chemicals

A History of Personal Products and Cosmetics Government Regulation

June 2, 2017 By Andrea Palombella 4 Comments

There are often two reactions from people when I share with them the purpose of Pretty Ugly. If the individual is aware of the issue of concerning chemicals in our personal products and cosmetics, their eyes light up and they become overjoyed as I share the reason for creating the story and my hope in how it will help educate and empower people to make healthier choices for themselves and their families.

The other reaction I get is from people who believe the situation “isn’t that dire” and that the government must regulate products and protect us from any potential health hazards. These are the people to whom I can’t wait to show the finished film.

So what is the regulation situation? The reality is the last cosmetic-focused bill to be passed into law was in 1938. Yes, that’s not a typo. It has been nearly 80 years since a federal law was passed to regulate the cosmetics industry in the United States. [Read more…]

Field Production Has Begun!

April 4, 2017 By Andrea Palombella 1 Comment

Happy Spring! We’ve got so many great updates to share, so brace yourself for excitement and read on…

First off, Pretty Ugly has raised enough seed funding to begin field production. This is a huge accomplishment, and we couldn’t have done it without the amazing generosity of many supporters!

In March, we filmed two days in Washington, D.C., collecting three interviews and gathering stunning B-roll. Our interviewees included Nneka Leiba, M.Phil, MPH, Director of Healthy Living at the Environmental Working Group, a leading nonprofit helping consumers make healthy choices based on environmental health research and education, Ky Washington, professional green-beauty makeup artist, and last but not least, Alessandra Palombella (my mom!), two-time breast cancer survivor and the reason why we’re making this film. It was through her finding out about carcinogens in personal products that spurred me on to dig deeper into the topic, and that is where I found the inspiration to share this story with the world. [Read more…]

“Makeup Your Mind” – Guest Blog Post for A Courageous Beauty

December 8, 2016 By Andrea Palombella 6 Comments

Pretty Ugly’s filmmaker, Andrea Palombella, was recently invited to write a guest blog post on the popular fashion blog, A Courageous Beauty. It is pasted below. Enjoy!

The Ugly Truth About Your Beauty Products…

I am so excited to have Andrea Palombella take over the blog today! Andrea is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and activist based in Washington, DC. Shocked by the types of potentially toxic chemicals in products she used everyday, Andrea dove in to learn as much about the issue as possible. Being a storyteller, she knew she had to share her discoveries with the world. The film PRETTY UGLY is a candid look at the safety of chemicals in personal care products and cosmetics.

IMAGE BY ANDREA PALOMBELLA

Fresh nails, on point hair and that hot, new lip color. These are all things I adore! I love trying new styles in both the fashion and beauty arenas. But, I also discovered several years ago that personal care products and cosmetics are one of the least regulated goods in the United States. Chemicals like formaldehyde, lead and phthalates were in many of the products I was using, and I’ll bet they’re hiding in your bathroom cabinets too. [Read more…]

The Quest Begins

May 24, 2016 By Andrea Palombella Leave a Comment

It’s What’s On the Inside that Matters

The time has finally come in the journey of preparing to make this film to begin sharing it with the world. For nearly four years I have researched the topic of cosmetic safety, consulted with industry experts, sought advice from successful filmmakers and storytellers, and dreamed up a game plan to bring a very important story to life. That story is my quest to discover the true safety of ingredients being used in personal care products and cosmetics.

Spurred on by my own family’s experiences with a variety of life-threatening diseases–and specifically my mom’s two-time battle with breast cancer–I realized that there were daily, environmental factors larger than genetics at play that could be causing illness in my family and even my friends’ lives.

[Read more…]