Customer Reviews

Beauty to Die For: The Cosmetic Consequence

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This book is something we all must read. It is the most comphrensive book that I have ever seen about the ingredients that are used consistantly by the cosmentic industry. Why is proyplene glycol(which is indusrtial anti-freeze, same stuff as you use in your car)and sodium laurel sulfate in practically EVERY Prodcut we use? Toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner, shaving gel, body cleanser, baby shampoo practically any personal care product! WE ASSUME that the ingredients are SAFE, that they have been TESTED, and the honest truth is THEY ARE NOT! Learn about the ingredients that Estee, Lancome and all the rest of the gang are using! It is shocking....it doesn't have to be this way...but until people become aware of the dangers of these chemicals they will continue to make products that do. Educate yourself! If skin cancer is not on your list of things to do....this book is a must! An EXCELLENT READ! Educate yourself so that you can tell them to change their ways.....just like we did to the tobacco industry! And how long did they LIE and get away with it?

"Beauty To Die For" is a MUST for everyone to read. It is an informative book about the dangers of chemicals in cosmetics and health care products such as shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, face creme, shaving crème and hair spray, just to list a few. The only way to fight the battle against toxicity due to the chemicals is EDUCATION. The information required to purchase `clean' products rather than products drenched with chemicals is in "Beauty To Die For". The glossary of product ingredients is a MUST for everyone using cosmetics and health care products...use it as your shopping guide AND read the labels before buying the products. I was shocked to read the ingredients in Baby products, some of which are carcinogenic, not to mention that many contain propylene glycol (used as an anti-freeze in cars). Have you asked yourself why it's in cosmetics, health care products AND especially in Baby products? Judi Vance has done a marvelous job of researching chemicals, their side effects, listing less toxic alternatives and putting it all together in a very concise and easy to read form. The only way to put a STOP to this insanity is to EDUCATE yourself and your friends AND demand changes in legislation. Why should we the consumer be subjected to dangerous chemicals in health care products which we all use on a daily basis? We in Canada buy our products BLINDLY on false trust as manufactures are NOT required to list ingredients on cosmetics and health care products!! Now how archaic is that? We spend millions of $$$$ on Cancer Research and next to nothing on prevention by informing consumers of a healthier way of life without chemicals.

If you want to take control of your health, I strongly recommend you get a copy of Beauty To Die For by Judi Vance

I bought this book thinking that I would learn something new about the cosmetic industry. Not only did I not learn anything, I came away from the book wondering just how someone could've accumulated all of that information without being able to present it in a better way.

This book is packed with non-scientific fluff (using ill-defined terms such as "toxin" and making blanket statements with no evidence such as "Scientists involved [sic] mechanical science--as I like to call it--do not understand plant science, but scientists, who know plant science, understand both [grammar and punctuation left exactly as in the book].") About 60% of the book is packed with charts and glossaries. And I have to say that this is the worst-edited book I have ever read, with constant typographical errors, misspellings, and apostrophe problems. There just doesn't seem to have been a lot of thought put into the actual execution of this book.

Look, I am certainly this book's target audience--I shop at Whole Foods, use organic skin-care products and potions, and work out six times a week. I care about my body and what I put into it. But this book is not a good use of anyone's time or money, as all of its information can be found quite easily (and in most cases with better grammar) on the internet. You're better off buying _Fast Food Nation_ if you'd like clear, concise information about what you're putting into your body.

Very eye-opening and somewhat disturbing, Ms. Vance sheds much needed light behind the long-held veil of secrecy surrounding the cosmetics industry. The lack of testing and regulations concerning common household shampoo, soap and even toothpaste is shocking and we see once again the absolute necessity and importance of educating OURSELVES as consumers (and parents)about the products we bring in our homes, use on our bodies and put on (and in) our children. My only criticism of this book is that she does not recommend substitute brand products which ARE safe, though does offer some make-at-home recipes (which few of us realistically will follow). When I attempted to access Ms. Vance's website, www.cosmetichealthreport.com, to see if she offered suggestions there, it was not up. Regardless, this is a valuable book and needs to be read.

I believe that information is the most important thing for anyone in all circunstances. When you are informed you can do better choices.
This book brings you informations that normally remain under the clouds of tecnical and chemical names. Do you know what is in your shampoo? You should! Other very useful book is "Unreasonable risk" from Dr. Samuel Epstein.

I ordered this book a few years ago as I was struggling with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. This book motivated me to replace all our cosmetic and personal care items with non-toxic and organic ones.

In reply to the woman who would have liked to have had some alternatives listed, I agree. The recent trend towards more organic products is admirable but there are a lot of "greenwash" products out there so be sure to read labels. EWG has a good dictionary of cosmetic ingredients now and listings of thousands of products in varying categories from toxic to less toxic to least toxic.

Judi, how about a revised edition with product listings?

This book invites you to think about natural skin care instead of all the comerical factory products you used to put on your body.
Reading about all the ingredients is very, very useful and interesting.