Clean Beauty 101
Sister…
Thank you for stopping by, I am so glad you are here!
If safer beauty is your jam, you have landed in a great spot because here I will share all things clean, safer beauty which is one of my favorite things to chat about!
I personally began to switch over towards clean beauty products about eight years ago and needless to say I never looked back once I started to really educate myself on what was actually lurking in the products I used every day!
Clean Beauty, seems to be all the rage these days but to navigate the world of safer ingredients or options can be overwhelming, am I right sister?!
In the past 10 years there have been strides made in a healthy direction but there is a lot of room for continued change and regulation.
We see brands left and right sharing their form of “clean,” “natural,” “organic,” or “safer,” but are they really?
Sadly, there is a lot of “green washing” or “bamboo products” on the market both in the foods we eat and the products we use meaning companies can appear to be a healthy option from savvy marketing but not truly live up to that claim when it comes to the actual ingredients!
Here are a few “green washing terms to be mindful of: Take these labeling claims with a grain of salt sister and dig deeper into the ingredient list.
Eco Friendly
Chemical Free
Non-Toxic
Waste Free
Natural
Pure
What is a good thing to watch for: Certified B Corporation and EWG verified is a good place to start!
You might be asking when it comes to beauty products or personal skin care options where or how DO I start creating a safer beauty haven?
On that ingredient list sister! Yup, flip that product over and see what REALLY is lurking in there!
Educating and empowering ourselves on what to watch for is really the first step.
As a Dietitian it’s my job to help people design a healthy lifestyle that speaks to them personally. What we put “in” and “on” our body truly matters to our overall health and when it comes to products we put on our skin, how they perform, and what they are made of matters!
Have you ever heard of the “Never List?” This a helpful tool and easy ingredient list to follow https://www.beautycounter.com/the-never-list developed by a safer beauty brand called Beautycounter of over 1800 harmful ingredients that have been linked to health issues like fertility disruption, allergy, endocrine disruption, cancer, and many more.
Beautycounter is a company started out of Santa Monica, CA that has been leading this clean movement for the past 9 years and continues to lead while there are many other brands following suit, which is a wonderful thing!
Beautycounter, a certified B corporation, has identified over 2800 questionable or harmful ingredients currently that they never will use in their products so I do trust this brand very much!
Interestingly did you know that the US has only banned 30 toxic ingredients while the European Union has restricted 1400 and Canada has banned 600 currently? I raise the question, why is the US so far behind in regulation?
Furthermore, there are over 80,000 chemicals registered for use in the US market and more hitting the market every day with very little we know about them. Needless to say, we need more regulation in this overlooked beauty industry! The lack of policy in protection against ingredients that can have a negative impact on our health is honestly unnerving.
It may seem trivial but the microdoses of ingredients from multiple products we put on our body daily from body care, skincare, makeup products, and beyond can all add to our daily toxic body burden and can impact our health.
Keep in mind that ingredients can find their way to the cells of our body since our skin can absorb some of what we put on it! Furthermore, our skin is our largest organ so there is a lot of surface area and room for our daily products to penetrate, absorb, and impact our health bit by bit, day by day!
Reducing our exposure to toxic ingredients in our beauty or personal skincare products is a great place to start and while the urge may be to swap EVERYTHING at the same time, I recommend starting in one area like just skincare or make-up or body care.
This will benefit both the pocketbook and provide time to lean into this new safer ingredient, clean living journey, I like to call this progress over perfection.
Personally, when I started to swap my products to safer options I started with my skincare and body products then I gradually started to switch out my make-up.
I have to say that breaking up with the make-up that I loved at the time was difficult but now I would never go back after what I have learned over the years. Thankfully we don’t have to settle for tricky marketing or ingredients that are not good for us, we have safer options at our fingertips that perform and are better for our health.
To help you get started here are some of the top ingredient offenders on the “Never List” referenced from Beautycounter that you may commonly see in products, ones to watch out for, and why:
Synthetic flavor or fragrance- this is a big one to watch out for since scent is highly likely to absorb into the body and bloodstream.
An engineered scent or flavoring agent that may contain any combination of 3,000-plus stock chemical ingredients, including hormone disruptors and allergens. Fragrance formulas are protected under federal law’s classification of trade secrets and therefore can remain undisclosed. Found in: all types of cosmetics.
