A Quick De-Briefing of the TSFC National Summit

There were many exciting things going on this past Saturday, but one of the most exciting events was the Teens for Safe Cosmetics Campaign 3rd Annual National Summit. There were many teen girls (as to be expected) and quite a few notable speakers.

Dan Jacobson is the Executive Director of Environment California. He introduced himself to the crowd and immediately asked, “What are Phthalates?” I’m sure much of the audience was confused and hadn’t a clue. He went on to explain that Phthalates are basically what makes plastic soft and squishy, and a rubber ducky was displayed as an example. He proceeded with, “They act like a hormone when they’re in the body, interrupting the “chemical conversation,” which in teen bodies is particularly complicated.”

Whole Foods market was represented by Jeremiah McElwee, Global Whole Body Coordinator. He made the point that "the interesting thing is that for personal care products there are no governmental standards" and we here at Edelbio Skincare have been trying to point that out as well. He also explained that "the term 'natural' became ubiquitous and kind of lost its teeth" and that the solution is education. He told us that we must push for standards and the rest of the retail world will follow suit. There is power in the dollar and it shows in comparable sales.

Jared Huffman, State Assembly Member 6th District, announced that legislation is not the answer. He justified that by explaining that the industry will put out new chemicals on the market faster than we can remove them. He mentioned that he is now working on butter flavoring chemical and flame retardants.