Thredup Is Coming for T.J. Maxx

[View on the web]( [Visit our site!]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( In the News The FDA Is Getting More Complaints About Beauty Product Side Effects The beauty industry is unregulated by any outside entities, except for a few products like [sunscreen]( and acne creams, which the FDA has some jurisdiction over because they’re considered drugs. Otherwise, it’s a free-for-all out there, with the industry regulating itself. This never seems like a good idea, right? Look what happened to banking. A new study published yesterday in[JAMA Internal Medicine]( shows that people have been increasingly reporting adverse events related to cosmetics to the FDA. An adverse event can be anything from a rash to your hair falling out to death. From 2004 to 2016, there were a little over 5,000 cosmetics-related events reported, which, if you think about how many cosmetics products are used on a daily basis, is not that many. This also doesn’t mean that more adverse events actually have been happening, just that more people are emailing the FDA about it. Also, there’s no way of knowing exactly what it is that gave people whatever issue they were reporting — but they were assuming it was the result of a product. But the biggest increase in reporting came in 2016, when 1,591 beauty-product adverse events were reported to the FDA. A lot of this increased reporting came as a result of the FDA putting out a call to consumers to report issues they’d had with Wen cleansing conditioners. Back in 2014, shoppers started complaining that the products were [making their hair fall out](. According to the JAMA authors, the FDA received 127 complaints about Wen from consumers, but found out that the company itself had received about 21,000. This just puts into high relief the ridiculous fact that cosmetics companies are under no obligation to report these issues, and the FDA cannot mandate that they issue a recall like it can with, say, contaminated lettuce. You can still buy [Wen conditioning cleansers](! With a series of recent beauty lawsuits, like the [Johnson & Johnson $10 million talc suit]( and the icky [Eos lip balm mold lawsuit](, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we need more regulation. I already [pointed out]( that with the current anti-regulation White House, this looks about as likely as Ivanka Trump selling off her clothing business — but there’s a bright spot of hope. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) are co-sponsoring a bill called the [Personal Care Products Safety Act]( this year. This isn’t the first time they’ve tried it, though; Feinstein and Collins also [introduced this bill in 2015](, but it went nowhere. The [large players in the industry were on board](, but smaller cosmetics companies were not, saying it [would hurt them financially](. But maybe now we have the public impetus needed to get it through, especially since this bill has bipartisan support. The bill would allow the FDA to issue recalls, increase labeling requirements, and help small businesses meet new mandates. It would also require the FDA to test up to five ingredients per year. Right now, the natural beauty industrial complex gets new customers primarily based on fear of the unknown. Some cosmetics ingredients are untested (although many more have years of research and safety data) or have poorly designed studies showing questionable bad outcomes, so so-called natural beauty companies capitalize on this with a “better safe than sorry” selling tactic. If we actually had solid, concrete data, perhaps then we would know for sure that [our beauty products are not killing us](. Either way, it’s enough to make you want to pull your hair out, no sketchy hair product needed. —[Cheryl Wischhover](, senior beauty reporter [Insert alt text here] [Deal of the Day](#) Never shopped [DSTLD]( before? Here are the basics: It’s denim-focused, pronounced like “distilled," and [direct-to-consumer]( (so prices are pretty sweet and there’s no sweatshop labor involved). And right now, Racked readers can take 20% off their first $50+ purchase on the site by using code THXRACKED at checkout. While jeans are an obvious purchase — especially these [stretchy black ones]( ($68) and these [“mom jeans”]( ($76), both high-waisted — there’s a lot more to explore, including [silk-blend tees](, [skirts](, and some great-looking [leather jackets]( that’ll come in under $300. Use it or lose it: The code expires at 11:59 p.m. EDT Friday, June 30th. [Insert alt text here] Ad from our sponsor Feature [Thredup Is Opening Its First Store — And That Should Terrify T.J. Maxx]( [Insert alt text here]( While retail continues to spiral toward its [ill-fated future](, there are a few players giving the space a well-needed boost; off-price brands like T.J. Maxx and Nordstrom Rack (and, yes, [Amazon]() continue to grow. Another one is jumping into the fray, sure that it can compete in a bigger and better way. [ThredUp](, a secondhand e-commerce company that’s been around since 2009 and now processes as many as 100,000 items in a single day, is opening its first store in San Marcos, Texas, today, with four more on the way across the country before the end of the year. The San Francisco-based startup boasts a $500 million valuation (for context, secondhand shopping is an $18 billion business). ThredUp is one of a handful of digital companies, like Tradesy, Poshmark, and The Real Real, that’s turned consignment — a [costly]( business model — into a successful digital venture. [Keep reading >>]( Beauty This Facial Mist Might Be Bullshit But I Can’t Get Enough of It [Facial mist] I’ve always viewed “[facial mists](” with a degree of skepticism. Do you really need to spray that [Evian]( on your face instead of drinking it? Is that doing something for you? Probably not. But after being gifted the [Glow Getter]( set ($136) from Singapore-based beauty company Allies of Skin — which comes with the brand’s [Bright Future Overnight Facial]( and this [Molecular Savior Mist Toner]( — I’m a total convert. The idea is you spray yourself with the mist after washing your face and then immediately apply the overnight facial, which is really a gel with all kinds of stuff aimed at exfoliating, brightening, and hydrating dry skin. I used the set as directed for a few weeks, and while my skin was a little extra fresh-looking after two or three days a week of the combo, I could honestly take or leave the overnight facial. The mist, though... that stuff has me hooked. First of all, it smells amazing. Like, not just normal-beauty-product good, but amazing — so fresh and clean, probably thanks to the aloe, rose water, and mix of essential oils (Damask rose, juniper berry, cucumber seed, and palmarosa) inside. I’ve gotten in the habit of spritzing it all over my face and neck right after I get out of the shower in the morning, and at this point I’m not sure how I ever woke up without it. I’m pretty sure this stuff is actually moisturizing, too, which isn’t something I’d expect from a facial mist. After a month of using the Molecular Savior Mist as the first step in the morning skin routine I’ve followed forever (second step: moisturizer with a few drops of facial oil mixed in), I’ve seen a noticeable difference. Major bonuses: It feels refreshing rather than sticky, and it seems to calm my sensitive skin. I’ve already bought my second bottle, fearful I’d be out even for a few days. —[Cory {NAME}](, shopping editor More Good Stuff to Read Today - [KKW Beauty Is the Latest in Kim Kardashian's History of Nudes]( - [I Need Everyone to Pause and Admire the New COS Summer Collection]( - [NASA Doesn't Benefit From Your Cute Meatball Tee]( - [What Should a Therapist Wear?]( Did a friend forward you this email? [Sign up for the Racked newsletter](. Ad from our sponsor From Our Partners A selection from the editors at Racked [Olsen twins]( [7 Female Designers We Love—and How They Changed Fashion]( The formerly male-dominated industry has rapidly changed in the 2000s. [Read more]( [Spain]( [Win the Ultimate Trip to Spain]( Enter our sweepstakes! [Read more]( Ad from our sponsor [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving emails from Racked. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. 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