Last week, interns at San Lorenzo High launched their clean cosmetics campaign focused on educating their peers about the chemicals in the cosmetics we use every day. Before launching their outreach efforts, interns dove into the science and policy behind personal care products to build a strong foundation in environmental health literacy.
Their exploration began with a basic but important question: What even is a cosmetic? Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, cosmetics are defined as “products intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, sprayed on, or otherwise applied to the human body… for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance.” Basically, everything from mascara and perfume to shampoo or even sunscreen is considered a cosmetic.
On average, people use about 12 cosmetic products per day creating regular and repeated exposure to complex mixtures of chemicals. Though exposure to a single chemical in a single product may be medically insignificant, repeated daily exposure can accumulate in the body over time. Through their research, interns learned that a single cosmetic product can contain anywhere from 100 to 400 chemicals, and not all will be individually listed on the label.
While most cosmetic ingredients pose little to no risk, some have been linked to serious health concerns. Interns focused their learning on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which are natural or synthetic substances that mimic, block, or interfere with the body’s hormones. EDCs can be most disruptive during key life stages like prenatal development and puberty, so they are a relevant concern for the high school students.
After building this scientific foundation, interns turned their new knowledge into action. They designed a student-led Clean Cosmetics campaign on campus and online. Their goal is to make ingredient awareness accessible, practical, and empowering for their peers. Interns want to encourage other students to “break up with toxic products” and be informed consumers when buying cosmetics.
Throughout the week, interns tabled daily during lunch, inviting classmates to bring their own personal care products and learn how to read ingredient labels. They showed students how to identify potential chemicals of concern, and discussed how certain ingredients may be grouped under broad terms that don’t fully disclose what’s inside. Interns utilized The Environmental Working Group: Skin Deep database to evaluate the chemical profiles and overall safety of their cosmetics.
In addition to their lunchtime outreach, interns expanded the campaign to social media through their Instagram account, @slzusdearthteam. They created and posted student-designed chemical factsheets highlighting specific ingredients commonly found in cosmetics. By combining in-person education with digital outreach, interns were able to reach a broader audience and reinforce their message beyond the school day.
Through this campaign, interns demonstrated that environmental health literacy is not just about learning complex science, but also applying knowledge in ways that strengthen community awareness and encourage informed decision-making. Their work empowered students to look more closely at everyday products and to understand how consumer choices connect to larger conversations about health, transparency, and environmental responsibility.
This project was made possible by funding from the ROSE Foundation. Earth Team would like to thank ROSE for the support you’ve given our interns to learn, explore, and build community connections.
