Being a start up with limited resources, we just began thinking about holiday gift sets. Yes, major retailers have had their holiday lineups set in stone as of November - last year. But I don't typically get my personal holiday cards out until about Valentine's Day, so this is a major step in the right direction for me.
Anyway, our fabulous new marketing wonder woman, Margot, just e-mailed over some cute bags for the "For My Little Princess" gift set. (Don't worry! We're also putting together awesome giftsets "For my significant other", "For my mom / girlfriend" (who are one in the same for me), and "For my colleague").
ANYWAY. The little flower bag that Margot found has PVC in it, Shari pointed out. And since we're trying to be careful about our environmental footprint and protective of the health and well being of our guests, it turns out that PVC might not be such a great idea. (Read out it here). We're trying to avoid known carcinogens and toxins related to birth disorders. The Seattle Times wrote about avoiding PVC and making "Green" choices for children's toys recently. Some leading retailers are trying to phase out PVC and phthalates in toys.
By the way, our Julep nail vernis formulations are phthalate free (and formaldehyde and toluene free).
And now our gift sets will be PVC free. Thanks to Shari.
Showing posts with label formaldehyde. Show all posts
Showing posts with label formaldehyde. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
New York Times highlights hazards of chemicals found in most nail salons
We're finally starting to see more attention and focus on the hazards of the toxic chemicals found in most nail salons (avoided like the plague at Julep).
The New York Times recently highlighted studies that have found that prolonged exposure to toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate has been associated with poor performance on tests of attention, mental processing speed, memory and verbal learning. And children who were prenatally exposed to the compounds these workers use performed worse on tests for cognitive function, language and behavior.
I think of these compounds like second hand smoke at restaurants. It's a nuisance and unpleasant for the casual guest, but much more of a health threat to the person who works in that environment day in and day out.
Women - please stop the madness! Natural nails can be just as beautiful and strong in almost every case as artificial nails - without the health hazards. (Regular use of cuticle oil works miracles).
This is not, by the way, just an issue at your regular discount salon. Most high-end spas also offer artificial nail services that involve toxic chemicals (just think about the glue it takes to put an acrylic nail in place - and then think about the dissolver it takes to remove that glue).
I'm excited - for our guests and for our employees - that Julep is a natural nails only parlor. Since artificial nails have accounted for most of the growth in this industry over the past decade, when I wrote a business plan that excluded those services, a lot of industry folks were skeptical.
So thank you, dear guests of Julep, for believing in us and being part of a healthier alternative in nail care.
The New York Times recently highlighted studies that have found that prolonged exposure to toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate has been associated with poor performance on tests of attention, mental processing speed, memory and verbal learning. And children who were prenatally exposed to the compounds these workers use performed worse on tests for cognitive function, language and behavior.
I think of these compounds like second hand smoke at restaurants. It's a nuisance and unpleasant for the casual guest, but much more of a health threat to the person who works in that environment day in and day out.
Women - please stop the madness! Natural nails can be just as beautiful and strong in almost every case as artificial nails - without the health hazards. (Regular use of cuticle oil works miracles).
This is not, by the way, just an issue at your regular discount salon. Most high-end spas also offer artificial nail services that involve toxic chemicals (just think about the glue it takes to put an acrylic nail in place - and then think about the dissolver it takes to remove that glue).
I'm excited - for our guests and for our employees - that Julep is a natural nails only parlor. Since artificial nails have accounted for most of the growth in this industry over the past decade, when I wrote a business plan that excluded those services, a lot of industry folks were skeptical.
So thank you, dear guests of Julep, for believing in us and being part of a healthier alternative in nail care.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
At Long Last, Julep Nail Vernis
We love our friendly, helpful UPS guy, but we've never loved him more than the day he showed up with boxes and boxes of our very own Julep Nail Vernis.
They're in cute 1/4 oz bottles, because larger bottles of nail polish are never good after the first 1/2 bottle anyway - they get too thick. Many spas address this problem by adding some thinner to the bottle - but that weakens the polish and decreases the longevity when applied. Our small powerful bottles are going to help us give the best polish treatments in town.
We have twenty-five chic colors, including a range of pale pinks and dark reds that were developed to compliment the range of cool and warm skin tones. (We learned a thing or two from Bobbi Brown).
And they have fun names like "Halle" (smooth pale violet), "Jennifer" (soft pink), and "Susan" (sophisticated fire engine red).
But best of all, they are free of icky things like toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate.
We were almost giddy while upacking the boxes.
