Celebrate your Natural Beauty™. Learn about interesting aspects of the cosmetic and beauty industry as they pertain to beauty trends and maintaining skin health and well being in men and women.
Here we are again! Holidays have arrived and the time to shop is definitely shorter than last year. There should never be stress when shopping. Yet watching from afar on the local tv stations and youtube postings, it astounds me the way some people behave all around the country just to grab their free gift with purchase, resorting to shoving, pushing, cussing, tasering and downright brawling against another human being.....woo hoo....Merry Christmas!
The spirit of the season seems to be lost on many and maybe it is just me, but there just seems to be so much insane anger in pursuit of that presumption of a good deal. Unfortunately, many marketing experts have declared that most of the so called deals are available throughout the holidays and the joke is on us.
Personally, I shop from the heart when searching for that special gift for someone and relish this time of year for truly feeling at peace and full of joy, never wanting my holiday to be filled with a feeling of dread. So join me and do your shopping on line and avoid the insanity.
Love My Customers All Year Long
Be relaxed, sip your cup of herbal tea and have your mouse at the ready to shop with us. No waiting, no fighting, and no dealing with grumpy crowds.
As you all know I have free gift offers year round for any customer that wishes to take advantage of them.
However, during this time of year in keeping with the spirit of the season and in gratitude to my loyal ladies and those that are new to my company, Sterling Minerals, I would love to give each and everyone of you that wishes to take advantage of my Holiday Promo, some wonderful FREE gifts to enjoy for yourself or share with a family member or friend.
Unlike the many other deadlines being promoted for cyber Monday, my FREE gift offer will continue throughout the Holidays while supplies last. If we do run out of something in the free offer, we will substitute it with something else equally enjoyable and will update our Holiday Gift page accordingly.
So come one, come all and share in the LOVE this holiday season, and I would like to wish each and everyone a Joyous Holiday.
We are always striving to keep our customers up to date when we learn about the latest info so that you, our valued customers can also be well informed when it comes to your skin health through the use of your mineral makeup products and your skincare.
This info is so important, we will also post this same article in our Beauty News, Specials & Events since we have customers that read one or the other. Yet, we apologize for duplication if you should be a subscriber to both.
Important Mineral Makeup Update In Regard To Sunscreen Regulations
We have updated our "What Is The SPF Of Our Mineral Makeup" page with the latest information as it pertains to new FDA regulations. You'll also learn about what those Skin Cancer Foundation Seals Of Endorsement really mean! So click on the link in the text above to learn more.
Education Center
Our education articles are located in the bottom left corner of our website with easy to navigate titles for giving you fast answers to your questions and we are adding new articles and updating old ones on a regular basis. No more endless searching through past blog posts.
Or you can use our convenient "Search" window at the top right of our website and simply type in your questions.
Two tabs will appear: Products / News & Information in upper left corner. You then click on which tab you prefer as it pertains to your search.
Missing Out On Updates
We have recently learned from some of our customers that they are missing out on our website updates including new products being added and new product photography be implemented.
This is happening because you are holding onto a "cached" version of the site. We all love to add websites to our favorites for immediate retrieval, but unfortunately, this is also why you are missing our product updates which will also include promotions that we will place up front and center on our slide show as you enter the site.
Example: We updated all of our mineral makeup product photography with true to life color and they turned out incredible, yet some customers don't see them and only the old pink framed products because they have stored the individual pages for quick return to shopping in the future.
To Fix: Simply dump the old version from your favorites, organically Google Sterling Minerals and click thru on the main page link then follow through to your product pages and voila, you should now be seeing the latest and greatest updates.
IMPORTANT TIDBIT FOR MOBILE PHONE USERS: If you are shopping using your mobile phone, unless you switch to "FULL SITE" mode (located at the bottom of the webpage on your phone), you too may miss out on our promos and latest updates. So when you can, be sure to at least view us in Full Site Mode for the best possible experience.
Thank you and we hope this latest information continues to serve your needs.
The Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2013 legislation is simply a new premise added onto an old Bill revisiting my industry once again. These proposals have been rewritten so many times the past few years, I have lost count and basically was so sick and tired of all the demagoguery based on mindless supposition and theory, after putting in many hours of research and participation to stop it since it was initiated back in '08, I withdrew from the whole process for a time.
The many different versions fortunately, were so onerous to small manufacturers and with the overreaching regs without scientific evidence to back up the claims offered, it simply couldn't hold any ground for legislators thus far, especially during our economic downturn.
But once again, Jan Schakowsky (D. Ill) and Edward Markey (D. Mass.) are attempting to revive legislation that has been defeated before by creating more regulation based on "no" science evidence but merely, supposition, theory and what we call the "precautionary principle." If we suspect harm, we must ban!
In this newest piece of legislation, these two state Reps are claiming, "it will close major loopholes in the federal law that allows companies to use ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products known to damage human health and the environment.”
Show Me The Science Please!
But to date, there literally has been no peer reviewed science presented to back up the claim; products in our industry have and / or will cause harm to the end user, when the fact of the matter is, they have been used safely for decades. Nor is it any personal care products manufacturers intent to cause harm to the public, let alone use anything remotely toxic for human consumption. Many studies have been published including those by the EPA, which verify and have shown testing on animals, such as mice, does not extrapolate to humans. Furthermore, the dosages are so extremely high in order to cause harm, that no average consumer will ever be exposed to such a dose once, much less over a lifetime. I have provided in previous articles these studies as pertained to past attempts of legislation to over regulate our industry.
At PCT (Personal Care Truth) they have provided a neat breakdown of other attempts of regulations, outlining the major points of the legislation known as H.R.4262 Cosmetics Safety Enhancement Act of 2012 and H.R. 4395 Cosmetic Safety Amendments Act of 2012. These of course never went anywhere, but it bears repeating that this is an ongoing concern for the personal care products and cosmetic industry. Also feel free to further explore PCT for science data and factual research based on evidence only, not fear or paranoia brought about by certain self proclaimed officials (NGO's).
An overview below is an initial outline of what they are trying to accomplish, yet the final draft on this has yet to be seen.
Cosmetic and Ingredient Testing and Safety: FDA would establish a list of ingredients prohibited from being used in cosmetics. This includes carcinogens and reproductive and developmental toxins.
Post Market Testing: Requires the Secretary of HHS to conduct annual random sample tests for pathogens or contaminants in cosmetic products.
Registration of Cosmetic Companies and Registration Fees: Cosmetics companies would be required to register with FDA and pay a registration fee based on annual gross receipts or sales. Small businesses with less than $2 million in revenues from cosmetics would be exempt from registration; businesses with less than $10 million in revenues from cosmetics would be exempt from registration fees.
Market Restrictions: Provides the FDA with recall authority for products that are misbranded, adulterated, or otherwise fail to meet the safety standard and can request a voluntary recall or order the ceasing of distribution of any such cosmetic product.
