Cosmetic Chemistry: Bugs in Your Makeup Bag
If you bit your nails in Mr. Schick’s metal shop class at North East Middle School he attempted to use the gross-out factor to break you of your habit.
“You know you are chewing crushed beetles right now. That’s what they make nail polish out of,” he would tell us impressionable ‘tweens.
Now the Museum of Science in Boston - with their Cosmetic Chemistry class - and the New York Times - who reported on it - are going with the same strategy.
Whale puke, skunk oil, pulverized fish scales, crushed bugs, and pig fat were some of the ingredients dissected from perfume, lipstick, lip gloss and other makeup products by the museum’s students.
Dr. Chi-Ting Huang, a museum volunteer, leads the class with a purpose of spiking these youths’ interests in chemistry and science. After discovering that cosmetics contain some weird, Fear Factor-ish by-products, Dr. Huang helps the participants create their own vegan lip gloss!
So it seems the tidbit of icky-ness that my former metal shop teacher stuck in my brain is true: chewing on painted nails could mean that you are chewing on crushed beetles. When the cochineal beetle is crushed, it creates a carmine red that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a color additive. But a point that Mr. Schick missed - these beetles are not only in your polish, but also lipstick, sports drinks, and other fake red products.
Good to note: animal testing is not the only reason to buy from vegan beauty product companies.



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