I’ve always thought it was slightly amusing to see news reporters on TV with gobs upon gobs of makeup plastered on their faces. And not just women—men as well. In many cases, although their faces would be coated with a thick layer of makeup, their necks weren’t and were another color altogether.
But later on, when I did a little research and discovered the wide array of toxic ingredients that go into everyday makeup and personal care products (such as shaving creams, deodorants, etc.), I realized that the way in which these toxins negatively impact people’s health was no laughing matter.
This film focuses on many of the lesser-known aspects of the $500 billion beauty industry and the terrible price people pay in order to feel better about themselves, by using any of the numerous products that populate our store shelves.
The film begins with White’s harsh, first-hand journey of self-discovery with regard to the makeup and personal care product industry. “It started with adrenal fatigue and debilitating lethargy,” White says. She also experienced weight fluctuations, heart palpitations, and the feeling of being cold all of the time. She went to see her doctor and was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis).
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is a disorder that progresses gradually. At first, people may not notice any signs or symptoms of the disease. But eventually, people’s immune systems attack their thyroid glands. When this happens, thyroid hormone production can decline, which can result in many adverse symptoms such as fatigue and sleepiness, increased sensitivity to cold, dry skin, and many others.
In White’s case, things kept getting worse and worse. So, she consulted a number of different doctors and was eventually diagnosed with two additional autoimmune disorders. Because of the large number of different symptoms she was exhibiting, doctors had to constantly adjust the type (and dosage) of the medications they prescribed to her.
In a candid scene, White bends down in her bathtub to pick up some of the black hairs scattered at her feet. She mentions that one of the most terrifying events she experienced was when her hair began falling out in large clumps, saying that it “stopped me in my tracks and made me breathless.” Horrified, she wound up sobbing on her bathroom floor.
Amid this turmoil, she began to wonder if all of the disorders affecting her body were part of something bigger than she couldn’t have imagined; perhaps something that even the doctors weren’t aware of as well.
White consulted numerous doctors and several of them prescribed Minoxidil, a hair loss treatment medication. But that only increased the rate at which she was losing her hair. Exhausted and confounded, she finally began conducting her own research online, starting with Minoxidil and branching out into all of the other products she’d been using.
She took a closer look at the many products she was putting on her body every day and says she felt that she was going “down a rabbit hole,” since most of the ingredients contained in them were unpronounceable and unrecognizable.
What she found out shocked her; many of the ingredients in these products were also used in such things as paint thinners, industrial pesticides, plastics, and many other toxic substances. And these weren’t merely in a few of her household products, but almost all of them—her makeup, shampoos, shaving creams, deodorants, nail polishes, and sunscreen.
More of her research also led to another disquieting discovery—that today’s young girls begin wearing makeup at much younger ages than even a decade ago; as soon as 8 to 13 years of age. And a whopping 1 out of 5 of these girls also reports that if they don’t wear any makeup, their self-image suffers.
White goes on to talk about how all of the toxic chemicals in these products are absorbed through our porous skin and then pass through into our bodies. Once they are inside our bodies, they can wreak havoc and cause any number of health disorders.
Wearing makeup is nothing new. Throughout the history of mankind, people have been wearing makeup. Many folks knew that the substances they were putting on themselves contained hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, and even arsenic, but risked it anyway in the name of beauty.
This eye-opening documentary reveals how many of the products that we use in our everyday life, to look and feel better about ourselves, are largely unregulated by any sort of official health departments or organizations. It also delves into all of the advertising and marketing that helps to sell these toxic products.