Mandatory Reporting of Adverse Health Effects: Cosmetic manufacturers, packagers, and distributors would have to provide the FDA with reports of adverse health effects associated with the use of a cosmetic.
Worker Issues: Requires companies that manufacture cosmetics for salon use to provide information on any health hazards linked with those cosmetics.
States Rights: States may set more stringent standards.
Without seeing the final draft, it is hard to say what direction they are trying to take this, however based on these initial outlines the "States Rights" portion is still problematic.
The Negative Impact This Could Have On Our Industry
Although the entire industry standard has always been about providing safe products for consumers, allowing states to set possibly stricter standards will be far overreaching and detrimental. This is where the incredible, onerous paperwork would begin. My mineral makeup and skincare products are sold globally, yet primarily in the U.S. and to perhaps require me now to have different labeling practices, or different formulating practices, etc. so I can sell to various states...I mean can you imagine? This will make it impossible at not only accomplishing any continued success due to the time an money it will take, but make many entrepreneurs either say "oh forget this" or won't even be able to start up at all due to the financial obligations it will require to accomplish this major task as it is written in the legislation.
California is a prime example and epitomizes the overreach of their state government of continually trying to take away free choice in the market place through a belief of harm when there actually is minimal to none under this context. I have many customers in this state who love our products and with the stroke of the pen over an ideology of something they deem hazardous without science or by ignoring it, can literally prevent customers in this state from further receiving our products if they are determined to target the latest ingredient as unsafe, whatever it may be. In fact, Titanium Dioxide is under consideration for being added to Prop. 65. This is a main sun blocking agent found in the majority of mineral makeup products.
Other states can follow similar legislation if the current legislation above is passed. This is not a question as to me being overly concerned since this is no joke or something I am just bloviating about. Simply refer to the Dunkin' Donuts issue over something as simple as Coffee and the natural constituent it has within the coffee bean, known as "Acrylamide". This article is quite telling and other links are provided with continued research done and the conclusions to that research. Basically, the Swedish study was overblown and inaccurate, yet look at the harm it caused multiple industries in the state of California.
Starbucks and other food companies were sued as well over this ingredient and labeling practices based on how their current legislation reads, allowing zealots to become litigious even without any proof of harm or without even using the product, just based on a label they research and finding noncompliance.
Acrylamide isn't added, but is naturally occurring, and coffee has been shown in multiple studies as to its' many health benefits, such as reducing stroke, colon cancer, heart disease and many other forms of cancer. This type of targeting of ingredients based on theory rather than on the practicality or science of products we have used for generations, safely, is unfortunate for many consumers. Frankly, I'll keep drinking my cup of Joe for the health benefits it is proven to provide to the coffee drinker.
Food Police....Just The Real Facts (Science) Please
There are certainly many foods you may want to avoid with elevated levels of this constituent if you are concerned, but to avoid it overall in our diets, is next to impossible, especially when this ingredient is also found in lower levels in Apples, Broccoli, Asparagus, Green Beans, Spinach, Cherries, Carrots, Onions, Potatoes, Olives, Cocoa (chocolate), Plums and Prunes, to name a short list. Should we ignore the obvious health benefits of these foods to override undue fear of a tiny amount of constituent they contain?.....
I pause and wonder, why are food growers exempt from having this label? Clearly there is a certain amount of hypocrisy in these regs. So basically, you can eat the food containing lead or acrylamide under Prop 65, but you can't use it in a skincare product without testing it first for the safe levels allowed, or you must place the prop 65 warning label on the item. Last I checked, ingesting a chemical of concern is far more likely to cause harm than smearing it on your skin which is actually an impermeable barrier to protect the body. When it comes to our government, this type of obtuse thinking has absolutely baffled me.
Let me state however, most of the foods with elevated levels of Acrylamide, we shouldn't be eating anyway based on the other well known health problems they cause with consumption of these same foods. Some interesting facts and figures about this constituent and how it is formed are in the links below:
I believe that Prop. 65 was headed in the right direction for a safer environment and to reduce hazardous chemical use when it was created back in 1986, and I am all in for reducing environmental toxins, but only unless and until the scientific evidence supports the objective. But unfortunately, through the proposals and passing of amendments of the original legislation, pushed by power hungry, ambitious NGO's, unscrupulous parties have exploited Prop. 65 by those wanting to make a buck or push an environmental agenda against certain ingredients which can also contain constituents in question, and then trying to extrapolate harm through a theory rather than from actual science.
Basically, to show a further example as it relates to this latest cosmetic and personal care products act; acrylamide can be found in cocoa butter which is used in many skincare products for application on the skin. So because of Prop. 65, as I understand it, if this ingredient along with its' constituent is being used, supposedly a warning label is required on the product in the state of California which reads:
And any amount seems to trigger the Prop. 65 regulation. Again, an ingredient applied to the skin does not extrapolate to causing harm or injury of similar in the same way as something we may ingest or inhale, but the personal care product containing a questionable ingredient would be affected nonetheless based on California mandate. For me, this is government run amok beyond best intentions. And it worries me to say the least since my wonderful customers in California and others should this spread federally, could have their personal choice be removed of enjoying the many benefits our mineral makeup and skincare products offer to the consumer.
On Google images you can view a virtual sea of Prop. 65 warning labels as they pertain to many industries. After looking at these, it strikes me as odd that California State Legislators are declaring some sort of omnipotence over its citizens as to what is best for all, and overkill on warning about the possibility of harm which in turn will more than likely create an apathetic public due to this bombardment. Basically becoming ineffectual! Consumers will want what they want and will recognize the absurdity this has become based on how Prop. 65 went from a good cause to being grossly abused.....but the final question is, at what cost to everyone?
Key Points Of Why Legislation Similar to Prop 65 Would Cause Undue Hardship To Small Business
For one, putting the warning label on a product is not required if the amount of the identified hazardous chemical is below the danger level. But, without the government’s classification of the allowable level, it is the business’ responsibility to find out what the level is using acceptable scientific methods. This would mean additional expense and effort for the business owner. This alone would add cost to products which will be passed on to the consumer or wipe out the business altogether if this cost is absorbed by the company. Ultimately this is a lose, lose proposition.
Secondly, when a certain product has the warning sign, it may be because the manufacturer chose to put it on due to the chemical being actually present, even without verifying if it has exceeded the safe level or if it may even be zero. The business owner would rather include the warning rather than risk violating the law or spending effort and money to determine a chemical’s safety level. Also a tact they may choose to implement in order to avoid being sued by litigators who have nothing better to do than destroy cottage industry.
Thirdly, it is not a violation of Prop 65 to post a warning, however unnecessary. These warning signs have become so commonplace that consumers don’t take notice anymore and it loses its purpose to educate and inform them. Hence the reason they are now ineffectual to say the least and consumer safety is not actually improved at all.
