Is Talc Makeup Giving You Cancer? Not So Pretty Ep 1 Reaction

HBO's Not So Pretty documentary is scary, but did they get it right? Here's the truth behind asbestos and talc in your makeup products (Episode 1). I'll be breaking down the other episodes too (Nails, Skin, Hair) - stay tuned!
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In this video:
2:08 Documentaries vs Science
4:00 Not So Pretty's argument
5:15 Is asbestos common in makeup?
7:26 Are makeup users more prone to mesothelioma?
11:37 Not So Pretty's "experts"... and who they left out
12:41 Blurring the evidence, faulty generalisations
14:07 Real issues, wrong solutions
18:32 Good points
19:55 Takeaways
Clean Beauty Is a Scam and Won't Give Us Safer Products: • Clean Beauty Is a Scam...
Live Viewing: www.theecowell.com/podcast/ns...
IG live commentary: / cdpld7jjczm
Getting Risk Right: amzn.to/3ago8fA
FDA talc website: www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmeti...
www.cancer.org/healthy/cancer...
www.asbestossafety.gov.au/
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/h...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama...
Jen: theecowell.com, / theecowell
Stephen: kindofstephen.com, / kindofstephen
Esther: / themelaninchemist
Lalita: / skinchemy
---ABOUT---
Lab Muffin Beauty Science is a channel by me, Michelle - I'm a chemistry PhD, cosmetic chemist and science educator, here to explain how beauty products work, debunk myths, and help you make smarter decisions about your skincare, hair and makeup!
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Free exfoliation guide labmuffin.com/free-guide
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[@riaria652]

I have OCD and have been afraid of chemical ingredients and cosmetic products for years. In my opinion, the target audience of marketing techniques like Clean Beauty is people like me, for whom they can easily arouse fear. Thanks to your videos, I stopped being afraid and constantly on the lookout for "chemical hazards".

[@kai_fatallysapphic]

That's very true, I'm not yet able to receive any sort of diagnosis (for anything) but I experience a lot of paranoia and anxiety, it's mostly related to people and germs, but when I used to watch documentaries like this they really scared me.. I hate that clean beauty is preying on people with mental health issues, even if they may not realize it. I'm super grateful for people like Michelle spreading correct and accurate information!

[@allieconzola]

That's awesome! I'm sure it also took a lot of mental work to overcome that fear caused by OCD.

[@peggedyourdad9560]

@lily If it makes you feel any better, as long as you aren't doing lines of it or purposely trying to huff it, you should be fine. Even then, whatever health problem you could experience would be more related to you having inhaled a large amount of fine powder.

[@thiswillnotdo6027]

me too. its really affected my mental health and im starting to realise this stress will kill me before any of these chemicals will.

[@yeonjun4thgenitboy272]

I too have ocd and ever since I watched the documentry, I literally haven’t been able to do my makeup and have to skip over half of my makeup routine :(

[@stephaniesoter9969]

I own an asbestos consulting firm in New York US for 22 years and I am very impressed with your video. My only comment is that some of your graphics, especially the risk and dose ones, could be up for longer than just a few seconds. The asbestos industry is very much about liability much more than public safety, at least in New York. Thank you for explaining the risks in easy to understand points. I love your channel!

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Thank you!

[@sovrappensiero1]

She has those graphics up for a lot longer than a few seconds in original video she referenced about that!

[@noodlepoodlegirl]

This happens a lot in social media- you need to get used to pausing to read and study. It's something I had to get used to lately as well.

[@user-yy9bf2qg2p]

I have meso from asbestos in make up. From New York. Please try to explain to my why something that is supposed to make me feel good, will kill me? I am in the process of litigation now. It’s a disgrace and the companies have known for decades. Why not so much fuss made? We die. And quickly. I couldn’t watch to the end of this video. I have chemo today and I’m just shocked to have the piss taken out of me for something that will kill me. And is real. Please help fund for a cure. Then you can all feel it’s ok to put asbestos in talc based products now. Anyway. I need to get ready to be poisoned to try to live.

