Strange things used in cosmetics

I just came across this article about strange (and gross) things they use in cosmetics. Aren't you glad Raw Natural Beauty products are 100% natural?

The Beauty Brains

Top 10 Ways To Reduce Paper Waste

I've been getting the Raw Natural Beauty Newsletter email for a while now, and I love that it's very informative and always has great tips on beauty and a greener lifestyle. But what I love most is that it allows me to receive all my news online. I've been trying to do everything I can to cut down on the amount of paper waste I create (voluntary or involuntary). In looking at ways to cut down, I came across some amazing facts. Did you know that:

- an average of 41 pounds of junk mail is sent to every adult citizen each year?!
- about 44% of that mail goes into the landfills unopened?!
- more than 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail?!
- creating and shipping junk mail produces more gas emissions than 2.8 million cars?!
- about 28 billion gallons of water are wasted to create and recycle junk mail each year?!
- the majority of a household's waste consists of junk mail?!

(Source: 41 Pounds)

These are astonishing numbers, and we can all do our share to reduce the paper waste.

Here are my Top Ten suggestions:

1. Get on "no junk mail" lists like StopTheJunkMail or GreenDimes to remove your name from direct-mail distribution lists. For a small annual subscription fee, your mailbox will be up to 90% junk mail-free, and they plant trees on your behalf. Sites like Proquo offer the removal for free, although no donation means you are not supporting reforestation programs.

2. Don't fill out warranty cards: They are often used to collect your information so direct mail distributors can target their junk mail. In most situations, they are not required to get sufficient warranty coverage.

3. Call your credit card company: They are probably the biggest 'culprit' in selling your contact information. Call their customer service and ask them to stop.

4. Call the distributor directly: Getting lots of flyers and little booklets from local businesses like supermarkets and restaurants? Call them directly and request to be removed from their list -- the addresses are printed on the mailing piece, although often hidden. To get the contact information for the largest distribution houses like Val-Pak, go to Obviously.

5. Share magazines: Are you subscribing to the same magazines as your girlfriends? Save money and paper by sharing subscriptions.

6. Sign up for online banking and bill payment: Getting your bank statements online is efficient and easy. And paying your bills online saves you postage on top of it.

7. Send e-cards: The Valentine's card for your 'significant other' and the Christmas card to Grandma is fine, but do all your friends really read your holiday greetings? Send an e-card instead via eGreetings or MyFunCards and give yourself extra points if you donate the saved postage to a worthy cause.

8. Use reusable material for gift wrapping: Reusable gift bags or boxes are a better option that one-time-only wrapping paper. Or get creative: Magazines like Real Simple (Real Simple) or Martha Stewart Living (Martha Stewart Living) offer great inspiration for eco-friendly options.

9. Use your own bag shopping: Think you're being 'green' by requesting paper at the supermarket check-out? Although most of those bags are made from recycled material, they still create waste and pollution for their production and transportation. Buy a chic canvas bag to carry your groceries. Everyone from Target to Louis Vuitton offers one now, so there's no need to compromise your style.

10. Recycle: That one's too obvious to state, but make sure to collect all your paper and recycle it. Raw Natural Beauty uses 30% recycled paper for its cartons (which contain information required by the government), but recycled paper still costs extra because it's in short supply. With everyone's effort, hopefully one day recycled paper will be cheaper than regular paper.

What are YOUR favorite ways to reduce waste?

Raw Skincare - Ambiaty!!!

As creator of the line, I’d like to tell you a little about the signature ingredient in our Raw Skincare, Ambiaty. Ambiaty is a fabulous new active botanical offered exclusively in the U.S. by Raw Natural Beauty. It is harvested by only one supplier in Madagascar, and at only one time of year. So this is not your average botanical!! I love it because it can really hold it’s own against any synthetic peptide on the market – which is still very rare for a natural ingredient. Over time (typically six to eight weeks), Ambiaty can truly improve the condition of your skin by preventing the formation of wrinkles, specifically DEEP wrinkles. Ambiaty works by targeting the Dermal Epidermal Junction (or DEJ). This is the layer of the skin that resides in between the Epidermis and the Dermis. The DEJ provides support to the epidermis and provides much of the structure of our skin, since it consists primarily of collagen. As we age, the DEJ starts to weaken and flatten out which makes the epidermis more fragile and prone to wrinkling. When a wrinkle becomes deep enough to dip into the DEJ, it’s been shown that it is almost impossible to repair it through topical skincare application (so now you’re looking at the big dollar Derm treatments).

Ambiaty targets the DEJ, stimulating collagen production 230% and keeping it healthy and highly functional. Not only that, the harvesting of Ambiaty helps provide a regular income to families and villages in Madagascar who participate and contributes to the sustainable development of these communities through increased schooling of children, through the purchase of school supplies and the construction of new school rooms.

So I encourage you to give Raw Skincare a try! I hope you love the results as much as I do!!

xoxo, Christina Marcaccini