The Ugly Truth About Cosmetics

Image courtesy of Pxhere

By Siona Ahuja ’24

Staff Writer

The cosmetics industry has been scrutinized for turning a blind eye toward unethical practices that are harmful to the environment. The industry produces more than 120 billion units of packaging material annually. Although there has been a surge over the past decade or so of products marketed as “pure,” “organic” or “cruelty-free,” a majority of these are still taking a toll on the environment. Eighty-nine percent of the ingredients used in cosmetics are not regulated by the FDA, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review or any other publicly accountable institution, giving brands a chance to add hazardous chemicals and carcinogens that damage both the human body and the Earth. 

One significant environmental impact of the cosmetics industry is microbeads. Microbeads are little plastic balls less than 5 millimeters in diameter most commonly present in skincare products to give them an exfoliating effect. While these particles are scrubbed off of the skin in one to two minutes, they have rinsed down the drain, where they escape wastewater treatment centers and remain in the environment for tens of thousands of years. These beads have the capacity to upset the entire food chains. They are routinely digested by marine life which, in turn, is consumed by humans, who end up ingesting the microbeads’ harmful toxins. 

While countries like Canada, the United States, South Korea and some European nations are realizing the toxic effects of microbeads, these plastic particles have yet to be universally eradicated. Since some versions of plastic microbeads are too small to see with the naked eye, Beat the Microbead, an app and database, helps buyers check for the presence of this pollutant and make informed decisions about specific products. Skincare specialists and cosmetologists recommend using natural exfoliants instead, such as coffee grounds and jojoba beads. These experts also place a greater emphasis on chemical exfoliants, thus eliminating the need for physically abrasive and environmentally harmful skincare. 

While under the pretense of being eco-friendly, popular brands are still including bizarre animal products in cosmetics. Animal wax is a recurrent product in lip balms, and lipsticks owe their reddish tint to crushed red beetles. Most lipsticks have an ingredient called “pearl essence” — another name for fish scales — that gives them a unique luster. There are many, many more ingredients that have been renamed with elegant terms in order to obscure their origins. 

Fortunately, many brands are acknowledging this crisis, and in response, newer and cleaner companies are being launched. ILIA Beauty and Au Naturale are relatively transparent brands that are powering their way through the makeup market with natural tints and vegan products. The CosmEthics app and PETA’s website give exhaustive directories of animal ingredients and their ethical alternatives. 

A much less acknowledged side of the makeup world is the illegitimate procuring of ingredients for most products. Vanilla, a familiar ingredient used as an aromatic in the cosmetics industry, is the second most expensive spice in the world. Almost 80 percent of this spice sold globally comes from Madagascar where child labor, extensive working hours and underpaid cultivators are commonplace. While the price of vanilla fluctuates between $200 to $400 a kilogram, the field workers are paid only around $8 per kilogram. Similarly, cocoa farmers in tropical West Africa, especially in Ghana and on the Ivory Coast, supply almost 70 percent of the world’s cocoa. Many organizations have exposed the extensive use of child labor, human trafficking and even slavery in these extremely competitive cocoa farms where wages stoop as low as $2 per day. 

Mica, a mineral that adds glitter to everyday makeup, is largely found in India where it is illegally scavenged on protected forestland. This has caused major deforestation and loss of wildlife in large parts of the country. Children as young as 6 years old are involved in mica scavenging, a hazardous activity that increases one’s risk of tuberculosis and early death. Workers’ lives are at risk of being suffocated in mica mines; in fact, a 2016 report by the Thomson Reuters Foundation revealed that seven children had been smothered to death in mica mines in a span of just two months. 

The daily use of cosmetic plastic products generates millions of tons of non-biodegradable waste. Makeup wipes, toothbrushes and disposable razors are the most commonly disposed of items. Diana Felton MD, the state toxicologist with the Hawaii Department of Health, said, “20 million pounds of single-use wipes (including baby wipes and disinfecting wipes) are disposed of every day in the U.S. Many wipes are disposed of in landfills, and despite claims to the contrary, most are not biodegradable and do not rapidly break down, creating too much trash to fit in our landfills.” The plastic fibers from these wipes leech into the oceans and create a hazard to marine life. To make matters worse, these single-use wipes come in equally harmful plastic packaging, which doubles the waste quantities they contribute. Makeup experts suggest eliminating makeup wipes from people’s routines entirely and instead of using organic makeup removers or reusable washcloths. 

