When you think of clean beauty, what words come to mind? Natural products? Eco-friendly? Healthy ingredients? It seems like the word has been so overused that its meaning has become blurry. Here you will not only find five things to remember about this important beauty trend, but also tips to help you pursue your efforts even further.

5 Things to Remember About Clean Beauty

1. It’s all about clean ingredients

   These products should pose no health risk. The label should list clean and safe ingredients that are not considered of concern. For example, to be clean, a product must be free from all traces of carcinogenic substance and endocrine disruptors. What’s the most efficient way to make sure an ingredient meets those criteria? Just search a database like EWG Skin Deep®; it contains evaluations of nearly 90,000 products and 3,000 brands. It’s pretty much a beauty encyclopedia!




2. It promotes transparency

   Since 2009, 595 cosmetics manufacturers have been reported for using 88 chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, and reproductive system issues in over 73,000 of their products that are sold in the United States¹. In Canada, despite the country’s best efforts with regulations put in place to protect the population, traces of potentially harmful substances can still be left out of product labels! However, a brand that adheres to the principle of clean beauty will reveal all its known ingredients.




3. It helps you make better informed choices

   Clean beauty is not a miracle solution to end all planetary problems. And it shouldn’t be viewed as such. But rather as a movement that encourages people to educate themselves by understanding the composition of their beauty products and to make healthier choices. Because in this case, ignorance can be harmful.

   
   



Ingredients to avoid:




1. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen that can harm the skin, lungs, respiratory, and immune system.
2. Dibutyl and diethyl hexyl phthalates are endocrine disruptors and harmful to the reproductive system.
3. Isobutyl and isopropyl parabens are also endocrine disruptors that can cause harm to the reproductive system.
4. The family of toxic chemicals, commonly known as PFAS, are known as endocrine disruptors and have been linked to cancer, reproductive system issues and suppressed immune functionalities.

According to EWG.





4. It’s not necessarily natural, organic, or eco-friendly

   For a product to be qualified as clean beauty, it must only contain substances considered safe and non-toxic. But that doesn’t mean they’re made with only natural ingredients. In fact, many synthetic ingredients are completely safe, while some natural substances – such as aluminum salts in deodorants – are not, according to the EWG. The essence of clean beauty is that no ingredients pose a risk to human health. Unfortunately, this does not mean that the product is vegan, cruelty-free, or good for the environment.




5. There is a 2.0 version

   Choosing products that are good for your health is commendable but, choosing products that are good for you AND the planet is exemplary. What is this 2.0 version? It’s called blue beauty. The brands that pride themselves on following the blue beauty movement not only offer healthy products made primarily from ingredients of natural origin, they are taking concrete steps to reduce their environmental footprint. Learn more about the blue beauty movement here.

The importance of choosing products that are both clean and eco-innovative

Ironically, the beauty industry is plagued with one major blemish: each year it produces more than 120 billion packaging units³, most of which ends up in landfills or the oceans. You will understand that to put an end to this devastating crisis, clean beauty is not enough. Here are three easy ways that you can step it up a notch.

1. Rely on the EWG

   The Environmental Working Group is THE premier source when it comes to products – household or body care – and their ingredients. When a product bears the EWG VERIFIED™ seal, it means it meets the highest health standards. Among the 2,140 certified products listed on their website, you can find everything from hand soaps and face creams to baby lotions and sunscreens. To learn more about the EWG criteria, take a look at this article.




2. Go for bulk

   If you like a product, why not buy it in a large format? This, not only, avoids having to constantly buy new ones, but also allows you to reduce your plastic consumption with ease. These eco-refills of shampoo, hand soap, shower gel and more contain up to 81% less plastic than their bottled equivalent.




3. Say goodbye to plastic

   That’s right! Completely eliminate plastic from your daily self-care routine. There are more and better packaging options – such as recyclable cardboard boxes or biodegradable. Entirely plastic-free and ultra-efficient, the leaves bar™ collection includes a bevy of beauty bars – lip balms, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, body butters, dry oils, soaps and more. Their solid formula makes it easy to package the products in boxes or tubes of FSC-certified cardboard from renewable sources.

At ATTITUDE, protecting the planet and all its riches will always be a priority. Therefore, we will continue to innovate. This is why we offer clean beauty products that are entirely free from ingredients of concern according to the EWG, manufactured using sustainable production processes, and packaged in recyclable or biodegradable materials. As proof, our multiple certifications confirm our commitment to keeping you and the environment safe.

Would you like to learn more? Find out how this famous stamp of approval allows us to stand out from the competition.

1. https://www.ewg.org/the-toxic-twelve-chemicals-and-contaminants-in-cosmetics
2. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2022/02/california-bill-would-ban-toxic-forever-chemicals-cosmetics
3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/lucysherriff/2019/09/17/the-minimalist-beauty-company-tackling-the-industrys-waste-problem/?sh=2ac779bf4326