Do you get fazed when you are at your go-to beauty mecca and the majority of the products scream out different terms like organic, natural, or clean? Do they mean the same thing? Do they give similar results? Who knew buying a toner could be so challenging? In a nutshell, what these beauty brands are trying to promote is the clean beauty movement.
Clean beauty refers to skincare products that reject the use of dangerous products such as artificial colors, talc, synthetic fragrances, and parabens when making their products. Not only does clean beauty benefit our overall health it has also proven to show concern for the environment. There have been multiple misconceptions that clean beauty products don’t give effective results compared to their typical counterparts.
Large brands like Sephora and Ulta have proven otherwise by coming on board and producing both clean make-up and skincare products that deliver promising results. In fact, the clean beauty market is estimated to reach a whopping $22 Billion value by 2024. As we attempt to reconnect with our skin, could shift to the clean beauty movement be the solution? Let’s find out more about clean beauty and the clean beauty movement.
The Clean Beauty Movement
There is no set-in-stone definition for clean beauty as brands define clean beauty according to their own understanding and agendas. For some, clean beauty could mean cruelty-free and vegan-based products while for others it could mean sustainable and non-toxic.
Decades ago, consumers were not aware of the safety of the ingredients that were present in their skincare products. This forced them to rely on what the manufacturers and sellers advertised. The FDA passed the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in 1938 but some ingredients used in making cosmetic products were exempted from FDA regulatory practices. As more people began adopting a more holistic approach to their lifestyles, groups such as the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and The Environmental working group (EWG) were born. These activist groups helped classify some of the ingredients found in skincare and personal care products as harmful and unsuitable for human use.
Retail stores borrowed a leaf shortly after by selling only clean products. We can still see the evolution in modern times through brands like Ilia Beauty and L. A based Kosas who produce only clean beauty makeup and skincare products.
RELATED: Does Organic Makeup Really Exist or Is It Just an Illusion?
How Can You Tell if Your Beauty Products are Clean?
For starters, for your beauty products to be considered clean, they should be free of carcinogens and hormone disruptors. Second, the labels should be transparent. All the ingredients used should be listed clearly on the labels. However not all brands are transparent as some use “greenwashing” to market their products.
Greenwashing refers to using buzzwords like “eco” or “natural” to capture consumers’ attention. A common umbrella term that companies use is fragrance. Think about it, the fragrance is not an ingredient and brands can hide other ingredients under it. The third simplest way is by using our good ol’ buddy Google. Just type in the ingredients and find out if they are toxic.
How Clean is Clean Beauty?
I can’t help but chuckle a little when I see brands touting their skincare products as ‘all natural’ when clearly the ingredients they contain are synthetically created. These natural ingredients go through numerous processes to become cosmetic products. Do they still qualify as natural products after all these changes? Also, all products that contain water risk contamination by microbes like bacteria, fungi, and yeast (gag!). To counter this, brands have to add a preservative which could be in form of non-toxic synthetics. So next time you spot a product that claims to be preservative-free classify it as greenwashed. It’s clearly a hoax or the brand is willing to risk you getting a skin infection for a quick buck, under the false pretense of being part of the clean beauty movement. Don’t risk it.
We live in an age where technology and innovations in the beauty industry are at their best and have managed to include safe synthetics and preservatives which are non-toxic into clean beauty products. Don’t sweat it when you see them in your clean beauty products.
Trends You Need on Your Radar
As we step into a post-pandemic time, we see the veil between wellness and beauty becoming thinner in the beauty industry. Trends such as having a multiple-step skincare routine, product customization, and CBD-infused cosmetic products have taken a step back and given way to minimal but functional beauty routines in 2022. The majority of beauty brands have hopped on the clean beauty movement bandwagon and are now producing clean beauty products that cater to the holistic wellbeing of their consumers and the environment. I hope these clean beauty trends stick around for a millennium.
1. Minimal and easy beauty routine
Remember when clear glass skin was trending and the best way to achieve it was through a certain holy 10-step skincare routine. Imagine coming back home after a long day at work to cleanse, double cleanse, exfoliate, tone, use an essence, then a serum, then a sheet mask, etc…If you can keep up with the routine on a daily basis, I salute you. If you are like me, you probably heaved a sigh of relief when you saw this. Clean beauty focuses on achieving healthier skin without covering up your skin and clogging your pores. Try restricting your skincare to a 4-step routine that includes one cleanser, a toner, moisturizer, and sunscreen. Besides, fewer products mean fewer ingredients to keep track of and oh yes, fewer empty bottles in the environment.
2. Sustainable packaging
The branches of the clean beauty movement spread way beyond the ingredients list. Influencers like Anais Da Silva have forced brands to consider sending waste-cautious PR packages. She complained of brands sending her samples that were similar like lipsticks that only differed in colors, in individual confetti-filled packaging boxes that end up as trash. I would love to see brands shift to using recyclable plastic packaging or refillable glass. ASOS made an effort in the clean beauty movement by making thin packaging bags out of recycled plastics which helped lower their greenhouse gas emission. Other brands encourage their customers to mail back their used bottles for recycling and in turn, they get a discount on their next purchase, how smart is that?
To me, clean beauty is about being able to slay a fierce makeup look or a bare face using products that can support healthy skin and help the environment. The clean beauty movement continues to ‘sweep clean’ the beauty aisles it also encourages you to feel and look good while making a small but significant change to our eco-system. You don’t need to toss your makeup bag out and phase clean products into your routine just yet as clean beauty is more than skin deep.
SEE ALSO: Going Organic with Organic Dermal Fillers
Start small by watching what you consume then move to replace one skincare product at a time, and make it part of your lifestyle. Plus, it will probably burn a hole in your pockets if you attempt to replace all your skincare products at once. What does the clean beauty movement mean to you?
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