Statement:
Mascara is a product that I and many other people across the globe use every single day. What we fail to realize is how harmful mascara can be to our own health and to the earth when we dispose of it. Mascara includes ingredients like parabens which is a preservative that can be linked to disrupting estrogen production in the body which can lead to breast cancer. It also contains aluminum powder which is used to pigment. Aluminum powder is considered to be far worse than mercury, as it is known to interfere with cellular and metabolic processes in the nervous system and other tissues. Propylene Glycol can cause intense skin irritation and allergic reaction. In some cases, this ingredient can cause painful blisters to manifest throughout the body. Retinyl acetate is an ingredient that can cause biochemical or cellular level changes. Side effects include, developmental and reproductive toxicity and organ system toxicity. The ingredient is banned in Canada.
The list of harmful materials in mascaras keeps going. This is why I wanted to redesign a mascara bottle (usually made from plastic) and the ingredients it is made out of to make a healthier and environmentally friendly alternative. By using ingredients like bees wax, aloe vera, and coconut oil, you are taking away from all of the harmful materials used in everyday mascaras. And by using pigments such as cocoa powder or charcoal, you are reducing your chances of developing cancers or blisters. Because the mascara mixture would be non-toxic, the bottle would be made of glass and bamboo so that the bottle can be easily recycled without having to worry about a toxic material going into the landfill. I also decided to chose to redesign mascara because 91% of makeup materials are not recycled because people either forget to recycle or because of harmful materials on the inside.
