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Benefits
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Benefits
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The World Health Organization estimates that 80 percent of the world’s population depends on herbs and plants to treat many conditions. According to Dr. James F. Balch in his guide to Natural Health, herbalism plays an important role in Asian and Native American healing practices.
Both the terms natural and organic have been commonly used to describe foods that have not been treated by a chemical means. The same terms apply to cosmetics. The term natural relates to substances derived from nature, and organic materials come from plants, herbs, or animals. In describing cosmetic products, these terms are often used interchangeably. It is important to note that while some products may be natural, they may not be organic.
In a report issued by Charles Vinci Products, European governments set higher standards for herb manufacturing than the United States. The report affirms: ” Part of the reason is because Europe has always viewed plants as important sources of medicine. Unlike the U.S. medical establishment, the European medical community never rejected plants as valuable medicinal tools.” In addition, plants and herbs grown in France, for example are not treated with pesticides and often find their way into cosmetic formulations which claim to be of superior quality.
I recently received an announcement about a high-end cosmetics company called “Votre Vu” about to launch a line of skin care products in May. Part of the appeal is the fact that the herbs used, are grown abroad, and therefore will be attractive to those of a purist mentality. The company issued several product fact sheets and I will be sharing more information about the product line in future columns, after I do more investigation and review the brand in more depth.
Many cosmetics companies believe whole heartedly in selecting European standardized herbal extracts because they are sold on the notion that European companies offer a higher level of quality, and they assert that European herbal formulations must be scientifically proven in advance of being thrust into the market.
I’m sure American companies can learn valuable lessons from how European herbal manufacturers operate, but at the same time the appeal of American cosmetic products will always be their accessibility and price points. I’m all for “The year of the drugstore” and the mass marketed products that don’t burn a hole in the pocket, especially in light of the price of gas- even with cosmetics being recognized as recession-proof- budget conscious women may not be so convinced about rigorous European standards.
Jackie O' Neal is a contributing writer for Fabulously40.
What American Companies are going to learn about Votre Vu is that we are not going to formulate with or use these ingredients in our beauty care products ,but are bringing light to companies like this and educating women to Read and Research your beauty care ingredients.
Don’t trust that a company is always telling you the truth.
These are all found in Votre Vu Products......
CYCLOPENTASILOXANE,
DIMETHICONOL
BUTYLPARABEN, ETHYLPARABEN,
SODIUM METHYLPARABEN
PROPYLENE GLYCO
BLUE 1 (CI 42090)
PPG-26-BUTETH-26,
BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE, CETYL ALCOHOL
METHYLCHLOROISOTHIAZOLINONE
ACID RED 18 (CI 16255).
GLYCERYL STEARATE,
Very interesting and important discussion, Jackie and momogirl.
I was doing some research on what our skin absorbs when we put on cosmetics, lotions, or use shampoos and hair conditioners. So if we can find and use products we trust to be truly safe, we‘re going to stand a chance of being much healthier.
Shampoo, for instance, has chemicals in it that are absorbed quickly and directly from the scalp into the bloodstream. Lipsticks - we eat a lot of tubes of them over a lifetime - depending on what’s in them, it’s a scary thought.
I have a personal belief that using products that involve animal suffering (be it animal testing or inclusion of animal ingredients) does damage on a spiritual (and who knows - maybe spiritual eventually makes its way into the physical) level.
Perhaps the best we can each do is check out products we are using - we can check the ingredients through Google searches, we can go to the company’s website, we can go to sites like the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/), or whatever, and just be as concientious as we can. It’s hard to find the perfect cosmetic and the best price - all we can do is our educated best.
Thanks, Jackie, for starting this thread.
Namaste,
Suzann
Makeup Without Cruelty
Hi Jackie and others~
First, let me disclose a few facts about me:
1) I am neither a chemist, biologist, botanist, nor scientist of any sort.
2) I have been a licensed Cosmotologist for 20+ years
3) I was trained at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis, one of the most highly regarded Beauty institutes in the world, where I frequently worked person to person with Horst Rechelbacher, founder of the Aveda Corporation, and one of the most highly regarded Entrepreneurs, Humanitarians, and
Eco-friendly
humans in the world. As a front runner in the development of ayurvedics and aromatherapy in cosmetics and hair care, Horst often spoke, even joked with us about the long scientific names for ingredients which were 100% naturally-derived botanicals!
And finally:
5) I am very proud and excited to be a founding Consultant with Votre Vu, the very company about which you speak and reference above.
With all of that said, and with due respect to momogirl’s comments, I think it’s important to remind consumers that just because an ingredient name cannot be pronounced easily, it is not necessarily harmful to us, nor harmful as an ingredient in the product we might be using. Many ingredients have a multi-syllabic scientific name even though they are naturally derived or organic.
Just as when we enter our physician’s office, we must be advocates for our own personal health (and each of our needs will vary greatly from person to person), we must also advocate for ourselves when it comes to the products we bring into our homes and use on our bodies ~ again keeping in mind that our needs and preferences will vary greatly from person to person. I for one, cannot imagine washing my face with plain tap water and then applying straight petroleum jelly as a moisturizer, but a woman I met the other day, who had the most remarkable skin, swears that this is her simple, daily skin care regimen, passed down through 3 generations of women in her family. I can’t argue with what I saw, so to that I say, “To each her own!”
In this multi-billion dollar industry, I know that there are more than enough consumers to go around for all of the skin care companies out there. Virtually no one I know is 100%, without exception, loyal to one skin care or beauty line. I do question what the comments "...bringing light to
companies like this
..." and "Don't trust that a company is always telling you the truth" really mean. I strongly encourage anyone who wishes to learn more about Votre Vu products (as they seem to be of particular import to these posts) to check out our full ingredients lists, suggested uses, and yes, our beautiful website at:
[Link Removed]
While looking good is important, insofar as it shows the world that we take care of- and have respect for ourselves, far more important is feeling good about who we are. Find products that help you feel good about YOU, as you are now, as you are intended to be, and go out there and be your best YOU!
I look forward to hearing your feedback and welcome your comments on this topic in general and of course, on the FABULOUS NEW Company I represent, Votre Vu!!
Best regards,
Julie
p.s. VV products are never tested on animals Suzann! Namaste to you as well! :)
METHYLPARABEN
This ingredient:Score an 8/10 for TOXIC Skin Care INGREDIENT
*Yes, Cancer
no Developmental/reproductive toxicity
*Yes, strongViolations, restrictions & warnings
*Yes, moderateAllergies/immunotoxicity
no Contamination concerns
noOther strong concerns for this ingredient:
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
no Other moderate concerns for this ingredient:
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Biochemical or cellular level changes
no Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient:
Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Data gaps
[Link Removed] This website is a Great tool to help "Bring Light" and educate yourself on what is safe and healthy and what is toxic in your beauty care products.
I have to agree with momogirl and suzann. Our cosmetics industry is not regulated properly. It’s so common to find companies that claim to be to sooooo organic and so fabulously natural when in reality their ingredient list is junk. I encourage everyone to seek help from Skin Deep (cosmeticdatabase.com). Find out if your skin care company is brave enough to list all of their ingredients in order to get a hazard rating that is published for every consumer to see.
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