Not-So-Clean Cosmetics

In this paper, we will look into how the sustainability practices and corporate social responsibility of various leading cosmetics brands affect the environment comparatively, and how these brands can implement positive environmental changes to their corporate social responsibility in the future. As found in our research, a great deal of the problems with sustainability in cosmetics are based on the harmful chemicals used in the products and excessive packaging. There are synthetic materials put in these cosmetics that can be extremely harmful to the environment, such as glitter, microbeads, and toxic chemicals. Most brands do not list that these ingredients are contained within their products, because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require companies to list all ingredients found within their products. Given that cosmetics are one of the few things that do not have to be FDA-approved, manufacturers have the ability to put whatever they want into their products, which can reap harmful results on the planet and be harmful to the consumers who use the products. This paper will look at the regulations that are currently in place within the industry and what ways the industry has attempted to get around all these regulations. We aim to find logical and plausible ways to improve the sustainability aspect of cosmetics through waste management and ethical production