DON'T HIT THE PANIC BUTTON YET: If you are basing any of your fears about "TOXIC!!!" ingredients in cosmetics, sunscreen, baby bottles, vaccines, water, foods, and other alarming reports upon "studies" from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) which owns Skin Deep, Clearinghouse for Environmental Advocacy and Research (CLEAR), and its other money-raising/money-making enterprises, take a closer look.
Like many other activist groups, the EWG makes its donation money by horrifying people. The more afraid you are, the more you will be tempted to donate to fix the problems organizations like this manufacture, misrepresent or exaggerate. You will also be frightened into buying what they tell you is safe. That would be the companies that underwrite this powerful lobbyist organization found in the the Big "All-Natural" Organic industry. Speaking of lobbyists, from federally filed
lobbyist reports, it can be discovered that EWG hires itself as its own
lobbyist and has paid itself $309,514.00 in lobby fees since 2007.
They have terrified and confused people on a variety of topics from baby bottles to vaccines, GMOs to cell phone, usually without any reliable documentation. They have even lined some of their deep pockets with fear over non-existent "chemtrails." I recently saw an article where they attack farmers with their newest coined phrase: "Big Food!" Brother!
This is not to say we should not make healthy choices about our skin care, food and drinking water, etc., but the Environmental Working Group is all about alarming people to raise money. And make money they do! In one report (see links below) they received 93 major grants since 1989 totaling more than $20 million. That's just from grant money. And it's hard to find out just how much money has been raised, who all is affiliated with EWG, and how far reaching they are because they have shrouded much of the organization is secrecy.
Here are the words you are likely to run across when you read independent reports about the Environmental Working Group and its offshoots like Skin Deep: "shady science," "misleading," "oversimplifying," "inaccurate," "witch hunt," "lies," "exaggeration..."
So when you read a scary report or see an alarming YouTube video, and the information can be traced to the Environmental Working Group, don't hit the panic button yet. Be aware that scaring people IS how they raise donations, and there is probably another side--a more factual side--to whatever alarmist yarn they are spinning that will completely contradict what the EWG is saying.
If you have any questions about skin care,
contact me.
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