Green Options

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Unilever, makers of Dove, has recently released a video aimed at promoting children’s self-esteem by illuminating how the beauty industry targets girl’s body images. The goal of the Dove Self Esteem Fund is to change “the current, narrow definition of beauty.”  As much as I agree with this goal, there is a downside. Unilever imports palm oil from Indonesia, where rainforests and tropical peatlands are destroyed. 

In a bit of good news for sharks, Unilever, a global cosmetics company that makes Dove and Pond’s brands, will stop using shark liver oil, or squalene, in the making of its cosmetics. Squalene-free products that use a plant-based substitute could be on the shelves as soon as spring of 2008. The announcement heralded marine conservation group Oceana’s efforts to build awareness among cosmetics manufacturers and end the use of squalene.