“Clean Beauty” calls for healthier beauty products, without ingredients that are toxic to health or the environment.
WHERE DOES THIS “CLEAN BEAUTY” MOVEMENT COME FROM?
Clean Beauty has its origins in the United States, where cosmetic regulations prohibit 30 ingredients in the composition of products, compared to more than 1,300 in Europe.
When the news was relayed by major influencers, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Americans began to look closely at the composition of their creams. This phenomenon quickly spread to Europe and around the world.
In France, the revelation by the magazine UFC Que choisir in March 2015 ( https://www.quechoisir.org/decryptage-produits-cosmetiques-telechargez-notre-carte-repere-des-molecules-toxiques-n11449/ ) denouncing 13 toxic or dangerous products present in our cosmetic products acted as a detonator.
It is a shock for the French who are realizing that they can no longer trust their favorite brands. An awakening of consciences is underway.
While sales in the cosmetics sector have stagnated in recent years, natural and organic cosmetics experienced 22.7% growth in France in 2017*.
This craze for more health-friendly cosmetics has not escaped the attention of distributors, who now devote entire corners to them. New concepts for healthier cosmetics are appearing every day and major brands are starting to offer cleaner compositions.
But what substances should I avoid? How can I be sure that my product only wants good for me and matches my values?
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF A PRODUCT IS “CLEAN”?
In theory, a so-called “clean” product should be free of any ingredient suspected of being dangerous to health or the planet.
Ingredients to Avoid for Healthy Beauty
Among the harmful ingredients we find in particular: ingredients suspected of being carcinogenic (BHA, PEG, Diethanolamine, certain dyes, etc.), endocrine disruptors (phenoxyethanol, parabens, phthalates, triclosan).
Then there are ingredients that are harmful to the environment and animals, such as palm oil, silicones and other mineral oils. These substances are comedogenic, irritating to the skin, but also very polluting because they are non-biodegradable.
And yet they are present in many products!
The Problem of Greenwashing
The problem is that there is currently no universal "clean" label attesting to the healthiness of a product. Some brands that have created "clean" labels to help their consumers find their way around still authorize phenoxyethanol, among other things.
Some brands, among the most recognized, continue to launch products containing this ingredient. Certainly at the % authorized by law but neglecting the cocktail effect to which their consumers are exposed.
We can rely on mobile apps to help us detect these substances. There are several of them today: Clean beauty, INCI, Yuka which help consumers decipher ingredient lists.
ORGANIC LABEL = ZERO RISK?
ORGANIC LABELS AND THEIR RELIABILITY
Find our article on clean beauty here: Clean beauty: naturally healthy skin .
Credits: article written in collaboration with Fiona Bazzana
