Cosmetics have been used for the enhancement of beauty for ages,
and there is no dearth in their demands. Modern men and women use
cosmetics on a regular basis but why do they face skin and/or health
problems? To the best of our knowledge, it was never a part of the lives
of people who lived during ancient times. After centuries of cosmetic
use, it is most interesting that only in recent times have the toxic
ingredients in cosmetic products come under scrutiny. And, the more we
learn about the damages that these toxic ingredients might cause, the
more careful we should be in the type of cosmetic products we purchase
and use on a daily basis.

Now I know you all may think that you
use the best cosmetics available, and you even have chosen the natural
path i.e., your cosmetics contain the necessary vitamins and oils for
your skin and for your general health. Think again, as you may have been
sold a cosmetic product that neither contains natural ingredients nor
does it have the proper organic cosmetic certifications that would
guarantee the products are safe to use daily!

Though a startling
revelation, the truth is that most of the organic cosmetics that are
being sold in the market today are not actually organic. The only way to
judge whether a cosmetic is organic or not is to verify the
certification of the product you are using. Do not be blindfolded while
purchasing cosmetics; as you may be handed a product that is filled with
harsh, toxic chemicals and acids. You are more likely to suffer from
skin ailments with the use of toxic cosmetics than you would be if you
used a pure organic cosmetic. The reason is very simple – there are a
lot of toxic chemicals like mercury, aluminum, coal tar, and lead in the
synthetically produced cosmetics. In packaging and labeling many
companies use type that is so small, you would need a magnifying glass
to read the ingredients and words that are so foreign you would have to
be a scientist to decipher them. For example, what is a Paraben
(preservative) or a Pthalate (fragrance)? You get the idea.

There
is every reason as to check the organic cosmetic certification of the
products that you are purchasing – after all it becomes a question of
your health, general well being, and the condition of your skin that is
at risk. Certification is proof that the products being manufactured are
in strict compliance with the ingredients and processes that have been
accredited, not by the US government because the US government allows
the cosmetic companies to govern themselves, but by the certification
agencies that companies must submit their products to for certification.
The certification standards may vary from one agency to another, but
the standards that are followed by that specific agency are uniform
standards for all countries. The standards that have been set for
providing organic certification are pretty high, and this is the reason
why one can be certain of the quality of the products that come with
certification.

Although the US does provide certification through
the USDA, most US companies are not interested in getting certified, as
using organic products in the manufacturing process is more expensive,
thereby reducing profits. Also, because the Cosmetic Industry is
self-regulated, the cosmetic companies can make organic and/or natural
claims, without certification, and no one will challenge them.
Therefore, companies are more likely to go offshore to Europe, Asia or
Oceania for certification. Agencies like the UK Soil Association, or
Ecocert (France), or BDIH (Germany), are more likely to be used, simply
because these countries demand their products be free of toxic material.
In fact, the European Union has banned well over 1000 chemicals in the
cosmetic manufacturing process, while the good old US of A has banned a
mere 10 chemicals. Again, you get the point.

Manufacturers in the US actually lobby against the
removal of toxic ingredients in the manufacturing process claiming that
these products are safe to use. However, recent clinical studies have
shown that many of these toxins are carcinogens, and linked to cancer.
Many lipsticks still contain lead, a highly toxic ingredient with the
highest hazard risk of 10,. provided by the Cosmetic Database, the
largest cosmetic ingredient database in the world. All the products that
are manufactured in the US do not have to pass any pre-market quality
tests to enter the marketplace. Again, the Cosmetic Industry is
self-regulated and what that means is simply this. If a cosmetic company
deems their products to be safe, they can be marketed. It is that
simple and it should be that scary to all consumers!

Organic
cosmetic certification is the best way available for the consumer to
judge the quality of the cosmetics they use, and it is advisable that
one checks this every time one purchases a cosmetic product. The
certification logos will be prominently placed on each product alongside
other logos like recyclable, or biodegradable, or no animal testing,
etc. You must, however, visually see the logo and not take the
manufacturer’s word that the product is natural or organic. They can and
will put anything they want on the product because no one is watching,
and their ultimate goal is to make the sale. They have no interest in
your health. Therefore, in the end, it is buyer beware! Read the labels
and do the research if you want to be assured of buying safe, healthy,
toxic-free cosmetic products.

Though there are many companies that
want to dupe their customers for revenue and profit purposes, it is
also true that there are many other companies that believe in providing
the best, safest, healthiest personal care products. Most of the
companies that want to provide the best products were all natural from
their inception, and most of the companies that want to dupe their
customers are the large manufacturers that place profits before people
and never have any intention of creating all organic and/or natural
personal care products. This is exactly where organic cosmetic
certification comes into play and should be seriously considered before
purchasing any cosmetic product.

Cosmetic history worldwide has gone through a sea of change over
the past few centuries. Today the cosmetic industry is worth over $50
billion, but this was not always the case. Before we study more about
the history of cosmetics, we need to search the origin of cosmetics.
Cosmetics was not a business during its nascent stage and it was solely
used to enhance the look of the facial skin. It all started during the
4th century BC when cosmetics and business were words from two different
worlds.

If we look into the history of cosmetics then we find
that the Egyptians were the precursors of cosmetic use. Here the women
of the upper class used animal fat, scented oils and eye color to give a
real ‘facelift’ to their faces. During its initial years, cosmetics
were restricted to the confines of a room where they were prepared from
natural ingredients. Cosmetics had not yet found any commercial use
though it was exchanged among women.

The western world also
embraced it (though a little late) much to the dissatisfaction of the
Church and Queen Victoria. The use of cosmetics here was more among the
lower class women and this is what slowly gave rise to cosmetics being
manufactured for sale among the common masses. The French were the first
to manufacture cosmetics on a large scale with the use of new and
improved methods. They replaced the dangerous ingredients like copper
and lead with Zinc oxide and other harmless chemicals. This soon
resulted in wide sales of cosmetics and women from the elite as well as
lower classes started to use it for their facial beautification.

The
history of cosmetics changed with the end of World War II and the
industrial growth during the 1940’s, when cosmetics found acceptance
among women from all corners of the world. With the advent of the
electronic media like Television and Radio, things looked really sunny
for the cosmetic industry as actresses wore cosmetic makeup that
attracted the general masses – a huge boost to the sales figures. Soon
more and more women turned it into a habit to wear cosmetic makeup for
almost all occasions.

People, mostly associated with the cosmetic industry,
wanted to manufacture healthier and better products because they did not
treat this as a business but something that even had use in their
homes. Technological advancements made it easier for the companies to
try out different ingredients for their cosmetics and this has also
provided a plethora of options in front of modern consumers. Cosmetic
history worldwide is all about providing the right kinds of cosmetics to
satiate the obsession to look beautiful and remain young..

Nowadays,
the cosmetic industry is not only concentrating on cosmetics for women,
but even providing the metro-sexual males a chance to improve their
facial looks. Today, the world’s cosmetic industry faces a huge demand
and a real challenge in producing good quality cosmetic products. It is
still a highly lucrative business for new entrants, but the challenge
now comes from clinical studies that show the existence of toxic
ingredients that are currently used in the manufacture of cosmetic
products. These ingredients, used over long periods of time, are now
being considered harmful to one’s health. Therefore, the history of
cosmetics today wills evolve into where the industry will go in the
future with this new information that indicates the continuous use of
these toxic ingredients could be harmful to one’s health.

Little
did the Egyptians know then, when they were short of options and they
sat in front of the mirror to use their cosmetics, what challenges would
exist today.