According to environmental group Environmental Defence, Canadian women who use cosmetics cannot “put on a happy face” as the old song goes. The organization asked Toronto creative agency Open to develop creative that would shed light on the many cancer-causing, hormone-disrupting and allergy-inducing substances contained in cosmetics and personal care products that people use daily.
The campaign, which consists of a TV spot and a campaign website, launched Monday. The site lists companies that have pledged to avoid using the “toxic ten” worst chemicals (including lead) in the products they produce or sell.
The TV creative is a 60-second PSA entitled “How to Look Pretty Without Poisoning Yourself,” a take on corny 1980s game shows. It underscores that federal government regulations don’t prohibit these harmful ingredients in cosmetics.
The campaign consists of a small, limited national media buy coupled with donated air time.
“We need to make Canadians aware of the hazards of using toxic products,” said Martin Beauvais, co-founder of Open. “We didn’t want to produce worry and anger. Our goal was to create awareness of the problem.”
In addition to the PSA video and information about the “toxic ten,” the website houses a petition and allows visitors to make a donation.
Production for the PSA was handled by Partners Film.
