the US and UK have banned the production of microbeads, you may still find them present in some products.
Palm oil
More than 70% of cosmetic products contain palm oil and its derivatives as it provides moisturizing and texturizing benefits. Unfortunately, the high demand for palm oil has led to extensive cultivation at the expense of vast swathes of tropical rainforests in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. Consequences include social conflict, extinction of plants and
animals, and climate change—challenges that aren’t just local, but global.
Animal cruelty
It’s estimated that 500,000 animals suffer and die every year due to cosmetic testing. In these tests, chemicals are force-fed to the animals, rubbed into their eyes and on their shaved skin in order to look for signs of general illness or specific health hazards. This can result in immense pain, distress, blindness, swollen eyes, sore and bleeding skin, internal bleeding, organ damage, birth defects, convulsions and even death of the animals.
They’re also given a lethal dose test, or LD50, where the animals are forced to swallow large amounts of a chemical to see what dose can cause death. This dose kills 50% of test animals population.
Child labor
Mica is a natural mineral dust that has a shimmering effect on beauty products, particularly those marketed as brightening or illuminating.
Most Mica comes from Madagascar and India, and has been a source of controversy with implications of the use of child labor in the supply chain.
Researchers have found that children comprise as much as 62% of the overall Mica mining workforce. They are exposed to mineral dust which causes respiratory illnesses, as well as serious injuries and death from mine collapses. Mining is by far the most hazardous sector for children with an average fatality rate of 32 per 100,000.
The Shift towards Organic and Sustainable Beauty Products
Over the last 10 years, consumers have become more aware of the ugly side of the beauty industry and are demanding transparency and accountability like never before.
While a few brands have responded positively by adopting sustainable practices, many have resorted to greenwashing tactics.
What is Greenwashing?
This is when a company claims that their product is environmentally conscious than it is. They use words like “clean,” “natural,” and even “organic” without any certification to lure eco-conscious consumers. And since the cosmetic industry is self-regulated, it leaves a lot of room for shady companies to capitalize on the green movement.
How Organic Signatures Skincare Is Driving Change in The Beauty Industry
Organic Signatures Skincare was born out of a passion for creating quality, organic skincare formulations that respect the planet. And that’s why we’ve partnered with NIKO LABS, a world leader in USDA organic certified skincare.
Our mission is to make every element of our brand sustainable, in every sense of the word. We consider everything from sourcing, manufacturing to packaging, to ensure our entire production and supply chain is ethical and kind to the planet.
These are some of the practical measures we’ve taken so far:
· Natural ingredients
Our products don’t contain mineral oil, sulfates, parabens or other synthetic fillers that could damage your skin and body.
Instead, we use powerful, natural organic ingredients such as coconut oil, honey, aloe vera, and shea butter that are, known to soothe, nourish, moisturize and promote smooth skin. This means that every nutrient-rich drop of our product will edify your skin.
· USDA ORGANIC certified
We’re extremely concerned with the future and are determined to diminish the destructive impact non-organic farming has on the environment.
All our ingredients are USDA Organic certified which means they’ve been harvested from plants free of pesticides, herbicides and toxic preservatives.
· Recycled and recyclable packaging
We’ve researched packaging that takes the least energy to recycle, such as PET plastic. Recycled PET or PETG plastic saves approximately 12,000 BTU’s, it is the only plastic that is 100% recyclable. We are working on a new vegetable plastic made from the resin of corn which will produce no extra carbon dioxide when burned.
· Green shipping
We are committed to reducing emissions as much as possible and that includes shipping.
We have acquired our first Tesla fully electric vehicle, paving the way to replace our current Toyota Prius Hybrid vehicle. Our future plan is to continue to expand our transportation vehicles to be fully electric as they become available in the market.
· Local manufacturing
Our products are made at the NIKOLABS facility in Ontario, Canada. As part of our ecology program, we do not manufacture on distant continents, then ship to us and in turn ship to the customer. We ship to the customer directly reducing shipping costs, emissions and time. Furthermore; we developed the infrastructure to ethically harvest native ingredients from our land, to cut down the need for long distance transportation for ingredients and further reduce emissions and costs.
· Recycle, reuse & reduce
We are continuously searching for innovative ways to save the life of a tree and lower the carbon footprint. That’s why we use post-consumer recycled printing paper, which saves 60% energy, reduces 95% of air pollution and saves 17 trees/ton of recycled paper. We have done away with outer boxes for the product and have minimized printed information by resorting to eCatalogs and minimal postcard size printed material.
· Cruelty free
Animal welfare is very important to us. Organic Signatures have never, nor will ever be tested on animals. We also do not use Palm Oil or derivatives.
Organic Skincare is the future
At Organic Signatures, we want what’s best for your skin and we’re also aware of our ecological and social responsibilities. We continue to work diligently to create sustainable solutions for our customers and the beauty industry as a whole. Join us in our mission.