The Harmful Facts about Beauty and Hygiene Products That You May Not Know

Beauty and hygiene products have been used since the beginning of time. We see lots of advertisements every day about different soaps, lipsticks, and all other products. But have you ever questioned the ingredients that companies put in things we use every day? Not everyone goes to the store and looks at the back of the ingredient list to read the long list all the time. They just want to pick it up and go. These series of articles will discuss the various reasons why we should be doing just that.

In a New York Times article, the paper “What Is Talc, Where Is It Used and Why Is Asbestos a Concern?” Roni Caryn Rabin writes about the concerning issue of Talc constantly being used in baby powder the effects it has on children and women. Rabin also speaks about the harmful chemical, asbestos, could be a concern and if they’re in products, it would cause major health problems for consumers in the future.  

The Herizons Magazine published an article called “The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry” and it was written by Misha Warbanski. Warbanski discusses the many reasons why the beauty industry is not as pretty as it seems. The author argues that beauty and hygiene products expose us to harsh chemicals that could affect women’s health and even men.

An article titled “Effects of feminine hygiene products on the vaginal mucosal biome” written by a series of doctors, researches how feminine hygiene products are affecting vaginal health and how some over-the-counter products can come with a small warning but results into much greater side effects.

“Allergic contact dermatitis caused by (meth)acrylates in long-lasting nail polish – are we facing a new epidemic in the beauty industry?” is an academic journal, written by Maria-Elena Gatica-Ortega, Maria-Antonia Pastor-Nieto, Pedro Mercader-García and Juan-Francisco Silvestre-Salvador that discusses and researches how a person can get Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) that was caused by a chemical that is in long-lasting nail polish. Research and testing were conducted to see how this long-lasting nail polish is causing a new epidemic.

Rhetorical Situation

The New York Times article contains various types of research and brings up many examples of things that contain talc that could potentially harm you. This news article is written by Roni Caryn Rabin and got published by a very important news page which would convince the audience that this person is bringing up valid points. Rabin also brought up a point that the Personal Care Products Council has made a rule that talc products should be Asbestos-free to keep people safe. 

Misha Warbanski “The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry,” wrote because she wanted to bring up the argument that we should stop using toxic products and start looking at the effects that we are going to build up to if we don’t stop. The author wanted more awareness of this topic which is why the piece was written and published. Warbanski even brings up that “the U.S. banned the use of coal tar dye in mascara after the ingredient was found to cause blindness”(Warbanski, Misha “The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry”). The government is finally showing a way that the production of toxic products can stop being produced if it was brought to awareness. 

The authors of  “Effects of feminine hygiene products on the vaginal mucosal biome” showed lots of scientific results of how much bacteria can be caused by using certain feminine products can destroy your vaginal health. The research was conducted to show women out there that products that you think are safe, are actually damaging and can deteriorate the vaginal barrier. A list of products was tested to see which were the least and most toxic to women’s health. The authors give lots of evidence, data and research to prove their rhetoric. 

The academic journal, “Allergic contact dermatitis caused by (meth)acrylates in long-lasting nail polish – are we facing a new epidemic in the beauty industry?”, is similar to the website in which they both did their own research on topics that branch out with two different beauty products. This journal studies and discusses how allergic contact dermatitis can be contacted by (meth)acrylates which are a chemical that is in long-lasting nail polish. The various authors mention different types of nail types you can get in the salon and the process it takes to make the long-lasting nail polish work. Studies were coordinated to show how many people have contracted dry skin around the nails. It was said that “ several acrylates were identified in the list of ingredients. Each product contained between one and five (meth)acrylate compounds”(“Allergic contact dermatitis caused by (meth)acrylates in long-lasting nail polish – are we facing a new epidemic in the beauty industry?”). 

Purpose 

The purpose of the New York Times article was to inform every woman and everyone that there could be a possibility that asbestos is in talcum powder which is used for babies. The article says “Nearly 12,000 women have sued Johnson & Johnson, with most claiming the talc in its well-known product Johnson’s Baby Powder caused their ovarian cancer”. From this, we can see that there are women claiming that the effects of using baby powder from Johnson & Johnson is causing them serious health defects. Roni Caryn Rabin’s purpose in writing this newspaper article was also to reveal that the F.D.A. does not test the hygiene products for safety and the author wanted to convince you to be careful when using most beauty and hygiene products. 

Warbanski’s purpose in writing “The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry” was to show that the beauty industry affects everyone, not just women. She wanted to expose that beauty products can make you look beautiful but can cause men health problems. She wants to convince you to check the labels and even says “If you can’t say it, don’t wear it”(Warbanski). Making a point like this is the reason why Warbanski wrote this piece. She wants women and men to know that not everything is safe to put on your body, chemicals like parabens and phthalates will absorb in the skin and harm you. 

The authors of “Effects of feminine hygiene products on the vaginal mucosal biome”

 purpose of writing this article was to give another aspect of the health concerns scientist have on feminine products. Scientific research and testing were provided in this article stating that “Some OTC vaginal products may be harmful to L. crispatus and alter the vaginal immune environment”. By providing information about products you can get easy access to, the reader will be proved that it will cause more danger than good. 

