Erin Cady(erincady810)
[email protected]
Drake University
MAKING THE SWITCH
THE FALSE MARKETING
Alba Botanica is a skin-care line that makes moisturizers, make-up remover, facewash,
etc. It markets itself as being “100% vegetarian ingredients,” free of parabens and sulfates, and
cruelty-free. To the eye of the typical consumer, all of these labels make it appear that this
product is great for you and for the environment. Now, Alba Botanica does have a lot of
admirable qualities such as those listed above, however its marketing does not disclose the
possible toxins that may be present in their products. I use Alba Botanica Daily Detox Foaming
Cleanser every-day to clean my skin with, and I specifically bought the product because of the
“eco-friendly” marketing it used. When I bought the face-wash, I believed I was being a
conscious consumer by purchasing a cruelty product, but I was blind to the science of cosmetics
and the chemicals found in so many.
THE HIDDEN SURPRISES
I decided to choose my face-wash to test with the “Think Dirty” app because It is by far
my most used item, and one of my favorites. From the list of ingredients on the back of the
packaging, I spotted ingredients such as: Shea butter, orange, willow, grape, and a host of other
fruits and oils. There were a few ingredients I didn’t know, but I figured that so many good
ingredients would overshadow the unknown ones right? Well it wasn’t until I entered the facewash into the think dirty app that I realized how I had been fooled. Alba Botanica Daily Detox
Foaming Cleanser scored a 5 on the “Think Dirty” app; it contained 3 ingredients that can be
considered dangerous: Phenoxyethanol, Sodium coco-sulfate, and Bisabolol. The most harmful
of these chemicals is phenoxyethanol, a chemical known to cause skin irritations and also has
been labeled as a neurotoxin, with potential to cause damage to the central nervous system.
Learning this information is disconcerting for two reasons: I became aware of the toxins in my
body and I became aware that through my lack of knowledge, I unknowingly supported a
company that feels it can knowingly use toxic chemicals in its products.
THE SOLUTION
After learning about the potential harmful side effects of my face-wash, I scrolled
through “Think Dirty’s” suggested products and came across the Acure Organic Facial Cleansing
Crème with Argan oil and mint. Acure is a well-known and USDA certified organic beauty
company, and their face-wash scored a 0 on the “Think Dirty” product scale, making it the most
ideal and safe product. Acure is a better choice over Alba because of its certified organic
ingredients; there is no guessing as to whether or not Acure is safe because it has been cleared as
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being safe for people and for the environment. Acure is made with organic fruits and oils and
does not contain parabens or sulfates, it’s ingredients include:
Rosehips
Sodium PCA
Chamomile
Chlorella
Argan Oil
Potassium sorbate
Acai berry
Blackberry
Pomegranate
Sugar soap
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Fermented sugar
Cetearyl glucoside
Vitamin E
Fermented resveratrol extract
Ubiquinone
Spearmint
Knowing that Acure is full of natural ingredients that have not harmed the environment has
persuaded me to swap my Alba Botanica facewash for Acure! On Amazon.com Acure face-wash
costs $6.75 and Alba costs $5.41. While Acure is a tad more expensive, it is a small margin
between the two and the benefits of using a safe product outweigh the slight extra cost.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
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