Similarly, disposable razors and toothbrushes have bodies made entirely out of plastic that, when thrown away, pile up in landfills for years to come. In 1990, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that Americans tossed out more than 2 billion razors. Since then, the American population has grown by almost 75 million. According to research by FOREO, a Swedish multinational beauty brand, 1 billion plastic toothbrushes (50 million pounds’ worth of plastic) are thrown away annually. These toothbrushes and razors face the same fate as the makeup wipes. As more awareness is raised about these polluting products, recyclable metal razors and bamboo toothbrushes are making headway in the beauty and health care industries. 

As the world opens its eyes to the hazards of daily beauty practices and items, a few companies are trying to create change. Makeup artists and influencers like PaintedByEsther and Salwa Rahman are inspiring their followers by upcycling containers, encouraging people to buy secondhand products and refusing to promote companies that do not have a waste reduction policy. “The concept of refillable makeup should become the norm, as it … drastically reduces the eco-footprint of an item,” says Lyndsey Bates, U.K. director of the world’s first refillable makeup brand, ZAO Beauty. “Furthermore, packaging can then be made sustainable.”

Experimental Coral Reef Preservation Strategies Are Underway

Pictured above: Coral reefs.

By Dnyaneshwari Haware ’23

Staff Writer

Despite being out of the eye of the general population, the destruction of reefs is impacting the livelihoods of approximately 1 billion people globally.  These effects are seen through reduced biodiversity, lower fish stocks and a higher rate of coastal erosion. In the past 20 years, 50 percent of coral reefs have been lost, and by 2050, more than 90 percent are expected to die. The causes of this erosion include overfishing, the bleaching of coastlands, an increase in ocean temperature and other exploitative factors that further intensify the damage. In areas of destruction, scientists are attempting new methods of preserving the reefs, such as the relocation of more resilient corals and the new implementation of 3D-printed corals. 

The impacts of global warming have caused increasing challenges for reefs and coral. A large number of reefs are temperature sensitive and struggle to survive 1 degree Celsius above the summer maximum of the region. Additionally, the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide also increases the acidity of oceans, further producing challenging living environments. 

In efforts to revive coral communities, one solution is moving heat resilient corals, which can cope with temperatures between 6 and 7 degrees Celsius hotter and can survive in acidic waters, to struggling reefs elsewhere. However, there are significant obstacles, such as the need to save the thermally resilient species from extinction due to factors other than global warming like physical damage from construction, development and overfishing. Another concern is the introduction of a new species of corals into an ecosystem, which may significantly change its equilibrium. 

Efforts also include more experimental methods, such as integrating 3D printing technology. In 2018, the largest 3D printed coral reef was deployed at a site in Maldives using a technology called the Modular Artificial Reef Structures. These not only substitute real corals for coral farming, which is the cultivation of corals for commercial purposes, but can also create new reef habitats in degraded areas or new locations. However, using artificial structures as restoration tools is expensive and cannot act as a replacement for conservation strategies. 

In environmental conservation, finding local organic solutions that could result in long-lasting positive effects on the community is essential for sustainability. One example is a coral reef restoration project off of a 4.3-mile-long island in Kenya led by the women of the community. According to the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Institute, between  60 and 90 percent of coral reefs were destroyed in some surveyed areas. 

Local communities that largely depend on fishing and ecotourism have suffered from the loss of these reefs, as the reefs provide breeding grounds for hundreds of species of marine life. In response, the women of Wasini Island have been restoring fish populations by cultivating seagrass, which plays a key role in the overall coral reef ecosystem. The seagrass provides shelter to juvenile fish who then mature and move into the reefs. The project also involves building artificial coral reefs using locally found materials such as rock boulders held together with hydraulic cement. Corals grown in nurseries are then planted on these artificial reefs and have a survival rate of 75 percent after transplant.

