Why I Care About Personal Care Products (and Why You Should, Too!)
As a former classroom teacher and teacher of teachers and yogis, I never thought of myself as a salesperson. A few years back I read Dan Pink’s book “To Sell is Human” where I learned we’re all selling something - an idea, our brand, our work, our love. Pink points out that teachers routinely work to persuade students to ask questions, process ideas, change behavior, and to move. Essentially, “educators are sellers of ideas.” Truth.
I now have people scratching their head and asking me, WHY am I consultant with Beautycounter and what the heck am I selling? I am continuing to sell - ideas. My primary goal in this work is to amplify Beautycounter’s mission to get safer products in the hands of everyone. That involves selling the idea that we need to bew scrutinizing and selecting safer products. (Of course, I’d love to sell your products if that’s what you’re looking for -that’s in part, how I earn my income). Companies and the FDA are not in the business of taking a critical look at the safety of products and transparency in labeling.
I’m really here to sell you on the idea that:
Your health (and the health of those you care for) matters.
Your skin is your largest organ and what goes on it gets absorbed into your cells.
Terms such as “organic” and “natural” are adjectives and marketing terms, not facts.
You have a choice in the products you use and the companies you do business with.
Many of the products we use may - and ARE - be formulated with harmful or potentially harmful ingredients. We don’t even know what they are because companies do not have to disclose ingredients in personal care products. Since WWII, over 80,000 chemicals have been introduced to the market place, of which about 10% have been tested for safety. Many of those chemicals are used in personal care products.
Tip: Anything identified as “fragrance” is protected as a “trade secret” and doesn’t have to be identified - and synthetic fragrances are known to be endocrine and/or hormone disruptors.
The average American woman uses 10-15 products a day. As someone who never wore much makes up, I found that hard to believe…until I counted. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, deodorant. That’s five before I even touch my face. If you could begin to swap out one or two products, you’re on the way to reducing your toxic load.
It’s really about making small changes, making progress toward safer products.
Beautycounter’s mission is to get safer products into the hands of everyone.
To do that, we take a three-pronged approach - education, advocacy, and products offerings. We’re working disrupt the market place by offering safer, high performing products and to arm consumers with the information to make safer choices when they shop. Our long term goal is to not have to be so diligent about our choices because companies will do the right thing by providing us with transparency and more health-protective regulation will mean safer products in the market place.
The choices we make every day will have an impact on the market, and we’re starting to see that on the very near horizon. Target and CVS are hopping on board to remove harmful ingredients and products from their shelves in the future. Our CEO, Gregg Renfrew, is even leading the Counteract Coalition of a dozen skincare brands that support the Personal Care Products Safety Act. As a recent Forbes article pointed out “The business of clean beauty, part of the broader commercial wellness movement, is projected to generate nearly $22 billion globally in 2024”. We’re leading this movement and welcome anyone who wants to join us - as a client, loyal member or even a consultant.
If you want to clean up your products, I’m always willing to talk - whether you’re interested in Beautycounter products or want recommendations of other brands who share our commitment to transparency and safety. And if you’ve got tips for safer products, I’m all ears!
We know our story is best-told person to person, so we have an extensive network of consultants. But you can also shop our brick and mortar stores, on our website and through collaborations (we’re with Goop and have been with Target and J Crew). We know the power consumers have when they make conscious decisions about where they shop and what they buy.
And if you're thinking you are NOT a salesperson , but your health matters, doing essential work matters , relationships matter, and earning a living matters, let’s chat more about what it means to work on our remarkable and diverse team of busy men and women on a mission.
If you’re a Facebook person, like my group, Small Ripple in Wellness - that’s the place I share articles and tips on cleaner living (home, health, products).
Be well and take care,
