Okay so, there are a lot of people who are watching the HBOMax docuseries “Not So Pretty” at home in their free time. The rise of the docuseries format in America is kind of interesting. It wasn’t so long ago that people felt like anything designed to be “informative” was inherently boring. But recently shows like this have become all the rage. Maybe it’s because of the way that over the past 20 years the concepts of “news” and “entertainment” have been slowly, but steadily merging into one idea.

But that is beyond the scope of this blog. 

What we do have with “Not So Pretty” is a docuseries that is designed to capitalize on the sort of salacious thrills that come along with true-crime podcasts and other docuserieses such as “Bad Vegan”.

Now, here at Skin Actives Scientific, we’re not coming down against true crime podcasts, or documentaries. We love it when people are actively engaged with not only current events, but with history and what’s going on in their communities.

All that comes with a caveat however. We are very concerned about the way that some of this content is handled, and because “Not So Pretty” makes some, well…pretty bold claims about the skincare industry as a whole and we thought we should weigh in with our takes.

Our Founder, Dr. Hannah Sivak, watched “Not So Pretty” and told us what she thought. Let’s continue.

Causation Versus Correlation Logic Problems

So, when you were in high school, or maybe a freshman in college you may have encountered a logic problem like this in your English class:

“Evidence shows that on days when ice cream sales increase, shark attacks increase proportionally.”

And then the teacher kicks this logic problem over to you, “why do you think that is?”

This one is pretty classic. It’s similar to the “On days when asphalt is melting, there are more people at the emergency room.”

The answer to each of these riddle-like associations is the same: the sun. On days when it’s warm out, people eat more ice cream. People also spend more time in the ocean when the sun is out, therefore more people get attacked by sharks.

When it’s hot, asphalt is more likely to melt, but people are also more likely to get heatstroke and end up in the emergency room.

These logic problems illustrate the problem with separating CORRELATION from CAUSATION. 

In the above problems, two theoretically verifiable quantities were placed side by side, and thus correlated. But as we just showed, ice cream doesn’t cause shark attacks, and asphalt doesn’t cause emergency room visits.

It’s easy to put two datasets side by side and infer causation, or, if you are interested in misdirecting someone, directly suggest causation, or as Dr. Sivak put it:

“Associations are not proof of a cause-and-effect relationship. The presence of a chemical in the body cannot be equated to the presence of a health risk. Whatever is in the environment will find its way into your body.

In rich countries, people live longer, but there is still a 100% mortality of living beings. We will all die. Now that lions, and pneumonia and bacteria are killing fewer people (thanks to antibiotics), death by other causes, like cancer, has to increase. You don’t have to blame plastics; blame life.”

The Message of “Not So Pretty”

Now we’re not suggesting that the producers of “Not So Pretty” are interested in misdirecting you. At Skin Actives Scientific we believe in both the power and the place of watchdog media to speak truth to power. This is a fundamental aspect of how we express democracy as Americans and we support that.

However, what we are willing to suggest is that from an editorial standpoint, “Not So Pretty”’s producers do rely on a lot of correlation as opposed to causation data, and that this data is presented in a deliberately inflammatory way.

As Dr. Sivak said to us:
“A recent episode of HBO’s ‘Not So Pretty’ concentrated on phthalates in fragrance as ‘endocrine disruptors’ blaming these chemicals for fertility problems. The science reported in the show has been reviewed and updated but even accepting it at face value, current research shows that obesity, air pollution, and other factors are much more directly involved in disruptions to fertility.

We have seen this before; ten years ago, a similar program would have targeted preservatives rather than plastics. Trends in blame are as common as trends in fashion.”

And additionally we’d like to point out that education is a core mission here at Skin Actives Scientific.

Not only do we want you to be as educated about skincare matters as possible so that you can make the best decisions for yourself, but we put our money where our mouth is with cited studies for each of our products, our glossary, and this very blog. We just don’t think that the purported evidence presented in “Not So Pretty” stands up outside of the rhetorical environment the producers have created for themselves.

