Dangerous Beauty!

In a recent online edition of The Earth Times, I came across a press release that indicates that many professionals in the natural beauty industry may be poised to take a giant step forward in establishing standards for that industry. For too many years consumer health has taken a back seat to the bottom line and lack of fortitude on the part of most beauty aid companies.

Here is an excerpt from that press release:

Eli Halliwell, CEO of Jurlique, an independent natural beauty company, was the keynote speaker at the Natural Beauty Summit held in New York on Friday, May 16th. This was the first time the gathering, which previously convened in Paris, had been held in America.

Acknowledging that the natural beauty industry had been characterized in recent weeks by internal controversy over defining standards and certifications, Halliwell called for unity and urged the natural products industry to join together to lobby Washington to ban the ingredients that are considered by natural beauty advocates as dangerous.

This call to action comes at a time when the natural beauty products industry has been struggling to define a standard for natural or organic. Halliwell noted his concern that the industry is not focused on what the consumer wants, or what the consumer ultimately cares about. Halliwell shared with the group that his experience as a CEO and the leader of a company has shown him that the consumer is asking for products that do what they say they will, that are good for them, and that are good for the planet.

Said Halliwell, "Consumers are smart. They can tell when someone in inauthentic and they know good product from bad. Yes, there is certainly value in warning consumers from putting certain ingredients on their skin. And, yes, it is tough for consumers to figure out on their own exactly what is dangerous and what is safe. But spending time trying to define natural or organic is futile and doesn't deliver true value to consumers. The consumer doesn't care. What she cares about is: Does it work? Does it work for me? Is it good for me? Is it good for the Earth?"

Link to the full press release here: http://www.earthtimes.org