As if more proof was needed of Vani Hari’s hypocrisy and double standards, the self-styled “Food Babe” can now definitively be linked to a third company using the very same dyes featured in her campaigns against the likes of Nestle, Kraft, and McDonald’s.
Food Babe earns sales commissions on Giovanni beauty products via an article on “holistic health care” (yes, it’s OK to roll your eyes in amusement).1 Several of her affiliate’s offerings contain dyes such as Red #40 and Yellow #5,2 which the Babe links to a variety of diseases and conditions in her petition wars against other corporations that use the same additives.
Hari cannot excuse herself on the grounds that Giovanni isn’t offering food products, because she explicitly warns against beauty products containing these dyes as well.3 The question must be asked: if she’s dead set on companies removing these ingredients from their products, why is she affiliated with such companies?
The Giovanni news is only the tip of the iceberg. Food Babe blatantly sells a line of Tarte lip stains containing her “forbidden” dyes via her web site’s shopping page,4 and has been selling another line of cosmetics (Josie Maran) containing the dyes since 2013.5
Giovanni, Tarte, and the other companies mentioned here all have wonderful safety records and I hope they will not be punished because Vani Hari chose to align herself with them.
This is a well established pattern. Recently, I wrote that Hari has been selling a product containing the preservative BHT, even while she led a petition drive against General Mills and Kellogg’s for using the same additive. Though she quietly pulled the item from her web site, she continues feature it on her Pinterest page.6
Worse, Food Babe publicly threw her affiliate under the bus, claiming they were “sneaky” about the ingredients listed on their web site–a curious statement coming from an activist who claims to personally use every product she sells.7 The manufacturer clearly lists BHT as an ingredient, and Food Babe urges her followers to always read the product labels. How did she go nearly 3 years without seeing the BHT?
The bigger questions are, (1) how much longer will members of the “Food Babe Army” (#FoodBabeArmy) continue to blindly follow a leader who obviously doesn’t practice what she preaches, and (2) when will American news organizations stop breathlessly promoting Hari as an activist working for the public good, and instead take just 5 minutes to do what I’ve done (check the ingredients of her products against the list of those she says are dangerous)?
Giovanni beauty products feature prominently in Hari’s Holistic Hair Care article. (click/enlarge)
Food Babe highly recommends this company’s products, despite the fact several contain dyes she claims are dangerous. Experts disagree with Hari–the ingredients are safe. Please don’t punish Giovanni for Hari’s mistakes. (click/enlarge)
Giovanni uses safe dyes that Food Babe says are dangerous–but sells anyway. Confused? So is she, apparently. This product contains the same dyes (red 40, yellow 5) over which she lambasts McDonald’s. And yes, she says the dyes are dangerous in beauty products as well as food products. (click/enlarge)
Food Babe continues to sell Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish, which contains BHT, while she’s simultaneously campaigning against Kellogg’s and General Mills to remove BHT. (click/enlarge)
Image Credits
Food Babe, Pinterest, Giovanni screen snapshots are used in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, commonly known as “fair use law”. This material is distributed without profit with the intent to provide commentary, review, education, parody, and increase public health knowledge.
References
(1) Food Babe Holistic Hair Care
http://foodbabe.com/2011/11/06/holistic-hair-care-how-why/
(2) Giovanni Product Ingredients
http://www.giovannicosmetics.com/GIOVANNI-INGREDIENT-LIST.PDF
(3) Be A Drug Store Beauty Dropout!
http://foodbabe.com/2011/07/31/how-to-find-safe-beauty-products/
(4) Food Babe Slams Kraft Over Three Dyes but Sells Same
https://badscidebunked.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/food-babe-slams-kraft-over-three-dyes-but-sells-same/
(5) Food Babe “Staring” at Nestle Over Dyes; Should be Looking in the Mirror
https://badscidebunked.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/food-babe-staring-at-nestle-over-dyes-should-be-looking-in-the-mirror/
(6) Food Babe Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.com/foodbabe/beauty-products/
(7) Food Babe’s BHT Denial Doesn’t Hold Water
https://badscidebunked.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/food-babes-bht-denial-doesnt-hold-water/
Bad Science Debunked 
She must be feeling a little heat by now, but I suppose she doesn’t have much to worry about. I suppose that her followers are blinded by the awe that’s associated with attacking big business, justified or not.
