Pretty Ugly is a face-off between toxic chemicals in personal products and one conscientious consumer on a quest for answers. This documentary reveals the ugly truth behind the cosmetics and toiletries industry and educates the public about harmful ingredients in personal products, as well as the effects these chemicals pose to human health.
The filmmaker, Andrea Palombella, travels across the United States to investigate the most harmful ingredients in cosmetics to explore how these chemicals are linked to diseases. Experts from the National Institutes of Health, Environmental Working Group, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, as well as individuals who experienced adverse health effects from cosmetics, reveal how ingredients inside the personal products Americans use every day are impacting our health and what we can do about it.
Whether promoting arsenic as a beauty treatment to lighten the skin during the Victorian era or enticing women to use radium, a radioactive material, in lipstick during the 1920s, sadly, not much has changed. Toxic chemicals like lead, phthalates, and toluene are lurking in bathroom cabinets, and millions of consumers have no idea they are slathering toxins on their body as part of their daily get-ready routines.
The film features interviews with experts in environmental health, biochemistry, toxicology and public policy, taking audiences on a deep dive into the cumulative effects of using toxic chemicals in our daily regimens. Environmental watchdogs address what is lacking in the current consumer landscape that has historically allowed companies to use virtually any ingredient they choose, and what the future holds for the battle of the consumer’s health versus the $84+ billion per year industry. It’s time to get beauty schooled, because looks can be deceiving.