Is Plastic in Your Eye Makeup?

While I’ve been hesitant to develop a collection of eye makeup products for my natural, cruelty-free cosmetic line Gluten Free Beauty, a few revelations as of late have me doing just that! Namely, the realization that many department store makeup brands are actually using plastics in their products.  And as if that were not disturbing enough, I even found them in eye and lip products!

Here are a couple popular ingredients that seemed more like they might be in cosmetic containers than the actual products (if anywhere!):

• Polystyrene: which is also known as one of the most widely used types of plastic is commonly used for containers of food, chemicals and solvents. And if not recycled can take centuries to biodegrade. But I also spotted it in a facial cleanser, lip gloss and various hair products.
• Polyethylene: otherwise known as the plastic used grocery and shopping bags, is also known for it’s slowness to biodegrade, as without exposure to UV sunlight, the process can take hundreds of years. That said, guess where I spotted this ingredient–in lists on several long wearing or waterproof eyeliners. Note: polyethylene can be produced from non-petroleum sources, but I’m assuming that the cosmetic companies are as usual going with the cheap stuff in an effort to cut corners.

I found these ingredients listed in products from both department and drug store brands.

Bottom line, stick with brands you trust, and before you trust a brand, do a thorough assessment of the range of ingredients that they use/consider safe for you to be putting in your hair, on your skin, and on your mucus membranes (lips/eyes).

Tags: Natural Makeup