Fourthly, now instead of growing a business or working on creation of personal care and cosmetic products, onerous research and inordinate amounts of time will be spent keeping tabs on all 50 states making sure they have not added some new piece of legislation or named some new chemical or its' constituent, whether it be synthetic or natural, to the list deemed unsafe or causing harm. Without this knowledge, a company could end up being in noncompliance. Remember Dunkin' Donuts?
Beyond Comprehension
Maybe it's just me, but when I see states legalizing Marijuana and people treating it like the next best thing since McDonalds, basically ignoring and violating federal law themselves, but yet legislators want federal law with this latest proposed upcoming legislation, stipulating states can impose stricter regulations, it just seems to me our state and federal governments don't have a clue.
They only seem to do what feels good at the moment instead of comprehending the all encompassing ramifications this type of regulation will cause to many entrepreneurs and consumers alike. And quite frankly, I am at a loss ....yet still believe, allow the consumer to choose best for their families with their hard earned dollar. Stop over regulating job creators right out of business or policing our decisions as to which products to buy by eliminating them altogether through overreaching regulation..... that is NOT Consumer Freedom!
The LA Times wrote an article about Prop 65 showing two sides of this argument and attorney Lisa Halko has it correct. She clearly shows the argument with the problem of targeting constituents of an ingredient (natural or otherwise as natural products will not be exempt) or foodstuff and this is what the personal care products and cosmetic industry as a whole knows will come to pass at a federal level.
Rep. Markey's and Rep. Schakowsky's are proponents for the law, yet their ongoing proposals and statements are full of innuendo and as overstated as they are, in my opinion, are designed to scare consumers since I reiterate......Where is the SCIENCE? And as consumers, we too should be demanding they show us the science, not base an entire summary of harm on the "precautionary principle."
Until the final draft, the key points listed look tame initially, but review the links above on past proposed legislation to see how onerous and out of touch this legislation would have been as it relates to financial harm. And the drafts were created out of skewed science and research provided by NGO's such as the Environmental Working Group and The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to create hyperbole. It has been these sister organizations M.O. to find and locate and then cherry pick a non peer reviewed single study, twist it and use it for their financial gain, ignoring all other actual peer reviewed research studies which refute the Swedish study, such as Acrylamide shown in the Dunkin' Donuts link above, since the true and correct science would not fit with their agenda. Scaring consumers is big business and business is GOOD it seems!
With each passing day of new regulations becoming commonplace, our government contributes to a stifling environment not conducive to the needs and growth of small businesses anymore. They literally are making it more difficult to next to impossible for start-ups to even gain a foothold, and the future of our industry is in the proverbial cross hairs of our federal and state legislators as I conclude this article. (sigh)
As all of my customers know, our mineral makeup foundation formulas and our Evening Rose Veil, all contain a generous portion of Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba Seed Oil). It is literally what helps contribute to balancing skin sebum, (oil production) and maintains the pH balance of skin while leaving the face feeling velvety soft, never greasy or oily. It is one of the key ingredients that gives our mineral foundation and mineral veil that fluffy, crumbly looking texture, and why our minerals meld so beautifully to the skin, creating a flawless finish.
The best part is, the Jojoba Oil we use is Organically Grown, Cold Pressed and Unrefined. Due to its characteristics, it has an indefinite shelf life since it is actually a wax ester and not a vegetable oil, so it will not turn rancid and is not subject to oxidation. Our oil is 100% pure and is the only oil found to have the closest affinity with the skin. It is soothing to those with acne, rosacea and sebborheic dermatitis.
Women with any skin type can use Jojoba, including those with oily skin. Jojoba oil is a powerful anti-oxidant and is rich in Vitamin E, Vitamin C and contains minerals of Chromium, Copper, and Zinc. Perfect for aging, delicate skin.
It mimics our own sebum, and will act as a replacement for the loss of natural oils and collagen as our skin matures, making it excellent for fighting wrinkles. It aids in smoothing surface roughness, flakiness and fine lines. It further aids in reinforcing your skins outer layer, (the Epidermis) and when melded with the skins natural oils aids in reducing further moisture loss, keeping skin soft and supple.
Knock Me Over With A Feather
What my ladies may not know is, Jojoba Oil is suffering from global shortages and is becoming literally a challenge to find from our distributors, essentially forcing us to look elsewhere once more. Just any Jojoba Oil will not do. It is our pledge to continue with the certified organically grown version in order to maintain continuity in our formulations.
Due to this shortage, Jojoba Oil has gone through the roof in price. You think a gallon of gas is causing sticker shock at the pumps as it continues to edge up?.....
How about.....are you ready.....$384.00 per gallon for our precious Jojoba oil.....consider me knocked over with a feather.....followed by mini heart attack.....I know.....right?.....INSANE!
This used to be one of our less expensive ingredients, but not anymore since this price has nearly tripled in the past 4 years, serving up a hefty helping of stock piling when we can. We try to do this in order to delay the inevitable increase we will see again as Jojoba continues to grow in demand within the cosmetic and skin care industry.
My Precious
Again, as my ladies understand and enjoy the incredible finish and silken texture they achieve for their skin, is it any wonder they refer to their mineral makeup as "precious" to them?
With this huge spike in cost, just think, your Sterling Minerals Cosmetics are not only the holy grail for you and many others, but if we look at the precious commodity of what contributes to perfection, then as Sterling Minerals customers, you really are holding Liquid Gold in your hand.....Holy Shnikeys!
For many years now the public has become concerned about toxic levels of lead in our environment, such as in old homes, paints, water pipes, etc. Then NGO's turned their attention to the cosmetic and skincare industry. Digging as deep as they can to turn up every trace element that can be found in our beauty products.
The problem with their supposition, as always, they try to extrapolate this problem to things we find in our environment and drinking water to somehow being able to cause harm through skin penetration or miniscule amounts that may be licked off, all for a cause without precedent or merit.
I have written many articles showing the science, such as nano particles, penetration enhancers, EPA Report, and every scientific data I am able to include within these articles, to bring an accurate synopsis to contradict the theories the EWG and CFSC have been purporting....they still don't have the science.
What we need to remember, lead is ubiquitous and is found in our soil, water, food, air, etc. It can and will never be completely removed from our lives as hard as we may try. Yes we can avoid it whenever possible, by making good choices, but we drink more allowable lead in our drinking water than what we would find in our cosmetics. And lead found in soil is taken up by the plants we ingest (fruits and vegetables), it is simply a fact of nature.
Lead In Lipstick
Due to the publicity of lead in our environment and the CDC reporting there is never a safe level for lead contaminants, and they along with advocates would prefer "zero", especially in pregnant women and small children, CFSC set their sights on the cosmetic industry and in particular, lipstick.
Testing some 33 name brand products in 2007, initially to prove that lead was found in lipstick, basically to make their argument and to sell books implying that lipstick is killing us ever so slowly.
Now ordinarily one may be concerned based on the CDC's recommendations on having "zero" lead in all things, but at the same time the realization is, this can never happen.
