ANN ARBOR, MI -- Angeline Pratt used to stock up on personal care products from popular beauty stores until she realized much of the ingredients were toxic.
After studying dietetics, she recognized her passion for ensuring ingredients she consumed or applied on her skin were clean. She previously had no idea the products she used contained toxic elements.
“The $18 face creams are full of stuff that’s not very good for us. I would go to Sephora and spend $200 on big-name makeup brands and I had no idea of the chemicals they were using,” Pratt said.
As a result, she opened Bohmey Beauty, a non-toxic and cruelty-free beauty business selling hair, skin care, makeup, home items and accessories. Pratt relied on online sales after opening her first shop in March in downtown Adrian, after the stay-at-home order was implemented. She opened her second location on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 407 N 5th Ave. on the second floor of the Kerrytown Market and Shops.
Some of the concerning ingredients she found include formaldehyde in nail polish, parabens, which Pratt said are “really bad hormone disrupters,” petroleum jelly and mineral oil, which “can contaminate our bodies.”
“When you see the word ‘natural’ or ‘clean’ or whatever it may be, a lot of bigger brands do brainwashing. You can’t just trust the labels,” Pratt said. “We dig a little deeper than just ingredients. We look up every single ingredient in EWG base. Look into how the ingredients are sourced.”
Products sold at Bohmey Beauty do not contain artificial fragrances, which Pratt said the fragrance industry is not required to list in their ingredients as a way to protect their formula from competitors.
Pratt warns consumers about assuming items at well-known convenient stores or makeup shops are clean. She recommends the Think Dirty app, which lists ingredients in beauty products, and determines whether they’re considered clean or dirty based on a rating system.
Some of Pratt’s favorite brands she sells at Bohmey Beauty include Ilia, Earth Harbor, Elate, Berlin Skin and Ursa Major.
“They’re very big on ingredient integrity,” Pratt said of Ilia. “They’re very innovative and their products are beautifully packaged.”
Elate also uses recycled bamboo compacts for customers to reuse the case. Bohmey Beauty also sells eco-friendly home items like candles, using coconut oil, beeswax or a soy base, clothing, accessories, paper goods and hair products.
Bohmey Beauty is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Visit https://bohmeybeauty.com/ for more information.
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