[@Siberius-]

​@@noodlepoodlegirl - When I watch youtube (on my PC), I always have one hand resting on the keyboard. thumb on the table. Index finger on the space bar. Middle & ring fingers on the < > keys. Pinky finger on the backwards arrow key. It's very ideal. Plus my index finger is then right beside the M-key, too. Pause, frame-by-frame, backwards 5 seconds, mute. Also while the space bar is held down, the video plays in 2x speed, which is such an awesome update.

[@Marib918]

I jumped on the “clean beauty” wagon years ago when I was trying to get pregnant. I’m so glad that people who are knowledgeable professionals like you are debunking this false narrative. Thank you so much!

[@unmellowyellow]

Me too! I ended up with scars all over my torso from scratching myself so much.

[@kagitsune]

So glad that you were able to get out nof that mindset! I'm curious, what convinced you to listen to the legit scientists?

[@user-qj9en1kp1m]

@@kagitsune I also jumped on the band wagon of clean beauty some years ago, ended up reading the labels and ingredients on everything that I was buying. There was a particular website that also had an online shop and I was reading lots and lots of articles on this site. For me the first warning sign was when the lead writer answered a question about palm oil in various products and gave me the impression that while they were advocating for the holistic approach of clean beauty, they did not really care about palm oil plantations and their negative effect on the ecosystem. Then there were some comments and an article that seemed to me to be on the anti-vaccine territory. Eventually my enthusiasm faded, because I realized how one-sided these articles can be and how easily they can be misinterpreted by uninformed or misinformed people. I am not going to pretend that I wasn't left with some good things from those months: perhaps I became a more informed buyer, I try to buy products free of animal cruelty and I understand that just because something is natural it doesn't automatically mean that it is better.

[@retos-ph9ly]

@@unmellowyellow why?

[@tophers3756]

I'm a guy who doesn't wear makeup, but this kind of purposefully slanted documentary makes me angry. Thank you for covering it and shedding some light. I hope this video gets shared with likely viewers of the doc who are vulnerable to the shenanigans.

[@amaya3253]

Yes! My cousins wife told me she watched it and I sent her this video as soon as I saw it! So many people are easily convinced unfortunately.

[@petramilanovic3434]

@Trinity M he can say what he wants to say, he doesn't need your permission

[@JP-yy3hy]

@Trinity M I know it might have gone way over your head, but I think he was trying to emphasize how the bulk of the "documentary" doesn't really apply to him, but misinformation is an evil in general.

[@jeanalindo5118]

@Trinity M Considering what she said in the video about how many men are actually at risk for this cancer and asbestos I think that it makes sense that he points out that he’s a man that doesn’t wear make up because asbestos puts everyone at risk, not just women or people who wear make up

[@Siberius-]

​@@Givebackthescarf - I do agree. Was rather unnecessary lol (which is fine enough, just something I also thought was interesting). Guys very often feel the need to add these details, to make sure people know that they're not doing the un-masculine thing in question ("un-masculine" for the particular society and time in question). I used to do it a lot without even thinking about it, and then when I realised, I would question why I feel the need to clarify such information about myself. Usually it's unnecessary and I take it out. Also often really reinforces weird gender-norms in society (intentionally or not). Not to delve TOO deep into something that has nothing to do with the larger point he was making lol. I did like the comment.

[@Vivi-ux4wg]

They have ads for clean beauty apps in their documentary? Clean Beauty brands use talc too, because it's considered a natural ingredient. How hypocritical of them. I saw an ad for that documentary and I knew something about it is suspicious. Thanks for talking about this!

[@AlexaDonne]

So glad you're talking about this! I watched the doc but found it annoyingly reductive and slick... felt like an advertisement in parts, itself. Leaned a bit too heavy on the "pop science!" doc side where I prefer those with more even keel tone and spread of talking heads. All docs have bias but this one was pretty egregious, re: fear-mongering/sensationalism to drive views/HBO Max subscriptions.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Yeah I felt like this one was a bit heavy-handed with the persuasive techniques! But it was definitely effective - I found myself wanting to believe a lot of the time, even though I knew there was better evidence, and some things like the completely one-sided roster of experts wasn't entirely obvious to me until I listed them all in a spreadsheet :|

[@khalilahd.]

