Pretty Ugly

A film about toxins hiding in our cosmetics

Our Awesome Updates!

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We hope you are staying healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re sending hugs, prayers and good vibes for a safe return to normalcy soon. During this time, we’ve stayed very busy making progress on the film. Here’s the latest: 

Our Latest Filming News

We journeyed up to New York to spend a day filming with LOLI Beauty founder Tina Hedges, whose products are organic, vegan, food-grade, sustainable, and Made in a Free World, ensuring no one is trafficked or exploited in their supply chain. Tina’s products are so clean, you can actually eat them! We had a blast with her as she shared all about her journey from big beauty executive working at two of the leading conventional beauty companies to now being a clean beauty alchemist, mixing her own magical products and sharing her formulas with the world. Check out pictures of Tina mixing ingredients just below!

[Read more…]

A History of Personal Products and Cosmetics Government Regulation

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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!

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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

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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…]

What’s The Big Deal?

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So there are chemicals in our body wash and toothpaste. We live in a modern world reliant on chemicals. Why should it matter?

Exactly which ingredients are in your products? Are they a magic potion of sudsy delight or are they comprised of cancer-causing chemicals like methylene glycol and coal tar?

Have you ever read the back of your labels? I definitely recommend it. Look up the ingredients to see if they are benign or linked to major health risks.

The safety of personal care products has two distinct camps. On one end of the spectrum, people claim that nearly everything will make you sick and nothing is safe due to factors like cross contamination, nanotechnology and plastics. On the other end, there are those who purport that all chemicals on the market are safe, have been tested and comply with the strictest of standards. After all, the federal government would not allow potentially hazardous chemicals to be on the shelves, right? [Read more…]

Our First Shoot – Colby College in Maine

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Screen Shot 2016-05-24 at 11.17.42 AMWe had a fantastic first shoot at Colby College in Waterville, Maine last month! Thanks to the amazing Dr. Gail Carlson, we went up to the college to speak with students about their thoughts on cosmetic ingredient safety, and we also sat down for an incredibly informative interview with Dr. Carlson.

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Dr. Carlson teaching

As the Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Colby, Dr. Carlson had so much to share about personal care product ingredients, regulation and who is ultimately responsible for consumer safety. Her interview challenged me to consider how the lack of government regulation of products allows potentially hazardous ingredients to make their way onto the shelves and ultimately into our bodies. She also helped us to breakdown the chemistry behind the ingredients and provide a clear explanation to the somewhat complex science behind personal care product ingredients. [Read more…]

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