Inquiry Question

 Why do the psychological benefits of makeup outweigh the dangers of wearing makeup?

            Many people in the world wear makeup every day to express themselves as well as benefit themselves psychologically, but do the psychological benefits outweigh the concealed dangers in the beauty industry? Every day, people put on makeup without knowing the truth behind the ingredients used to formulate the products they are consuming. People don’t care about the ongoing dangers in the makeup industry or potential dangers they as consumers may experience mentally due to the possibility of them being able to be portrayed in a different light, believing that wearing makeup can make their everyday lives a little bit easier.

            In specific, an ingredient called mica is a pigment that is found in almost all makeup products that contain shimmer or glitter. Mica is very common and found in mines in Jharkhand located in India. Often mica is gathered by children who have sacrificed their education to try to provide for their family who are suffering from poverty. The village of Jharkhand suffers from the resource curse, a phenomenon where areas with plenty of resources tend to be worse off overall due to government corruption and commercial exploitation. Over 20,000 children spend their early years in the mine, terrified for their lives as one wrong step could lead to the mine collapsing in and killing them. Every month there is an average of 10-20 deaths in these mines. Although mining for mica requires a lot of labor, the hardworking families are paid less than a quarter every day for a full day’s worth of work in the mines. If these families are not working day and night in the deep abyss, they are unable to put food onto the table. Other coloring agents can come from plants like beets and animals like cochineal insects. Cochineal insects are little bugs dried up and grinded to create a fine red powder. This ingredient is commonly found in lipstick and can be listed on the as carmine, cochineal extract or natural red 4. These pigments are often found in products from companies that are not cruelty free. Although these horrors are still present behind most products, people don’t care to find out where some of the ingredients in their everyday products are coming from as people collectively still buy over $530 billion worth of products every year without knowing the cruelty behind their products.

            Humans often disregard these issues due to the psychological benefits they may receive from wearing makeup. For example, wearing makeup is scientifically proven to boost one’s confidence. By covering up one’s insecurities, they can only show what they want to show. In their mind, this makes them appear more attractive and healthier.  People believe that by wearing makeup, one can become more successful. Whether that is for job interviews or in any relationships. They wear makeup to show the best side of themselves to a potential significant other or to have a common topic between friendships. Although one may argue that it is best to show one’s true self, people psychologically feel more at ease with a barrier of makeup on as it can act as a shield. With this shield, one does not have to unveil themselves fully and put themselves in a vulnerable position without being entirely comfortable with the person. Makeup can make one feel more empowered and confident, leading them to secure a job opportunity one may have. Generally, people seem to enjoy their day more with makeup on since they are mindful of the impression one may make. One can feel more accepted into society while wearing makeup because people who wear makeup are generally looked as cleaner and more put together. Applying makeup can also help people with anxiety as it offers a pause in one’s day. It can help by offering 30 minutes to sit alone in peace and focus on the task at hand while the rest of the world is hectic and all over the place.

            Although some people don’t wear makeup for these benefits as it is a form of art and self-expression for them, people who do tend to take advantage of these benefits therefore exposing themselves to greater dangers mentally. People who bear the mindset of  “makeup can solve all problems” may form a sense of dependency. They can start to feel obsessed with the look they have created though makeup which can be very damaging if not under control. People can begin to alter their own appearance for other people instead of using makeup as an outlet to boost their own self confidence while loving who they still are underneath. In the end, this can harm one’s self-esteem since they do not actually look like that behind the layers of makeup. People wear makeup to cover up their flaws when they should learn to love and embrace their flaws. Applying makeup can start to become a ritual practice and one can start to feel insecure if they are not wearing makeup even in their own home. In the long run, people who are wearing makeup just for the psychological benefits and not for self-expression tend to lose their true self and can negatively impact their mantal health as they may being to forget what they used to look like before the obsession began and become overly conscious about how they appear to other humans.

Makeup can not only be damaging to one mentally, but it can also become damaging to one’s physical health. Makeup products that include preservatives and fragrances that can be detrimental to one’s health. Although those preservatives are included to increase shelf life and prevent bacteria and fungi from growing in the products, preservatives themselves can be harmful to the human body as they are formulated with many chemicals. Examples of preservatives include parabens, benzyl alcohol, salicylic acid, and formaldehydes. Chemicals included in preservatives like parabens can weakly mimic the actions of estrogen. Estrogen is known to enhance tumor growth and is therefore terribly harmful to the human body. Whilst fragrances can cover up any chemical odor that may be present, it is ironic that just one single fragrance is formulated with over 3000 chemicals. These ingredients can be damaging to the human body seeing as they may cause allergic reactions like rashes, itching, redness, and scarring. Makeup is absorbed into the skin every day and therefore over 3500 chemicals being absorbed into the skin opens a new mystery of what chemicals can be harmful in the long run and what chemicals are safe for the skin and may even have some benefits. It is ironic that some people apply makeup to look healthier, but in doing so, they are putting their health at risk by absorbing all different kinds of chemicals into the skin.

            As millions of people wear makeup every day, it is very rare for people to dig deeper into the makeup industry to find the hidden dangers behind the products they are consuming every day. Through hours of research, it is determined that people disregard the cruelty behind the products to allow themselves to feel more confident as well as to protect themselves from the judgmental society we are living in. To take advantage of these benefits temporarily, people start to sacrifice their own mental health as well as physical health. Not only are people damaging their own health, but they are also encouraging the inhumanity behind makeup companies by purchasing their products. Whilst many companies have started to become cruelty free and vegan, it is still important to look at what ingredients are used in those specific products and how those ingredients are obtained as the products can be formulated by countless chemicals in replacement.