Night Swimming

September's coming soon...

Sorry, this post is a little aimless. I actually don't like that song, or much from REM. Anyway, it's another long weekend. I'm sure many of you are celebrating marking back-to-school with this one last chance for another couple days of summer fun.

Me, I really need my nails done. I'm thinking better of it, despite those snaggle toes, after seeing this website, the National Healthy Nail and Beauty Salon Alliance. I found it through SafeMarkets.org. The website itself hasn't been updated since Summer '12, making me wonder if the Alliance is still active (though it must be if they are involved in the Workgroup for Safe Markets), but there are loads of links to loads of information about just how bad that French manicure is for you.

Jazzy, are you trying to ruin EVERYTHING? Believe me, it's as much a quagmire for me as it is for you. Regular pedis were a huge stress relief for me during chemo, and there is something so clean and neat about the look of fresh, glossy polish. I mean, you can't spit on Pinterest without hitting half a dozen pins for fun nail designs.

I don't know what the answers are here. Maybe, in the spirit of Labor Day, we agree to skip that next mani/pedi? If not for our own sakes, then for those of nail salon workers, who are exposed to who-knows-what everyday, all in the name of our own vanity.

I do know that this first summer here at SMACK! has been a great one, and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have! As always, have a safe, FUN weekend, and we'll see you on the other side!!

-- Jazzy

There's an app for that

Or at least there will be.

I know I've been beating it into SMACK! readers since the beginning that EWG's Skin Deep database is THE go-to source for rating your favorite products for chemical toxicity. Soon it will your on-the-go source, too.

EWG is launching a Skin Deep app for mobile devices next month, so that we all can avoid jamming up traffic in the health and beauty aisle while we squint at our screens trying to make out what the website is telling us about this bodywash or that shaving cream. Oh wait, that's just me?

Probably the only time I was eager to fork over my email address, to find out when the app is launching (good for them for building hype anyway they can). Though not surprising that I'm now also signed up for every email blast they send ad nauseum. No matter.

Of COURSE I will let you know as soon as the app launches, and give a full report on how it works, because I want you, too, to have all this great information at your fingertips. In other words, I'll be hounding your a$$ until you download the app and start using it every time you go to the market. Too bad I can't make it a mandatory condition of readership!

Yours in mobile fun,
Jazzy

Method doesn't make the grade

I love the Method brand of household cleaning products...that is, until now.

I was wooed and won over years ago by the great packaging, the witty and smart product messaging. The French translation didn't hurt, either, since I'm a bit of a sucker for such things. It was one of the first instances where I justified the added expense of something that [seemed like it] was environmentally friendlier.

Except that Method isn't. Maybe this isn't news to you, for which I'm glad. But I just yesterday was perusing EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning and decided to check out some of my favorite products. Of the 57 results that EWG has listed in its database for Method products, only 18 of them take a passing grade (products are graded, A through F).

Disappointed? I know I am. I want to take a closer look so that I know what I'm buying and how I need to adjust my choices the next time I'm stocking up. Some versions of products are better than others, while some just. completely. fail.

As for those fave Method products with which I have to break up, I will miss them. But I know I'm better off going without than sticking with something that's no good for me.

Vinegar to the rescue! What are some of your favorite 'green' cleaners?

-- Jazzy

Hey Stranger

Um, hi???? How freaking embarrassed am I. Deadbeat blogger! I was away last week, trying to squeeze another few days of recreation out of the end of the season, and I promise, I fully intended to blog my way through. But my sh*tty laptop and sh*tty wifi had other plans.

As nice as it was to be disconnected, I missed SMACK! It's good to be back. I just want to say up front, that this week will be a lot of catching up, plus the holiday weekend sneaking up on us, so I'm going to do my best to flesh out a few good posts.

I am actually a little excited to have found a new website devoted to lower-chemical living, www.safemarkets.org. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics ran the press release announcing it here. It looks pretty comprehensive, although the link to the parent organization, the Coming Clean Collaborative, is under construction. I would like to know more about both organizations.

In the meantime, though, it's worth checking out Safe Markets' page on flame retardants. For decades, these chemicals have been added to upholstery, apparel and other household textiles. I don't even want to think about the exposure. Seriously.

I'm reminded of the last couch we owned, this vile striped chenille thing that sagged in the middle and by the end was pretty much just a giant dog bed. I would joke, in the weeks that we waited for our new leather sectional, that I secretly wanted to burn the thing, but was afraid of the noxious fumes that would probably come out of it. Not so far off the mark, was I?? 