This is so scary and I hate how they use these platforms to show half naked theories 🙄 glad you’re talking about this and I LOVED the intro btw 😅

[@karatalksaboutstuff7333]

I think you might have meant "half-baked," but I really like "half naked" SO MUCH BETTER!😆

[@noodlepoodlegirl]

I'm 11 months late, but I agree. The intro was so cute and funny! I'm glad she throws her sense of humor in there. I appreciate it.

[@minminbtscookie9542]

I was really concerned when i heard about the 'link' between overian cancer and talc, because my mom died from that type of cancer. I was thinking of replacing my makeup products with ones that don't contain it, which would lead to money going to waste for no reason. I remember watching girls on tiktok throwing away their expensive makeup products after watching this documentary. It's truly shameful that they manipulated the audience that way, because fear is one of the greatest motivator for us humans. Thank you for that video!

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Sorry to hear, cancer is awful! Glad you found this helpful 😊

[@aprilchang2653]

You are doing God's work with this channel to fight misinformation. thank you!

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Thank you!

[@kisikisikisi]

What drives me nuts is that these "documentaries" get funding and a platform by companies like Netflix and HBO. It lends so much credibility to these things and gives them an audience that's so much bigger than it otherwise would have been.

[@ajae...]

Netflix and HBO are entertainment companies, so they platform shows for that value. Somewhere along the way documentaries were confused with muck racking or true telling. That'd not what they are for. They exist to give a certain perspective, so they are always slanted. A documentary shown on PBS is no less likely to be slanted than one Netflix, depending on the topic, of course. I do think PBS would have done a better job at this topic by at least seeking differing opinions But please trust they have other ways to ensure the creators' pov is central.

[@chaoticchemicalromance]

I expect more from HBO. The home of John Oliver where research is actually properly done.

[@ajae...]

@@chaoticchemicalromance Except for the Venezuela hit piece he did. The Empire Files shredded it.

[@eloschk]

If I may give my two cents... any film, series or documentary can get government funding and investors. The subject doesn't really matter, because the government's goal is to help create local jobs and develop the local industry, and investor's goal is to get a profit. Meaning, none of the investors are looking into what is talked about in the project, that's for the filmmakers to do.

[@Piqued5]

I'm so glad you're covering this..please do the rest of the series 🍿 We need better regulation of the beauty industry but we also don't need fear mongering bc that actually makes it harder to make good laws

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Exactly! There's a lot of energy being spent on unproductive/counter-productive actions 😩

[@katherinemorelle7115]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience I'd argue that's because all they actually want is to make money. Money from a sensationalist doco one one level, but also what are the connections to those clean beauty apps? Or clean beauty brands? Maybe I'm just cynical, but everything about or economic system suggests that profit is almost always the motive so I doubt it.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

@Katherine Morelle There does seem to be a lot of involvement from the usual clean beauty orgs like the EWG, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners...

[@sovrappensiero1]

@@katherinemorelle7115 following the money is ALWAYS a smart way to be skeptical!

[@Forestfreud]

My biggest tip for documentary-watching is to keep in mind the “troubling trio,” which is used for detecting questionable research practices in science but can also be useful anytime you’re digesting information. Watch out for: 1) low statistical power: in documentaries this mainly shows up as a small sample size. If there are only 2 main cases it’s following and they don’t provide rates of mesothelioma from makeup exposure that are generalizable to the whole population, ask yourself why. 2) a surprising result: does the documentary outline an elaborate conspiracy that seems too crazy to be true? It probably is. This documentary and Seaspiracy come to mind off the top of my head. 3) low statistical significance: in documentary-watching, check for a lack of citations, and if you’re already feeling skeptical, check up on the citations they do provide. Look to see if any of those citations are scholarly sources and if they provide significance levels. If there are no scholarly sources or no citations or no experts of the right kind/experts who disagree that are displayed in the documentary, that’s a red flag. Stay skeptical :)

[@mcd4370]

Thank you so much for this. Knowing how to educate ourselves is just as important as education itself. There is so much fear mongering, misinformation and intensive marketing that as consumers we have no idea what to believe. I am so glad that today’s consumers are more educated than ever and we need learning.