The EPA's allowable levels of lead in our drinking water is 15 parts per billion. And let me make it perfectly clear, lead is not added to lipstick, but is a natural contaminant that occurs from ingredients used in the making of lipsticks, particularly "red" lipstick due to certain colorants used.
The EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for lead in drinking water of 0.015 mg/L, or 15 parts per billion, as the legally enforceable standard that applies to public water systems.
I know one thing for sure, I have yet to meet or know of anyone who ingests a gallon of lipstick per day....now when this comes down to the day "pigs fly", I hardly see any concern for consumption of an inordinate amount of lead to be consumed, let alone absorbed, even if you live to be thousand, there poses little risk of lead exposure through your favorite lipstick.
FDA Expands It Report
The FDA recently published the latest information on the levels of lead found in lipstick, and they tested and studied more than 400 lipsticks and chose those based on the market share they controlled, nationally. Since this would obviously reach a larger demographic of women, hence a higher exposure to the contaminant, supposedly.
The FDA also used a private, independent laboratory for their testing known as Frontier Global Sciences in Seattle, WA. I'm assuming to protect the findings from the NGO's screaming "vested interest."
There were some in the beauty industry fighting the claims that the lead found in lipstick at the ratios which fell well below that of candy, were far safer and were at a lower risk since we eat candy and not our lipstick. The FDA of course does not support this claim and I also found it to be a poor analogy. The FDA-recommended upper limit for lead in candy is 0.1 ppm. It is not scientifically valid to equate the risk to consumers presented by lead levels in candy, a product intended for ingestion, with that associated with lead levels in lipstick, a product intended for topical use and MAYBE ingested in minute quantities than that of candy. Therefore, the risk is even further minimized.
Also, it was important for the FDA to do updated testing to make sure things had either improved, got worse, or no change. No matter what some say about the inefficiency of the FDA, they strictly regulate all colorants used in food, drug, cosmetics and LIPSTICK. The Safety of Colorants is very important in this regard since many of them are also ingested and not just used to make us look pretty.
Some Still Scream Foul
Of course the CFSC are now screaming "told you so", and are incorrectly skewing the values to make their argument stronger, when in reality, no one has ever denied that this contaminant can be found in most of the large commercial brands of lipsticks. It was denying the accusation of adding lead to lipstick as though it was a "must have" ingredient to make lipstick. This was typically skewed and vague information and / or never corrected by the CFSC, that it was simply a contaminant of another ingredient. It was imperative to their agenda to allow the consumers to be under the misconception that manufacturers were adding lead to lipsticks. After all this would generate more buzz and accumulate more followers of classic phenom as the blind leading the blind. But the actual numbers of lead contamination are so small that looking to lipstick as the reason of what is killing us, is so far overreaching, it becomes comical.
We will consume far more lead in our lifetimes through the ingestion of foods and our drinking water, that lipstick shouldn't even be on our radar as a main cause for concern. True Red lipstick's colorants seem to have the highest level of lead found due to the colorants used (dyes and lakes), so if one is truly concerned, avoid this color altogether. There are many other beautiful colors besides RED lipstick. Also many ingredients used to formulate the large commercial brands have a higher incidence of lead, but where the concern lies according to the FDA, is with overseas manufacturing where there is no regulation for this contaminant and then is imported to the U.S. However, there are some U.S. manufacturers providing some products which contain some trace element of lead.
You can read the chart within the FDA Report link I provided above as to the companies which contain the highest levels of lead to the lowest. Cosmeticsinfo.org also offers further lead information in cosmetics.
Scientists and Chemists Sound Off
Forbes did an article on the expanded report by the FDA and this began a buzz with chemists and scientists explaining how the lead was extracted to get the results the FDA provided, and the actual mathematical analysis on true risk involved. Emails were exchanged and I would like to share with you some of the facts involved in the study.
Once again Stacy Malkin, Lobbyist, Co-founder of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Author (non Science) of Not Just A Pretty Face, responded to the article and as usual over dramatized and inflated the risks to again continue to create fear in women. One of the chemists from the UK, Dene Godfrey, had an email exchange with other scientists and responded to her comment in full detail. You may recognize him from past guest articles he wrote in my blog. You can read the exchange on the link above in Forbes.
Dene Godfrey is past President at the Society of Cosmetic Scientists in the United Kingdom and has over 28 years experience of preservation of personal care products in technical and commercial roles, including NPD (New Product Development). He has a degree in chemistry.
What is important to note, is about how lead is assimilated by the body so as to understand how the body might handle lead found in lipstick.
Email response by Colin Sanders from the UK. He has been a formulator of cosmetic and topical pharmaceuticals for 27 years. Over that time he has formulated nearly every category of product including shampoos, cosmetic skin creams, pharmaceutical skin creams, face masks, lip balms and so on. He has been an active member of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists since 1985 and in 1999 organized the first of the Formulate shows. His degree is in environmental science and he continues to take a keen interest in the impact of human activities on the planet. He regards himself as an environmental activist and all round green.
"The lead is bound up in mineral particles making it hard for the body to absorb it. If you look at the test method the FDA were using they were extracting it using hydrofluoric acid. On top of that the particles are coated with wax. And the amount applied for all but the most dedicated lipstick lover is tiny. And only a fraction gets ingested anyway. And even then, the levels measured were below WHO guidelines for drinking water.
I think it is safe to conclude that lipsticks are safe even with the levels of lead measured in the second study."
Another Email response by Perry Romanowski who has over 18 years experience formulating products to solve consumer problems in the personal care and cosmetic industry. He is also an author who has published extensively about the field of cosmetic science. He is currently Vice President of Brains Publishing which specializes in science education. Perry received his B.S. in Chemistry from DePaul University. He has written and edited numerous articles and books, teaches Society of Cosmetic Chemists continuing education classes in cosmetic science.
"The other thing neglected is that the amount of lead in lipstick would only matter if it were bio-available. I attended a talk by a scientist who was explaining what they had to do to analyze the amount of lead in lipstick. They needed to use the most potent acid available (HF) to dislodge the lead because HCl was not strong enough.
This essentially means that even if the lead from lipstick gets in your body, there is no mechanism by which it would interact with your body metabolism."
In all the exchanges, too many to list so I chose the most relevant, much was learned, but the key issue is the FDA found no health risk in the ppm amount measured and this is echoed by Health Canada as well. Despite the reports and the support of agencies having independent testing done, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics continues a diatribe of disinformation and scare tactics. Furthermore, the irony of CFSC arguing "just take the lead out", I have to ask, what about their compact signers?...... since there are two of them listed on the FDA report as containing low levels of lead contaminant.....interesting.
Our New Lip Colors
For those that still remain concerned, we of course strive for an excellent product, so we are pleased to announce that our newly formulated lip colors are now available. They of course, are far improved and the colors are rich and beautiful.
Furthermore, our lab has only certified the pigments used to be free from lead. Our colorants are provided by reputable suppliers that ensure the mineral pigments have been purified from heavy metals. Our lip pigments were also third party tested to verify they pass for safety.