Back to Safe Markets. I like how the site presents information -- not too overwhelming or frightening, but informative enough to hopefully inspire some action. Very consumer-friendly. I'll definitely be visiting it regularly, and hope you do, too!

-- Jazzy

The fabric for our lives

These commercials for cotton have been on the airwaves for decades. I had to dust off a few cobwebs to remember that tagline "the fabric of our lives" but it was there, well embedded into my childhood consciousness. Guess it was effective marketing, huh?

Unacceptable Levels

Summer is blockbuster movie season. Even I went to the movies, to see The Heat (sooooo funny). But while most movie-goers were watching things blow up at their local cineplex, handfuls of viewers got to see a small movie about chemical toxins in everyday products that was quietly going coast to coast for a summer tour.

Imperfect Environmentalist

I'm adding a new book to SMACK!'s Book Corner, The Imperfect Environmentalist by Sara Gilbert (Ballentine, 2013). You 90s folks will recognize her as Darlene Connor from the sit-com Roseanne, and now she's a host on CBS' The Talk. 

The book just dropped this week, and with it Gilbert is extending her reach beyond television, into that nefarious land of 'influence' and 'inspiration.' Think Gwyneth Paltrow minus a few layers of snobbery.

Corporate Giant Strikes Again

A petit conundrum. Other than not having a post ready yesterday, that is. So many sorries!!!!

You may recall my brush with Unilever over a certain dumb tea bag made out of PLASTIC (if not, you can get caught up here, here and here). At the heart of my complaint to them was a vow to not use like-branded products because of the blatant profits-first mentality.

Just when I thought the scuffle was over, when I was ready to move on (there are plenty of other fish to fry, after all), I got a coupon mailing from none other than my new friends at Unilever.

Huh. So curious that a complaint nearly always results in more of the same. Think our product/service is crappy? Here's a coupon for a free one. No! The objective here is LESS crappy, not more!

Anyway, I almost didn't look at the coupons. That's how determined I was to strike down anything they offered. But then...I did. And saw a coupon for a brand I use, never before realizing that this brand was owned by Big Corporate Giant :(

In the past I've used Simple's facial moisturizer and more recently became a fan of the eye makeup remover, which is super effective and rated only a 2 in the EWG Skin Deep database.

But now what do I do?

I know Simple doesn't have anything to do with Lipton, but at some point can we safely assume that the bad choices of one brand stretch across others in the family? Or do I chalk it up to 'nobody's perfect' and decide to save the larger battle for another day?

What to do! What to do!

Forever conflicted,
Jazzy

An Invisibility Cloak, of sorts

Read this piece on NPR late last week about a new patch that claims to make wearers completely invisible to mosquitoes for up to 48 hours. My dreams come true!!

Wait, what's that screeching sound? That's me, putting the brakes on. I consider nothing now without complete cynicism, so I decided to snoop around the Internet for more information.

The Kite Patch, as it's called, received a nice round of press last week, not just from NPR, but many other big outlets (HuffPo covered it here, as well as CNN). Seemingly the push was timed for a round of fundraising, as the product has financial backing from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and National Institutes of Health (NIH) but is still seeking funds for the final stages of product development and field testing. All of this is according to the Q&A on the website.

The Kite Patch has been developed by a company called The Olfactor Laboratories, Inc., based in California (I think?). Here's how OLI describes the Kite Patch:

"Kite Patches are designed to work everywhere, for everyone. From Alaska to Zimbabwe, Kite is designed to be rugged, simple, and effective. When you wear it, you also signify your stand against mosquito-borne diseases.

Kite uses powerful, non-toxic compounds that are FDA approved for harmless human contact. No more toxic sprays or lotions, and no more silly, ineffective ingredients that don't work.

Kite blocks mosquitoes' ability to track humans. Kite is a small, colorful patch applied to clothing that provides protection against mosquitoes for up to 48 hours. Giant breakthrough, small patch."

Wow. If I'm anyone from Deep Woods OFF! (owned by SC Johnson), them's fightin' words. Except for one little thing. OLI doesn't say what these powerful, non-toxic compounds are. Sure, patent-pending blah blah blah proprietary blah blah whatever, but I still need to know a little more about how this thing works. Is it REALLY non-toxic?

"The Kite Mosquito Patch utilizes active ingredients that are approved and considered safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration for human consumption. Safety for children -- the hardest-hit segment by malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases -- has been at the center of our product development efforts."

