One of the tasks of The Beauty Brains is to protect you, the cosmetic consuming public, from products or claims that we know are fraudulent. Even though we don’t always come out and say it, educating our readers is always in the back of our minds. (Well, almost always…)
Having made that clear, let’s get right to a new product that we found shockingly misleading.
It’s called Bellekiss Placenta & Almond Shampoo and its advertising copy says the following:
“It’s available in a Placenta & Almond variety, it’s said to be suitable for all types of hair and for frequent use. It is a pH neutral nutritious shampoo which is said to contain vegetable placenta and essential almond oil with nourishing restructuring properties that stimulate hair growth to get shiny, firm and vital hair.”
Our first reaction was: Huh? A placenta based product is a bit unusual in this day and age. But upon continued reading we realized that it contains VEGETABLE PLACENTA.
I bet that right now you’re thinking: “Wait, placenta is the tissue that nourishes a mammal fetus during gestation. No where in that fetus-nourishment definition is there any mention of plants – vegetable, fruit, or otherwise. So that bit about Vegetable Placenta must be pure crap.”
Well guess what? Botanically speaking, there IS a vegetable placenta! And if you don’t believe us, click HERE and scroll down to the 7th entry on PLACENTA.
So what’s misleading about this product?
If you read carefully you’ll see that it claims to “stimlulate hair growth.” As you know if you read our post on hair growth products, there are very few chemicals that have been proven to really grow hair. And Vegetable Placenta ISN’T one of them!
The Brain’s Bottom Line
There’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that this product is lying to you about what it will do for your hair. The good news is, this product is only sold in Chile, so unless you live there you’ll probably never see it. (Hey, never let it be said that The Beauty Brains don’t have an international view of the cosmetic industry!)
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I’m a big science nerd majoring in Biochemistry/Cell Biology and Kinesiology. Yesterday I was playing around on the NCBI/Pub Med website and found a couple of disturbing articles regarding hair care products containing hormones from placental extracts and chemicals known to behave like estrogens and their linkage to breast cancer. Although there is no “proof” to indicate that any hair product will increase the risk of breast cancer, it doesn’t seem like a completely unmerited claim either. There has been documented research behind this claim, and though I would have to look more into the specifics of that research before I would take it to be the truth, the results of some of this research is pretty alarming. (Especially Chandra Tiwary’s 1998 study of four girls–including a 14 MONTH OLD–who developed breasts and pubic hair months after beginning to use some of these products, some of which contained up to 4 milligrams of oestradiol per 100 grams…)
I mean, breast cancer has been linked to premature sexual development and prolonged exposure to estrogen and other “female” hormones. Hell, birth control commercials explicitly say that among the risks involved in taking oral contraceptives is the increased risk for breast cancer.
Anyways, I thought that these articles would be of some interest to the beauty brains.
Hormones in Shampoo
Environmental Oncology
pubmed publications:
“Personal care products that contain estrogens and xenoestrogens may increase breast cancer risk” (Medical Hypotheses, Volume 68, Issue 4, 2007.)
“Premature sexual development in children following the use of estrogen or placenta containing hair products” (PMID: 9864648)
The list could go on and on….
Jennifer, thanks for the additional information. I think this is a pretty good indication that consumers should avoid these kinds of products.
Walmart is selling a line of Placenta shampoo
Walmart’s line of placenta shampoo and conditioner has been known to cause allergic reactions. I developed a bad rash everywhere my hair touched, as did my brother and daughter. I also had trouble breathing and had sinus problems. The same reaction I get when I come in contact with latex. My boyfriend broke out in hives, just from touching my hair. I don’t know for sure what’s in this La Bella placenta shampoo and conditioner, but it seems to be dangerous.
Wow! I’m sooo thankful i read this before purchasing “La Bella” placenta product… I wanted to reserch this before purchasing.. and I’m greatful i did… sounds scary everything I’ve read so far. True or False? – I don’t even want to bother.
Thanks girls!
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