[@mayatodorova283]

I still do believe in the Seaspiracy documentary and think it’s legitimate

[@ChibiChidorii]

Any time I see a documentary about health and it only includes one doctor I get suspicious (since doctors tend to have different views). When a documentary about health doesn't have a single doctor or health scientist theres a big red flag

[@rosewaters9991]

My grandmother has used talc powder since she was a youth. I wouldn't say she is the beacon of health, but talc use hasn't been part of her health issues.

[@lemoncakesandmoonpies]

I really value this. I took the information from the documentary at face value, and it's really eye opening for me to really sit and consider the ways in which I need to fact check and be informed of biases. I didn't throw away products, but I could also see the sneaky way that they tried to infer that clean beauty was going to be the answer to all of this which is...still marketing and pushing an agenda.

[@tdsollog]

I’m an industrial hygienist who wears makeup. I despise fearmongering. Thank you for doing this video.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Thank you!

[@nomegustaperonoquieredecir3514]

One day my sister came to me and said something like "If you are going to buy this sh*tty makeup, you may as well just not buy anything. That's poison." And then gave me a sermon about more natural alternatives. She was so rude and I couldn't get her to question her own standpoint. I'll just show her this video and hope she starts being more critical when choosing her sources.

[@prettypinkprince]

Update?

[@belalugosisdead4444]

You could also just tell her that asbestos is natural, it comes from the earth but it's not very good for us

[@schmeeps4052]

I’ll bet that those clean beauty apps mentioned towards the end had some kind of a stake in the funding of the documentary👀 Excellent video! Your channel has helped me demystify and lessen my anxiety about stuff in cosmetic products🥰

[@chamorrojen1905]

Episodes like this is exactly why I'm a loyal subscriber. Your intro to this video was hilarious and shows the importance of knowing your sources at the same time. Soooo well done! I'm not even finished watching, but I just had to comment and give you some love for your amazing work. Thank you, Michelle!

[@karatalksaboutstuff7333]

These asshats had my poor mom absolutely convinced that she was going to die from ovarian cancer. When I texted her that 2020 paper to set her mind at ease, she was like, "How about I just believe you and stop worrying about it?"😆

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

I really hate the whole aspect of clean beauty that leads to self-blame for conditions that have huge genetic components/other contributors that are hugely out of the individual's control, it's very medieval 😒

[@karatalksaboutstuff7333]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience AMEN!

[@jesshandyside6261]

Love that you are doing this series. There is so much fear mongering out there and it's amazing to have actual (unbiased) experts talking about the issues.

[@andreeab5579]

thank you for talking about this! I watched this doc two weeks ago and the entire thing felt so...off. from the lack of relevant expertise to those three websites/apps shown at the end of each episode. watching your vids brings me a lot of peace of mind (and reminds me to assess all the info I get from the media more critically). I'm tired of all the fear-mongering when it comes to food/makeup especially.

[@blackrosenuk]

I was about to watch this yesterday, I kid you not. I decided against it because I was I was all, "This is probably going to be like the sunscreen-benzene scare." Sounds like my concerns were well founded. No surprise. I thank you for making this video, and I appreciate your thoughtful, science-based commentary. Always on-point.

[@spillinda]

YESSSS i’m so glad you’re covering this series!! i was imagining some of your responses as i was watching it ❤️🖤

[@drizzyyy222]

i'm late to this video, but i searched up while having an anxiety attack over me using airspun for a year. i had watched the hbo show earlier this year and it did not leave my mind all this year thinking i was at risk for cancer even though i just started using makeup a year ago. however, you do not know the immense relief your video gave me. i really thought i was at major risk for lung cancer for using this product. please continue to do videos like these to better inform the millions of people like myself who have been misguided and have irrational fear to many products due to misinformation. much love and take care!