As for the media… I guess it’s true that real skepticism doesn’t sell very well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Her followers are on a big “paid shill conspiracy” kick right now… somehow missing the fact that even if paid shills were pointing out her sales of these dyes, she’s still selling the dyes 🙂
I’m disappointed in the media though. I guess it’s naive of me to have hoped for better… but I had hoped for better!
LikeLike
She’s not selling anything ND despite your cynicism she is growing from healthy choices…. no not growing blindly listening attentively! No one has all the answers she doesn’t claim to either but from her point of view and this is mine!
LikeLike
It’s funny you mention blindly following and her not sellng in the same comment. She’s openly selling products via her shopping page and affiliate links in her articles. Since you’re blindly following her, I can understand how this would have escaped your attention.
If you think she’s healthy from the products she uses, you’re in a bad spot then, because she says she personally uses every product she sells.
LikeLike
From what I understand by reading the posts, she says they offer less toxic choices. According to the EWG, the items rate from no hazard to moderate hazard (mostly due to added fragrance). Like the majority of smart consumers, I research what I buy before I purchase it. It is a shame you are trying to make people feel bad for trying to learn as much as they can instead of relying on government agencies to “protect” consumers….and I use protect VERY loosely. Perhaps you could better utilize your talents to help society instead of contributing to the mess it has become To each his/her own.
LikeLike
Actually, Food Babe is offering exactly the same ingredients as the ones she says are dangerous. EXACTLY the same ingredients. These are the same dyes she says are bad. Exactly the same dyes. There is no difference at all. None. Absolutely none, whatsoever. Yellow 5 is yellow 5. Blue 1 is blue 1. Red 40 is red 40. I would love to discuss this with you.
I find it rather sad, and greatly disturbing, that this fact is lost on her followers, and that you are unwilling/unable to comment on it. Why is that?
LikeLiked by 3 people
It’s a shame that people follow her so blindly that they even accept her lies as gospel when they’re exposed to full light. Making money off the ignorant and credulous–simply out of some foaming-at-the-mouth desire to see enemiesis all things–is shameful and inexcusable, regardless of her claims for having a “good reason.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
No I don’t follow her like gospel! She’s not selling anything at all! She shares her experiences and she is glowing from being so healthy! She says yes safer products and no one is buying everything she has to say but a lot of it is valid and helps people
LikeLike
She’s not selling anything? Lmao! She has a shopping page from which she sells dozens of products; she sends readers to Amazon and earns sales commissions on countless more. I do hope you’ll return here and defend your comments.
LikeLike
That a girl! Yes totally with ya!
LikeLike
You’re “with her” given that the products she sells have the same ingredients she says are dangerous?
I do wish you’d defend the comments you’re leaving…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll bet, in comments to her staff, Food Bimbo calls her “army” the “Food Babe Fools ’em Army” She couldn’t care a bit less about their well being. She is an evil, ignorant of ALL things scientific self aggrandizing fraud. This is indeed my personal opinion of this misleading cretin.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Giovanni, Tarte, and the other companies mentioned here all have wonderful safety records and I hope they will not be punished because Vani Hari chose to align herself with them.”
I certainly wouldn’t feel bad. THEY chose to align themselves with HER too, right? Nothing would please me more than to see economic harm come to companies who line up behind charlatans like the Food Babe.
LikeLike
That’s a fair point, Ronnie. I basically wanted to make sure that once I pointed out that these products contained the same ingredients Food Babe maligned, people didn’t start avoiding them out of fear–but if the companies KNOW Vani Hari is using slander to sell, then I’d definitely be against the company as well.
I guess the question then is–do the companies know what she’s doing? I can’t prove or disprove that. It would be worth calling it to their attention, I suppose.
LikeLike
She’s just another hypocritical teabagger like Alex Jones who claims to be against GMOs and McDonald’s yet gives a Monsanto spokesperson – David Martosko – an open forum to spew corporate propaganda against PETA.
LikeLike
Pingback: Trix Are For Food Babe | Bad Science Debunked