When I was 12 years old, my good friend was floored to learn that I only used water and sometimes soap on my face every night before bed. I was confused as to why she reacted to this so aggressively. Fast forward to after school that day, we walked over to the local Walmart, where I then bought Nurtrigena facewash, toner, and a moisturizer. In that order, I was instructed by my friend to use these products every morning and night.
For the next two years, my face was shiny. Like light reflecting off the ceiling, shiny. Especially my nose and chin. I was so self-conscious that I would powder these areas every morning to hide the future classroom light reflecting off me. The power color would reduce the natural tone, so I had to add bronzer or blush to bring back some depth. The blush needed eyeshadow to balance it out, and the eyeshadow needed mascara to define the eyeshadow. The makeup would clog my pores and subsequently give me blackheads, so I would use those strips to clear that, then would break out shortly after that, so I had to buy concealer to hide that, too.
Meanwhile, my beloved girlfriend, who gave me all these well-meaning beauty tips, looked beautiful in all her make-up, but without it, her skin was stripped of color, glow, and moisture and would get so oily and breakout if she didn’t constantly keep up with it. This imbalance left her with consistent acne breakouts and scarring, not to mention the anxiety that comes with trying to keep up to look her best.
Why Clean Beauty is the Best for Skin Health
Simply put, clean beauty is the best way to break the destructive cycle of working against the nature of your body. Work with your skin, not against it, and all your beauty problems will be resolved. This goes for eating and hydration, too.
The United States does not regulate the food we put in our bodies nor the self-care products we put onto our skin. The staggering statistics around these facts are jaw-dropping. The European Union has banned 1,328 chemicals from being used in cosmetics, while the U.S. has only banned 11. In addition, the FDA does not require companies to list all their ingredients on product labels. On top of these harsh chemicals, commercial beauty products are laden with hormone-disrupting chemicals, wrapped in packaging meant for 4 weeks of use, yet take 450 years to decompose.
6 Tips on How to Maintain A Clean Beauty Routine
Educate yourself and others about which ingredients and products to avoid, which clean beauty brands to support, and which at-home recipes you can make yourself. Here are tips, tricks, and beauty brands I align with that help clean up your beauty routine.
1. Check the list of ingredients
Before you buy a product, check the list of ingredients. If you can’t pronounce it, or it seems wildly complex, chances are it’s not good for you. See below for a list of HECK NO ingredients to avoid.
2. Avoid these common chemicals
Your skin is the largest organ within the body, and it will absorb nearly all chemicals it comes in contact with. Just like when you eat something. These listed here are common chemicals I try extra hard to avoid. Especially as I’m in the category of ‘pregnant or breastfeeding woman.’ Steer clear of the following hormone-disrupting and potentially harmful chemicals:
- Phthalates
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- DEA/MEA
- Harmful preservatives (like formaldehyde)
- Petrochemicals (like petrolatum and mineral oil)
- PEGs
- Synthetic fragrance/ Parfum/ Perfume
- Synthetic dyes & colorants
- Pesticides & Herbicides
- GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms)
3. Research brands to see if they are really ‘clean’ beauty
Marketing is incredibly powerful in swaying us into buying things we don’t need. Remember that every time you spend your time and money on a product you think will eventually benefit you. Take the time to research the brands you’re considering buying from. Check out their ingredients list and ensure they align with your clean beauty standards.
4. Buy from socially and environmentally responsible companies
Several organizations vet the brands and companies they support. Three are 1) One Percent for the Planet, 2) EWG, and 3) BeautyCounter. Not only should you buy products that are good for you, but also from brands that are good for the animals, neighbors, and planet.
5. Make your own beauty products
there are many recipes online for DIY beauty products. Like home-cooking your meals, creating your own beauty products is a great way to save money and know exactly what’s going into your product.
6. Shop local makers, apothecaries, and farmers’ markets
In addition to making your own beauty products, you can buy local and organic ingredients from your farmers’ market
7. Educate yourself and others!
Learn as much as possible about clean beauty and educate those around you. This kind of information causes a ripple effect because folks want what is best for themselves and their loved ones. The more people are aware of the benefits of clean beauty, the better!
