We have a long list of prohibited ingredients that other cosmetics companies use on a regular basis such as propylene glycol, mineral oil or petrolatum products, alcohol, isopropyl myristate, comedogenic ingredients, lanolin, formaldehyde or butylparaben- just to name a few. No fragrances, only natural aromatic essential oils.
Sounds good right? We all have ingredients we would like to avoid and finding a company that "prohibits" these ingredients is reassuring. ***One side note, Formaldehyde is not allowed in any cosmetics anywhere ever. The fact that some companies use this ingredient as an example of how they are better then other companies is just plain ridiculous since NO company uses this*** I found it odd they don't list the ingredients for their products though. So I did a basic Google Search for "PepToxyl Wrinkle Relaxing Creme ingredients" since this is the exact name and packaging from Your Name which indicates it is probably the stock item. Here is the ingredients list I found:
Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Squalane, Petrolatum, Stearic Acid, Polysorbate 60, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Macadamia Ternifolia Nut Oil, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Acetyl Dipeptide-1Cetyl Ester, Corylus Americana (Hazel) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Oil, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Butylene Glycol, Laureth-3, Carbomer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA.and another product:
Vibran C Lip Treatment - Active Ingredients: Padimate O, Oxybenzone
Other Ingredients: Lanolin Oil, Polybutene, Cetyl Ricinoleate, Glyceryl Triacetyl Hydroxystearate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Synthetic Wax, Glyceryl Triacetyl Ricinoleate, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Wheat Germ Glycerides, Microcrystalline Wax, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadenis Leaf Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Fragarence May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Mica, Carmine, Manganese Violet, Red 6 Lake, Red 7 Lake, Red 27 Lake, Red 33 Lake, Red 36, Orange 5, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 1 Lake.
Do you see where I am going with this? Urban Apothecary lists just a few examples from their "long list of prohibited ingredients" yet in looking up only two of their products ingredient lists, I have already located 5 of these prohibited ingredients! I wonder what else is on that prohibited list?
Even more disturbing is the information located here.
All of Urban Apothecary’s all-natural makeup and skin care products are infused with a vital combo of vitamins, amino acids, botanicals, and age-defying antioxidants that nourish your skin while leaving your complexion glowing.
As the creative force behind the “daringly different and luxurious Urban Apothecary beauty brand,” Urban Apothecary president Cheri Tracy has a raw talent for using such exotic raw materials as Himalayan goji berries bursting with beta-carotene, B-vitamin-rich European truffle oil, and gyokuro green tea, which eliminates free radicals, to create good-for-you goods “of the highest quality and performance.” Although we love all these and the many other innovative, all-natural ingredients found in Urban Apothecary’s products, what impresses us the most is what’s not found in its products: cruelty to animals. Using PETA’s bunny logo on its Web site to let consumers know that its products are completely animal-friendly, the kind company states, “We do not, nor will we ever, test or condone animal tests. We believe that you can have a great look without killing or harming animals.”
We couldn’t have said it better, and in honor of her commitment to using only vegan ingredients and never testing products on animals, PETA is thrilled to present Urban Apothecary’s Cheri Tracy with our Trail-Blazer Award.
WOW. I don't even know where to start with this one. First of all these are private labeled products so praising raw talent seems a little extreme. This also makes me think the company wrote this blurb. But what amazes me is that Peta recognizes these as "all natural" and "Vegan" products. Lanolin is from Sheep and is NOT vegan. Carmine is from insects and is NOT vegan. I can't imagine anyone calling these ingredients natural: Synthetic Wax, Dimethicone, Butylene glycol, carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Polybutene, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Fragarence,Red 6 Lake, Red 7 Lake, Red 27 Lake, Red 33 Lake, Red 36, Orange 5, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 1 Lake and these are just the really easily identifiable to the layman as synthetic.
Remember the ingredients listings above are for only TWO of the products available and already we are seeing lots of contradictions.
Just to clarify. These are my OPINIONS based on what I have found about the products and suppliers of these companies online and through my personal communications. If you have had a different experience please share it with me.
