In this day in age; clean and green beauty products can be incredibly difficult to decipher the difference between.
There are plenty of beauty products that claim to be “clean” or “green” and when you look closely at their ingredients you will see that they are not filed under the right category of “clean” or “green”.
Why Clean Beauty?
The skin is the largest organ of the body and it absorbs what is put on it too. Many beauty products are formulated with ingredients that are known as endocrine disruptors which have the potential to interfere with our reproductive and neurologic systems. This is just one example of the health risks ingredients may pose. The beauty industry can use harmful ingredients because regulation of beauty product ingredients is easy to work around and the laws have not been changed since the early 1900s.
Fragrance, for example, is a vague term, and corporations are not required to disclose what comprises their “fragrance”. In other words, they can sneak in nasty ingredients under the guise of “fragrance”, and some harmful chemicals are listed right on the ingredient label–it’s just hard for us to read and understand what they are.
In addition to our health, it’s important to use non-toxic products for the health of our mama Earth, too. Everything we use that goes down the drain ultimately has an impact on wildlife and the environment. Take BHA and BHT for example–two commonly used preservatives that are toxic to marine life. Silicones are another example, which bioaccumulates marine life and further up the food chain. Ultimately, these toxins make their way back into our system as they move up through the food chain.
Clean Beauty is just a bunch of buzzwords
Many brands claim they are “natural” “paraben-free” “made from botanical ingredients” or even “clean beauty” and use buzzwords like this, but it does not necessarily mean it’s non-toxic.
When you are starting out switching to non-toxic beauty products, we recommend doing your best and replacing conventional products as you run out of them. Our motto is: do your best. Look for the best possible skincare product, because clean-er is always better than conventional.
When shopping IRL, here are the top 5 nasties that will never be found in Essance Products but you should always have an eye out for when reading labels:
1. Parabens
These are carcinogenic and may cause endocrine disruption, reproductive harm, allergies, organ toxicity, and irritation and are found in hair, face, body, cosmetic products
2. Synthetic Fragrance
Also, a carcinogen that may cause organ toxicity, irritation, reproductive harm, and allergies, also found in hair, face, body, cosmetic products
3. Sulfates (Examples include Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate)
Sulfates may cause organ toxicity, irritation, and allergies and are found in shampoo, cleansers, soap, exfoliators, body wash, bubble bath products, and detergents.
4. Polyethylene Glycol (PEGs)
Found in hair, face, body, and cosmetic products
5. Petrochemicals
These are obtained from petroleum and natural gas.
Six Products to Swap First
We hope that this quick guide was helpful and will encourage you to switch to nontoxic skincare not only for your health but also for the health of our planet.