In the world of chemicals, you are innocent until proven guilty
And that's worrying
Chemicals are found in our shampoos, dishwashing soaps, laundry detergents and cosmetics.
These chemicals are causing cancer, impacting the growth of the brain in children and are disrupting our hormones.
In the US, you can introduce a new chemical in the marketplace with the minimum study.
The regulation doesn't stop you from doing that.
It kicks in much later when these chemicals have already made their way into most of the stores and people's homes.
Shouldn't that be the other way round?
For instance in the European Union, safety laws guarantee that chemicals are vetted for their potential risks to human health and the environment before they appear on the market.
In cosmetics alone, the EU has banned or restricted more than 1,300 chemicals while the US has outlawed or curbed just 11.
So the burden to research and find the right products fall on the consumers. Let’s see how these 3 startups are cleaning up the cosmetics industry⬇️
Claiming that it’s a clean product is not enough…Consumers are confused. It’s not easy to find out beauty products that are clean and look good. It takes hours of research to find the right product. You cannot even rely on organizations like FDA because the brands have found loopholes around questionable ingredients. By the time these ingredients get regulated, the damage is done.
AI-enabled technology to find clean beauty products…NakedPoppy is helping customers save time and energy by creating a curated selection of clean beauty products. In the US, 12500 chemicals are available for use in personal care products. NakedPoppy’s pool of clean and long-lasting products uses fewer than 700 of them.
Their full-time clean beauty chemist screens every single ingredient in the product before listing it on the site.
NakedPoppy confirms that all their products are cruelty-free- never tested on animals.
They also ensure that brands are committed to environmental stewardship and good manufacturing practices.
3-minute assessment…To help shoppers find the right products for them, they have devised an online assessment. It has a questionnaire and asks the user for photos of the inside of their arms for shade matching. Based on that, it provides a score to indicate the degree to which a product is an ideal fit. A 95% score would be better for your skin, colouring, age and other traits than a product with a 70% score.
It’s not stopping…The beauty industry is projected to be worth $463.5 billion by 2027. Although it has become inclusive and accessible, it has also created a lot of waste. Technically, most of the tubes and bottles are recyclable but as most of our recycling systems are broken, more than 90% of these end up in landfills and oceans.
Low waste makeup is challenging… but Axiology has been doing it well for a few years now. They have created the world’s first 3-in-1 zero waste 'Lip-To-Lid' crayons. The pencil called Lip-to-lid Balmies can be applied to the eyelids, lips, and cheekbones. These creamy moisturizing crayons can be used on your lips, cheeks, or lids for a monochromatic glow.
They’re 100% waste and plastic-free and are made with oils, butters and antioxidants like hemp and plum oil.
All of their products are cruelty-free and vegan and these values have guided all of the brand’s decisions.
They are available in colours ranging from sheer and luminous pinks to bold and rich burgundies.
She just knew it…During her time in Bali, founder Ericka Rodriguez discovered a women-owned paper company that had found a creative solution to the city’s trash problem. Axiology employed these local women to gather and re-purpose trash and turn it into packaging for their products. They use minimal packaging. The pencils come without cases and are wrapped in recyclable paper.
Fossil fuel is everywhere…The majority of cosmetic ingredients are made from fossil fuels, plastic(also made from fossil fuels) and palm oil. 3 billion people today in 150 countries use products containing palm oil. All of us consume an average of 8kg of palm oil a year. 85% of this comes from Indonesia and Malaysia where forests are rapidly being cleared for more palm plantations. This is a major source of greenhouse gases and is driving animals towards extinction.
There are alternatives…Finnish startup Innomost is supplying biodegradable and renewable ingredients to the cosmetics and personal care industry. They currently provide ingredients for products in the skincare, haircare, body care, decorative cosmetics, and oral care categories. They use the byproducts of pulp, paper and building materials industry to produce these ingredients, so it does not involve cutting additional trees.
Pulp, paper and building materials use trees from sustainably managed forests in Finland.
Valuable natural bio compounds are separated from these industries by mechanical and physical methods.
These bio compounds are modified into ingredients for cosmetic products.
Clean for you and the planet…Their current products, which can be used as ingredients for different products include birch charcoal powder, birch bark powder, betulin, suberin, and azelaic acid. They don’t contain any microplastics, wax or petroleum products and have many physiological, functional and active qualities for skin, body and hair care formulations.
🔍Ready for this week’s crossword challenge?
You can solve it here
If you liked this edition, please do share it. That would mean a lot😊
📢 Shoutout to Paridhi who helped me write this edition.
Hit that 💚 if you liked today’s edition.
Are you following us on Instagram?
Thanks and see you next week😄