The journal on allergic contact dermatitis purpose was to give an in-depth research element to a topic that not many people talk about. The authors wanted to reach a broader audience to further prove their point on this skin condition caused by (meth)acrylates that are in certain nail polishes. The aim of this journal is similar to the website article which is to inform the readers with scientific data.  

Audience

The audience for this topic is general because we are all humans and everyone can be affected by this problem. These four articles were trying to reach out to the public that beauty and hygiene products are stunting developmental genital growth for males and reproductive complications for women. Warbanski’s magazine article was trying to reach the audience of men and women who use these things. She brings up a researcher who says that being exposed to phthalates is a chemical that may be increasing male infertility and testicular cancer rates in men. By sharing that piece of information it expands the audience to not only just women but to men because men use products as well. The newspaper article’s audience is directed to women who are mothers since talc is used in baby products. Rabin brings up many cases where mothers have reported ovarian cancer from using talcum powder on babies and inhaling it. Since the author brought this up it can connect to mothers and they would want to take action to stop putting harsh chemicals in stuff that we use in everyday life. This was published in the New York Times which is such a huge newspaper company which can make 

Both the academic journal and website article are similar in that they reach out to an audience that is more scientifical or analytical. The authors of each source provide immense data to prove both of their topics, even if they’re both talking about different things. The academic journal provides lots of information about a dangerous chemical in nail polish that could reach to an audience that goes to get their nails done every two weeks. It gives that audience an opportunity to be aware of deciding what they want on their nails to protect their health. On the other hand, the website article provides facts about feminine hygiene products that can actually cause bacteria and break down the vaginal barrier. The audience that they can reach is for the women who buy feminine wash at the drugstore; they can beware of the ingredients before buying. 

Genre

The genre of the first source is a newspaper article. The newspaper article is a response to talc containing asbestos and being used in various products. It’s a news article that contains 775 words and its not very long. It was published in the New York Times which is one of the larger newspaper companies.

Misha Warbanki’s piece of writing was published in Herizons Magazine. This magazine company is a Canadian magazine and is also a feminist magazine. This is a great source to use for this topic because they’re a  reliable source that would advocate for women’s health. Herizons Magazine published this piece in 2007 but it is still relevant today because the beauty industry grows more and more every day. The language of this source was scholarly but clear enough for everyone to understand.  Warbanski wrote “ However, health activists say harmful chemicals shouldn’t be there, period. Formaldehyde, benzene and lead are associated with not only cancer, but endometriosis, birth defects and developmental disabilities in children”. She told the audience about the harmful chemicals but explained it in a way that everyone can understand it. 

The article on the effects on feminine hygiene is an article that was posted on a government-related website. The genre that the article can be categorized in is a scholarly website. It was a fairly long article but it did have lots of information on the topic. The language is this article was very informative and formal. The tone was straight forward and business-like. The author said things like “Talc was routinely applied to surgical gloves and condoms until the 1990s, when the Food and Drug Administration told manufacturers to stop using it because of health concerns.”The author was using terms like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which is a government-run agency. By using a term like this, it will convince the audience more because they can see that the government is trying to help with this problem and see that it is a bigger concern. 

The genre for the last source is an academic journal. An academic journal is run with different ideas and research by other people and peer-reviewed. It has lots of evidence to back up its claim about a skin problem. The language was scientifical and had a serious and informative tone. They used words like “All layers contain (meth)acrylates and, after application of each layer, exposure to a UV or an LED source is required for polymerization”. These words can make the article sound very scientific and it convinces the audience that the author has done extensive research to prove their argument about the harms of long-lasting nail polish to the female body. 

Stance

  Even though all the sources connect in some ways can hold the same stance, they also have differences. The magazine article’s stance was that women and men should be more aware of what they are putting on to their bodies and how the future of their health is being affected. The author wants women to have access to healthier products and feel like a victim of using what they were using before. The academic journal stance is that there are precautions when it comes to getting your nails done. Both the newspaper piece and scholarly website both bring up a stance of what is being put in things we use and how it affects human beings.

All in all, more research and data could come to the light and we can find out the actual truth as to why the name brand beauty and hygiene products are damaging to our bodies inside and out. The rise of more natural products could happen in the near future.  

Works Cited

Fashemi, Bisiayo, et al. “Effects of Feminine Hygiene Products on the Vaginal Mucosal Biome.” Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease, Co-Action Publishing, 25 Feb. 2013, 

Gatica-Ortega, Maria-Elena, et al. “Allergic Contact Dermatitis Caused by (Meth)Acrylates in Long-Lasting Nail Polish - Are We Facing a New Epidemic in the Beauty Industry?” Contact Dermatitis, vol. 77, no. 6, 2017, pp. 360–366., doi:10.1111/cod.12827.

Rabin, Roni Caryn. “What Is Talc, Where Is It Used and Why Is Asbestos a Concern?” The New York Times, 15 Dec. 2018.

Warbanski, Misha. “The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry.” The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry, 1 June 2007, pp. 24–28.