Think Dirty App Cleans Up

To promote their official launch, Think Dirty™, a new app that makes personal care shopping much cleaner, has launched 30 Days of Dirty, an inaugural campaign to inform consumers of the potentially toxic ingredients in cosmetics and to raise funds for Breast Cancer Fund.

 

We want you to Think Dirty. from Think Dirty on Vimeo.

 

Available for free download via via Apple’s App Store, Think Dirty™ is an app that helps consumers understand the ingredients in cosmetic and personal care products in order to avoid potentially toxic ingredients.

 

The way it works is simple: a user scans a product’s barcode, its contents are read by the Dirty Meter – a rating system that uses third-party data collected from non-profit science, environmental organizations and government agencies, to determine whether it is dirty or clean and, if need be, recommend cleaner alternatives. (For the full list of database sources, go  here.)

 

If a product is not in the database, a user can submit it by simply entering the product name and taking a picture of the back label. The user will then be notified once the product is ranked in the database.

 

To launch the app Think Dirty™ is teaming up with the Breast Cancer Fund and the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics ​ on the 30 Days of Dirty campaign 30daysofdirty.com. During the month of October, Think Dirty™ will donate $1 per product scanned to the Breast Cancer Fund to support breast cancer prevention by raising $20,000.

 

 

“Most other breast cancer charities focus on awareness and finding a cure but not enough on environmental links to the illness,” says Think Dirty™ Founder and CEO Lily Tse. “Prevention should be the key message during October the Breast Cancer Awareness month. We’re encouraging users to follow us on social media and tweet using the hashtag #30daysofdirty to learn facts and tips about making healthier and informed choices when shopping for cosmetics and personal care products.” 

 

 

Why is Think Dirty™ needed? If a woman uses 12 products per day and each product contains an average of 14 ingredients, that’s 168 unique chemicals being exposed to her body. That means she is putting an astounding 61,320 mystery ingredients into her body every year, over 20,000 of which are potentially toxic.

 

“It only makes sense to empower consumers with technology to make them more aware of the ingredients in their cosmetics and personal care products, says Jeanne Rizzo, President, Breast Cancer Fund. “We’ve seen it time and time again. Personal actions can spur major market change. Think Dirty™™ is more than an app, it’s a movement, and we’re excited to move forward with the Think Dirty™ team to make it happen.”

 

“With a tool like Think Dirty™, consumers can help find and promote good companies that are using nontoxic ingredients,” adds “Janet Nudelman, program and policy director at the Breast Cancer Fund and co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “You shouldn’t have to be a toxicologist to know how to find safer products.”

 

A former advertising art director based in Toronto, Tse came up with the idea for Think Dirty™ after watching the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics’ animated Story of Cosmetics PSA.

 

“The video focused on the lack of government regulations and transparency in the cosmetic industry. It also talked about ‘Pinkwashing’ – or how chemicals associated with breast cancer are used by cosmetics companies that also use the pink ribbon to sell more products. That really struck a chord as my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 11.”

 

After two years of researching the market spaces, Tse entered Toronto Digifest 2012 to pitch her idea to bigger audience. After awarding the Grand Prize Winner, she incorporated the business and brought her idea into reality. The goal is build a great product that is useful and easy for consumers to use.  

 

Over the next month, Think Dirty™ will expand its team to continue to grow the app database and users by the end of this year.

Says Tse, “Think Dirty™ is my opportunity to combine my passion and talent for design, my marketing experience and my relentless curiosity to a cause I deeply believe in.”