Come Clean

27Jul10

Whilst flipping through the June issue of Lucky Mag, I happened upon an ad for Noxzema featuring one of my most favorite vegan celebs, Ginnifer Goodwin (of Big Love and He’s Just Not That Into You fame).

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

I was immediately transported back to my childhood, when a fresh-faced Rebecca Gayheart made a splash as the ‘Noxzema girl” du jour. I remembered the cooling sensation and familiar, clean smell of the product.

In need of a new facial cleanser, I took notice of the advertorial and trusted that the product would be cruelty-free because of my girl, Ginnifer. I even went to CVS *and* Duane Reade (OK, not actually that big of a deal, since they are on adjacent blocks) to find it hiding on the bottom shelf. And at a price point of $4.99, I figured it was an economically sound purchase, to boot.

However, after doing a bit more research, it does *not* seem that Noxzema is completely cruelty-free. While Noxzema claims that it does not test on animals, it does contain gelatin, a decidedly non-vegan ingredient.

In the midst of the research process, I discovered Good Guide, “the world’s largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of consumer products.” According to Good Guide, Noxzema Original Deep Cleansing Cream has above average scores in climate change and in ethical policies and performance, but raises health concerns because of an ingredient that is a suspected immunotoxicant.

Is it possible that the appearance of a couple of questionable ingredients gets balanced out by above average environmental responsibility and ethical performance? That, my friends, remains unclear.

In the meantime, I guess I’ll have to continue doing my best and hope that the rest comes out in the wash.

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