Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Discuss SCA 2011!
The wonderful people over at Personal Care Truth have started a Facebook page dedicated to discussion of the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011. You can check it out right here: http://www.facebook.com/HR2359. Go ahead, get involved!
Ten Reasons Why You Should Not Support SCA 2011
Robert Tisserand at Personal Care Truth
The Environmental Working Group, who have given birth to this legislation, is an incompetent organization that does not understand the science of toxicology, does not understand natural products, and that takes a biased, negative view of safety, often seeing dangers that do not exist.
This is about the best summary I’ve heard of the Environmental Working Group. For those of you who don’t know, Robert Tisserand is considered by most people in our industry to be the world’s foremost expert on essential oils, and an expert aromatherapist. Generally when he speaks, I listen.
You can read the rest of his article right here.
Made-up Cosmetics Concerns
(Via Personal Care Truth or Scare)
A frustrated ACSH’s Dr. Gilbert Ross wonders why such needless regulations are being written by a chemophobic activist group whose only expertise lies in scaring the public and manipulating consumer fears about chemicals. “They even have the temerity to actually take ‘credit’ for calling cosmetics harmful and laced with such ‘toxic contaminants’ as phthalates, formaldehyde, and metals,” he says. “These products have been in widespread — indeed, universal — use for decades, and now, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (a creature of the Environmental Working Group) and its lackeys in Congress, they have suddenly become a health hazard?
Additionally, many of these “toxic” chemicals occur naturally in low doses in the foods we eat every day. Apples, for example, contain small amounts of formaldehyde—not from any human action, but they actually produce them as they grow. It’s small facts like this that can be used to make wild claims like “this lipstick contains cancer-causing formaldehyde”, when it could just be that it contains an apple extract. Groups like the Environmental Working Group aren’t generally interested in the truth, though. Just how they can present information in a way that fits their agenda.
Remember, any time a discussion about toxicity comes up, you can’t determine if something is toxic until you find out what kind of dosage you’re talking about. It’s the dose that makes the poison.
Where is the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011?
Via LMRodgers at Personal Care Truth
Now, is it me or is this beginning to feel like a huge PR move by Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Edward Markey (D-MA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to build momentum and excitement for The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 so when the bill is finally made public, we will all be blinded by the warm fuzzies, and won’t bother to read what’s in it?
Unfortunately that doesn’t sound as crazy as it should.
I’m also wondering if the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the EWG don’t have a hand to play in this little game of cat and mouse. When you read all the posts and updates coming from their camp, it’s obvious they have a front row seat, and probably have a copy of the bill on a desk in their offices. They sure do have a great many aspects of the bill they are pointing out, and how great they will be for consumers. I’m pretty sure they have a copy of the bill because they are the driving force behind this proposed legislation. Do you think I’m too off the mark?
Nope. Let’s not forget the money trail for the EWG.
The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 is introduced today
Via HSMG
HR 2359 The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 is introduced today. Look for bill text later today on the HSMG Blog when it becomes available.
Oh boy. I can’t wait to see what’s in the bill this time around. Let’s hope all of our efforts last year didn’t fall on deaf ears!
Best Products for Sensitive Skin
Via Colin Sanders at Colin’s Beauty Pages
But based on my personal experience and a bit of understanding of the way the skin works, the advice I would be most inclined to give is to simply use as little of anything as you can get away with. Your skin is most likely to heal most quickly if you simply leave it to itself.
I have to say, this is great advice. Of course it’s immensely important what product you use, but in general, the less the better.
Update on The Safe Cosmetics Act
Kayla Fioravanti via Essential U
With your help we all made a lot of noise – enough to have earned open lines of communication that have allowed your voices to be heard behind the scenes. Leigh attended the June 10th meeting with the Soap Guild’s D.C. advocate Marry Anne Walsh of Roetzel and Andress.
I’d like to say thank you to all of our customers who signed the petition and showed support. It’s been a long tough battle, and this is good news.
We must stay vigilant in order to insure that the new language of the Safe Cosmetics act does not fall into the category of indefensible bureaucratic stuff.
Couldn’t agree more.
What is Lye Soap?
I recently received a question asking us to consider making “lye soap”. Since every bar of alabu® is actually lye soap, I thought I would take the opportunity to shed some light on this subject. First, I would like to say that nearly all bar soap is lye soap. However, that doesn’t mean when you buy a bar of big-brand x that it’s lye soap. So, what’s the difference? Read the rest of this entry »
What’s in a name?
Have you ever wondered what the name Alabu means? We get this question a lot so I thought I’d shed some light on it. It all started way back in the beginning of the year 2000 (that seems like so long ago). My mother had made soap for about three years at this point, and we were selling soap and candles online at a Read the rest of this entry »
Brand New alabu.com!
It’s been over a year in the making, we’ve finally launched our new website! We’ve always designed the site ourselves in the past, but we decided it was time to hire a professional, and I have to say the folks over at ShopIgniter did an absolutely fantastic job. We’ve got all kinds of new features and the site is very easy to use. What are you waiting for? Go check it out! You can also visit this page to see what’s new.
H.M.