Part 2: Decoding Clean Beauty for Women of Color with Boma Brown-West from Environmental Defense Fund -

Beauty and Impact

Welcome to Part 2 of the first episode of the Beauty + Impact Podcast with your hosts Ashley Renne Nsonwu and Jasmine Pennamma Hill! On our maiden podcast episode, we speak to the wonderful Boma Brown-West, Director of Consumer Health at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

Did you know the U.S legislation regulating cosmetics has not been updated since 1938! The beauty industry has come a long way since then but the law has not kept up. So what does it mean when brands don’t legally have to list all the chemicals on their product labels and what does this actually mean for clean beauty?

Together with Boma, we unpack some of the challenges the clean beauty industry has, how women of color can educate themselves more and what consumers can do to influence change. We also take a deep dive into the issue of racial disparity when it comes to clean beauty and personal care products for women of color - a subject matter close to our hearts.

In Part 1 and 2 of this episode you’ll hear:

• What is clean beauty and what is the official definition? Hint: It’s not so clear!
• About the Clean Beauty Justice initiative which highlights the racial disparity between women of color and white women when it comes to clean beauty products
• What consumers can be doing to educate themselves on beauty and personal care products
• What the challenges are preventing safer and environmentally clean beauty products for women of color
• EDF’s Roadmap to clean beauty for retailers
• The negative health impacts toxic beauty and personal care products can have, including on reproductive health and early onset puberty
• How women of color are being left behind by the clean beauty industry
• Ways women of color can take back control and influence the beauty industry to step up and provide accessible and affordable clean beauty products

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag Ashley and Jasmine @Beautyandimpact and our guest Boma @environmental_defense_fund

About Environmental Defense Fund:

We began in 1967, as a scrappy group of scientists and a lawyer on Long Island, New York, fighting to save osprey from the toxic pesticide DDT. Using scientific evidence, our founders got DDT banned nationwide. Today, we’re one of the world's leading environmental organizations. In the U.S., Fortune magazine called our board one of the country's most influential nonprofit boards. And science still guides everything we do.

About Boma Brown-West :

Boma has over 15 years’ experience in working with businesses to improve product sustainability. She currently leads Environmental Defense Fund’s work with companies to eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products, packaging and food. This includes getting major brands and retailers to set ambitious chemical policies, increase transparency and invest in safer ingredient innovation. Boma also works to eradicate the toxic disparities in products offered to different consumer segments, primarily calling on beauty brands and retailers to set public safer chemicals commitments that explicitly promote equity and significantly reduce the toxic disparity in beauty products marketed to women of color.

Links of things mentioned in this episode:

Clean Beauty Justice

Beauty and personal care products marketed to women of color often contain more toxic ingredients than products marketed to white women. As a result, women of color face greater exposure to toxic ingredients used in beauty and personal care products. This is unacceptable.

Website: https://www.cleanbeautyjustice.org/

Clean Beauty Roadmap for Retailers

A framework for championing a credible, authentic and transparent clean beauty program to rebuild consumer trust and drive a safer, sustainable marketplace.

Website and framework: https://business.edf.org/insights/clean-beauty-roadmap-for-retailers/

Connect with Boma Brown-West, Environmental Defense Fund:

Website: https://www.edf.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund

IG: https://www.instagram.com/environmental_defense_fund/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boma-brown-west-2530b44/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/environmental-defense/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnvDefenseFund

Connect with Ashley Renne Nsonwu and Jasmine Hill:

Website: https://www.beautyandimpact.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautyandimpact

IG: https://www.instagram.com/beautyandimpact/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Beautyandimpact

Ashley: https://www.instagram.com/heyashleyrenne/

Jasmine: https://www.instagram.com/jasminepennamma/

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