The cosmetics and beauty industry is one wide and a various area where the product options are quite numerous. In the past, these choices were limited. Women used to treat their bodies and face only with soap and water. As the industry developed, more and more products started to come out, specially designed for different types of skin. It was not long ago when the stores offered a limited number of products. There were only two or three options available depending on the skin type and that was all. People were using what was offered and available to them. However, times have changed. With so much pollution and environmental changes, both people and the beauty industry started to become aware of what is happening around us. This refers to the end-products, the conditions they are made in, as well as the ingredients that are used for it. Hearing that more and more chemicals are the main component of the things that we topically apply on our face and skin is scary.
And now, the industry has started to change again. It is going back to its roots where everything was clean and natural. We are not talking about using again only water and soap, but using products that we know how and what they are made of. As the people became more educated about what they are using, it was inevitable that the industry needed to change according to those needs and demands. Just like that, clean beauty became the new reality that more and more people are switching to.
Clean beauty is a growing industry that will most certainly become a dominant one in the near future. For those who are new in this area, or have already tried some clean beauty products, there are certain tips that you need to know so that you can better and easily navigate the new world of clean beauty products.
The terms of clean beauty
- Clean
The first thing to know when buying clean beauty products is the fact that they really are clean. What does that mean? It means that the product is clean, safe, and non-toxic. These products usually have a transparent labeling list of the ingredients. The ingredients are not linked to any harmful side effects. It is a combination of ingredients that is man-made. The key thing here, when it comes to clean beauty products us that they are not harmful in the short and long term.
- Natural
Clean beauty is tightly connected to the natural approach. The term natural refers to the purity of the ingredients. Natural means that the product contains ingredients that are found in nature, without having any additional synthetics in it. There is always the thing that you need to look out for and that is that not all the natural ingredients are actually good for beauty use.
- Organic
Organic is another important aspect of clean beauty. Products that are labeled as organic consist of organically farmed ingredients. These are the ingredients that are grown on farms without the use of GMOs, synthetic fertilizers, and other harmful things. For one product to be considered organic, it only needs to have 70% of organic ingredients. But, for the product to receive the official USDA Organic Label, the product has to be 95% truly organic. The other 5% also have to meet their allowed ingredient list.
- Vegan
The vegan approach, and with that, a vegan product is a product that does not contain any animal or animal-derived ingredients. Vegan does not mean that it does not contain synthetic ingredients. It also does not mean that it is not tested on animals, but today more and more brands are going towards not testing on animals.
- Cruelty-free
As part of the clean industry and vegan products is cruelty-free production. Cruelty-free also refers to animals in the process, but this includes testing on animals. So, one product is leveled and cruelty-free if its ingredients/components and the final product are not tested on animals. However, it does not mean that it does not contain any animal by-product. Some common and popular animal byproducts include beeswax, honey, lanolin, and tallow.
Research
Another thing that requires attention to the final goal of using clean beauty products is to decipher the ingredients. The internet today allows a quick and convenient way to look for the ingredients and determine whether they fall into the category of clean beauty ingredients. Some apps can help determine which ingredients are toxic and their level of toxicity. Another important thing in the research process is to look for the word fragrance or perfume in the ingredients list.
Here is the list of the top ingredients that should not be in the ingredients list of the clean beauty product:
- BHA and BHT
- Coal tar dyes: p-phenylenediamine and colors listed as "CI" followed by a five-digit number
- DEA-related ingredients
- Dibutyl phthalate
- Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
- Parabens
- Parfum (a.k.a. fragrance)
- PEG compounds
- Petrolatum
- Siloxanes
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate
- Triclosan
When the complete research is done and you know all the important tips, then the trip to the beauty store will be much stress-free and you will know what to look for. So, no matter if the product is labeled clean, natural, or synthetic, one thing that should not be forgotten is that everything has an expiry date and better known as shelf life. The old product, with expired use date, is very bad for the skin. The ingredients can become harmful and cause different skin conditions. Each of the products has a label that suggests the product expiration time from the moment of opening. With all this in mind, you can easily switch to the clean beauty products and enjoy the real benefits of the nature incorporated in the modern-day skincare and beauty products.