But with that, also realize that many pigments utilized by commercial brands may not necessarily create the lead issue. Coal Tars were popular originally for creating dyes and lakes and these were heavily contaminated with lead. Most of today's colorants come from petroleum based formulations, whereby removing much of the concern. Other colorants favored are micas and iron oxides.
Dyes and lakes must be used in order to get those vibrant, flamboyant colors....colorants we will continue to steer clear of and provide only beautiful, deep, soft, rich colors through the use of micas and iron oxides.
Where we may still see some slight contamination, is the lead bound in soil from where plant extracts are taken and then utilized in cosmetics. So by today's standards, removal of lead completely may be near impossible depending on synthetic or natural ingredients used, especially when there are allowable safe amounts designated by many health organizations including WHO (World Health Organization). With this latest knowledge, I feel comfortable advising to continue to enjoy using your favorite lipstick.....or not....the choice is always yours.
Just wanted to spread the word on the latest study performed by scientists in Switzerland and Australia. Many still question the safety of certain nano particles, including those that involve our sunscreen ingredients such as Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide.
As some may remember, I reported on the EPA findings as they related to many versions of Titanium Dioxide and the information was quite telling, basically finding it quite safe for topical application. For those that missed these articles, they are provided in the links below:
Well now it seems we can breathe easier when it comes to nano size Zinc Oxide as well. Even though we don't use nano particles in our mineral makeup products, the concern that so many have and those that wish to continue to spread fear about this, the science stares us squarely in the face. As I have tried to convey for several years based on past scientific studies, nano particles do not penetrate into the skin and are not absorbed by the body as many of the watchdog groups wish us to believe. This latest research only provides more concrete proof of the safety of these ingredients.
Clicking on the link below will provide the full article.
In Summary: Scientists in Switzerland and Australia have developed a way to optically test the concentration of zinc oxide at different skin depths using laser imaging in an attempt to answer safety questions over nanoparticles used in sunscreen.
Now For More Great News
Our mineral makeup foundation was listed in the Top Five list for 2011 for best foundation in Truth In Aging magazine. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised and honored by their recognition of our minerals. Furthermore, the samples of our products were not provided "Gratis", but were purchased by one of the authors unbeknownst to us, which of course makes the review all the more fantastic, clearly showing no bias toward our products, and that I LOVE!
The excerpt reads: Sterling Minerals Rose Petal Foundation ($25 from Sterling Minerals). Beloved by Julie Kay, Sterlings loose mineral foundation promises to never streak, fade, slide or maximize your wrinkles. Although I'm not a big fan of mineral powders, I tried this out and found that it does live up to its promises. Light deflecting boron nitride and rice starch trick the eye, while the ingredients are friendly to sensitive skins.
For the complete article you can view it at Five Best Foundations, plus clicking on links will take you to past articles written about our products and to tell you little bit about the author and tester extraordinaire.
Thanks Ladies and to Truth In Aging for still loving Sterling Minerals products, even two years later.
Minor correction on ingredients that they listed for accuracy and to clarify we have 3 formulas:
Dewy Rose Petal™ – Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Boron Nitride, Methicone, Mica, Kaolin Clay, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Allantoin, Iron Oxides [CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499], Ultramarines [CI 77007].
Delicate Rose Petal™ – Ingredients: Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Boron Nitride, Methicone, Mica, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Allantoin, Iron Oxides[CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499], Ultramarines[CI 77007].
Velvet Rose Petal™ – Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Boron Nitride, Kaolin Clay, Methicone, Mica, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Allantoin, Iron Oxides [CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499] , Ultramarines [CI 77007].
Well that's it for our science update and exciting business news. Hope everyone is enjoying the Holiday Season.
During the past couple of days I have been working with my techie department on adding another feature to "Sterling Minerals Skin Care Guide" and "Beauty News, Specials and Events", along with it eventually getting added to our website.
In the course of doing this, some test blogs were published with just a title and a one liner silly sentence. Even though these were deleted, they still published in RSS feeds, but did not go into mail inboxes.
I have placed a feature for Sharing on my blogs and eventually on my mineral makeup and skincare website, making it easier to share with others or save articles or products you enjoy. At the bottom of each article there are buttons for "Favorites", "Twitter", "Facebook", "Email", plus a box for additional share features that you may enjoy. These do not translate over to all RSS feeds, it depends on what reader you are using. In Email, these same buttons also don't translate over, however we have always offered at the bottom of the article some sharing features, including Facebook and Email.
If you wish to use them at anytime, simply click on the title of the blog post, and it will take you directly to the original blog.
She's Gone Loopy! Despite me going through the change, I can assure you I haven't gone loopy, bonkers maybe.....but never loopy. I find at times when I write my blogs, that some grammar seems strange, or a paragraph makes absolutely no sense at all....in fact sometimes I don't even know what side of the brain was awake that day to create something so garbled.
Of course I set out to change it and correct it as soon as I see past the brain fog, but sometimes it doesn't get fixed until after the article has been delivered to everyone's RSS feed and inboxes.
Sometimes, I think in my brain I have explained it quite well, until I receive an email from a reader, asking me, "what did you just say here?"
It makes perfect sense to me, but to some, it is a confusing mess. You know how it is when your brain goes faster than you can type? The same thing happens when I proof read over and over.....I see the words in my mind, but then all of a sudden it pops out at me, grammatical error doesn't even begin to describe it.....(scratches head)
Never Hesitate
If when reading my articles, you see something that confuses you or strikes you as odd, never hesitate to drop me a line and let me know something is amiss with the article. Trust me, I will very much appreciate it.....after all I don't wish to let the entire universe think I've busted a gasket or something....just know it is probably a "hot flash" or lack of sleep, or one of my 7 dwarfs has reared it's ugly head for a split second.
However, I will continue to strive to be "loopy" free!
Well I am finally able to sit down and get this weeks blog out after a great few days at the tradeshow and getting caught up with my office duties. The Natural Products Expo was a fantastic experience, meeting so many great people. The energy in the place was incredible, in fact so much so, that on our first day we were completely overwhelmed. We sort of had that "deer caught in the headlights" day....but I am getting ahead of myself.
You'll find links throughout the article so you can visit their pages for the full experience.
Once we arrived in Anaheim, we took our shuttle to our hotel, the Park Vue Inn. After settling in, we then had to go to a clothing store immediately before dinner, since the temps exceeded the predictions and I was roasting with no other lightweight pants packed. But all was not lost since I stumbled on the cutest shop called "Fresh Produce" within the Garden Walk. There I found the most comfortable, cute pants, which I proceeded to change into and wear for the remainder of the evening. They were like wearing a feather and were perfect for the next day which would also promise to be hot. We then proceeded to dinner in the Garden Walk Mall and ate at the California Pizza Kitchen. Fantastic food and we enjoyed a balmy evening of dining on their patio. We then enjoyed a leisurely stroll back to our hotel.....glorious evening it was, relishing every moment.
