Does
Beauty
Have
a
 Cost?
 

The
Ecological
Footprint
of
the
Cosmetics
 Industry


Alexandra
Noelle
Penny

Brown
University
2008
 Environmental
Studies
Senior
Thesis
 
 May
8,
2008
 
 
 
 
 


1

Acknowledgements To Caroline Karp, my thesis advisor and primary reader, for her boundless suggestions, ideas, encouragement, and support as I attempted to creatively apply a structured environmental policy analysis to a new problem. To Catherine Goodall, Amit Sheth, and ShaSha at Environmental Packaging International for introducing me to the subject of packaging, guiding me carefully through various analytical techniques, and sparking my interest in redesigning consumerism. To Dave Murray and Joe Orchardo for their assistance running the spectrometer analyses in the Environmental Chemistry Lab as well as their vast patience and willingness to answer my many questions. To Daniela Quilliam and Bill Dundulis at the Rhode Island Department of Health for their honesty in answering my pointed questions and insights into government regulations when funding is a challenge. To my sister, Elena, for her endless patience and support, and especially for her late-night company in the Science Library Friedman Study Center. To my father, Luther, for advising me to work on my thesis early in the year, advice I listened to carefully, agreed with, but never quite followed through. To my mother, Joanne, for never doubting my ability to achieve goals that are seemingly out of reach and for standing behind me as my biggest fan. To Susie and Rich Friedman for ensuring that the Friedman Study Center Café is always equip with coffee and Red Bulls. And to Jackie for keeping me entertained. To Brown University for creating the space conducive to making the many friends I’ve made here who have shaped my person and who I will always remember.

2

3

Executive Summary In