They're in cute 1/4 oz bottles, because larger bottles of nail polish are never good after the first 1/2 bottle anyway - they get too thick. Many spas address this problem by adding some thinner to the bottle - but that weakens the polish and decreases the longevity when applied. Our small powerful bottles are going to help us give the best polish treatments in town.
We have twenty-five chic colors, including a range of pale pinks and dark reds that were developed to compliment the range of cool and warm skin tones. (We learned a thing or two from Bobbi Brown).
And they have fun names like "Halle" (smooth pale violet), "Jennifer" (soft pink), and "Susan" (sophisticated fire engine red).
But best of all, they are free of icky things like toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate.
We were almost giddy while upacking the boxes.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Toxins in Nail Polish
I’ve been learning a lot about toxins in nail polish because I’m looking hard to find a healthy alternative for Julep guests. Most leading nail polishes contain three known toxins: tolulene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate.
Toluene is harmful to human reproduction and developmental. It may affect the nervous system with symptoms like tiredness, confusion, weakness, drunken-type actions, and memory loss. It is thought to cause liver damage and skin irritation. In high levels it may affect the kidneys. Toluene has been linked to birth defects in laboratory animals.
Formaldehyde is a carcinogen and a common indoor air pollutant because its resins are used in many construction materials. Formaldehyde has caused cancer in the nose and throats of lab animals. Inhaling the fumes can result in watery eyes, headache, burning in the throat, and labored breathing.
Phthalates are used to soften plastic (unfortunately often in plastics in products like teething rings!), and are known to affect hormone function. Studies have linked phthalates to early puberty in girls and low sperm counts in men. Environmental groups claim phthalate exposure may contribute to the rising number of uterine problems in women and testicular cancer in men. It could also be one of the contributing factors to a rise in infertility in both sexes. Repeated and heavy exposure to dibutyl phthalate may cause nausea and/or vomiting, tearing of the eyes, dizziness, and headache. Long-term exposures may cause damage to kidneys and the liver. Pregnant women must consider that dibutyl phthalate may harm the developing fetus and the male testes.
See: http://www.carefair.com/Hair-and-Nails/Nails/Toxic_Nail_Polish_846.html
You may have heard that OPI has agreed to remove phthalates from their nail polishes going forward, but will continue to use tolulene and formaldehyde. Learn more at:
http://action.safecosmetics.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=13937
If you’re interested in learning more about what might be in your cosmetics bag, you can go to: http://www.safecosmetics.org/your_health/skindeep.cfm
While I wonder about the impact of occasional exposure, I worry about the people (mostly women) working in this industry who have high exposure to these toxins for long periods each working day. Like second hand smoke - walking by someone who's smoking may be unpleasant and cause you to sneeze and your eyes to water, but breathing for hours on end day in and day out poses a different level of risk.
Toluene is harmful to human reproduction and developmental. It may affect the nervous system with symptoms like tiredness, confusion, weakness, drunken-type actions, and memory loss. It is thought to cause liver damage and skin irritation. In high levels it may affect the kidneys. Toluene has been linked to birth defects in laboratory animals.
Formaldehyde is a carcinogen and a common indoor air pollutant because its resins are used in many construction materials. Formaldehyde has caused cancer in the nose and throats of lab animals. Inhaling the fumes can result in watery eyes, headache, burning in the throat, and labored breathing.
Phthalates are used to soften plastic (unfortunately often in plastics in products like teething rings!), and are known to affect hormone function. Studies have linked phthalates to early puberty in girls and low sperm counts in men. Environmental groups claim phthalate exposure may contribute to the rising number of uterine problems in women and testicular cancer in men. It could also be one of the contributing factors to a rise in infertility in both sexes. Repeated and heavy exposure to dibutyl phthalate may cause nausea and/or vomiting, tearing of the eyes, dizziness, and headache. Long-term exposures may cause damage to kidneys and the liver. Pregnant women must consider that dibutyl phthalate may harm the developing fetus and the male testes.
See: http://www.carefair.com/Hair-and-Nails/Nails/Toxic_Nail_Polish_846.html
You may have heard that OPI has agreed to remove phthalates from their nail polishes going forward, but will continue to use tolulene and formaldehyde. Learn more at:
http://action.safecosmetics.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=13937
If you’re interested in learning more about what might be in your cosmetics bag, you can go to: http://www.safecosmetics.org/your_health/skindeep.cfm
While I wonder about the impact of occasional exposure, I worry about the people (mostly women) working in this industry who have high exposure to these toxins for long periods each working day. Like second hand smoke - walking by someone who's smoking may be unpleasant and cause you to sneeze and your eyes to water, but breathing for hours on end day in and day out poses a different level of risk.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)