How to Shop for Clean Beauty Products

Are you interested in clean beauty products, but not sure what to look for?  Below we will discuss how clean beauty products are different than conventional products and what to look for in the ingredient list.

 

What is Clean Beauty and Why is it Important?

The term clean beauty has been very popular in the last few years and more and more companies are avoiding syntenic ingredients.  Most clean beauty brands strive to avoid parabens, sulfates and silicones. 

Parabens are preservatives used in cosmetic and personal care products.  In general, parabens are very inexpensive to produce and extend product shelf lives for years.

Parabens got a bad rap in the 2000s when various studies found parabens in the breast tissue samples of women with breast cancer.  Studies did not prove that there is a direct connection between breast cancer and parabens.  However, the fact that parabens could so easily be absorbed by the body was alarming and caused manufactures and consumers to question their use in personal care products.  Luckily most personal care products have very small amounts of parabens.

 

Sulfates are cleansing agents used in personal care products, shampoos and cleansers to create a lathering effect.  Sulfates are inexpensive to produce and potentially irritating to scalp, skin and eyes.  

 

For more information on what ingredients to avoid in skin care products, check our post.

 

Clean beauty brands usually strive for transparency and share every ingredient in their products.  This includes mentioning whether a product contains fragrance, dyes and essential oils.  Three ingredients we believe do not belong in skincare, but unfortunately, they are included in most skincare brands. 

 

Clean beauty is important because the skincare industry is not regulated, and most people use multiple products throughout the day.  Each product is exposing your body to multiple ingredients/chemicals.  It is estimated, that each person is roughly exposed to 200 different ingredients each day just through the use of personal care products.  It is important that we strive to understand and use the safest and most effective ingredients to protect our bodies and the environment.

 

Look for a Clean Beauty Brand that is Sustainable

 

Another great thing about using clean beauty is most clean beauty brands support sustainable practices.  These brands strive for natural ingredients that are not only good for the earth but sustainably sourced.  Most clean beauty brands utilize recyclable packaging and try to reduce the amount of packaging materials used in shipping.

 

Clean Beauty Brands Should use Nutrient Rich Ingredients

 

Most natural ingredients are better for your skin and the environment.   The best ingredients are the ones that contain high amounts of antioxidants to help fight the free radicals that can damage and age your skin.  Superfoods are generally an excellent source of antioxidants.  Piperberry's Kale Protein Cleanser contains superfoods like kale, carrot and green tea.  These ingredients help nourish and protect your skin from damage while helping to maintain its lipid barrier.

 

When choosing clean beauty products look for nutrient rich ingredients like superfoods, adaptogens and other ingredients with high concentrations of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory or healing properties.  Try to avoid products with the possibility of causing irritation.  These include essential oils, fragrances and dyes.  Natural or not, these are necessary and can be irritating to your skin.

 

Lastly, when choosing natural skin care products take the time to read the ingredient list to get a full picture of the ingredients used and to ensure your avoiding chemicals, additives, dyes and fragrances.

 

Key Words Used in Clean Beauty

 

There are several key words you will hear when shopping for clean beauty.   Here we will discuss what some of these key words mean.

 

Organic - To be labeled as organic, 70% of the ingredients must be organic.  Meaning the ingredients are derived from an organic source that does not utilize pesticides or syntenic ingredients

 

Natural - It means nothing really.  Anyone can say their products are natural. 

 

Non-toxic - It means that when the product was formulated the health and well-being of the user was taken into consideration.  The product does not contain ingredients that would be considered dangerous by any organization.

 

Vegan - The product was not tested on animals and does not use any ingredients derived from animals. 

 

Cruelty Free - Product was not tested on animals.  No animals were harmed in the production of the product.

 

Is Clean Beauty Effective?

 We here to tell you yes, clean beauty is safer and can just as effective.  Clean beauty is about choosing products with

Better and more nutrient rich ingredients.  If superfoods are good for your gut they must also do wonders for the well being of your skin.  If adaptogens have anti-inflammatory properties for your body those properties also extend to the well being of   your skin.

 

Inflammation can be present in all parts of the body.  We know that certain foods like superfoods and adaptogens help reduce your bodies' inflammatory response. 

 

Is Clean Beauty for Everyone?

Yes, clean beauty is for everyone.  Our skin is our largest organ and what we put on it does get absorbed into our bloodstream.  Why not put beneficial ingredients that are healthy on your skin.  Everyone can benefit for cleaner products and better more nutrient rich ingredients.