All these methods involve constant experimentation, and results vary depending on the ecosystems. Law enforcement, the involvement of government and independent agencies, financial support and the cooperation of local communities have been necessary for the largest movements toward the conservation of coral reefs.

Weekly Climate News

September 17, 2020

• The world misses internationally agreed 2020 biodiversity goals, a United Nations report states. Significant barriers to halt plant and wildlife loss include lack of funding and failure to account for the role of women. 

• The Amazon rainforest continues to grapple with wildfires for the second consecutive year. An international report said by shifting to low-carbon policies that protect the Amazon, Brazil’s economic growth could be revived more quickly after COVID-19. 

• Wildfires raging in the U.S. could create a financial crisis, illustrating the significant impacts climate change has on the economy. 

• How are firefighters in the West managing the blazes? Read this article to learn more about current firefighting techniques used during a pandemic. 

• A South Carolina farmer is adapting heirloom rice to withstand climate change. Read about his story here. 

• Facebook announced they would be taking steps to crack down on climate misinformation by setting up a Climate Science Information Center and will better connect their users to science-based facts. 

• NPR and PBS Frontline released an investigative piece about how big oil companies have been misleading the public on how plastic is recycled. Read about it here. 

• In some parts of Oregon, smoke from fires maxed out the Environmental Protection Agency’s scale for measuring hazardous air quality. Read about how this connects to human health here. 

• At a roundtable with California Governor Gavin Newsom, President Donald Trump dismissed evidence of global warming connected to the wildfires in the West, stating, “I don’t think science knows, actually.” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden called Trump a “climate arsonist” and here’s why.

“A Blowtorch Over Our State”: Climate Change’s Connection To West Coast Wildfires

Photo by by Anya Gerasimova '21 in Salem, Oregon

by Siona Ahuja ’24

Staff Writer

Apocalyptically orange skies in California, Oregon and Washington mark a full month of forest fires raging across most of the West Coast. Beginning on Aug. 17, the “August Complex” fire is one of the largest and most destructive blazes of the 20th century. More than 3 million acres have burned in California alone, as opposed to the estimated 300,000 which burn in the average annual fire season. In addition, experts say the fire season is yet to reach peak season activity. Ireland Clare Kennedy ’21, a resident of Oakland, California, said she has witnessed many wildfires over the years, but has “never seen one this bad.”

Exacerbation of the fires has been attributed to the intense heat wave that struck California in early September, with temperatures reaching 113 F (45 C). The flora of America’s western states are extremely dry during this period, making them susceptible to large fires. Generally, dry lightning storms or even small triggers like discarded cigarettes can turn thousands of trees into ash. This year, a gender reveal party gone disastrously wrong is said to be the major cause. 

In the El Dorado Ranch Park, a couple decided to reveal the sex of their baby using a pyrotechnic device (a smoke bomb rocketing blue or pink smoke). Unknown to them, the wild grass was very flammable, and this mishap led to the blaze of 10,000 acres and more than 20,000 people being evacuated from their residences.

Typically, the fire season in California and neighboring states occurs between July and November, when the winds are hot and dry. Wildfires are a natural part of forests as light fires (“light” being the key word) are beneficial to growth because the ashen remains provide high nutrients to the soil, thus yielding high quality crops. Light fires also aid in the growth of more fire resistant trees. Plants are not harmed in the process of light fires, as their roots remain viable for new plants to sprout in the winter.

Using this logic, Indigenous tribes practiced “cultural burning” in the pre-20th century era. “What we’re doing here is restoring life,” said Ron Goode, tribal chairman of the North Fork Mono, in an interview with NPR. However, beginning in the early 1900s, this practice of fighting fire with fire was banned by the government. Instead, the policy of fire suppression, in which chemical agents were used to extinguish the fires, was adopted. It caused forests to miss their fire cycles; trees grew densely; and the shrubs formed thick undergrowth and ultimately led to vast blazes.