8. Use the EWG website to filter all products you use
EWG is short for Environmental Working Group and tests and rates thousands of beauty, foods, and cleaning products and gives it a rating.
Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The EWG Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.
Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep® gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.
Consider this database your beauty bible of consumption goods for your body and home. Be sure to sign up for their newsletters so you can snag the home, body, and food guides they offer.
The Best Clean Beauty Brands
The beauty world is oversaturated with brands that just don’t cut it when it comes to clean, pure ingredients safe for people, animals, and the planet. These are some of my favorite clean beauty brands that I’ve tried and loved.
1. Beautycounter
Beautycounter is a leader in the clean beauty space. This B-Corp company is on a mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone and is committed to making safe products for both you and the planet. Beautycounter has banned 1,800 toxic chemicals from their products and has an amazing selection of beauty care for face, body, and hair. They’re always coming out with new innovative products. All their products are free of harmful chemicals and use sustainable packaging.
Beautycounter was founded in 2013 by Gregg Renfrew when she learned the FDA regulated only 30 chemicals in the US while the European Union had banned 1,328. After watching her friends and family suffer from cancer and other illnesses, Renfrew became committed to making safer products. She teamed up with a team of scientists, doctors, and advocates to create Beautycounter, a product line free of harmful chemicals. She was committed to making change and set out to create a beauty company that would be a force for good.
2. Summer Solace Tallow Skincare
A brand I met in late summer 2018 at the Oakland Grande View Farmers’ Market, Summer Solace Tallow Skincare, makes small-batch, handcrafted tallow skin care products. Handcrafted by two women looking for safe and effective skincare products for their sensitive skin, they were disappointed with the lack of safe and natural skincare products on the market, so they decided to create their own. Their products are handmade in small batches to ensure quality and freshness.
The company only uses ethically-sourced ingredients from regenerative farms, verified by the Land-to-Market program. This verification process ensures that the farmers use sustainable practices that improve the soil and ecosystem health.
Summer Solace Tallow Skincare products are free of synthetic fragrances, parabens, sulfates, and other harmful chemicals. They only use pure, natural ingredients that are beneficial for your skin.
What is grass-fed tallow?
Grass-fed tallow is a type of rendered fat made from grass-fed cows’ fatty tissues. It is a source of nourishing vitamins and minerals, as well as essential fatty acids that are beneficial for the health of your skin.
Tallow has been used for centuries in skincare products, but it fell out of favor when synthetic ingredients became more popular. However, recent years have seen a resurgence in the use of tallow in skincare products, as more people are becoming aware of the benefits of using natural ingredients.
3. LOLI Beauty
Last but not least, LOLI Beauty is my absolute favorite clean beauty brand that makes all of its lush, ultra-hydrating products with food-grade ingredients. LOLI uses organic antioxidant-rich superfoods to nourish the skin, which makes me very excited as a nutritionist! I’m a big believer in using skin products that are healthy enough to eat. If you can’t stand to eat it, don’t put it on your skin!
LOLI Beauty is what brought me back into the beauty world. With so many beauty brands releasing items that are 95% water and contain hazardous preservatives and harmful synthetic chemicals, this brand brings me to hope again. This zero-waste, cruelty-free, organic, and Made Safe® certified skincare brand is exactly what I’ve been searching for! It’s made in the United States and is vegan and gluten-free.
LOLI Beauty was founded by two women, Sarah Lee and Christine Chang, on a mission to create safe, healthy, and effective skincare products. After working in the beauty industry for many years and seeing firsthand the harmful effects of synthetic ingredients, they decided to create a better way.
What does Made Safe® Certified mean?
Made Safe® is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that, since 2002, has been the only non-toxic certification for goods sold in store aisles, from baby to personal care to housewares and beyond. The Made Safe® (Made With Safe IngredientsTM) symbol indicates that a product is made with safe ingredients without toxic chemicals known to harm our health.
