Why Fans are Criticizing Kourtney Kardashian’s Work Toward Cosmetics Reform

Earlier today, Kourtney Kardashian didn’t step foot on a yacht, private jet, or exotic beach. Instead, she visited Washington D.C.’s Capitol Hill, where she and the Environmental Working Group’s President Ken Cook addressed Congress about long overdue cosmetics reform.

Although many may argue the importance of makeup against other impending issues, like gun control or foreign relations, the health risks posed by the counterfeit industry have made it a priority. Just last week, authorities found feces in fake Kylie Cosmetics kits, while as a whole, “counterfeit products, which can result chemical and lead poisoning, cost the beauty industry more than $75 million a year.”

Representative Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), a ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, says the Food and Drug Administration’s regulations for the industry are “obsolete.”

MORE: The Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Clean Beauty

In a subcommittee hearing in January he explained, “They [the guidelines] were enacted in the original Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938. While all other product categories regulated by the agency have been updated to keep pace with innovation and consumer expectations, the laws for cosmetics have been left untouched for nearly 80 years. That is simply unacceptable, and we really should be taking this opportunity to consider legislation to give FDA the authority and the resources to ensure cosmetics are safe for the American people.”

Everyone’s been cheering on Kardashian for using her celebrity status to enact change, but there seems to be some hypocrisy in her clean beauty declarations. According to a tweet (below), Kardashian spoke to Cook about her new eyeshadow collaboration with sister Kylie Jenner for Kylie Cosmetics, saying the company “avoids using toxic chemicals” in their products.

However, as stated in another tweet, Kardashian “Denied to answer what chemicals are in her new makeup line with sister @KylieJenner and side-stepped questions on where the family sources their products…”

https://twitter.com/CorbinHiar/status/988786099928649729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fstyle%2Fkourtney-kardashian-address-congress-cosmetics-reform%2F&tfw_site=people https://twitter.com/SYDNEYRACHAEL_/status/988792942507757569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fstyle%2Fkourtney-kardashian-address-congress-cosmetics-reform%2F&tfw_site=people

MORE: 23 Top-Rated Products for Kick-Starting a Clean Beauty Routine

In 2016, according to The Cut, Kardashian also told Cricket’s Circle, “I make sure that our products for Kardashian Beauty are made of non-toxic ingredients — our list of banned substances is longer than the list at Whole Foods, which makes me feel really proud.” Once again, though, she didn’t list any of the ingredients and only claimed everything was non-toxic.

Just because something isn’t toxic, doesn’t mean it’s completely safe. While Kardashian is doing great work and bringing a much larger audience to the issue at hand, it’s important she practices what she preaches.