Sounds nice, really, but I think we're all learning just how the FDA handles (or doesn't) toxic substances in consumer products. Is it possible that Kite is different, effective without all the chemicals? Sure. Do I want it to be different? You betcha.

I'm going to stay tuned. As excited as I want to be about this product (and not just because of my inner geek, but because of a lifetime of too many horribly reactionary bug bites), I need to know more. This skeptic isn't fully convinced -- yet.

-- Jazzy

Three-ring circus

I actually hate the circus. What a sad, depressing affair. Lately my house has seemed like one, though, with too many over-stimulating acts going on at once.

That's my nice way of saying that I've been juggling too much this week and am checking out a tad early to get my sh*t together and re-org my brain for next week.

In the meantime, to get you through the rest of your Friday:

-- Kristi Marsh over at ChooseWiser.com looks at a few direct sales cosmetics companies that sell safe, great products (sorry, Arbonne, you're not invited to this party)

-- The Campaign for Safer Cosmetics wants you to stick it to Walgreens for selling baby products containing formaldehyde. 

-- Don't believe all my crazy talk about sunscreen? Maybe an esteemed colleague of Dr. Oz's can convince you...

-- Let's revisit the list published by Mother Jones (just in time for Mother's Day, naturally) of 20 popular lipsticks that contain unsafe levels of aluminum, cadmium and other hazardous metals. SO glad none of my faves were on it; were yours?


Have a GREAT weekend!!

-- Jazzy

SMACK! Reviews: Everyday Coconut Daily Face Lotion

Has it really been two weeks without a product review? Well, in that case...

I came across this lotion a many moons ago during a splurge trip to Whole Foods. I say splurge because even though I did really need each item I bought (hair color, eye makeup removing wipes and this lotion), I didn't take the time to see if the local health food store had better prices or better items. It was more about the instant gratification, so whatever. The original post about that shopping trip is here.

I'll take the opportunity now to also share my experience using EWG's 'Make Your Own Report' feature for their Skin Deep cosmetics database. Have you used it yet?

See, Everyday Coconut doesn't have any products in the database. No matter, I filled out all the forms, copied and pasted the ingredients from Everyday Coconut's website and voila! My own report, which rated this product as a 2 (on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being super effing toxic, don't set foot near this product).

Here's what I like about Everyday Coconut Daily Face Lotion: the SPF, of course, in the form of zinc oxide. It's not greasy. The short ingredient list, most of which I can pronounce. The light scent, which actually ISN'T heavy on the coconut. A touch of lavender oil balances out the sweet coconut, with the result a clean, fresh scent. Nicely done.

After checking out the EC website, I was also impressed with the transparency of their marketing. Here's what our stuff is made from. Here's why we exist (to empower impoverished African communities using local, sustainable resources). Here's why Coconut Oil rocks.

Sounds a lot different than the highbrow meaningless drivel I read over at Unilever. Corporate Giant could actually learn a thing or two from little grassroots company. Imagine that! 

The lotion, given all its natural ingredients, has a tendency to separate. An easy shake takes care of that, but I mention it because I know there are some of you out there who would forget and think the lotion's rancid or something because it pumps out grainy and weird.

It's a decent price, under $10 for a nice 12-ounce pump. I end up using not just on my face but my shoulders and neckline, too. Considering what I paid for a 7 oz bottle of sunscreen, this is pretty good.

My biggest beef with this product is that it isn't all that...moisturizing. I mean, I really like a lighter product for summertime use (my face sweats easily) but this just a little too light. As in my dry skin still feels dry after it's all absorbed. I wish it was a little more emollient, but I suppose that's the tradeoff for not having a bunch of nasty chemicals...

SMACK! Grade:  B

PS -- if you want to try any products from Everyday Coconut, buy directly here. Ten percent of their sales goes to projects that reduce poverty and empower women in West Africa. Bonus!

Lipton's Canned Response

Last week I decided to open up a can of whoop-ass on Lipton for making tea bags out of plastic. If you didn't see it yesterday, you can read the text of my complaint here.

So whaddya know, Lipton got back to me very promptly. On the weekend no less! Here's what they said:

"Thank you for contacting us. 

We do apologize for the experience you reported concerning our Lipton Tea Tea Pyramid.  

When developing our packaging, many factors are taken into consideration, including ease of use as well as overall economic and environmental benefits. We design our packages to provide safe, convenient and attractive protection.

Our goal is to create all of our packages to meet or exceed consumer expectations for both performance and quality. Any changes in our packaging are based on extensive consumer research.

