Plastic straws: an enemy to marine life. Plastic water bottles: please invest in a Swell water bottle. The green movement is in full swing, and the public is growing increasingly conscious about the influence we have over our environment. Living green isn't just about reducing our carbon footprint anymore; it even plays a role in our beauty and skin routine.
Clean beauty is making its way into major stores like Sephora and Ulta. Little bunnies are showing up on products along with icons indicating everyday beauty products are clean, green, vegan, or environmentally-friendly. Some companies claim their product lines are "green," others refer to them as "clean," while some call their products "natural." All of these labels make understanding clean beauty a bit confusing. So, what is clean beauty?
Clean beauty refers to product lines made with safe and natural ingredients.
When a company says their product is "clean", it generally means they eliminate harmful chemicals like parabens, phthalates, sulfates, formaldehyde, fragrances, and other ingredients linked to negative health effects like hormone disruption and skin irritation. Research even indicates that these toxins are linked to increasing diagnosis of ADD, ADHD, and asthma within children. Crazy, right?
Here is the problem - there is little to no regulation within the beauty industry when it comes to determining if a product truly is "clean and green." In fact, The Food and Drug Administration has not passed any new law regarding cosmetics since 1938 with the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Although companies are generally paying more attention to the ingredients in their products, many still "greenwash" them. This means they are claiming certain products are natural even though they may not be. Again, this is because there isn't a set definition for what "natural, clean, or green" is. Unfortunately, this means the responsibility falls under the consumer to be well-informed about what products to avoid.
For the past eight weeks, I have been interning at a plant and mineral-based skincare company. In other words, I have been eating, sleeping, and breathing "clean and green" brands. I still can't make heads or tails of the subject matter, but here is a quick cheat sheet for ingredients to avoid the next time you find yourself shopping in the cosmetic aisle.
1. Any Known Carcinogens
According to WebMD, a carcinogen is anything that can cause or lead to cancer. This is not meant to scare anyone. As always, it depends on your exposure, so be wary of the amount you use.
2. Fragrances
A big no-no. Although they might help something smell better, fragrances can cause long-term health consequences. Some fragrances are classified as hormone disruptors, allergens, and carcinogens. Unlike with food, beauty companies can list something as a "natural fragrance" without including what and where it comes from. This doesn't mean everything that smells good is dangerous. Using essential oils is a great and safe alternative.
3. Endocrine Disruptors
Wait, what are endocrine disruptors? Well you have probably heard of the endocrine system, right? It is a network of glands within your body that regulate your hormones and it's responsible for puberty, pregnancy, and stress. An endocrine disruptor is a chemical that mimics our bodies' hormones. Another commonly-used word is paraben. These chemicals trick your body into thinking they're hormones, throwing off its normal regulation.
This article isn't meant to scare people out of their favorite beauty lines; in fact, many companies have eliminated the use of parabens all together. Covergirl even became Leaping Bunny Certified, which means they no longer test on animals. This is considered one of the toughest certifications to obtain in the cosmetic industry. As consumers, we need to be careful and think about what we are putting on our skin. After all, it is our largest organ.
