Most makeup brands today in its endeavor to become popular, ignore the needs and desires of ordinary day-to-day women. Although a large number of women can get by using products that are synthetic with a chemical base, there are a growing number of women who have extremely sensitive skin, live alternative lifestyles or even suffer from gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
It is a misbelief that celiac disease is a western phenomenon. In fact, a large percentage of the population especially in northern India where wheat is a staple diet, suffer from celiac disease! Celiac disease and gluten intolerance are gluten allergies that result from intolerance to a protein composite found in wheat and similar grains.
The average woman ‘eats’ about eight pounds of lipstick or lip gloss in her lifetime. If such products contain gluten, then it is a huge amount of gluten to consume for a woman with celiac disease especially if she is working diligently to eat a gluten free diet. It is important to note that gluten allergies are molecular and sensitive to even the tiniest triggers and therefore it is best to use gluten-free cosmetics and beauty products even though they are topically applied.
Besides being gluten-free, now there are products in the market that are vegan as well. Veganism as a concept is very popular in the western world where many men and women are moving away from meats and dairy products or anything that is sourced from animals. The idea is to inculcate a healthy lifestyle and to develop a concern for the environment as well as cruelty against animals. Veganism has become very popular in India recently especially because of its benefits associated with helping with diabetes and losing weight.
Being vegan are great for vegetarians as well or others who are ardent supporters of using non-animal-based products. Instead of animal products, it focuses on fruit and plant based ingredients such as avocado oil, grape seed oil, marula oil along with vitamins and anti-oxidants that are beneficial for the skin as well. Brands like Bodyography has been certified by PETA for its high-quality, environmentally friendly, animal-cruelty free products.
It is best to avoid chemical cosmetic ingredients in beauty products as much as possible as these are applied all over the body everyday. Cosmetic manufacturers use cheaply sourced chemical ingredients to improve their product's ability to cleanse, moisturise, beautify or improve odor of the product. Cosmetics and makeup do not need harsh chemicals to work and there are alternatives such as natural butters, talc and filler free products as well as Paraben free options to help improve health and lifestyle. One of the ingredients found in most cosmetic products that help its shelf life are Parabens. Parabens are a group of chemical preservatives that have been scientifically proven to disrupt the normal functioning of the female hormone estrogen. It is an estrogenic chemical, which mimics the actions of natural hormone estrogen and has been linked to breast cancer.
(Vidushi Agarwal, head — Brands Headstart International Pvt. ltd.)