But What About Phthalates in Skincare?

The main cause for concern presented in “Not So Pretty” revolves around the use of phthalates in major skincare products. The way phthalates are presented in the show may make your skin crawl, and drive you to throw out the contents of your skincare cabinet.

If you watched “Not So Pretty”, you may have a notion of what phthalates are, but let’s restate the idea here so that we’re all on the same page.

Phthalates are chemicals used primarily in the production of plastics that make plastic both stronger and more flexible. But the thing is phthalates find themselves in a whole lot of different products like cosmetics but also detergents, plastic plumbing, solvents, and insecticides. Phthalates are even found in food, especially the highly processed foods found at restaurants and fast-food joints. 

Here is what Dr. Sivak has to say:
“Are phthalates dangerous? 

Some are. In 2003, the EU banned five phthalates in cosmetics; four more were added later (DEHP, BBP, DBP, and DIBP).

What can you do? The main exposure to phthalates is likely through food, from the packaging and plastic equipment used in processing. Try to avoid processed foods, scented cleaning agents, and personal care products containing fragrances. But don’t obsess over them.”

In this case, what we eat is just as important, if not more so, than what we put on our skin. And this is a message we should all know by now: eat less processed food. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, not the middle where food is highly processed and packaged in single-use plastics.

Skin Actives and Phthalates 

If you watched “Not So Pretty”, you may have a notion of what phthalates are, but let’s restates
Now a lot of you are probably asking yourselves what kind of relationship Skin Actives has with phthalates, especially if you saw the show! Rest assured Skin Actives Scientific is dedicated to your health and well-being. It’s our primary mission, to make the world’s best skincare products and have them be available to anyone. We don’t consider ourselves to be part of the “beauty industry” because we are concerned with your health and think that health is a beauty all its own.

Meanwhile we’ll let Dr. Sivak explain Skin Actives and phthalates:

“At Skin Actives, we generally don’t use fragrances (we have a small number of products that contain essential oils or plant hydrosols), but this is not because of secret contaminants found in fragrances.

The few fragrances we do use do not contain phthalates.

Skin Actives is also working to reduce our plastic footprint by using glass bottles when we can. We are also working with non-profit organizations to offset our plastic use by funding collecting and recycling plastics in the environment. We are also working to develop new active ingredients from upcycled natural waste. We take sustainability and environmental health seriously.

We are based in the USA, but we follow the stricter European rules. We prefer to be on the safe side of every issue. We don’t like taking risks with anybody’s health.”

Whew! We’re sure it feels better to hear it directly from us!

What You Can Do to Protect Yourself

Meanwhile, we are all still consumers who have to live in a contemporary world that feels weirder and weirder all the time. What can you do to have a positive impact not just on consumer forces, but on your health as well?

“Concentrate on maintaining a healthy/balanced diet and exercise as much as possible. Limit pesticide and herbicide use. Reduce single-use plastic consumption. Support local, national, and global initiatives to regulate chemical and agricultural waste and pollution. Regarding personal care products, it is a good idea to limit products with fragrances. Educate yourself, but don’t fall victim to those wishing to cash in by alarming you.” says Dr. Sivak

“There is a lot of work to be done, and it is not easy. At Skin Actives, we are always on the lookout for safer products that are kind to the environment.”

There you have it folks. If you watched “Not So Pretty” and were feeling upset, we hope that this blog puts the issues at hand into perspective for you. If you enjoyed hearing from Dr. Sivak, she maintains a personal blog where she speaks about what goes on inside science and the skincare industry. You can find it here. 

Meanwhile, if you’d like the Skin Actives blog to cover more topics like this, shoot us a line at info@skinactives.com we’d love to hear from you! We’ll be back again next week with another topic for you, have a great weekend Skin Actives Family!