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

I'm really happy to hear that! 😊

[@halosandhugs8129]

omg thank you so much for doing this!!! i have been one of those people eating up all the articles telling me that all my household cosmetics, body care, and cleaners are killing me. I have been so frightened. would love to hear your take on bath and body works candles and body care. I have always loved their products and they are such a huge company with such a huge audience. i have been terrified of using their products since all this “clean beauty” “dirty ingredients” stuff started!

[@colinf2316]

Thank you for this Michelle. My sister is all about that "au natural" life. She eats up green washing and clean beauty (Everything is killing you!). It drives me nuts but I send her your videos and I think we're slowly making a difference! 🙏😎🤜🏻🤛🏻

[@akezia8829]

So so happy to see this video. When everyone started talking about talc concerns again, I promised I wouldn’t give my input until you posted about it. Thank you 👏🏼

[@tabathapoelstra]

Your work is so appreciated! I love having this as a reference. Thank you!!

[@ohauss]

As a fellow chemist and molecular biologist, thank you. This whole narrative is absolutely mind-boggling. Alas, we see that in a host of different contexts. "Experts" with no actual expertise for health outcomes and lawyers all too eager to hit the motherlode with scare stories. And alas, all too easy in the US, where convincing a jury can be much easier than convincing peer review...

[@LydiaOnYT]

Thank you for pointing out ways of critically thinking about the information given in any documentary. It's important to think about the qualifications of the people giving us information and what that may say about their motivation for giving the information to us. Keep up the good work on videos that debunk beauty myths!

[@mfindlayolynyk]

Love how you explain it all, and that opening was amazing!

[@iamluckylukas]

I was waiting for somebody in the science beauty space to talk about this! I watched a little bit of the series and had to turn it off because it just felt off and incredibly biased to get people to fear everything and buy “clean” or whatever. Great video as usual!

[@amandashipman1266]

I have found your videos and I can't stop watching them. There was a time when I went with whatever the headlines were. Your easy to understand and logic based breakdowns of complex topics is inspiring. I'm a 41year old mother of two girls, who wants to be able to teach them how to sift through the mountain of misinformation out there and find the truth. Thank you for helping me do that.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

That's really lovely to hear, thank you! 😊

[@MrMark28]

YÂSS!!! Queen!!! My goodness! Not only makeup related but also learned how to watch out for miss information. Much love!!!

[@kellylynn9132]

Thank you so much for this breakdown. 💗 Super informative, I will be sharing with friends who watched that doc.

[@ritak6329]

Thank you! I thought about what you would say to me the whole time I was watching the docuseries! I will admit, I almost threw everything away but then I thought, what would LMBS do. Thank you for making this video!

[@rachsara123]

Thank you for making this. Asbestos freaks me out prior to watching and I then naively watched the documentary. I didn’t throw out my makeup but I was considering it.

[@cupiedoll9759]

I’m so glad we have you to get to the “REAL” truth. You are a lifesaver! 🥰😘

[@katerinarose880]

Been waiting for this🙌🏻 the opening scene🤌🏻😂

[@sunscreenhoarder6558]

I’m really enjoying this new goofy editing!

[@emmabringsthehappy]

I love this series and I’m so excited for you to talk about episode 4! I followed the devacurl scandal really closely and only recently watched the doc so I’m excited to get your take on it.

[@hellEna1]

Michelle you are truly amazing! Thank you SO MUCH for this valuable information. You a rare logic voice in this crazy world. I appreciate your work!!!

[@abolishdrake]

I'm so glad you're covering this (haven't even watched the video yet) cause I saw the title of the doc and just KNEW it would be laced with propaganda and fear-mongering

[@angelaquigley396]

Lol the opening was so funny! Thanks for this fun video made more fun! As always great video.

[@18becbec]

When I saw a trailer for this documentary, I immediately hoped you'd make a response. It seemed to me like it would be touching on some really important issues relating to medical bias/inequality of access, particularly for people of colour. But at the same time, alarm bells were going off around the clean beauty rhetoric. So yeah, really glad to have you here to explain the good and bad points! Thank you!