The ancestral practice is slowly resurfacing as fires are getting increasingly uncontrollable. Tribal chiefs are partnering with state governments to carefully burn trees and minimize the risk of extensive wildfires. In Northern California, the Karuk and Yurok tribes are joining the Forest Service to oversee land with traditional values and wildfire management, two goals that work hand in hand.

COVID-19 has presented unique challenges which have been further exacerbated by the spreading wildfires. Among the worst struck by the pandemic are farmers, who have suffered an economic blow since March. In the past year, agriculture has set a record rate of bankruptcies and mental health crises. The fires have sent many crops blazing, and low visibility from fire-caused air pollution has made working on farms almost impossible. The unhealthy air quality caused by the smoke and ash also puts sensitive groups at risk for contracting the virus and compounds the symptoms of those who have tested positive. Moreover, those who are being evacuated to escape the blazes are compelled to go to crowded sites, where social distancing is impossible.

Massive levels of smoke and billowy ash have forced people to seek refuge in their houses just as they were beginning to navigate the outdoors after months of quarantining. Being cooped up has adversely impacted the mental health of many. 

“You can barely see the sun,” said Alexa Harbury ’24, who lives in Tigard, Oregon. “For the whole of last week it was hard to tell what time of day it was, because everything just looked yellow or orange. It messed up my sleep schedule because I couldn’t feel when I needed to get up in the morning. Plus, it’s been stressful. We know people who are in evacuation areas and are keeping a close eye on any fire related news.”

Climate change has been declared as the primary factor that is fueling such disasters. Scientists and policymakers have revealed that an average global increase of 1 C is likely to raise the burning area by 600 percent. The governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, describes climate change as a “blowtorch over our state.”

By emitting millions of tons of greenhouse gases, industries around the world are contributing to the warming of the planet. Estimates from the World Meteorological Organization predict that a global temperature rise of 1.5 C will cause extreme changes in weather such as floods, storms and heat waves which inevitably cause more deaths. The oddities have already begun, ranging from the Australian bushfires that lasted seven months to green-colored snow in Antarctica caused by algae blooms. Scientists indicate that these are just mere forewarnings of what is about to come in the next decade. Should we not contribute to climate reform, there will be irreparable damage caused to an already unstable Earth, they warned.

Weekly Climate News

Updates for September 10th

• A record-setting heat wave swept through Southern California reaching a high of 121 F. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning on Sunday, Sept. 6 for areas in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. 

• California is grappling with an unprecedented wildfire season made worse by the historic heatwave. Over the Labor Day weekend, about 200 hikers in the Sierra Nevada National Forest trapped by the spreading flames had to be airlifted out by helicopters. 

• The heatwave and wildfires in the West, a massive derecho in the Midwest and the record-breaking 2020 hurricane season illustrate an extreme climate future. Read about the connection between these weather events and climate change here. 

• The European Environment Agency confirmed on Tuesday, Sept. 8 that environmental factors such as air pollution and heatwaves worsened by climate change contribute to around 13 percent of all deaths in Europe. 

• Ministers from 11 African countries met virtually on Monday, Sept. 7 to discuss progress on implementing the Great Green Wall, an initiative to develop a 15-kilometer-wide and 8,000-kilometer-long vegetation strip across Africa said to be integral in coronavirus recovery. 

• Oil refineries in the Louisiana petrochemical industry have been impacted by recent hurricanes, dumping harmful substances into the environment and disproportionately impacting communities of color.

• EPA relaxes standards that limit toxic waste and regulate wastewater from coal-fired power plants. Environmental groups claim this makes rivers and streams more vulnerable to contamination by corrosive pollutants like lead, selenium and arsenic. 

• Communities permanently affected by environmental damage or economic disinvestment are known as “sacrifice zones.” Read this article about how these areas are currently on the front lines of both climate change and the global pandemic.

• Read about these organizations which are helping the youth of color enjoy the outdoors in the middle of the global pandemic. 

• In Ottawa, Canada, farming techniques that reduce greenhouse gas emissions are being developed.