When it comes to our beauty and body care products, it seems as though the list of ingredients to avoid is growing longer every moment. This along with the new trend of greenwashing, or when a brand claims to be “natural”, eco-friendly, “organic” or environmentally conscious makes clean beauty seem more complicated than it is. It is supposed to be simple and approachable so that it can reach all who would want to simply practice healthier lifestyles and lessen their environmental impact through the choices they make.
As clean beauty is yet to be properly defined in the local market, it is up to a brand to look into the science and data behind what ingredients are healthier for their clients. However, it’s up to us as consumers to check each label we come across and ensure we’re supporting tested and effective formulas.
We want to help you develop the healthy habit of checking labels! As it is one of our goals to make clean beauty accessible and simple to understand, here is a fun way to learn about what you put on your body. This chart was created by our co-founder and formulator Ana Gutierrez-Niguidula for your everyday use.
Another benefit of checking the labels is the ingredients themselves could tell you which ones will work best with your skin type, and which could potentially be irritating or cause new health issues. When creating our signature formulas, we made sure to avoid the following ingredients and their repercussions on you and our planet:
- PHTHALATES
- This ingredient is found in an array of products such as vinyl flooring, lubricating oils, and personal care products like soaps, shampoos, and hairspray. Its negative effects include being able to damage the liver, kidneys, and reproductive system. They can also have adverse effects on infants and children such as skin allergies and eczema.
- SULPHATES
- These are found in products such as detergents, emulsifiers, and foaming agents. This ingredient is known to dry skin, irritate the lungs, and affect your lung health as a whole.
- PARAFFIN
- Commonly used as a lubricant, in candles, and in petroleum jelly, this ingredient is known to release carcinogenic substances linked to lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. It also can cause skin irritation and eczema, respiratory problems with continued inhalation of certain candles, and contributes to air pollution.
- PARABENS
- These artificial preservatives can disrupt hormones in the body and can even harm reproductive organs.
- FORMALDEHYDE
- Another preservative that is commonly used in hair products and nail lacquers, its liquid form, formalin, is actually used to preserve cadavers and shouldn’t really be in skin and body care. Without this preservative, some beauty products will likely only last a few weeks or months as they were first put into cosmetics to keep them from spoiling, causing bacterial or fungal infections, and prolonging their shelf life.
- OXYBENZONE
- This ingredient is usually found in products with sunscreen but is known to be a large environmental disruptor to corals and can contribute to hormone disruption in both men and women.
- TOLUENE
- Commonly used as a solvent in paints, lacquers, and adhesives, this chemical can cause eye and nose irritation as well as skin inflammation.
- TRICLOSAN
- This antibacterial agent can weaken the immune system and causes an increased chance of developing allergies, eczema, and asthma, especially in children.
- PEG
- These penetration enhancers are substances that help other ingredients pass through the skin easier but if paired with other toxic ingredients, toxins could more readily enter the body.
- SYNTHETIC DYES
- Used as colorants, these can irritate sensitive skin, clog pores, and cause allergic reactions if used in everyday products.
- DEA, TEA, and MEA
- These ingredients are emulsifiers and foaming agents that are known to be irritating to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract among other effects.
Guided by the Clean Beauty Chart, we recommend starting with checking your current set of personal care products to see what you need to replace then you can move along to curating your own clean beauty routine by purchasing the right products for you.
Our product range is…
PROTECT, ARISE, CLEANSE, and UNWIND are made with only the best quality ingredients such as 100% pure essential oils, guaranteed safe and non-toxic. We made sure that everything we produce is mindfully made to be paraben, sulfate, paraffin, and phthalate-free.
More than 80,000 estimated chemicals are on the market today, and very few of them contain quality safety data on what is allowed to be used on our skin. A key benefit of using only clean products, specifically our bar soaps and hand+body washes, is that you can protect your health by avoiding toxins that come with some chemicals that lead to serious illnesses like cancer.
When all is said and done, it's really our responsibility to educate ourselves about what can put on our skin and what to avoid. Fortunately, it's really easy these days to do your own research on any of your favorite personal care products, so if in doubt, check out our handy guide or send us a message on Instagram or Facebook if you want to personally know more about our products!
