What is Clean Beauty?
Clean Beauty. You’ve probably been hearing about it and seeing it everywhere these days. So, what is it? And is it really a thing? Are most beauty products actually okay to use? Should I go with all-natural ingredients for my skincare? Keep on reading to find out!
With the sudden boom in ‘Clean Beauty’ a lot of people are confused about what products are okay to use, and if they don’t have the ‘clean’ label on them then… that means they’re bad, right? Weeellll, not technically. The definition of ‘Clean Beauty’ is widely debated and some brands can have rather loose definitions of clean skincare/beauty whereas other brands may have extremely strict standards. But pretty much, ‘clean beauty’ generally means that a product is safe to use and not formulated with certain ingredients that are seen as bad or harmful to you and/or the environment.
For example, here are some ingredients that are considered controversial and are excluded from the list of ingredients in many clean beauty skincare products:
Parabens - most common preservatives that essentially ensure that your products don’t go bad or grow mold. Many people are concerned about this ingredient as it can disrupt hormones and is attributed to breast cancer. However, the truth is that this relationship has not been proven and has not been shown to be harmful in skincare products where parabens are used in very minimal amounts, according to the FDA.Formaldehyde- an extremely potent preservative that is known to cause inflammation and is also said to be linked to cancer.
Hydroquinone- a skin-lightening ingredient that helps decrease the pigment of dark spots. This ingredient is known to cause irritation as well as discoloration on the skin.
Triclosan- an antibacterial ingredient that is cautioned to harm wildlife and aquatic habitats. Most commonly found in cleansers and deodorants, this ingredient is said to help with acne and other inflammations. It also works as a preservative, however, there are some studies that link this ingredient to endocrine hormonal disruption. The FDA does regulate this ingredient and is only used in minor amounts where it is said to not have a significant impact on people’s bodies.
Mineral Oil- may cause damage to the skin barrier. Mineral oil is often debated on whether or not this ingredient is comodogenic. The answer is that it depends on how refined this ingredient is. As you may already know, this ingredient is a byproduct of petroleum, but do not compare this with gasoline that you put into your car– skincare grade mineral oil is the highest level of purity you can attain with petroleum-based products. For some, mineral oil may block pores and aggravate even more breakouts, however, for others, they’ll see great usage as this ingredient can actually help protect the moisture barrier by preventing hydration from escaping your epidermis.
Phthalates- used in personal care products to moisturize and soften the skin, this ingredient has been shown to cause reproductive birth defects in laboratory animals, particularly males. According to FDA, there are 3 main types of Phthalates, two of which are now rarely used. The most common form of Phthalates still present in cosmetics is DEP which is used as a solvent for fragrances. A recommendation from the FDA for some who want to avoid DEP entirely is to choose cosmetics without “fragrances”.
BHT, BHA- Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butyl Hydroxytoluene (BHT) are meant to help preserve the shelf-life of a product and is a concern for causing skin and eye irritation.
Sulfates (SLS, SLES)- Sulfates are cleansing agents that help create foam/bubbles, in cleansing products such as shampoo and foam cleansers. This effects of this ingredient varies from person to person, but it can be skin-sensitizing, where some people may experience rashes, irritation, and itching. It also strips the skin of moisture, so you may feel dry after using a product with SLS and/or SLES. There was also a study where scientists found a connection between sulfates and cancer, but this has been disproven.
Artificial Fragrance- Used to make products smell better or mask the smell of other ingredients. This is a very vague term used in the cosmetics industry and there is controversy surrounding artificial fragrance because simply put, manufacturers do not disclose what ingredients make up artificial fragrance. This lack of transparency is why this ingredient so controversial.
Again, certain ingredients are still being widely debated! Technically the FDA is in charge of deciding the efficacy and safety of ingredients and beauty products/ingredients aren’t required by the FDA to be approved before they go on the market (except for a few exceptions). So, based on research and many studies, companies marked certain ingredients under the red flag and ensured that these potentially damaging and harmful ingredients are no longer included in their products. Yay for research! 🤓📝
Are All-Natural Products Any Better?
For most companies, ‘Clean Beauty’ doesn’t mean all-natural. There are quite a few man-made/synthetic ingredients that are great for the skin and for the product itself. Some people have misconceptions that all-natural ingredients are better than man-made/synthetic ingredients buuuttt it’s important to clear this up: just because something is natural doesn’t mean that it is automatically good for you or your skin. This is especially true for anything topical. For example, Hyaluronic Acid, a synthetic ingredient, is great for the skin! Honestly, one of the best ingredients you can have in your skincare product. Then, on the other hand, there are things like poison ivy! Yikes. Like, sure it’s natural but applying it on your face is a big no-no! So, FaceTory Fam, try not to be too harsh on some synthetic ingredients as a lot of them are included to help your product, help your skin, and both! Also these “synthetic ingredients” are “chemicals” have been through many rounds of research and studies
Does Every Product Need to be ‘Clean’?
If you’re wondering if you need to chuck all your products that are not listed under “clean beauty” or doesn’t have some variation of a green sticker, stop and wait one moment! Remember what we said earlier? ‘Clean’ means something different for each company. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to avoid certain ingredients but always do your research and notice what ingredients your skin likes and doesn’t like.
FaceTory Clean Beauty & The FaceTory Promise
As we create new products, we truly think about the skin of our customers and want to create products that actually make a difference! In order to do this, the FaceTory team goes through multiple tests and samples in order to create the perfect product. Like really, each product goes through each person in our team just to ensure we love it before we recommend it to our FaceTory Fam! So if our skin freaks out, then you best believe that the product is going nowhere near you! 😉 We love sacrifice 😅
But in all seriousness, in an effort for a cleaner lifestyle, we will be striving to create products that will be FaceTory Clean without compromising the efficacy of our products! And this will mean that the product does NOT contain the following harmful ingredients:
- Parabens, Sulfates, Phthalates, Artificial Fragrance, Artificial Coloring, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Oxybenzone, Triclosan, Ethanol/Denatured Alcohol
Thanks for reading and we hope this was helpful! And as always, just keep glowing!
Love,
FaceTory 💝