Please be assured that we value your comments and will pass them along to the appropriate staff. We sincerely appreciate your taking the time to contact us and we are sending a complimentary coupon flyer to you via US Postal Mail which you should receive within 7-10 business days. 

Sincerely,
Your friends at Lipton"

First, does anyone else feel like they've just had a lobotomy, or is it just me? That corporate verbiage is just awful. Second, what's with the line about "...safe, convenient and attractive protection." Protection from what, exactly? The tea?!?!?! Sounds like something you'd hear from Trojan, not Lipton.

And, uh, last time I checked, there were absolutely ZERO environmental benefits to converting a previously biodegradable product into a plastic one.

I don't know about you, but I have absolutely no tolerance for this kind of bullish*t. Lipton is STUPID.

But you know what? It's hump day! Halfway to the weekend!
-- Jazzy

Complaint Dept

If you haven't checked it out, the 'Smack Back!' tab lists consumer relations contacts and links for many major retail brands. I encourage all SMACK! readers to, at one point or another, pen a letter of complaint or support to a business about their products or services. Even if you never send the letter, it's a great exercise in putting a voice to your solid instincts and opinions.

So I took my own advice! Friday's column was heavy on the 'tude over these stupid little tea pyramid things that Lipton makes out of PLASTIC. I decided to channel my anger -- the pen is mightier than the sword, as they say.

It's Monday, again

Milestone weekend for SMACK! all thanks to our growing readership. You're the best, really.

It's August. The dog days of summer. Plenty of sunburns to be had. Wait, what? Who gets sunburns anymore? That's so 1995!!!

Seriously. I just saw a mind-boggling figure in a news release from last week. The NPD Group, a market research firm (that prefers the term 'global information company') has pegged sales of beauty products containing SPF at just over $1 billion (USD) for the 12-month period ending in May 2013. That's billion, with a 'B'. Oh yeah, and that's just in what they call 'prestige department stores.' So NOT counting drugstore brands (which, really, I feel like my personal purchases at Target alone were nearly as high). According to NPD, it's a 24 percent hike over what consumers spent on the same category of products just three years ago.

Yay us? Yes and no. If consumers are getting smarter about SPF and striving to protect their skin, great. But if you've perused EWG's Sunscreen Guide at all (which you'd better if you want to be a SMACK! reader) you'll remember that nearly 80 percent of the chemical sunscreens on the US market contain troublesome ingredients that can disrupt some serious sh*t once they've leached through the skin. Check it here.

So which is it, Jazzy? Good news or bad news that consumer spending on SPF products is up? The talking head from NPD Group cut to the heart of the matter:

"...not only are consumers buying more products with SPF they are spending a little more on them to get that higher SPF number for better protection..."

 "Sun protection is a great example of the power behind a product that not only addresses a need, but also has found ways to expand it reach and tap into the emotional component."

And there we have it. It's good news for cosmetics companies that consumers are handily opening their wallets (more widely than ever, by the sounds of it) for beauty products containing SPF. 

It's not really great news for the consumers themselves, however, when you consider that the marketing is very, very targeted and deliberate. Protect your skin. Anti-aging is the new mark of success for middle- to older-aged women. You deserve the best. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching.

Again, we know from EWG that higher SPF doesn't always mean a better product. And common anti-aging ingredients, like Retin-A, can put you at higher risk for sunburn or sun damage!

There's a lot of summer left. Let's be smarter about our choices (like, I don't know, stay in the shade, or wear a hat) and think through what we buy. Agreed? Good.

-- Jazzy

Frustrated Friday

Sorry for the late post. A little tense today. I could really use an hour of yoga, high dose of dark chocolate, a roll in the hay? all of the above? Something, ANYTHING for stress relief.

Light reading

We're debuting a new section here at SMACK! It's called 'Book Corner' and you'll find it among the tabs on the site's homepage. As the name suggests, it's a collection of suggested reading material that will give you more insight into the reckless nature of the manufacture of cosmetics and health and beauty products.

I know this is preaching to the choir for most of you, since we're like-minded in believing that slowly poisoning ourselves on a daily basis is not really a good thing. But, nonetheless, it's good to know where to turn when we want to know more.

Please note: the books I've listed are suggested. Not recommended, yet. Just like our product reviews, SMACK! will publish original, unbiased reviews for the books as we get our grubby little hands on them. In the meantime, if you have a strong opinion (either way, 'cause haters gonna hate) about a book or product you see on SMACK!, let us know! And if there's a book or product you want us to review, let us know that, too!

Happy Reading!
-- Jazzy