As for our hotel, it just so happened to be right across the street from Disney's main gate. This place was perfect, clean, close to everything, including many restaurants, and they took good care of us the entire time we were there. In fact they had a gift basket waiting for us in our room when we arrived with fruits, snacks and a bottle of wine. We were staying in their King suite with Jacuzzi which included a safe for valuables. Very quiet place and they provided bottled water to the guests at no charge. The maids were in fact so honest, don't know if a safe was even necessary by our experience, because when we left a $10.00 tip on the nightstand for them the second day, it was still sitting there when we returned at days end. The next morning we left them a note that said "housekeeping," and happily it was taken this time. I would highly recommend this hotel for anyone visiting the Anaheim area.
We spent our first day in Disneyland having a superb time, relaxing, eating, soaking up the warmth (80's), watching all the little kids and getting on as many of the rides as we could....wait time for most of the day was a walk right on or 15 minutes. I mean, do you see any people in that picture to the right? .....and this is center court. (Perfection if you have a limited stay) Sadly to say, my favorite ride just happened to be closed for refurbishment....yep, my Splash Mountain was shut down. There were also many other attractions that were being updated on Mainstreet and New Orleans, so no access, and this carried on throughout the park. So unfortunately, the park was muddied a bit with construction fences and scaffolding, not the park I remembered. They are in the process of building a new park in Disneyland, and from what we could see of the construction, it was going to be huge.
We tried to last until closing time which was 8 pm but we tuckered out by 6 pm, so off to the hotel we went. Also on Friday and Saturday nights, they do the Fireworks display and I kid you not, we felt like we were in Beirut. These things are so loud, they literally set off car alarms around the area. It was comical, but clearly conveyed to me, I would not want to live near the happiest place on earth....I had no idea. One of the hotel staff told me she lives over a mile away and they can still hear the thunderous booms....not so happy place I guess if you are a resident. Timing of this trip couldn't have been better also since they have been having nothing but colder weather since we got back home....so we got our dose of sunshine....ahhh!
Stunning Display
The next day we walked to the Convention Center to get registered and donned our badges, which we wore around our necks, and proceeded into the huge building that sported over 3000 vendors on the main level and downstairs. We ambled about, staring in wide eyed amazement at the displays, the booths and the vast diversity of products in every category of cosmetics, skincare, grocery, raw materials, packaging, natural foods, restaurants, bakeries, the list was endless. If it was natural or eco friendly, it was there in full display. We also had the enjoyment of dodging through over 55,000 people on the first day alone...exceeding there total numbers in just the first day from last years entire show....can you imagine?
In the Health and Beauty section, there were plenty of cosmetics, skincare and personal care products at the show, but I only located a handful of mineral makeup companies, several of which I had never heard of before.
By the time we walked this building the first day, our dogs were barkin' and we felt as though we did not execute our game plan of making contacts. We just kind of stared, awestruck and anxious of missing out on anything..... a whole lot of walking and staring with little accomplished. Others in my industry warned us this would happen when experiencing our first tradeshow of this magnitude. After all it is the world's largest.
New Game Plan
That night we rested and regrouped and sat down to make a game plan for the following day...our last day before jetting home again. The stakes were high and we had to have a new plan of attack....I hear the "Rocky" movie theme in my head right now.
We loaded up with business cards neatly packed away in our bags and headed again to the show, this time taking a cab to save on our feet, plus I got out of my wedges and put on my Tevas for this plan of attack.
This day was not as congested with people, but plenty of visitors still arriving. But the best part was, the booths weren't so crowded as the day prior, so it allowed us to visit and chat up with some of the vendors and actually meet some reps in the process.
We sucked it up, got focused, approached many people and remained true to our goals, which allowed us to learn more about tradeshows, their benefits and to meet others in the industry of redistribution. We learned a ton and met some great peeps.
Hey who's that guy and why is he hitting on me?
Surprisingly enough we met Fabio, and we found him to be extremely personable and looking fantastic at 52. Still packing nothing but muscle, the man was a powerhouse. He was promoting nutritional supplements he created.
Must remain focused.....we continued on and ran into reps on the floor wandering about, and they happily approached us by reading the badges around our necks. We exchanged business cards, took some pictures, and relaxed more with the process. Our excitement and energy now matched that of those at the show.
Get 'Er Done!
After we did a lot of networking, we then proceeded to enjoy the many other offerings, such as food and drink at the tradeshow. So much food and so little time. They gave us samples to put in our bags and haul home for later enjoyment.
My favorite products I sampled and purchased after we returned home were: All products are hyperlinked to their respective pages with some coupon offers as well.
Sunbutter ~ a natural non peanut butter, made from sunflower seeds. Smooth and creamy and tastes unbelievably fantastic.
Nutorious ~ a dehydrated confection snack made from dried fruits and nuts. Watch the calories though, they sneak up on you.
Alexia Potatoes ~ Delicious sweet potato fries with different seasonings available. They also make other great products, including standard fries. Love these.
PopChips ~ a type of potato chip with half the calories, and they have them in favorite flavors like traditional potato chips...mmmm barbecue is my weakness.
Chobani Yogurt ~ Yum can only describe this thick and rich Greek style yogurt with fruit on the bottom. Simply to die for. Great dessert substitute and the calories are not too bad.
Food For Lovers Vegan Queso ~ A non cheese Queso dip or sauce that, I am telling you, tastes exactly like the real deal without cheese or the calories. Smooth and creamy and a bit of kick.
The list goes on, such as products from bakeries, sauces and dips, vegan meats dishes, drinks to quench your thirst and provide vitamins or antioxidants. And yes there were even things I sampled that were hard to swallow or curled your toes, and if that is healthy then I'd rather be "blech." I had to strain not to make a face in front of the rep presenting their sample so as not to offend. So not everything tasted the best.
All in all, the second day went far better for us and felt we had accomplished our mission. Although the tradeshow continued on through Sunday, we would be headed home, plus we were told the show pretty much winds down after Saturday.
After the show at days end, hubby and I took a breather by the gorgeous main fountain at the entrance before trekking back to the hotel for the day, since our feet were still feeling much better than the day before. Thank you Teva's......it was a great and fun experience overall.
Back To Reality
Well we were up at 4 am getting ready to catch our shuttle back to the airport, oh and btw, we also were blessed with the one hour time change that weekend, so this was like getting up at 3 am.
Headed to the airport, got our tickets and proceeded through security to only be stopped on our return of being told my drivers license had expired. How come I traveled to L. A. with no problems, but when leaving I get busted?....So one more task I needed to take care of once I got home.....like I don't have enough to do....and hey security lady, don't bring me down. My hubby whipped out another form of I.D. with my name on it, so she graciously let us through.
