Why Clean Beauty Matters?
What is clean beauty?
Listen, I know your skin is important to you. Plus, it’s evident with the demand for cruelty-free makeup products on the rise it’s important to a lot of other women too. This is why I put together this guide for you. Just like you, it’s important for me to take care of my skin. Luckily, skincare is becoming more natural and less toxic.
Business are putting more emphasis on what is going in the product and the ethics behind producing their products. Which is great news for us. It means our skincare products will contain less “try-glycer-whats” and more grapefruit extracts and other ingredients we are actually familiar with.
And while clean beauty continues to climb Google’s trend chart as an up and coming buzz word, are we sure we even know what it means? It’s easy to get wrapped up in nice-sounding words. But if there’s anything Food Inc. has taught us, it’s this: you can’t trust companies to say something is natural and for that to actually be the case. So, let’s take a look at one of the hottest trends in beauty right now: clean beauty.
What is Clean Beauty?
I did some browsing on Google and found a few good definitions of clean beauty. But the one that hit home was from Harpar’s Bazaar. Harpar’s Bazaar defines clean beauty as “safe for people and the planet, clean means that a beauty product should have considered human and environmental health, using a nontoxic element as a baseline and plant-based ingredients for active results.”
That definition is helpful but you also want to consider what ingredients to look out for. Ingredients are important because what you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream within 26 seconds. Yep, you heard me right. So, here’s a list of ingredients to avoid: parabens, fragrances, aluminum compounds, ethoxylated agents, formaldehyde, refined petroleum, hydroquinone, talc, triclosan, silica, and oxybenzone,
A good rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t eat it or you can’t pronounce it don’t put it on your skin.
Another thing to consider is the regulation of the beauty industry.. or the lack thereof. According, to CNBC the beauty industry has been mostly self-regulated for the past century. Uh, excuse me, what?
This means those claims of all-natural or organic skincare products could really just be a marketing ploy designed to get you to spend your heard earned dollar. Money that could easily go towards a nice brunch instead. So it’s important to look for companies that have a clear mission and statement of ethics with their brand.
But how does avoiding these products actually keep you healthy?
How it helps your stay healthy
Do you know what your body’s largest organ is? It’s your skin. Your skin accounts for a whopping 10% of your body weight. Crazy right? And the skin does a lot for you. A lot of things you may not have even though of such as protection, shock absorption, Vitamin D synthesis (think turning sunlight into useable nutrients for your body), and temperature control. That’s not listing everything for the sake of this post, we’ll stop there.
Because your skin has the ability to absorb things like sunlight it is so important to be mindful of what we are putting on our skin. Because when these chemicals are absorbed into our bloodstream they interact with our cells. Cellular interaction may cause mutation and this can be expressed as cancers, tumors, or other problematic health conditions.
Think about it. Do you know what’s in that good smelling lotion you just bought from your favorite lingerie store? I mean what is the ingredient ‘fragrance’ really? And if you don’t know and you aren’t quite sure how it could react with your body’s chemistry then why use it? It’s important not to just think short term here. You may be saying, well nothing has happened to me so far so it can’t be bad right? But what about ten years from now? What about twenty years from now?
I know clean beauty hasn’t always been available. But good news, it’s here and it’s here to stay. I mean you know a product is popular when you can order from Amazon Prime and it’s delivered to your doorstep in less than two hours.
And luckily for us, buying cruelty-free beauty products has never been more affordable. Don’t believe me? Just take a trip to your local CVS and see how many cruelty-free makeup brands you can identify.
How it protects animals and the environment
But I know you aren’t just interested in buying vegan cruelty-free beauty makeup just for your sake. You’re also interested in protecting animals and taking care of our planet. Purchasing cruelty-free makeup ensures your beauty products have not been tested on animals. It ensures your dollars aren’t going towards companies who put harsh drops into animals eyes causing them bodily harm and physical pain.
When you choose clean beauty you also choose a greener planet. You choose companies that are committed to using sustainable ingredients and materials. You choose businesses that have taken the time to understand the harmful impact certain chemicals have on our environment and have made a conscious effort to avoid these chemicals.
So now that you’re ready to throw away all of your makeup and start fresh let’s look at exactly how to build a clean beauty skincare routine.
How to build a skincare routine
According to legendary beauty icon, Bobbi Brown, there are nine steps for a good skincare regimen:
1. Wash your face.
2. Apply toner.
3. Apply serum.
4. Apply eye cream.
5. Use spot treatment.
6. Moisturize.
7. Apply retinoid.
8. Apply face oil.
9. Apply sunscreen.
Product Suggestions
Now that you’re a well-equipped consumer here are some product suggestions for you to add to your new clean beauty routine.
Honest Beauty Makeup Remover Wipes
Love Beauty and Planet Relaxing Rain Body Wash
Pacific Beauty Sea Foam Complete Face Wash
I have specifically curated the list above with products that I currently use or plan to use in the near future. Products that I know would not only make my life easier but yours as well. Because let’s be real, who doesn’t need a good makeup wipe every now and then?
Lastly, I want you to know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases you make. I appreciate your support of my small business in advance.
Now let’s get clean! What