7 comments:
I too found disturbing things out when I researched Cheri Tracy & Orglamix & Urban Apothecary. For posting what I did, Cheri threw a cease and desist at me yesterday.
I'm glad you pointed out the chemical issue, because I hadn't ran across this yet. I will definitely be linking to you ;)
Mineral oils and petrolatums are widely used in cosmetics, the fact that they are making a big deal out of them is ridiculous. They don't react with the skin, that's why they're widely used. It's not that all natural products are necessarily better. A lot of drugstore brands like Eucerin and Vaseline use those ingredients. Mineral oil = baby oil. Someone would have noticed if infants kept dropping dead from it. I thought I was the only one who found the ingredient claims of these brands to be a bit sketch. -KZ
When consumers buy a product they have a right to know what is in it. Carol's Daughter built an empire selling natural products because there is a market for natural products.
But the mislabelling of non vegan products as vegan is just so wrong. s someone who tried being vegan and failed I can tell you it is a big ethical decision and quite difficult. For someone to spend the time and effort choosing a product labelled vegan to be lied to about that is so unfair.
Leaving the mineral oils out of the discussion, the real issue is about being truthful. It's about this company stating that their products do not contain certain ingredients. Also, there is a claim that the owner of the company formulated the products herself?! This is doubtful. (The following is about Orglamix, the other brand from the same person who owns Urban Apothecary, but I feel it is relevant).
Based on all the other information I've found by viewing the Orglamix store on Etsy.com, it seems there is quite a bit of 'copy and paste' when it comes to formulating her kits and 'tutorials'. Read the tutorials for yourself, they may sound familiar. The most well known, largest brand of mineral makeup in the world has 'tutorials' and 'newbie kits' and the information in the Orglamix shop appears to have pasted that information into their kit descriptions and claimed it as their own. Yes, I am not kidding. Also, I see Twilight kits in the Orglamix store... I don't see any mention of the kits being 'officially licensed Twilight merchandise', yet there are Twilight pictures being used in the products. Perhaps she has permission to use them, but considering all the other less-than-truthful actions, I doubt it. So, the more and more I find out, the worse it gets (ie. asking Phyrra for a review of her products and then sending her a 'cease and desist when she didn't recommend the products...).
Thank you everyone for your comments. Honesty really is the issue here as you have all noted. So great to see supporting comments, I was a little nervous posting my thoughts ;)
Hi HB,
If you have time, please check out the email I sent you, or the most recent post in my blog regarding Orglamix.
Your post was great :)
To "-", correction: they don't react with MOST people's skin. I, however, am allergic to petroleum/mineral oil/paraffin/etc - my skin blisters up and scars, and I endured the same blistering and scarring from major name brands of lotion, specialty store lotions (like Bath and Body Works), and lip glosses/lip balms from Blistex to Avon to LipSmackers to C.O. Bigelow before I figured out that petroleum was a no-go for me.
I'm sure it's possible babies could have the same reaction I do, but also keep in mind that the skin's chemestry can change over time. I only became allergic to it in the last 5 years or so.
Also, let's not forget that petroleum is simply repurposed industrial waste from the crude oil industry, and actually is not good for your skin. What a coincidence that it's used in so many cosmetics when it traps moisture out of your skin - it absolutely cannot be absorbed by the human body, not even by eating. Your lips feel dry, you slather more lip balm on them, and before you know it, you're at the store or mall buying another tube.
*breath* Sorry.
To Honestly: THANK YOU. Also, I found the exact same situation with another company just last week, called Medusa's Makeup. Their MySpace says, and I quote, "We specialize in All Natural Mineral makeup. Our Eye Dusts and 100% pure pigment. We add no fillers such as talc to our products."
Now take a look at their ingredient lists: http://www.medusasmakeup.com/ingredients.htm
You can follow the links to the main page from there, and find the link to their MySpace at the bottom to confirm the quote I posted. It's pretty close to the top of their MySpace page, even.
What's worse is NONE of the face and body powder ingredients are listed anywhere on the site, that I can find at least. "All natural minerals for the face and body" and "100% pure mineral" are as close as they get. Scary!
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