All Caught Up
So after our return on Sunday, we headed straight to bed and stayed there until the next morning where we got busy getting caught up with paperwork, getting orders finished up and out, and got back on schedule of keeping things moving in a timely fashion....no rest for the weary. It was a great experience and we are continuing to be busy bees, getting our sales manual done for the reps and other great things projected in the works for this year.....now let's only hope we can get 'er done.
A friend of mine, and scientist/chemist located in the U.K. contacted me while I was gone, to correct me on the statement of the EU banning Olive Oil. Apparently it is not the EU per se but a group of dermatologists in the U.K. that are researching this and proposing the possibility this could become a factor. I have since corrected this error in the article and can be reviewed for clarification at the link above.
Thanks everyone, now I am looking forward to longer days and warmer weather as we head into Spring.
I am releasing this weeks article ahead of schedule due to the urgent nature of this time sensitive information....and as I stated in last weeks article I would bring you a summary of all things instead of a play by play...But this should definitely shed some light on how fast things go once set in motion. I think you'll be amazed at what has transpired in just this past week alone.
Sounds Horrible Doesn't It?
Opposing the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 sounds like those that are against this controlling bill don't want safe cosmetics, yet nothing could be farther from the truth. This name on this bill is again based on "zero science" with the precautionary principle being emphasized.
This is the FDA Globalization Act of 2009 revamped and is the same broken record being promoted by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which is backed by the Environmental Working Group. They have even resorted to using star power, Fran Drescher, to denounce all these toxins that are supposedly in our skincare products. Unfortunately, due to blindly propagating the disinformation fed to her, she clearly does not realize how her own line of skincare will also be targeted if this draft becomes law. For some reason this group along with their mouthpieces seem to think their products are exempt because they use all natural chemicals, when it is the synthetic chemicals which have the longest, proven safety record for decades.
Those that are familiar with the poorly written bill of 2009, along with the Colorado Personal Care Products Safety Act, which was defeated, already know how harmful this type of legislation is to small businesses, and it will do absolutely nothing for making cosmetics safer, but only remove your choices of the products you enjoy.
Simply put, if this law passes, Sterling Minerals Cosmetics and ONATI Skincare will be "NO MORE"!
Again, we have done nothing else but strive to create safe cosmetics with ourselves, our family, our friends and our customers, current and future, in mind. Nothing could be more important to us....all of us, who make incredible cosmetics and skincare products. This type of legislation is about control, power and invasion of privacy...I thought I was living in America!
Urgency Is Needed
Things move quickly sometimes, and this all unfolded in less than a weeks time. It was also no coincidence that a video release (see further below) and the preliminary hearings orchestrated by CFSC, were held last week right before our legislators depart for summer break.
The petition below to stop this draft dead in its tracks. We are asking all of you who love your favorite products produced by small independent manufacturers to speak up and let congress know this bill is an intrusion on the private sector and the jobs they provide, and to also say "ENOUGH" to NGO's, Non Governmental Organizations, on spreading fear and propaganda without validated science to back their theories and claims.
View full petition on left hand side, beneath the photo image. Each point of the Draft is addressed to see our opposition and reasoning behind it.
This shameless video, the Story of Cosmetics, plays on our fears by using skull and crossbones on every product conceived in the beauty industry and uses terms of fear based innuendo and stoops to playing on a woman's fear who may also be a mother as though she is poisoning her baby. They would have you believe that cosmetic manufacturers are deliberately putting toxins in their products which are killing us....this is just silly isn't it?.... because think about this for a minute, if this were true, there would be no one left to buy our products, because we would all be dead!....pretty far reaching don't you think?
This video is so insulting to our intelligence, and again is a propaganda tool for CFSC, which was released coincidentally the day before the introduction of this latest Bill coming before congress. It is also done in such a manner that we are all treated as though we are 5 years old and don't have a lick of common sense or a shred of intelligence....what are they saying?....Americans are mindless lemmings and only government knows what is best for us?
To view these if you are receiving direct email or RSS feeds click here.
This video provides the counterpoints with science and facts to this unscientific "shockumentary" video you just watched. And I am grateful to them for taking the time to bring this to light so again, we, the consumer, can have a clearer understanding of the facts and not a lopsided viewpoint designed to gain sympathy and support for no other reason than to gain control over us and to spread fear!
Kathleen Dezio's Response to The Story of Cosmetics video, Spokeswoman for Personal Care Products Council.
"The content in this harsh and unscientific ‘shockumentary – genre’ video bears no relationship to the ‘real’ story of cosmetics. Our industry employs hundreds of men and women who have devoted their careers to substantiating the safety of cosmetic products. This video is an unfortunate attempt to generate fear about an alleged public health risk from cosmetics that is unwarranted. It is repugnant to suggest that cosmetic companies would manufacture, and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) would allow them to market, products that are dangerous or contain toxins that cause cancer or any other disease. It is absurd to suggest that the men and women in our industry would market products that could cause harm to themselves and their families." (FULL ARTICLE)
Environmental Working Group: Money Is The Power
We are accused as an industry, that we are fighting their non science tyranny against us based on vested interest and money being a motivator for this fight. Here is the truth behind their vested interest to keep you scared: A bit of the "pot calling the kettle black". Without it, they would be out of a job, so what better motivator to keep you scared than these generous salaries. These people are lobbyists, and we all know what lobbyists do, they place politicians in a position of being beholding to them based on promises given.
According to their 2008 Tax Filings
In 2008 Ken Cook was paid $219.401.00 plus another $21,295.00 estimated amount of other compensation from organization and related organizations.
Richard Wiles $179,218.00 plus $20,998.00 estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations.
Jane Houlihan $150,226.00 plus $19,448.00 estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations.
William Walker made $136,448.00 plus 19,743.00 estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations.
Susan Comfort $115,752.00 plus $7932.00 estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations.
Sandra Schubert $127,229.00 plus $4884.00 estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations.
Alexander Formuzis $120,592.00 plus $10,920.00 estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations.
Christopher Campbell $136,909.00 plus $11,988.00 estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations.
In case you got sick of reading the pay that is a total of $1,185,775.00 being paid to the top 8 employees of the Environmental Working Group just in 2008. The total estimated amount of other compensation from the organization or related organizations for the top 8 at EWG was $117,248.00. The total reported 2008 salaries for EWG was $3,203,747.00 in 2008. The 2008 total revenue at EWG was $6,242,570.00. Over half of their total revenue went into paying the employees of EWG. (FULL STORY)
The Real Costs Of Pre Market Testing
The tests it would take to get approval if Skin Deep (otherwise known as EWG) and Campaign for Safe Cosmetics force this legislation through:
$440.00 Paraben results in ppm
$950.00 Nitrosamine results in ppm
$950.00 Phthalate Free results in ppm
$700.00 per metal Heavy Metals (Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium) results in ppm
$275.00 Mercury results in ppm
$1185.00 Standard 9 Metals
$750.00 1,4 Dioxane results in ppm
$275.00 Formaldehyde results in ppm
$300.00 Ethylene Oxide results in ppm
$450.00 Residuals results in ppm
$1500.00 Fragrance allergens
$350.00 Fragrance Allergens Confirmation test per sample, per per allergen
Total $8125.00 or more pre-market testing per product
So, if you have a number of products, this type of testing will literally shutdown, not only manufacturers, but raw ingredient suppliers whom may offer hundreds of different ingredients to the manufacturer of the end products.
