Before you Kiss for the Cause: What’s in that pink ribbon product?
It’s that time of year again, when you can’t walk five steps without finding some new opportunity to spend money for breast cancer. We can “Kiss for the Cause” with Revlon lipstick, “shower for the cure” with Philosophy Pink Ribbon Gel, dust our cheeks with “Hint of a Cure” blush by Ramy, and “Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer” with Avon products.
Before I rush out for a pink-ribbon makeover, I have some questions for these companies: How much money are they actually contributing to breast cancer charities, and what is the money being used for? And most importantly, are they willing to stop using chemicals linked to cancer?
The big beauty companies don’t want such questions raining on their pink parade. After all, Revlon reaps a lot of good will and positive press from its pink-branded products and efforts to raise money for breast cancer charities through the Revlon 5K Run/Walk.
Yet ironically – outrageously – many Revlon products contain chemicals linked to cancer. In fact, Revlon’s Colorsilk brand is ranked as the most toxic brand of all in the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep database, with an average toxicity score of 8.6 (with 10 being the worst).
Pink ribbon giants Avon and Estee Lauder don’t fare much better; each company makes more than 100 products with a toxicity of score of 8 or above, according to Skin Deep, and many of the products contain chemicals linked to cancer. (You can check the score of your favorite products at www.cosmeticdatabase.org.)
This is unacceptable – to say the least! As leaders in the pink-ribbon parade, Revlon, Avon and Estee Lauder have a special responsibility to be champions for women’s health by refusing to buy carcinogens from the chemical companies. As major (and influential) customers of the chemical industry, these companies have the power to shift the market away from harmful chemicals, and toward safer, non-toxic alternatives.
Instead, what we get from these companies are lots of cute pink-ribbon products, with an undisclosed portion of proceeds going to breast cancer research, almost none of which is focused on environmental causes of the disease such as cancer-causing chemicals and pollution. They want us to “hope for the cure” and get our mammograms, rather than having a serious discussion about how to prevent breast cancer, because prevention requires changes to the status quo.
For more about the not-so-cute history of the pink ribbon (which was co-opted by a beauty magazine) and Breast Cancer Awareness Month (which was started by a pharmaceutical/chemical company), see chapter 6 of my book “Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry.”
After these stories, trust me, you’ll never look at a pink ribbon in quite the same way again. So then what? The good news is, we have a lot of power too, because we get to decide which companies we support with our money and which products we put on our bodies. We can educate ourselves and our friends about what’s really going on, and take meaningful action for change. Here are four things you can do today:
Think Before you Pink: Share this website by Breast Cancer Action with friends and encourage them to ask critical questions about pink ribbon promotions. Another great resource on this topic is the book and film No Family History, by Sabrina McCormick.
Just say No to Toxic Beauty Products: Choose products that are free of carcinogens and other harmful chemicals by using the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. Spend your money on companies with products consistently in the green zone (0-3 toxicity score).
Donate to Breast Cancer Prevention: Support The Breast Cancer Fund, the only national non-profit organization focused solely on prevention of the disease. Also check out BCF’s annual report, The State of the Evidence, a compilation of science about the environmental links to breast cancer.
Help Give the Beauty Industry a Makeover: The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is working to pass legislation that will require cosmetics companies to eliminate chemicals suspected of causing cancer, birth defects and other health problems. Visit our website and join our email list to get involved.
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20 Comments
This is so true – if people only knew that most of these campaigns to prevent cancer -can cause cancer!
Stacy, Such an important post. Thank you for shining light on this. Beating cancer takes a lot more than a pretty logo. The links you’ve shared here are amazing. Thank you.
I have often wondered why people think they can shop and run their way to a cure, without thinking to open their fridge and make that little connection.
I just did a search on the Skin Deep Database. This is simply astounding. Even some of the “natural/organic” products I buy at a premium at Whole Foods are rated with high toxicity levels! Thank you for sharing this important information.
Great blog entry! These companies need a SMACKDOWN! Pink may be pretty, but NOTHING is uglier than cancer or chronic illness.
I only buy natural mineral cosmetics which I purchase from Crystal over at “the all natural face” on ETSY. She has everything from lipstick to blush and mascara etc… I don’t trust big companies and I don’t support animal testing.
Hey there, I was just noticing that you have a Young Living link on your blog, and thought I would let you know that it is NOT a company in the lines of Safe cosmetics. In fact they use harsh pesticides and chemicals on their plants that produce the oils. For the best, safe choice please, check out my web page and the Forevergreen company- TRUEssence.
Thanks for the blog I feel the same.
How interesting to see someone actually bring this up. Thank you! I’ve always wondered about the irony in all of this…it’s definitely something we need to consider before jumping on the pink bandwagon.
