Lindsay Dahl is Beautycounter’s SVP of Social Mission where she leads the safety, sustainability, advocacy and giving teams. A nationally recognized leader, Lindsay has been working for over 15 years to remove toxic chemicals from the products we use every day. Working at the intersection of activism, product safety, and sustainability, Lindsay takes a comprehensive approach to integrate social impact into everything at Beautycounter.

 

Founded in 2013, Beautycounter’s purpose is to get safer products in the hands of everyone. Beautycounter has been a pioneer of the clean beauty movement, has successfully lobbied to help pass 9 laws for stricter regulations to make products on shelves safer, and is continuing to advocate for more regulation.

 

Call to action

If you want safer standards governing the ingredients used in products you’re bringing into your home and using on your body, ask for them. Contact your representative and ask that there be more regulations put into place.

 

In this episode we discuss:

• The power of regulations and law reform
• How individual voices can support change
• What corporate activism is
• The relationship between purpose and profit

 

 

Key Takeaways:

• Corporate involvement in politics typically brings to mind companies doing shady things, for their own benefit, that harm the public good. It’s refreshing to see a new crop of companies that are investing resources to lobby the government for tighter regulations that will change industry in ways that support the public good.
• I’m so impressed by the impact one company can make on an entire industry. I’ve talked to a number of companies on the Purpose and Profit podcast that saw a broken system, and decided to do something about it. The founder of Beautycounter did just that and is changing the beauty industry for the better.
• Just because a product made it to a store shelf, does not mean it’s been tested to be safe for use. That blows my mind and is really important to remember. I just started watching the mini-series Dopesick, which explores America's struggle with opioid addiction and is an eye-opening example of a product that doctors and patients were told was safe by the FDA and pharma, which turned out to be far from safe. I mention that as an extreme example of the importance of holding government bodies that were created to keep consumers safe accountable for doing a better job, and ensuring they have the power and resources to do a better job.

 

References:

• Beautycounter
  • Our Story
  • Transparency: The Truth About Mica documentary
  • Blueprint for Clean
  • The Never List

 

• The state of Minnesota’s page on BPA actions, including their band on the use of BPA ban in sippy cups
• “Beautycounter’s SVP Of Mission Lindsay Dahl Takes On Clean Beauty’s Critics” Beauty Independent
• National Law Review article on the National Cosmetics Act
• For more information on child labor in the mica industry, visit the Responsible Mica Initiative website
• The Purpose and Profit Podcast episode with Ynzo van Zanten of Tony’s Chocolonely
• Environmental Working Group’s EWG Verified mark
• The Chemical Footprint Project
• Diane Feinstein press release on the “Personal Care Products Safety Act”
• The FDA page on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

 

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This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].