The Different Worlds Between  Beauty and Drugs

While some argue that cosmetics are not considered drugs and should not be considered drugs, It is actually true that cosmetics should be identified as drugs because of the extensive list of dangerous side effects they have on users. As people become educated throughout the course of their life, the majority learn that medications, hard drugs, alcohol, and marijuana all fit in the category of what a drug is. The Food and Drug Administration has been a reliable source for years and the FDA website states that a drug is “intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.” It is clear that there is a straightforward definition of what a drug is that cosmetics do not fall into since beauty products do not act as a form of treatment or cure for a disease. Cosmetic regulations are close to none since there are only moderate side effects that affect some users of cosmetics. Most times drugs are used to ensure better health physically, and internally and also help combat mental disorders. Drugs have a large handbook of side effects, powerful active ingredients that work quickly, and precision when it comes to doses given to different genders and ages. It is important to understand what audience is getting a drug since one wrong dose can be life-threatening and need regulation to ensure safety.

Narcotics such as Heroin, LSD, and Cocaine are identified as drugs since they stimulate the brain and nervous system in extreme ways that cosmetics will never be able to compete with. Hard drugs can easily result in first-time users becoming addicted. The effect of cosmetics on consumers is drastically lower making it less of a priority for the FDA to regulate and consider to be a drug. According to the National Center of Drug Abuse Statistics, the federal budget in 2020 for drug control was “$35billion” dollars. This statement proves that the United States will prioritize its citizen’s health by placing strict regulations on drugs and also investing to allow people to have a better life. Deaths resulting from overdose have skyrocketed “Over 700,000 drug overdose deaths” occur on an annual basis. This proves that drug addictions are an ongoing issue that has been whipping out large populations of both teens and adults across the nation. 

The article “Drug use and aggression: How to protect yourself” from the Positive Choices website explains,” If people do become aggressive this increases the risk of harm to themselves and others.” Drugs are making people do harm to themselves as well as their families and closest ones, making them isolated from reality. What makes these substances identify as a drug is due to the fact that long-term usage leads to depression, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, increased aggression, cardiovascular disease, and damage to the brain, liver, and kidneys. All these side effects can prevent users from having a stable job, taking care of their children, and being in the right state of mind. 

While drugs are used a majority of the time to keep the population healthy cosmetics are used for beauty that people volunteer to participate in especially because of the high beauty standards there are today. There are thousands of cosmetic products that are on shelves that including body care, makeup, and skincare. Even though there are so many options to choose from, cosmetics are still considered beauty-enhancing which disqualifies them from being a part of the definition of a drug. High beauty standards lead to increased demand for beauty products. In Korea, there was an experiment with 114 undergraduate female students who took selfies with and without makeup and showed drastic changes in mood and self-esteem. Korea Science published an article on this experiment and concluded that” The level of body satisfaction significantly decreased only for women who took selfies without the use of a beauty makeup application.” This is not shocking since a majority of women from their teens to their adult years are insecure about their appearance and will go to any extreme such as using cosmetics with harmful ingredients. The NIH article called,” Cosmetics, skincare, and appearance in teenagers” wrote that “The cosmetic industry has identified teenagers as “powerful” consumers.”There is a lack of interest in cosmetic products, especially from younger users who are the main target market for cosmetic products. Young girls will still continue to wear makeup and use other beauty products no matter what the side effects and future harm they might cause them.

Medications unlike cosmetics have been proven to cure, treat and prevent diseases which makes them defined as drugs. Both prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications that can be bought without a prescription have been effective and saving lives for years, especially in decreasing deaths from the common cold. The Center of Control and Prevention article,” Treatment for Common Illness ‘ stated that there are ”More than 200 viruses’ ‘ that can lead to the common cold. The CDC also stated that “Viruses that cause colds can spread from person to person through the air and close personal contact.” It has been proven that common colds are easy to spread and back in the day caused many people to die due to the fact that medications were not used to help fight the virus. Medications such as Dayquil, Tylenol, Mucinex, and hundreds of other medications have been helping our society to fight the common cold. Cosmetics on the other hand have not shown drastic improvements in the health industry nor have they caused a wave of people to die by using harmful cosmetics ingredients. Cosmetics have their own category in the beauty industry and should have their own regulations but should not have to become identified as a drug to have change occur in the beauty industry.

Despite the fact that cosmetics can cause minor side effects such as allergic reactions, swelling, and irritation they have no comparison to the extreme power of the word drug. It seems clear that the lack of interest in ingredients used in cosmetics will not change the fact that harmful ingredients may be used in beauty products.

References 

Substance abuse and addiction statistics [2022]. NCDAS. (2022, April 6). Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://drugabusestatistics.org/ 

Affairs, O. of R. (n.d.). Human drugs overview for imported products. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/industry/regulated-products/human-drugs 

Yu, H. L. (n.d.). Effects of the virtual makeup using beauty makeup applications on mood, body satisfaction, and self-esteem among female university students. Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO202026964744899.page 

D;, M. (n.d.). Cosmetics, skin care, and appearance in teenagers. Seminars in cutaneous medicine and surgery. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10468044/ 

Netfront. (2021, March 16). Drug use and aggression: How to protect yourself. Positive Choices. Retrieved April 16, 2022, from https://positivechoices.org.au/parents/drug-use-and-aggression-how-to-protect-yourself#:~:text=When%20a%20person%20is%20intoxicated,harm%20to%20themselves%20and%20others.