Polyethylene glycol (PEG compounds)
PEGs are widely used in cosmetics as thickeners, solvents, softeners, and moisture-carriers. Depending on manufacturing processes, PEGs may be contaminated with measurable amounts of ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane, which are both carcinogens. Found in: creams, sunscreen, shampoo.
Phthalates (DBP, DEHP, DEP and others)
A class of plasticizing chemicals used to make products more pliable or to make fragrances stick to skin. Phthalates disrupt the endocrine system and may cause birth defects. Found in: synthetic fragrance, nail polish, hairspray, and plastic materials.
Parabens (methyl-, isobutyl-, propyl- and others)
A class of preservatives commonly used to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold. Parabens are endocrine (or hormone) disruptors, which may alter important hormone mechanisms in our bodies. Found in: shampoo, face cleanser, body wash, body lotion, foundation.
Hydroquinone
A skin-lightening chemical that inhibits the production of melanin and is linked to cancer, organ toxicity, and skin irritation. This ingredient is often found in skin-lightening creams.
Retinyl palmitate (Vitamin A Palmitate)
Retinyl palmitate is an ingredient composed of palmitic acid and retinol (Vitamin A). Data from an FDA study indicate that retinyl palmitate, when applied to the skin in the presence of sunlight, may result in adverse health consequences like lesions and photosensitization.
Coal tar hair dyes and other coal tar ingredients
A byproduct of coal processing that is a known carcinogen. It is used as a colorant and an anti-dandruff agent. Found in: hair dye, shampoo.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS and SLES)
SLS and SLES are surfactants that can cause skin irritation or trigger allergies. SLES is often contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a byproduct of a petrochemical
Benzalkonium Chloride
A disinfectant used as a preservative and surfactant associated with severe skin, eye, and respiratory irritation and allergies. Found in: sunscreens, moisturizers.
Butylatedhydroxy Anisole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene
Synthetic antioxidants used to extend shelf life. They are likely carcinogens and hormone disruptors and may cause liver damage. Found in: lipsticks, moisturizers, diaper creams, and other cosmetics.
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)
A chelating (binding) agent added to cosmetics to improve stability. May be toxic to organs. Found in: hair color, moisturizers.
Ethanolamines (MEA/DEA/TEA)
Surfactants and pH adjuster linked to allergies, skin toxicity, hormone disruption, and inhibited fetal brain development. Found in: hair dyes, mascara, foundation, fragrances, sunscreens, dry cleaning solvents, paint, and pharmaceuticals.
Formaldehyde
Used as a preservative in cosmetics. A known carcinogen that is also linked to asthma, neurotoxicity, and developmental toxicity. Present where quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3 diol (Bronopol), and several other preservatives are listed. Found in: shampoo, body wash, bubble bath.
Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Chemical preservatives that are among the most common irritants, sensitizers, and causes of contact skin allergies. Found in: shampoo, conditioner, body wash.
Oxybenzone
Sunscreen agents and ultraviolet light absorbers are linked to irritation, sensitization and allergies, and possible hormone disruption. Found in: sunscreen, moisturizer. concern that daily skin application of vitamin A creams may contribute to excessive vitamin A intake for pregnant women and other populations. process called ethoxylation, which is used to process other chemicals in order to make them less harsh. Found in: shampoo, body wash, bubble bath.
Toluene
A volatile petrochemical solvent that is toxic to the immune system and can cause birth defects. Found in: nail polish.
Triclosan and Triclocarban
Antimicrobial pesticides toxic to the aquatic environment; may also impact human reproductive systems. Found in: liquid soap, soap bars, toothpaste.
20 Top Safer + Trusted Beauty Brands
To make it easy I have compiled a trusted list of safer brands for you to check out and try if you are working on “cleaning” up that skincare, body care, or make-up routine.
Beautycounter
Ilia
Rose Inc
Kosas
Honest
Saie
Juice Beauty
Westman Atelier
RMS Beauty
Goop Beauty
Rahua
Necessaire
Innersense
Beauty By Earth
Primally Pure
PYT Beauty
Weleda
Iris & Romeo
Well People
Tata Harper
When it comes to any kind of beauty or body care product it should be good and safer for you. The choices we have today thankfully are growing but we still have a way to go in advocating for more regulation in regards to which type of ingredients are allowed in products.
As we make choices and invest in the products we use daily I hope you find this helpful and a starting point if you are striving to use safer ingredients in creating a clean beauty haven for your home and body.
Thank you for landing here and I would love for you to come back soon sister!
Cheers to Safer Beauty!