[@morgianasartre6709]

Seriously, thank you for this. It is really important work you are doing to educate the consumer against predatory behaviours masked as concerns for our safety.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Thank you so much!

[@luckyDancer100]

Subscribing to your channel was one of the best decisions of this year. Thank you for speaking out!

[@MrJocoseness]

Really good, informative, yet entertaining video! Thanks for your content.

[@LinzWelch]

I can’t wait to see the episode on skincare. There was so much wrong with that episode. So many conclusions jumped to, assumptions made. It’s maddening because all the skincare groups and forums went alight with new freak outs about fragrance and hormone distribution.

[@Elle-nc2ou]

I'm really glad and proud to be a Lab Muffin Beauty Science sub!!

[@yasminealexandraaa]

oh man I’m SOOO happy to see this one! I think it’s from my parents but asbestos is like one of my biggest fears in general (hello popcorn ceiling). Can’t wait to hear your information

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

As an Australian, fear of asbestos is part of our national psyche (and justifiedly too) 😩

[@yasminealexandraaa]

It’s really interesting how ingrained this is within so many people. It’s also like that here in the US.

[@3pagesmanquantes]

Thank you so much that video. You are an unbelievably important voice in the beauty community.

[@mparkin1989]

Exelent overview of scientific review at the start. Explaining the complex simply is definitely a skill you have!

[@isabelab6851]

Thank you for such balanced, science based discussion

[@sarapiland5340]

Michelle, thanks so much. My Mom is one of those people who fears for her life from talc in makeup. I'm so happy to share these facts with her and hopefully quell her fears. We're a very science based family, so you'd think she did her research, but she probably just heard about the lawsuit instead. Thanks for stating facts and busting some myths. Love you!

[@sarahnaithammou]

Thank you! I've been wanting skincare and dermatological scientists and professionals to speak up with their perspectives.

[@ybell1294]

I'm super excited to see you addressing this series! I couldn't be bothered to get HBO Max to watch this (and I don't want them to get more views lol), but I used to watch the influencers who were interviewed for the Hair episode. To say that tensions ran and are still running high when it comes to Devacurl is...an understatement. 😬 Regardless, I look forward to Nails and Skin break-downs as well!

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

I'm dreading the hair episode a bit 😬

[@trishfischer6962]

You add such wisdom and common sense to things. Thank you for all you do!

[@laur83]

i knew it was just gonna be clean beauty fear-mongering nonsense. thank you for clearing this up and adding an educated perspective!

[@bludelphinium994]

Great video. Fair, unbiased and well thought. Thank you

[@hrhsophiathefirst4060]

Well done! I am a big fan of science. Huge! I work in Finance and we have a saying, if you cannot identify the product, you are the product. A lawyer as an expert is suss at best and purposely mis-leading at worst. Everyone is looking to be the next Erin Brokovich!

[@lizcademy4809]

Worse yet, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs is not an unbiased expert.

[@annabeinglazy5580]

I have actually been to a Talk with Erin brokovich and ended up leaving early because she was pushing this "i didnt have to be an expert to know sth was wrong" narrative. Sounded less Like environmental advocazy and more Like self-Help. Im super impressed with what she managed to do, but to completely Discount the need for scientific backing in a world that already pretends that climate science isnt a Thing seems more damaging to me than helpful

[@w.w.w.n]

Love your clear logic!! One would think they consult industry experts including scientists before they air the stuff, but that means they'll cancel themselves so ...

[@drnik67]

I've watched with delight as your subscriber numbers have grown and grown over the years. It's so important that we have people talking sense about science, and debunking as many beauty myths as possible. I have a science-based degree too, (plus have always had a huge cynical streak) and have still occasionally been fooled, so it must be very hard for people with no scientific background to sort truth from spin or outright BS. Thanks Michelle ❤

[@Kasey113]

Thank you so much for this video, and for the book recommendation. I will be sharing this as far and wide as I can...!

[@catherineflores7106]

Looking forward to upcoming videos about the other episodes.

[@dollylevels6753]

Thank you for another amazing , informative vid Michelle!

