Toxic Beauty 2019
Distributed by Passion River Films, 154 Mt. Bethel Rd., Warren, NJ 07059; 732-321-0711
Produced by White Pine Pictures
Directed by Phyllis Ellis
Streaming, 90 mins
High School - General Adult
Beauty, Healthy, Makeup
Date Entered: 05/18/2020
Reviewed by Sara DeSantis, Reference and Research Librarian, University of South Carolina UpstateToxic Beauty is an eye-opening documentary about the beauty industry (makeup, skincare, and other personal care items are all included). The film grabs your attention right away with showing clips of beauty etiquette classes taught to young girls in the 1950s then going straight into an interview about how big cosmetic companies have said that their products do kill cells. This style of filming is done throughout the entire documentary and does a great job of looking at the culture around the beauty industry and first-hand experience about what harm is caused by these products.
This documentary is a great introduction to the topic of the different types of issues around the beauty industry. Viewers are given a glimpse into different women's stories from a medical student who is doing her research on the chemical levels in her body from makeup and personal skincare products, to a group of women who have developed cancer from using a baby powder that are filing a lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson. Experts in the field of skincare, medicine, cancer, and researchers are all interviewed in this documentary. Their interviews give background to the personal stories that are added to the film.
Toxic Beauty is Highly Recommended because of the honest account it gives about the beauty industry without blaming one individual. Companies and our society have raised us to believe that we must look, smell, or feel a certain way. The products we use are not held to any standard and because of that we simply do not know what are in these products we use daily. Toxic Beauty sheds light on this topic and reveals the "ugly" side to the beauty industry.
Awards:
Calgary International Film Festival for the best 2019 Canadian documentary