Cosmetics and The Environment

 

What are cosmetics?

Cosmetic is categorized as the health and beauty products used to beautify or modify several parts of the human body. It is any of the various preparations that also work as a defense mechanism of the skin, hair, nails, lips, eyes, or teeth from different problems. There are four main categories of cosmetics products; skincare products, hair care products, color cosmetics, and fragrances.

 

1. Skincare products:

These products are designed to enhance skin look and feel. About 30% of all products offered in the cosmetics market or sector comes from skincare products. It is the largest share of its category. Skincare products can be further categorized by how they function and what they do. There are products to be used on the skin. These involve moisturizing items aimed at enhancing the appearance and feel of the skin. There are also anti-aging products that intend to improve the aging skin, for example, wrinkles. Some sunless tanners change the skin color and over-the-counter medications that shield the skin from direct sunlight, cure skin problems, treating acne, and minimize wrinkles. Other types of skin products are those intended to extract substances from the skin. It is including body washes, hand soaps, facial washes, toners, bubble baths, and more. It also contains scrubs, masks, and exfoliating products. You may also apply shaving creams and depilatories to this category as their function is to remove hair from the skin. Skincare products also include oral care products like toothpaste, mouthwash, and teeth whitening products.

2. Hair care products:

Hair products are the second most common category of cosmetics, accounting for about 25% of sales. They are also categorized by how they function. The most commonly used hair products are those intended to remove stuff from your hair. There are liquid shampoos that clean the scalp, but there are also powdered and aerosol shampoos. They extract dirt, grease, and other stuff from your hair. There are specialty shampoos classified as over-the-counter medications, including anti-dandruff shampoos, anti-liquid cosmetics, and hair-regenerating shampoos. Hair conditioners are another form of hair care product used to enhance the look of the hair. There are also intensive conditioners, protein packs, hot oil treatments, and a wide range of other premium brands designed to work the same function. The third form of hair product is designed to improve the hair texture but is mainly used to help with the hair appearance.

3. Color cosmetic:

These are the kinds of products that most people think of when you use the word cosmetics. Color cosmetics make up approximately 20% of the cosmetics industry. This category includes items that stay on the skin and which alter color and appearance. It contains facial products such as foundations, lipsticks, blushes, skin shades, eyeliners, and mascara. You may also include nail accessories such as nail polish, and all nail care products.

 

4. Fragrances:

Fragrances and perfumes have been part of the beauty market since the 1600s. These types of goods work to improve the scent of the natural body. They make up about 10% of the cosmetics industry. This category contains perfumes, colognes, body splashes, body sprays (cologne aerosol models). Fragrances also include deodorants and antiperspirants.

 

How cosmetics affect the environment?

Cosmetics works to beautify the human skin, but it also has an ugly side behind its production. They negatively affect our environment. If the substance from the cosmetics is washed down the drain or disposed of in the bin, the chemicals and toxins it contains can be poisoning the oceans and the whole planet. It then can also destroy coral reefs, turtles, rainforests, wildlife habitats, and more. Cosmetic products also use fancy packaging to make them look more appealing and luxurious. This beauty industry, however, has resulted in 120 billion units of packaging produced every year globally. It makes up cosmetics as one of the highest plastic-wasting industries. Most cosmetics products sold on the market come in hard plastic cases with many tiny components. Each of which comes from different types of plastic, most of which are not readily recyclable, even if a customer were dedicated enough to dismantle the whole thing.

 Now, do you think this is a problem for the planet? 

Let's think!