| I stumbled upon an article in an issue of | | | | material needed. |
| Cosmetiscope -- a journal for cosmetic scientists -- | | | | Next on the chopping block -- unnecessary chemicals. |
| detailing what 'green' means in the cosmetic industry. | | | | All the ingredients tossed into the mixing bowl have |
| What I once thought to be no more than an eco-fad | | | | to be needed for effective application of the product. |
| has quickly become quite important to a great | | | | In other words, all those 15-35 letter ingredients that |
| majority internationally. Here's what I learned... | | | | fascinate me so much (nerdy I know!) have to be in |
| In order to be considered green the cosmetic | | | | there for a darn good reason! Additionally, a |
| manufacturer must make an effort to prevent | | | | fantastically green product serves its purpose and |
| waste. Generally chemical waste is detrimental to the | | | | then calls it quits leaving no chemical scars on our |
| environment so you can see why this would be | | | | blessed environment. And just for good measure, a |
| important. A few other requirements are linked to | | | | real-time pollution prevention tool should be in place. |
| preventing or reducing waste, so I'll discuss them | | | | Toxicity and risk of chemical disaster -- like |
| now. Any substance that is used for the sole | | | | explosions, fires, gas leaks (no big deal, right?) are |
| purpose of making a reaction work has to be | | | | kept to a minimum. |
| renewable. It cannot be 'used up' in the process and | | | | And with all the talk about energy conservation locally |
| it cannot be inactive when the process is complete. | | | | and on capital hill, its no mystery why the cosmetic |
| Similarly, green processes minimize the creation of | | | | industry would strive to be particular about the |
| side products that cannot be used in other | | | | energy use in their chemical processes. |
| applications. In addition, green processes make use of | | | | Stay tuned to see how well your cosmetic company |
| what I would call personal assistants which speed up | | | | of choice is doing with the transition! |
| the reaction and minimize the amount of starting | | | | |