The Decision Is Ours
What do you want from your personal care products?
Do you want the freedom to choose?
Isn't voting with your dollar the way to send messages to businesses if you don't like what they are selling?
Do we really need more government regulation? Or regulation that dictates choice?
You should ask the hard question as to why are we being attacked as an industry when similar natural ingredients can be eaten or drank without the scrutiny of government or non governmental agencies? Remember the Phthalates story I wrote, how a single narrow study prompted congress to pass a law last year banning them in Toys, whereby putting small manufacturers of toys out of business. Lead was another concern, yet small indie manufacturers weren't using this in their toys anyway since the growing concern was based on toys coming out of China. But since they lumped the indies in with China exports, no exemption basically, due to the high cost of testing to prove indie toys were lead free and that they were already providing safer lead free toys, forced them to close up shop anyway. This is the same scenario here!
Trace elements of toxins by which they ascribe the theory, are "killing us", are the same ones found in fruits, vegetables and the water we drink....yet we continue to eat them because we also know of the benefits they provide to us in the form of antioxidants, fighting pathogens we are exposed to everyday. We simply cannot remove trace elements from all natural products since they are watered and planted in soil where much of these elements are taken up. This doesn't even account for the things we enjoy like bathing, swimming or singing in the rain, or planting our vegetable garden then enjoying them in our salad...because to eliminate these from our lives, we would need to live in a bubble.
So I ask, why is something slathered on the skin compared to something we eat as being the perpetrator of our illnesses? This is simply not factual and those that spread this hyperbole are either misinformed, or simply choose to not find or believe the science offered to disprove their theories....since this would defeat their purpose of scaring us....and this is their agenda, to gain control over one of the safest industries to date, and dictate our choices!
And I am relatively positive no one is eating their cosmetics!
You can drink coffee, but you can't put it on your skin...you can use Olive Oil on salads and cooking, but you can't put it on your skin.....you can eat fruits or vegetables, but you can't make a mask out of it...etc. I don't see a ban on cigarettes, but yet these are proven to be carcinogenic, irrefutably so....Looks like choice to me!
Hey EWG and CFSC and Congress, we can choose, and we do so by way of educating ourselves about ingredients, not because someone or some entity thinks we are too dumb for our own good.
And a very important question: Why would Congress choose to mandate such regulations that would place a further burden on the American people by taking away the very livelihoods of small businesses needed to provide an income for their families, and to contribute to the economy by providing jobs as they are allowed to flourish.
Also, since there are choices of more organic and naturally derived products, why is new regulation and FDA laws needed? If you listen to nothing else in the video put out by CFSC pay close attention to her last statement about choice....she is essentially stating your choice will be made for you! Hmmm....makes you wonder what is really the driving force of getting this legislation passed....in other words, what's next? My choice to eat a Twinkie, or consume alcohol or soda pop will be removed because NGO's deem them harmful? Now that's scary!
Also don't be misled that European companies have complied with no problems, since this also does not address smaller companies, as they did not survive the mandates and went out of business, and others can't even get started due to all the regulation based on "precautionary principle". Last year it was toys, now it is cosmetics, what is next years agenda?....what foods and drinks we can consume, since they are already taxing those that are deemed unhealthy choices.
I sincerely hope you'll see the seriousness of their premise and say "ENOUGH" to their controlling our lives by signing the petition and to also contact your state representatives and say "NO to HR 5786".
Thank you for your support!
Here is a link where you can directly oppose this proposed legislation at Janice Schakowsky site, a proponent to the bill. Click Here The downside is they require a sign in procedure that is not as simple as our petition site, and may be one reason for lack of participation, but I invite you to overlook this and make our opinion known. If we sit on the sidelines thinking others will do it for us, that is how people lose!
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Here we are again! Holidays have arrived and the time to shop is definitely shorter than last year. There should never be stress when shopping. Yet watching from afar on the local tv stations and youtube postings, it astounds me the way some people behave all around the country just to grab their free gift with purchase, resorting to shoving, pushing, cussing, tasering and downright brawling against another human being.....woo hoo....Merry Christmas!
Be relaxed, sip your cup of herbal tea and have your mouse at the ready to shop with us. No waiting, no fighting, and no dealing with grumpy crowds. 
For many years now the public has become concerned about toxic levels of lead in our environment, such as in old homes, paints, water pipes, etc. Then NGO's turned their attention to the cosmetic and skincare industry. Digging as deep as they can to turn up every trace element that can be found in our beauty products.
The
For those that still remain concerned, we of course strive for an excellent product, so we are pleased to announce that our newly formulated 
Hi Everyone,
During the past couple of days I have been working with my techie department on adding another feature to "Sterling Minerals Skin Care Guide" and "Beauty News, Specials and Events", along with it eventually getting added to our website.
Well I am finally able to sit down and get this weeks blog out after a great few days at the tradeshow and getting caught up with my office duties. The Natural Products Expo was a fantastic experience, meeting so many great people. The energy in the place was incredible, in fact so much so, that on our first day we were completely overwhelmed. We sort of had that "deer caught in the headlights" day....but I am getting ahead of myself.
necessary by our experience, because when we left a $10.00 tip on the nightstand for them the second day, it was still sitting there when we returned at days end. The next morning we left them a note that said "housekeeping," and happily it was taken this time. I would highly recommend this hotel for anyone visiting the Anaheim area.
The next day we walked to the Convention Center to get registered and donned our badges, which we wore around our necks, and proceeded into the huge building that sported over 3000 vendors on the main level and downstairs. We ambled about, staring in wide eyed amazement at the displays, the booths and the vast diversity of products in every category of cosmetics, skincare, grocery, raw materials, packaging, natural foods, restaurants, bakeries, the list was endless. If it was natural or eco friendly, it was there in full display. We also had the enjoyment of dodging through over 55,000 people on the first day alone...exceeding there total numbers in just the first day from last years entire show....can you imagine?
That night we rested and regrouped and sat down to make a game plan for the following day...our last day before jetting home again. The stakes were high and we had to have a new plan of attack....I hear the "Rocky" movie theme in my head right now.
focused, approached many people and remained true to our goals, which allowed us to learn more about tradeshows, their benefits and to meet others in the industry of redistribution. We learned a ton and met some great peeps.
quench your thirst and provide vitamins or antioxidants. And yes there were even things I sampled that were hard to swallow or curled your toes, and if that is healthy then I'd rather be "blech." I had to strain not to make a face in front of the rep presenting their sample so as not to offend. So not everything tasted the best.
