Pretty Ugly

A film about toxins hiding in our cosmetics

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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…]

Filed Under: Film Topics, Production Updates Tagged With: #Prettyuglythefilm, Cancer, Chemical Safety, chemicals, Environmental Working Group, EWG, filming, Health and Beauty, Ingredients, Labels, lead, Mom, parabens, phthalates, Pretty Ugly, production, regulation, safety, teaser shoot

“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.

nail-polish
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…]

Filed Under: Advocacy and Outreach, Fashion and Beauty, Film Topics, Guest Blog Tagged With: #acourageousbeauty, #Prettyuglythefilm, Chemical Safety, chemicals, Ingredients, parabens, phthalates, Pretty Ugly, regulation, safety, Skin Deep, Think Dirty

Decoding the Labels: What’s Actually Inside?

July 15, 2016 By Andrea Palombella Leave a Comment

Consumers are becoming more aware of the ingredient safety in personal products and toiletries. The front labels of  many packages now tout things like “Paraben Free” and “Sulfate Free.” Other claims on labels are often “All Natural” “Organic” and “Pure.” However, the scrupulous buyer will flip that bottle, tube or box over to see the real health implications of the ingredients. There are minimal regulations on what manufacturers can put on their product labels, which can lead to inaccurate claims. Many companies that use some natural ingredients–but also a slue of controversial chemicals–can put these terms on their products to attract health-conscious consumers.

Don’t believe me? Here are three examples:

IMG_1781
Beware of any product that contains “perfume” or “parfum.”

1.) Earlier this week, I walked into an Aveda salon for men and women. I have naturally wavy hair and find the humid Washington D.C. summers a great time to rock these messy curls; however my hair also puffs up not unlike a defunct Chia pet (all frizz and yet strangely, not much curl). I had heard positive reviews about the curly hair products by the company and wanted to investigate the line and its ingredients. I found the styling products and noted that some labels read “parfum” while others listed “Pure-fume,” Aveda’s natural formula of essential oils and natural scents. I asked the salon receptionist if she could explain why some bottles were labeled differently. I expressed my concern that many companies hide ingredients like phthalates and other harmful chemicals inside of the “fragrance/parfum” catch all on the label. Her response was, “All of our products are derived from plants and herbs.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Film Topics Tagged With: Breast Cancer Fund, Cologne, EWG, Ingredients, Labels, Perfume, phthalates

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.

Mom and Me

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…]

Filed Under: Production Updates Tagged With: Cancer, chemicals, consumers, formaldehyde, Karisse, lead, Mom, parabens, phthalates, safety

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