The Paul Penders e-Newsletter: May 2008
In This Issue:
Lipstick Colors
1,4-Dioxane
Botox Effects on the Brain
Animal Welfare

Lipstick Colors Often Unnatural


Even lipsticks claiming to be “naturally formulated” may contain unnatural colors. This is because only a small proportion of colors can be produced naturally.

The diagram shows shades of red that can be produced without the assistance of chemical FD&C colors. Not all of these are appropriate for lipsticks, though, because lipsticks also require staining power. This further narrows the selection of colors available.

Fire-engine red, bright orange or deep purple lie outside the spectrum of naturally-derived colors; so lipsticks in these shades, even if they claim to be “all-natural”, must use chemical additives to achieve these colors. For many women, chemical colors can cause an allergic reaction.

Aside from ingredients related to color, lipsticks may also contain other dangerous components. According to a report from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, many popular lipsticks contain lead.

Of the 33 brand-name red lipsticks tested by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, 61% had detectable lead levels of 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm), and one third contained an amount of lead that exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 0.1 ppm limit for lead in candy. Products containing lead included some popular brands such as Cover Girl, L'Oreal and Christian Dior.

Ingesting lead can cause learning, language and behavioral problems such as reduced school performance and increased aggression. Pregnant women and young children are especially vulnerable to lead exposure. Lead has also been linked to infertility and miscarriage.

All Paul Penders lipsticks are formulated with natural ingredients and are even free from chemical FD&C colors. In fact, Paul Penders was the first company to introduce natural lip colors into the United States. At that time, virtually all of the largest cosmetics companies used chemical-based lip colors.

To learn more about Paul Penders lipsticks and other cosmetics, please click here. To read more about the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics lipstick research, click here.
 

Let Your Voice be Heard!

In response to the Organic Consumer Association’s (OCA) recent alert regarding its discovery of the carcinogen 1,4-Dioxane contaminating a wide variety of leading personal care products misleadingly labeled as "organic" or "natural", many consumers have asked how they can best contact these companies to express their frustrations.

The companies include Jason "Pure, Natural & Organic";  Avalon "Organics"; Nature's Gate "Organics"; Kiss My Face "Obsessively Organic"; Juice "Organics", Giovanni "Organic Cosmetics"; Head "Organics"; Desert Essence "Organics"; Ikove "Organic"; Stella McCartney CARE “100% Organic”; Ecocert; and OASIS.

Tens of thousands of consumers have purchased expensive products from these manufacturers thinking they were paying extra for a product that was truly natural and safe, whose cleansing and moisturizing ingredients were made from certified organic, rather than conventional or petrochemical, material.

The OCA has issued Cease and Desist letters to not only the companies who tested positive for Dioxane with misleading organic brand claims, but also brands with organic brand claims that may have tested clean, but nonetheless use petrochemical compounds and/or no organic material in major cleansing and moisturizing ingredients.

To further encourage these manufacturers to either clean up their products or drop their organic claims, OCA is encouraging consumers to write to them. OCA’s website now includes an email form that can be completed and automatically sent to the manufacturers.

To access the form and send your comments to the companies that have been found to mislabel their products as “organic”, please click here.

On the other hand, many manufacturers of organic and natural cosmetics truly do live by their labeling. Weleda, Dr. Hauschka and Aubrey, for example, all produce trust worthy products.

Paul Penders is currently working with several laboratories to conduct independent testing of our products, confirming that our products contain no dioxane and that our customers are safe. In addition, compared to others, Paul Penders’ foam ingredients are very special and unique and are not only CERTIFIED ORGANIC but also 99.7% CERTIFIED NATURAL.

Botox May Affect the Brain

A new scientific study on rats suggests that the anti-wrinkle treatment Botox may be able to move from the skin into the brain, degrading proteins and acting on nerves.

The study, which was conducted by the Italian National Research Council's Institute of Neuroscience, entailed rats being injected with botulinum neurotoxin around the whisker muscles of the face. Three days after the injections, the team assessed the impact the injections had had on the connected brain areas, finding that diluted amounts of the toxins had reached the brain cells.

Although the amounts of Botox that migrated from the injection site were quite small, over time the quantity of Botox reaching the brain could increase since Botox must be re-injected every 4 to 6 months to maintain wrinkle correction.

Botox has been approved for dozens of therapeutic uses and in April 2002, was approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of wrinkles – although by then, it had already been used for this purpose for many years on an off-label basis.  Each year, more than 4 million people worldwide receive injections with Botox or similar botulinum neurotoxin products.

A total of 57% of UK consumers see animal welfare as an important ethical consideration when buying products, a considerable increase from 48% a year ago.

That's the finding of a new Ipsos-MORI poll1 commissioned for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (RSPCA), which also found people considered human rights (55%) and protecting the environment (55%) to be important factors.

According to to the study, 80% of people agreed that for society to be truly civilized, animal welfare must be a key priority.

Paul Penders has been a sponsor for animal rights and donated to PETA and NAVS for many years.