Palm Oil Free Beauty Products: Why You Should Care
What is palm oil?
Fruits from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the seeds of which are used as oil, or are processed into other edible ingredients, palm oil is cultivated on both certified and undocumented plantations in a desperate effort to feed a growing population. The plantations grow over three million acres of land, many of which are in Southeast Asia and Africa, mainly Indonesia.
For the last decade, an organization called WWF has been working hard to raise awareness of the impact of palm oil production and exploitation of Indonesia’s forests. The United Nations has deemed the rainforest a top priority, and since palm oil has become a major source of income in these countries, significant human rights violations, deforestation, and habitat destruction have occurred.
Why is palm oil bad?
The massive demand for palm oil means that the crop is destroying its rainforests at an alarming rate. To get a better understanding, read this piece from Earth.
Your source of palm oil may be doing you more harm than good
While palm oil can be found in quite a few beauty products on the market, it's generally not sourced in a way that minimizes its impact on the environment. Most products that use palm oil are produced by Indonesian palm oil giant Wilmar International, which is notorious for underreporting the amount of waste it produces and how much it burns during burning operations. Keep reading for a complete list of palm oil free brands, all of which share the same goal of doing right by Mother Nature.
The Environmental Impact of Palm Oil
Research has shown that the production of palm oil—a cooking oil used in many cosmetics and personal care products—has an adverse environmental impact. In Indonesia alone, three thousand orangutans have been killed since 2007 by palm oil companies, many of them associated with the forestry industry. The orangutans are caught in the middle of clear-cutting rainforests and developers looking to make room for more palm oil plantations. This deforestation, along with the water pollution from fertilizer runoff, has led to over 1,000 freshwater species being on the verge of extinction. Other species at risk of extinction include tigers, rhinos, elephants, and orangutans.
Choosing a Palm Oil Free Product
The most important thing to remember is that it doesn’t have to be an either/or scenario. By choosing beauty products free of palm oil you’ll help out a significant amount of local communities that rely on the natural tree-based oil.
The famous Rimmel brand of makeup is one of the first brands to take action, citing the fact that a staggering 1.8 million smallholder families across Asia, Africa and the Pacific depend on the trees for their survival.
Similar to other ‘dirty’ industries (such as fishing and the leather industry) the palm oil industry has a negative environmental impact, and that impact is becoming increasingly noticeable. The practice of deforestation for plantations, particularly in South East Asia, is having a severe impact on the climate.
If you are looking for a good palm oil free beauty brand in India, then check out Urvija's herbal skin care products.
Conclusion
Despite the controversy surrounding palm oil, you can make a difference — if you just choose to make a few small swaps in your daily routine. What are the big things you can do? Check out the short list we provided above — you can read the rest of it by clicking here. And the next time you're shopping for beauty products, remember that using ingredients without palm oil is always better for the environment.
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