The Story of Cosmetics

The Story of Cosmetics, released on July 21st, 2010, examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo.

Produced with Free Range Studios and hosted by Annie Leonard, the seven-minute film by The Story of Stuff Project reveals the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from hazardous chemicals and towards safer alternatives.

The film concludes with a call for viewers to support legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.

And, for all you fact checkers out there,

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[ardable]

Great video! That's why I quit my job in the cosmetics and starting my own business with 100% organic cosmetics this year.

[nikkijubilant]

Wonderful video! Thank you so much for making this. I have decided to stop dyeing my hair a year ago. I am reducing cosmetics and talking to my husband and others about it. We CAN make a difference

[rimun]

To be fair, a lot of "natural" cosmetics aren't any safer. They also take liberties with labelling. 

[sophiamay]

Think Dirty is a great app that you scan products to see if the ingredients are safe or not

[skiluva]

Wish we had an update to this as it's 10 years old

[treasureinvessel]

Governments will only act if consumers demand they act. But the vast majority doesn't wanna know ( blissful ignorance ) or even care. Like someone said ( i have the right to get lung cancer - so don't preach to me )

[shraddhapawar]

cosmetic companies of these days trying so hard to make human skin faultless.
no dark area on any part of the body.
except maybe our hearts! Got a cream for that? :)

[urbanecobeauty]

I make all my skin care from nature. Its all we need. We have to work along with our natural environment and not against it. - Thank you for raising awareness, its well needed in this world today!

[bananas]

I feel very strongly about this stuff...happy to see I'm not the only one who has realized what horrible ingredients are killing us slowly and softening our skin at the same time.

[thesnailiestsnail]

I wish there were references to back up these clams. I mean, they sound believable, but that doesn’t make it true. Saying scary big words don’t mean something is bad for you. If these things are true, I’d just really appreciate references from valid sources. Without them, this doesn’t prove anything, it’s just hear say. :/

[gazirulislamroni]

Even though I've been in the appropriate frame of mind for a while, this film is still amazing because it taught me things I didn't already know. Greetings, Annie! I want to let everyone know that you can either buy natural items (a good place to start is an organic store like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's) OR you can produce your own things for dirt-cheap prices! Face wash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, a few stain-removal items, and bug spray are already homemade by myself. And I still have a ton more to experiment with!

[RainAngel]

were those "chemicals linked to cancer"

classified as such in the state of California?

[princessstrawberry]

I've been on the right mindset for a while, but this video is still great because it still provided information I still didn't know. Thanks, Annie! I want to share with everyone that you can buy natural products (organic stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's is a good place to start) OR you can make your own products for cheap, cheap, cheap! I've already made face wash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, a couple of stain remover products, & bug spray. And I still got a lot more to try out!

[TheLovingR]

It's actually ironic that she says that her dry shampoo contains sodium laureth sulfate, that's the thing shampoos and other products like some toothpastes and showergel, makes it foamy. But dry shampoo doesn't need this.

[lhekkybiochem]

More of these videos need to be made public to creat awareness on what is contained in our cosmetics and also to educate us on the chemicals in our cosmetics . This can also go well by enlightening us thoroughly on good cosmetics.

[bernicerogers]

I read what chemists write about these additives such as sodium laureth sulphate and they are safe. Health shops will say anything to get sales. It's big business nowadays and very expensive.

[ingridhlemme]

I am so much healthier since I stopped using chemicals on and in my body! Never knew that plain vinegar works as deodorant! WOW!

[rebeccataylor]

I am 44 years old and am always mistaken for in my 20s-30s, the sister to my 22 year old son(oldest of 3). I haven't used anything but completely natural moisturizers for over 20years after a bad reaction to a L'Oreal product. At the moment I use Shea butter, which I love. I only use diluted essential oils for perfume and mixed with bi carb for deodorant. I use a mostly plant based shampoo and body wash but my next step is growing my own 😊 ! There's a herb called soapwort, that can be used for all washing needs 💚🌿🌱 and I make my own cleaning products for the house. I highly recommend cutting out chemicals as best we can. Thank you for this wonderful video 💚🌿

[kaushikaushis]

great video... people here in India still use natural shampoo like 'shikakai', etc. and they are good but even they are getting contaminated. other alternatives are using soapnut fruits soaked overnight and using the foam next morning to wash the hair. people here in southern India (like Kerala) are known for great traditional herbal treatments and the southern people of India usually oil their hair with pure herbal stuff before washing their hair. so they are known for beautiful, dense thick hair here. apart from that proper food intake helps hair growth.

[LanaALaBonte]

The only thing I don't agree with is saying "it's not our fault" because it is for blindly thinking the government is looking out for our best interest. We are responsible for our choices & being ignorant to what's going on behind the scenes is just one of the problems. When we get informed, we have the opportunity to make a choice to be a part of the problem or a part of the solution...If nobody speaks up, it just continues to ensue...