Ecofeminism

Being that I am a collegiate athlete I am constantly working out and constantly sweating. Sweating may be more of an understatement, not to get graphic but let’s say after a days lacrosse practice I am more or less drenched in sweat.Due to the fact that I break out so easily and often as well as sweat I wash my face more than the average Joe. While this may seem all nice, good and clean, I often find my face drying out from the constant washing and it is especially difficult to find that medium in the winter. So when it comes to fash wash, I’ve basically tried every single one on the planet. When I came to Dickinson, one of my teammates mentioned Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser and luckily my face agreed to it. While I tend to switch cleaners from time to time to change things up, recently I’ve been using Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser. But what I never realized or thought about what was in this product and how it could affect my health in any way.

This is it!

When we were presented this project, I decided this cleanser would be useful in investigating the ingredients and health benefits/risks, being that I use it several times a day. So first I needed to do some research because other than liking the product for how it makes my face feel and the convenient size bottle it comes in that allows me to travel with it, I had no idea what was in the product, where the product was made, the impact on the workers involved in creating and manufacturing the product and the impact the factory that has in making the product has on it’s surrounding communities. I started with the when and where. Aveeno first came to be in 1945 when two brothers, Albert and Sidney Musher were interested in human remedies and how they afftected human health. Collaborating with the Mayo Clinic, these two brothers discovered a “natural bath additive containing 100% colloidal oatmeal (“colloidal” means milled to an ultra-fine powder), known for its natural ability to hold in moisture and relieve dry, irritated skin” (Johnson and Johnson Consumer Products). As a child, I remember taking an “Aveeno” bath when I had the chicken pox and have never forgotten that soothing feeling and oatmeal smell and was always curious at how it took the treacherous itch away. So I guess it is not ironic that as a young adult I’ve still stuck with the Aveeno name brand.

I found this image especially ironic and helpful because it demonstrates the other side, the side of products we normally don't see or are not subjected to, like how I was blindsided by the face wash I thought was all-world

Aveeno, like Johnson and Johnson is very focused in created healthy and safe products for consumers and one of the benefits the Aveeno brand holds over others is it’s use of several natural ingredients. The cleanser that I use is primarily composed of soy extracts and salicylic acid to help treat acne. The cleanser is also hypo-allergenic and oil free, which I love being that my skin is very sensitive. All of my research was so relieving and exciting, but the worst was yet to come. When using the SkinDeep data base, I found that this cleanser was ranked a 7 which is very high on the health concern scale (10 being the highest, 1 being the lowest). I couldn’t believe it, after I saw the safety Johnson and Johnson manufacuters took in creating their products and the natural ingredients in the cleanser I thought I was golden. Then I found some more ingredients and health risks…

Health hazards from using this product include, endocrine disruption, eye/skin irritation, persistence and bioaccumulation. Moderate concerns dealt with organ toxicity and neuro toxicity. Two chemicals I had never even heard of that are health risks for organ toxicity are Ethylene Oxide and 1-4 Dioxane. Ethylene Oxide, a human carcinogen runs extremely high under cancer concerns. I found it interesting that studies have shown that 1-4 Dioxane may be a human carcinogen but is still prohibited in the EU and Canada and not the U.S. As a daughter of a 3 time breast cancer survivor, I always felt I was extra careful when it came to the type of deodorants I used and recently the type of make-up. While the factory workers seem to be safe, I certainly am not. Over the course of the past month my exposure to this product has increased being that I am in the heart of my season. With that increased exposure I’m running the risk of ingesting these toxins and am exposing myself to human carcinogens without even knowing it! Starting tonight, I’m finding something more suitable for my health needs and concerns.

Here are my recordings of the products I used during 3 school days:

After doing this report I have definitly become more aware about the products I use and am more interested to know about the ingredients in them. Prior to conducting this experiment I was definitely not aware of how and where the products I use were made, what ingredients they contained, or if they were harmful to me or the environment. I was definitely surprised at how often I wash my hands and am applying face creams and hand creams. I feel that my log in would be much different than a 10 year girl or a 50-year old man. Every person has specific beauty and health concerns and needs and what I’ve realized is those needs are based off of your everyday life and activities. After doing this project, I want to get more involved in researching products before I buy them and making those around me more aware as well. I feel like it’s one of those things we always say we’ll get around to and never do, but this research has truly opened my eyes. I am at risk and more importantly my most prized possesion is at risk, my body! I’m not happy at the amount of different products I use on the day to day and my lack of knowledge about them, but I’m glad I did this log in so that I was able to see the real implications behind these products. I think we define what’s necessary for our everyday lives and thus we decide whether or not we are at risk and if we want to continue using a harmful product. I’ll admit, I’m sad to part with my cleanser but it’s simply necessary. As for other Aveeno products in the future? I’m not so sure being that it’s ironic that their website advocates their recyclable bottles, but don’t they know our bodies are not recyclable?

Sources Used:
 http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/9764…

 https://secure-www.jnj.com/wps/wcm/jsp/c…

 http://www.aveeno.com/facialcare/clear-c…

 http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/a-statement-…