Anti-pollution makeup has become the latest trend in China. In fact, sales see an uptick in India, South Korea and even in Britain. As city air becomes more toxic, the demand for anti-pollution skincare products is soaring. Many cosmetics companies are capitalizing on the environmental problem by launching products from sunscreens to sheet masks that are aimed at preventing and offsetting skin damage.
However, at the other end of the spectrum, certain cosmetics themselves cause pollution on a much larger scale than previous thought. According to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, the divide between fuel emissions and chemical emissions is closer to 50-50. In other words, humans who use personal care products are also sources of harmful emissions.
I rarely wear makeup. Not only because I don’t like to embellish my look with cosmetics, but also because applying makeup is simply a time-consuming routine. No offense to the cosmetics users. The optimum effort I commit to my skincare is to wash my face with facial cleanser every day. During my travels with my girlfriend, I had an opportunity to be a fly on the wall to watch her morning routine on her face.
From washing her face to dry it up, from applying facial sunscreen and lotion to putting on foundation, concealer, and cheek powder in a rigid sequential order, not to mention lip gloss and eye shadows are equally important for the face as a whole, my friend stood in front of the mirror for a good thirty minutes plus. The dust from the brushes of all sizes in her hand rise in the sunlit room as if countless sparkling particles were dancing in the ray of light. A haze of sweet scents permeated the air.
I am amazed at how many lotions and potions we lather, douse, spritz, and spray ourselves with each morning. If Americans live longer because of the magic of chemistry in medicines, do they look younger and more beautiful because of the magic of chemistry on skincare products?
The air pollution problem is complicated. And yet, if as the study discovers, cosmetics cause pollution; the more severe pollution is, the greater opportunity it seems for the anti-pollution cosmetics companies. The more we emphasize on protecting our skins with the application of skincare products, the more these chemical products will pollute the environment. Isn’t the skin precaution counter-productive? Isn’t the pollution self-inflicted?
Manufacturers and consumers need clean water to produce skincare products as well as to cleanse both skin and the makeup tools. Water is primarily used as a solvent in cosmetics and skincare products. When drinking water is a big problem in some part of the planet, tons of water is consumed by the cosmetic industry in the well-developed part of the planet. It is high time we conserve water.
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