Well.. I love this.. First of all I am sick of the pink ribbon fever.. Lord knows I support raising funds for cancer and I do not support testing on animals or putting bat shit fertilizer in my makeup base..but here is the rub.. why can we not fight CANCER… PERIOD. All Cancer not just breast.. and why while we are doing it do we not think about what we are doing. I have seen pink handles and ribbons on everything from teflon coated skillets to lipstick.. I dont want to smell for the cure and buy a glade candle I want people to think that the cereal with the pink ribbon ought not have sugar in it.. and these companies are making big bucks pushing the cancer ribbon.. it is time we have a campain that gives the money all the money except what it cost to make the product print the tshirt or whatever to the cause.. not to mention why in the hell isn’t the great and powerful Political pundits not pushing for a cure period.. instead of more meds to help out. Well this subject really fires me up. And I love the article and I love the fact that people are making a connection between hype and the ridiculous. I am proud of the people who started the fight against cancer and go Susan B. Komen foundation for working so hard. But we all need to be pushing them to be responsible. I cannot imagine them thinking that any advertisement is good advertisement. Sometimes we have to let our morals run the show and the Ribbon idea has run its race.. enough. I know that is not the topic of this blog. But like I said it gets me going. I would love to see a ribbon on some organic produce or product.. like you said lets connect the cost with the thought and make real changes not just real change in the pockets of more folks who are destroying womens bodies and self estem with garbage and a brand image that cannot be lived up too. Ok. Stepping off the soap box now. Great bit of old fashioned ass whooping given here today. Way to go. Callie
Thank you! I keep complaining about these “cancer cure” causes, and people seem to just think I am paranoid or overly-critical. Everyone wants more chemicals to cure them, but they don’t want to reduce their exposure to carcinogens. How ironic that giving to some of these organizations actually does “support cancer”… not prevention, not cure, but actually supports cancer. People are way too eager to jump on a bandwagon to feel good (or superior) about themselves.
This critique of the American Cancer Society is eye-opening; the Cancer Prevention Coalition (who wrote the critique) might be a more worthy recipient of our donations. http://www.preventcancer.com/losing/acs/wealthiest_links.htm
Oh, and yes Young Living is another one that you might want to investigate a little further.
I am a breast cancer survivor having just finished my first year following treatment. I find it interesting that one of the programs set up to inspire me at the onset of my illness and treatment is the “Look Good Feel Better”. I received hundreds of dollars of a variety of make ups donated by all the manufacturers. I never thought about the irony of it before. . .
I wrote an article similar to this on my blog. Not sure if you saw it?
http://progressivepregnancy.typepad.com/puremamas/2009/10/nvey.html
The thing is, those companies, Revlon, etc. don’t necessarily believe that those ingredients are causing cancer. They are looking for a cure, not working on prevention.
Until we get the word out that food and products can lead to cancer, then it’s not use giving them a hard time.
I feel the same way.
Juli
Another great eye-opening article by Stacy Malkan. Thank you for continuing to sound the alarm.
15 year old Ava Anderson is launching on Dec 1st the very first line of skincare and cosmetics in the country where every ingredient in every product is a “0″ on the cosmeitcsdatabase.com. Baby, Body and Bath and household cleaning products will be coming soon!
Be very wary of the over-used marketing plow of “natural” and “organic”. Most often these products are not what they seem. Please look up your products on cosmeticsdatabase.com.
If you want to donate to a worthy cause – support the EWG who created the database – these folks are heros. Information is power.
Thank you Stacy!
Thanks for bringing attention of the public to this issue. I really enjoyed your book when I read it a year ago. Keep up the good work!!
We have fund raising campaigns for “the cure” every year at our office. It is a lot easier to give money than to seriously examine our lifestyle and diet and the ways they can affect our risk of getting cancer. People don’t plan for the long-term. Most still continue consuming preservatives, artificial colorings, various food additives, and use harsh cleaning chemicals hoping that somebody else will take care of them once they get cancer. Although I am not very optimistic, but I can only hope that in the future people will be looking at ways to prevent and not cure cancer.
Thanks for telling the truth and fighting for a world where companies don’t pollute our bodies, minds or the environment. At Fresh Organics,we don’t use any toxic ingredients but when we talk to buyers, they really don’t get it and they determine what gets shelf space. We need a revolution in awareness about what we put on and in our bodies and it starts with getting this kind of information!
I think in the end we have to do the best we can. A good diet and exercise will help to override any side effects of products we use due to the inability to afford or access the “good stuff”.
What the Cluck? Tell KFC and Susan G. Komen for the Cure to stop pinkwashing!
With their “Buckets for the Cure” campaign, KFC and Susan G. Komen for the Cure are telling us to buy buckets of unhealthy food to cure a disease that kills women. When a company purports to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribboned product, but manufactures products that are linked to the disease, we call that pinkwashing. Make no mistake–every pink bucket purchase will do more to benefit KFC’s bottom line than it will to cure breast cancer. Join us in telling KFC and Susan G. Komen for the Cure to rethink this pinkwashing partnership.
Breast Cancer Action
bcaction.org
I’ve started a page on Facebook called “Pinkwashing Hall of Shame” as a place to support those organizations that are doing real work towards prevention of breast cancer and call out those companies that are pinkwashing. Come join the conversation at http://www.facebook.com/nopinkwashing
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Don’t forget of course that many cancer, and especially breast cancer, research companies test on animals! So its a double whammy when you buy cosmetics created with cruelty to prevent cancer that then exacerbates health problems and causes more testing on animals!
November 5, 2009