[@cjdrv]

The opening was AMAZING!! LOVE LOVE LOVE your humor!! Speaking of… would it be possible to do just one video compilation of all your funny sketches? 🤔

[@jessicajovel8194]

Thank you for making this video, I'll be waiting for the rest

[@fakejasonlawless]

I'm so glad that people like you and Sarah Ingle exist on the Internet 😊

[@beeyowarski8710]

Fantastic job! Really enjoyed your video.

[@dafnagode6435]

Suuuch a great video. You make good arguments. Absolutely documentaries are not science, and honestly sometimes they cherry-pick data on purpose. It's so frustrating!

[@marthelea]

I'm so glad you had made this video that I could watch right after I saw that first episode. It truly scared me, so to be calmed down by your facts and logic was a nice comedown from that documentary. Think I'm gonna wait to watch more episodes until I see the next response video from you. Next up: nails 💅

[@liciamariavalente3500]

I was impressed at how biased this documentary is and seemed to be full of superficial information. Thank you for this video, the other episodes are just as bad as the first one.

[@turnthenoiseup]

Doing important work as always ty Michelle

[@tashinaroberts8929]

small little detail but i greatly appreciate the "kalm" and "panik" memes you used in this lol

[@Forestfreud]

I KNEW IT! I had suspicions about the documentary the whole time I was watching that episode and ESPECIALLY when they plugged specific ~clean beauty~ apps at the end. The conspiracy that episode was trying to outline seemed like it was really disproportionate when you weigh the PR/harm the companies would be doing with the profits they gain specifically from using talc. Companies sometimes do elaborate, almost comically cruel things, yes. Maybe even often. But those things are usually simple and highly profitable. J&J and the other companies mentioned were all HUGE brands that sold a ton of different products, there was no way it would be MORE convenient for them to keep giving people asbestos products than it would be to use cornstarch-based talc alternatives, especially since the government subsidizes corn farming. I got so sketched out by that series I knew they were being sensationalist at best and dishonest at worst. Never forget that the “clean beauty” industry is worth billions too. Somebody has an interest in you using those apps to tell you what products to buy.

[@itsmejanny]

Thank you, Michelle, for your wisdom and professionalism. I have used some of the information you share to change my skincare regimen. It's making a truly positive effect on my 70 year old skin. I've recommended your site to all my family and friends.

[@str9047]

So well communicated..shows the soundness of your knowledge.. !

[@tinafriis3122]

Thank you so much for this video! ❤️ I'm not gonna lie; I checked all my own and especially my daughter's makeup after watching the documentary, and we stopped using the products with talc... Happy we didn't throw them out right away! 😄

[@BriseisMusic]

I love your debunking videos!

[@mayag5191]

I was waiting for your video on this! Tik tok is driving me nuts with the science panic going on with Ingredients with no back up

[@ashleyguthrie572]

I love a channel that knowledgeably debunks widespread misinformation and teaches the audience how to think critically and examine for themselves

[@Alex-up6kc]

It's interesting reading some of these comments with words such as "fear mongering" and such. I never paid much attention to ingredients in my makeup products and wasn't really knowledgeable about talc and asbestos. It wasn't until my mom was recently diagnosed with mesothelioma in Dec. 2023 that my family and I were absolutely dumbfounded. We couldn't find any link as to how this could be possible. The only thing we have concluced is that she's been using powder foundation, blush, mascara all from Lancome which all contain talc for the past 20+ years. It's so easy to say "it'll never happen to me" or documentaries like this are "invoking fear." Our lives are now completely shattered as we have no idea how long we have left with her. I just encourage you all to maybe truly think twice about what's in your cosmetics. Talc is so unnecessary.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

As mentioned in the video, asbestos is an incredibly common building material and in brake pad dust - it would be incredibly unusual if your mum had gotten more asbestos exposure from makeup than from those.

