On a daily a basis, we wear personal beauty products without knowing what chemicals are in them. Most of the chemicals we use are harmful for our bodies. We might use them and feel like nothing is wrong with them, but in the long run, we will see the effects this chemicals are having in our bodies. Cancer and other chronic diseases may be prevented if we use more natural products instead of the generic ones.

It is never too late to switch to a much safer alternative. If the natural products are too expensive, there are do-it-yourself easy and cheap options. Some people also have to be cautious with what they try to use because some of the alternatives might cause an allergic reaction.

Rapid aging is another of the consequences we might suffer if we do not use healthy alternatives. Some people spend large amounts of money on surgery or products to make them look younger.
If only they would have known that they could have saved money if, at a younger age, they would have used more natural products.

Some people ignore the effects these products also have on the environment. We think it is only a matter of how bad they are for our bodies, but they are also bad for the environment. Some companies claim to be socially responsible when their products say a different thing.

If more people would be aware of these things more action could be taken on the part of the companies. Mercyhurst recently had a guest speaker, Stacy Malkan, who talked about how her team and herself could make a difference in some companies who eliminated a chemical from their products. She also said how it was harder for one of the cases and unfortunately was not successful in her attempt to make the company change the product.

This is an example of how people can make the difference if they get together and let companies know what their concerns are about the products and perhaps they will take action and help their costumer in the best way they can.

Here at Mercyhurst University, Fresh Face Forward does a great job trying to raise awareness about the dangerous chemicals that are in our personal care products. They encourage the Mercyhurst community to read the labels of the products before they buy them.

The campaign on campus has informed a lot of students about the dangers that some personal care beauty products have and even have got them to try some do it yourself natural alternatives. One of the quickest ways to know if the product is good or bad for you is downloading the EWG Skin Deep app, that when you scan the bar code of the product it immediately tells you if the product is good or bad.

Once we are aware of these risks, we should let everyone know about the dangers of using certain personal care products. If you find an alternative that has been effective for you, then you can refer the alternative to a friend.