Enlightened glamour - using healthy, cruelty-free cosmetics - Editorial

Vegetarian Times, June, 1997 by Catherine Censor Shemo

You can keep your clear lipgloss and nude eyeshadow, thank you very much. When it comes to cosmetics, I'm the kind of woman who isn't happy until her mom's hysterical. I started buying makeup when I was tall enough to reach the cosmetics counter and to this day, I believe that lipstick comes in three colors: red, redder and reddest.

Given that I collect tubes of red lipstick the way some people collect rare vintages or stamps, I've always thought of department stores as my happy hunting grounds. Until I read "Color Me Kind" (p. 58), it never occurred to me to buy my beloved femme fatale fire engine from a natural food store. It seems that when it comes to cosmetics, I've been something of a dumb bunny.

I've always looked for "cruelty-free" labels on product literature but that was the extent of my curiosity about ingredients. I knew that those dazzling colors I so happily painted on my lids and lips came from some chemist's beaker but so what? I didn't expect nature to mimic Chanel and besides, the good old Food and Drug Administration makes sure those unpronounceables are harmless. I think. Well, it turns out that what you don't know might hurt you -- or make you uncomfortable.

Some of the ingredients I thought were harmless chemicals are, in fact, animal byproducts or insect derivatives. And just how "harmless" are chemicals anyway? No one really knows whether layering chemicals against your skin day upon day, year upon year, constitutes a threat to your health. What about the haircolor that once turned my naturally brown-blond hair jet-black (or the stuff I used to remove it)? The beauty industry must count on the docility and ignorance of women like me.

The truth is, just as there are safe, natural, caring alternatives to everything that goes in my body, there are safe, natural, caring alternatives to everything that goes on it. And just as going vegetarian doesn't call for great sacrifice, neither does switching your personal care routines. I'm relieved to report that buying your cosmetics at a natural food store does not necessitate adopting a "natural" look. You can get fuschia color shampoo and deep purple lipstick just as easily as a subtle color palette. So indulge your taste for the outrageous and be an enlightened drama queen or just, pick up a sheer pink lipgloss. (Go ahead, disappoint me.)

If this story piques your curiosity about the world of natural beauty, check out our new column, "Naturally Beautiful." No, we won't be telling you how to apply eyeliner or contour your cheeks with blush. Instead, we'll bring you effective, natural therapies for skin, hair, nails, face and body. This first column is "Vitamins: The Natural Facelift" (p. 88) an exciting guide to antioxidant creams that may protect your skin and even repair existing damage. Vegetarian Times has always brought you the best in health-care coverage. We consider these articles to be a logical extension of that tradition. Read on and discover just how gorgeous good health can be.