[@fortuneroofingsolar5732]

9 out of 100 is still a lot of makeup containing asbestos

[@neonradius]

Yes, but not only is that lower than what the documentary suggested, but she also clarifies at 6:50 that this number dropped to 0 in 2021 due to more regulations and better practices, and even the original 9 out of 102 figure is not representative as the FDA specifically choices products they believe are at higher risk, they don’t randomly sample all products. So while 9 out of 102 in 2016 is definitely not safe and people were right to be outraged, and something needed to be done, the point of that section of the video is that appropriate actions by the FDA and companies *were* taken to decrease this number to zero. At no point does she try to say that 9 out of 102 isn’t that bad, she’s instead comparing 9 out of 102 to the documentary’s much higher 10 out of 25.

[@Kiyoko191290]

Also there’s been a great “Skeptics in the Pub” talk about how to find junk science in journal papers.

[@mayatodorova283]

The intro was hilarious 😂 thank u for this vid 🫶🏻

[@ptxdearpearsDQ]

Thank you. I have not seen this series (don't have HBO), but I watched "Toxic Beauty" documentary...which is focused on talk and parabens.👍

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Ugh yes, that one was terrible as well and used some of the same sources 😒

[@eloisa246]

so glad u covered this! please do the other episodes too, especially the phthalates one i’m so curious of your thoughts!

[@hiddenmongoose7314]

13:16 I feel like the baby powder subject is p important to talk about, considering that it has many uses and people (like me) still have pre-2023 talc-based J&J in their houses. It was actually thanks to the (albeit fearmonger-y) docs that I had stopped using it, as my family is very prone to cancer. I'm talking skin, colon, brain, testicular, lung, and multiple lymphoma cases. So while it might not be on the market, its still important to discuss, like how we still often talk about lead paint and asbestos insulation.

[@puffpiece1375]

Thanks Michelle. I was literally concerned this week because I inhaled some mineral foundation and thought I was going to die a painful death!

[@TracyD2]

Oh no. Lol

[@ambergerhelper7852]

Your nose hair probably caught most of it, and you sneezed it out later. 😉

[@puffpiece1375]

@@ambergerhelper7852 No it went into my lungs because it made me cough

[@aliasrose]

That's why I don't use loose powder makeup, even though it looks nice. I know it gets into your lungs and that can't be good. Using pressed powder should lessen exposure, or hold your breath when you apply it and step out of the room until it dissipates.

[@flawlix]

Just from the initial sketch alone, I love you

[@davidsotir4318]

Thank you for such rational, balanced and objective content. You are a beacon of good reasoning!

[@lucas4615]

Thank you so much for educating us !

[@samf.s8786]

Hmmm during medical school I was told that when used in powders for chafing, it was found to have a correlation with Ovarian Cancer.

[@vickyoli]

Thanks! Chem Eng here and when I watched the documentary and I was like “mhhh” this sounds too extremist. I do believe those patients suffered! But how many of all the ppl that wear the products get the same issues? Probably couple out of the million of users. My grandma -who was 96- used that talc her entire life (we are form southamerica). Everybody used to get the talc for literally everything xD Good luck to the lady removing AAAALLL the talc from products😬

[@lavayuki]

Talc is in almost all my makeup and powders, I find that almost the high end and luxury brands use talc in their powders (ABH, Fenty, Pat McGrath, Chanel, the super popular Laura mercier powders etc.) I find powders with talc more matte than the ones that are talc free and hence never bothered about talc since my favourite brands all use it, but I am seeing more and more talc free powders now. NARS have also reformulated their powder to be talc free, and ELF, Rare beauty and Saie have marketed their powders as being talc free

[@abeach5420]

Outstanding yet again !! I worry though that teens {of whom are sooo highly influential) and everyday pple whom are not into fact checking and reading science journals like many of us do....that they will not pay attention to i.e. this long video explaining all such important points and bringing facts to the table.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Yeah... I'm going to make some short-form videos on it too, but it's always hard trying to condense it to that sort of length without losing a ton of accuracy!

[@abeach5420]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience I hear ya and being one of whom is entrenched within science you of course want to ensure we have allll the important 'deets.

[@skyy3123]

I’m looking forward to the hair episode!

[@safirarara8489]

The only "clean beauty" concept I accept is that clean, polished makeup style with neutral colors used hehehe great content as usual Michelle