5 Reasons to Start using CLEAN BEAUTY PRODUCTS

While some beauty trends come and go, like liquid lipstick, the clean beauty trend has steadily gained momentum over the last few years. Beauty products are often described now as clean, vegan, cruelty-free, or sustainable. But what does any of this actually mean?

What does CLEAN mean?

Most 'clean' beauty words meant to be fear inducing enough to elicit a Marie Kondo-style purge of your entire bathroom cabinet, even in the most realist people among us

But to me, clean beauty just means products that are free of ingredients that potentially or known to be harmful, such as alcohol or fragrances. While it’s hard to believe that modern beauty brands would ever include such ingredients in their products, the fact is that they do, regularly and it is perfectly legal. Products that we use every day (mascara, face wash, and deodorant) have potentially harmful ingredients that can include known carcinogens, irritants, and endocrine disruptors.

To give you an idea of where we are, consider that there are 26 cosmetic ingredients currently banned by Australia, while in the EU over 1,328 chemicals from cosmetics ingredients are banned. These chemicals are banned for a reason. For example, parabens can cause hormonal imbalances or fragrance can cause skin irritation or trigger allergies. Paula's choice ingredient dictionary (https://www.paulaschoice.com/ingredient-dictionary) or Ingredient decoder (https://incidecoder.com/) can help you flag harmful ingredients in your beauty routine x

But if you’re nervous about making the switch or find the whole topic confusing, here are five reasons you should consider jumping on the clean beauty bandwagon.

1. You’ll avoid a chemical cocktail

Did you know that up to 60% of the chemicals applied on our skin are actually able to enter our bloodstream? It’s a bloody scary thought, especially considering that the average woman uses 12-15 beauty products a day. Adding up to roughly 168 toxins every day.

That’s a lot of toxins for your body to have to deal on a regular basis, and this can have an effect on how we feel, how we look and on our overall health. Clean beauty brands, on the other hand, are free from these toxic ingredients. Instead, the focus is on natural ingredients that work alongside the body’s natural functions to improve not only the appearance of your skin but also the health of our body.

Ingredients to Avoid

Clean beauty is a spectrum, from just alcohol and fragrance-free to the more hardcore, but a case can be made that some ingredients should be avoided altogether. Below, the most common beauty ingredients of concern:

PARABENS | FRAGRANCES | ALUMINUM COMPOUNDS | ETHOXYLATED AGENTS | FORMALDEHYDE | REFINED PETROLEUM | HYDROQUINONE | TALC | TRICLOSAN | SILICA | OXYBENZONE

2. You can trust your beauty bag

After my perioral dermatitis, this has become of vital importance to me. Knowing I can trust all the ingredients in my routine means if i introduce something new I know if it is working for me or causing a flare up because I trust the products i already use.

While it’s true that the beauty industry in Australia has a range of regulations surrounding labelling and ingredients, these regulations aren’t as watertight as you’d hope, as mentioned above. Clean beauty brands, on the whole, label their products clearly and list their ingredients. They take the time to create products that work with the skin, to nourish it and provide essential nutrients for your body. SO you can trust your skin not to have an allergic reaction to it.

3. You’ll avoid animal testing

Another way clean beauty brands are distinguishing themselves from their big brand competitors is their focus on cruelty-free practises. Most Australian clean beauty brands are either made in ethically run factories overseas or produced locally in small quantities. They carry a ‘Cruelty Free’ label and are not tested on animals in any way.

In contrast, some of the most well-known beauty brands on the market do test on animals, and some countries even require animal testing before a product can be sold to humans. To make sure the brands you use are free from animal testing, look for ‘Cruelty Free’ or ‘Not Tested on Animals’ labelling. This indicates that no animals were harmed in the production of their products. One step further is vegan-friendly skincare, which means that you won’t find ingredients such as pollen, collagen, lanolin and keratin, beeswax or honey. Personally I love ingredients like collagen and keratin for skin and hair care, so I just go for cruelty free.

4. You can lessen your footprint

One way to lower your own impact on the environment is to look for everyday products that have a focus on sustainability and recyclable packaging. While mass produced products tend to lean heavily on cost effective plastics and one-use substances, ethical clean beauty brands choose packaging that can be recycled or reused and have less of an impact on the environment. They opt for glass packaging, recycled or recyclable plastics, cardboard and sustainable postage/ mailers. Every little bit helps, and clean beauty brands know it. While they are not all like this, it is more common because most of their consumers are more sustainability focused.

How those ingredients were sourced is also important. When you use any product, the ingredients go down the drain and some ingredients, exfoliating micro-beads for example, can have negative impacts on marine life. Truly sustainable ingredients are those that are ethically sourced and proven to be safe for the environment, with sustainable or no-waste, biodegradable, or recycled packaging. I am definitely not great at this step yet, but its something I'm making a conscious effect about improving.

5. You’ll get effective results

One of the most compelling reasons to switch to clean beauty is that it works. Clean beauty brands carefully select their ingredients and the fact that there are no harmful chemicals to agitate your skin and no endocrine or hormone disruptors to confuse your body is great! If in doubt, look for clean beauty brands with testimonials, read reviews and trial products for yourself – find what works for your skin. Think of it as a small act of environmental activism with a big impact on your skin.

How to Get Started with Clean Beauty

Trying to decode ingredient lists and making the switch to non-toxic beauty can be overwhelming and confusing; it took me years to learn about the ingredients to watch out for and overhaul all of my skincare and makeup products. Throwing out all of your products away is definitely not the way to go. So as you finish a product, go look for a clean alternative and start small. Figure out your main concern and that will lead you to the right brand.

If you’re just starting your journey into clean beauty, here are a few easy swaps I recommend:

• Deodorant: Many conventional deodorants are actually antiperspirants, meaning they stop you from sweating. Aluminum zirconium, which is often used, has been linked to breast cancer. Clean deodorants, on the other hand, use essential oils, clays, baking soda, and other non-toxic ingredients to help kill bacteria and keep you dry. Keep in mind that it usually takes your body a few weeks to adjust to clean deodorant, so give it some time. Also, i try to avoid the baking soda ones just because they cause irritation for me x

• Cleansers: Traditional facial cleansers and body washes can contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which makes them foamy. Cetaphil for example uses this ingredient. But this foaminess doesn’t do anything for you skin and SLS can in fact cause irritation. Since you use cleansers all over your body, this is an important switch to make.

• Moisturizers: These often include cheap filler ingredients (like petroleum), and synthetic emulsifiers and preservatives,. Just like cleansers, moisturizers are used all over, so they’re a good place to start.

NATIVE (sensitive line), PAULA'S CHOICE, and brands from PRAE online store are some of my favourite places to shop. Even MECCA has so great clean brands.

Signing off,

Bridie xx