You can learn more about this incredible certification by clicking here.
3 Popular Beauty Brands to Avoid (Plus Swap Ideas)
While certain “clean” beauty brands may be free of harmful chemicals, they still use other harmful ingredients or sustainable/ environmentally-friendly practices. With deep pockets for their marketing efforts, they may seem clean but are certainly not. Here are a few beauty brands to avoid:
1. L’Oreal
I’ll be honest. I was hoping that L’Oreal Paris would make this list of clean beauty brands by now, but unfortunately, they’re not as clean as they claim to be. While they don’t test on animals anymore, they use many synthetic ingredients in their products. In addition, they’re not a sustainable or environmentally-friendly company.
Swap This for That: L’Oreal’s Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Dual Overnight Moisturizer for Beautycounter’s Countermatch Recovery Sleeping Cream
For instance, L’Oreal’s Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Dual Overnight Moisturizer scores an 8 in EWG’s ratings. With 10 being the most toxic. This particular product rates high in:
- Allergies & Immunotoxicity
- Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
With knowing this, would you want this cream seeping into your skin every night? Probably not.
Beautycounter’s Countermatch Recovery Sleeping Cream is a great swap for this, which scores “Best” on EWG’s website and includes an EWG Verification seal.
2. Neutrogena
As a leader in Big Beauty, Neutrogena has always marketed itself as the best clean beauty line on the market. With Jennifer Aniston as their main spokesperson, wearing her minimal makeup look and aging beautifully, it’s easy to fall for their heavy marketing schemes.
Swap This for That: Neutrogena’s Rapid Wrinkle Repair for Beautycounter’s Countertime Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream
An example of Neutrogena’s toxic levels of synthetics is the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair, scoring an 8, with 10 being the most toxic on the market. Here is where they fall short:
- Moderate in Cancer
- High in Allergies & Immunotoxicity
- High in Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
Yikes. Beautycounter’s Countertime Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream is a comparable swap that is EWG Verified as truly healthful and beneficial for your skin, the earth, and animals.
3. Revolution
Another brand with a slick, luxury-looking style that makes it look high-end, Revolution, has some of the most toxic beauty products on the market. Revolution products contain synthetic perfumes and dyes like Red-40, harmful chemicals known to do damage to the reproductive and immunity systems.
Swap This for That: Revolution Clarifying Niacinamide Tonic for LOLI Beauty Blue Cornflower Tonic
LOLI Beauty’s tonic collection uses whole, all-natural ingredients like chamomile, blue cornflower, witch hazel, and glycerin, and more tantalizing ingredients like malachite extract. Malachite is a verdant crystal mineral shown to refresh and soothe. Which sounds way more interesting than Poloxamer 184 and Benzyl Salicylate!
Conclusion
As you can see, many great clean beauty brands out there produce high-quality products without using harmful chemicals or damaging environmental practices. While some of these brands may be more expensive than traditional beauty brands, the health benefits for you, your family, and the earth are well worth it.
As much as I love the clean beauty movement, it’s important to do your research and know what you’re buying. Many brands out there claim to be clean but aren’t. Beauty products are not required to be tested for safety before hitting the shelves. Your skin is the largest organ in the body and ABSORBS the chemicals you put on it. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
If you use:
Cetearyl Alcohol
Polysorbate 60
PEG-100 Stearate
Dimethicone
Glyceryl Stearate
Stearic Acid
Triethanolamine
Carbomer
Disodium EDTA
Diazolidinyl Urea
You’re using ingredients with a high risk of being contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a chemical known to cause cancer. These same ingredients are in many “clean” beauty lines, so check the labels before you buy!
I highly recommend checking out some of the brands on the clean list to upgrade your beauty routine! You can always reach out to me if you are overwhelmed by options. I’m passionate about using safe and healthy products above all else, and I believe that more people should be aware of the importance of doing so. Clean beauty is the future, and I believe investing in brands that positively impact the world is important. Thanks for reading!
Choosing truly clean beauty products is key to last health and graceful aging.
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