TUCSON, Ariz. — Texas A & M student Nicole Kavanaugh admits her face feels cleaner and her pores less clogged when she wears natural makeup. The funny thing is, until this interview, she did not even realize that she was wearing eco-friendly products.

The popular makeup store Sephora currently features a “natural and organic” section on its Web site. This section lists all of the natural brands and products by item.



At the beginning of the interview, Kavanaugh was not at all impressed with the “natural and organic” section for fear that it is more expensive, which as a college student, concerns her.

“I would definitely pay more for an eco-friendly product, but as a college student that’s not really feasible for me," she said.

After reading the list of brands Sephora features, Kavanaugh was surprised to discover she already owns a few of them, such as Duwop, Korres, L’occataine and Bare Escentuals, without realizing their benefits.



“Though I did not know Bare Escentuals used natural ingredients, it makes sense because I can feel a difference," Kavanaugh said. "This is probably why I buy it even though I can’t really afford it."

The fact that she owns some of these natural products indicates that aside from feeling good about creating a product under humane and environmentally friendly conditions, there is also a visible difference when applying it.

“I mean there is evidence that the chemicals in our environment affect us, and if you are smearing it on your face, you may notice it more than clothing or food," Kavanaugh said.

Kavanaugh brought up an interesting point about why natural makeup may feel different than regular products.

Phthalates, parabens and formaldehyde are chemicals commonly found in face creams, lotions, blushes, nail polishes and other makeup products, according to the Organic Consumers Association. They have been linked to birth defects, cancer, tumors and a list of other health risks.

Honor Schauland, an Organic Consumers Association employee, said these chemicals are very common in most products.

"In non-organic makeup they are ubiquitous just because that's the way it's kind of done," Schauland said. "There's just so many chemicals in regular run of the mill cosmetic products, it would be silly to list them."

Currently, the Food and Drug Administration permits these chemicals in makeup. Schaulund said the FDA continues to approve them because of the difficulty to prove all of the effects.

"Once you prove one chemical and we get that chemical outlawed, the makeup company just moves on to another one," Schauland said.

Schauland said the main reason why the FDA does not realize how toxic the chemicals are is because no studies are done about chemical interactions, which is why the decision to buy natural and organic makeup is up to the public for now.

Kimberly Yee, a Sephora representative, said many clients detail what chemicals they do not want in their makeup and request brands from Sephora's "natural and organic" line. The most popular brand asked for is the all-natural makeup line called "Ren."

"I have noticed somewhat of an increase for some reason with the start of the spring season coming," Yee said.

The start of a brand new season provides a great opportunity to begin buying fresh makeup for your body and the Earth.