Most recently updated 7/27/20

Confused about what “clean beauty” actually means? You’ve come to the right place. In an ever-evolving beauty industry, it’s tough to keep track of all the trends. It can also be tricky to make out the truth often buried in misleading marketing jargon. But armed with the right facts about conventional cosmetics and their clean counterparts, you can make the beauty choices best for you. So let’s break this down, shall we?

What it is

“Clean beauty” refers to products formulated without harmful chemicals. Instead of using materials like parabens, phthalates, and formaldehyde releasers, clean beauty brands work hard to formulate products with safer alternatives. If an ingredient is even a suspected harmful chemical, clean beauty companies filter it out and replace it with a safer ingredient so you don’t have to worry.

What it isn’t…

The same as “natural” or “organic.” “Organic,” isn’t very helpful because it’s an agricultural term developed for food rather than makeup. “Natural” is more or less just a marketing term. If you’re truly looking to put safer ingredients on your skin, it’s important to use clean products specifically. If you’d like to know the specific differences between all of these terms, check out our handy cheat sheet.

Why it matters…

The short answer? Because the chemicals in conventional cosmetics may not be safe, and (mainly in the U.S.) nobody’s really playing gatekeeper. 

To dive a little deeper on how it works – in the United States, cosmetics are very lightly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which was passed in 1938. The 80-year old Act contains hundreds of pages of food and drug regulation. But the chapter on cosmetics is a mere two pages. Unlike pharmaceuticals, cosmetic products don’t need to be reviewed or approved by the FDA before you pick them up at the store [1].

Today, we’re using a lot of chemicals that didn’t exist in commerce in the ‘30s. Thousands of them, in fact. And the majority of chemicals haven’t been thoroughly tested for safety [2].

The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and other legislation simply haven’t caught up to the present, especially compared to European legislation. As of 2012, the European Union has banned 1,382 cosmetics ingredients. The U.S. has only restricted 30.

The basic bad stuff

There are lots of chemicals (as in 12,000+) used in conventional makeup – and some of the more frequently used ingredients are known or suspected carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and allergens [3]. It stands to reason that over time these chemicals could have a cumulative impact on our health. Though we can’t go into them all here, we’ve compiled some common culprits:

  • BHA – Found in lipstick and eyeshadow, this preservative compound is an endocrine disruptor, can cause liver, kidney, and thyroid problems, and is thought to be carcinogenic. [4]
  • Lead – Found in lipstick, this heavy metal is shown to be a neurotoxin that contributes to cancer, developmental and reproductive harm, and organ system toxicity. [5]
  • Parabens – Used in a wide variety of personal care products, these preservatives are thought to contribute to hormone dysfunction, cancer, and reproductive harm. [6]
  • Phthalates – Found in many products that bear a scent, these plasticizers are thought to cause endocrine disruption and birth defects. [7]
  • Synthetic fragrance – Used in lotions, perfume, and scented products, this group of chemicals typically contains dozens to thousands of undisclosed chemical ingredients that can cause skin and respiratory infection, trigger allergies, and contribute to cancer, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and developmental problems. [8]

For more details, you can get an overview of potentially harmful ingredients here.

A smart shopping shortcut

The list of potential harmful chemicals is long, and new research means it grows often. Since screening ingredients on your own can be time-consuming and confusing, shopping for genuinely clean brands is the simplest way to avoid potentially problematic ingredients.

Good news for gorgeousness

Fear of losing the luxe factor has long kept women from trading in their traditional makeup for a clean beauty brand. But the industry has been evolving in leaps and bounds over the last couple of decades and now includes some incredible brands whose product quality rivals high-end conventional cosmetics.

As a matter of fact, in 2017, NakedPoppy conducted a blind mascara test to see whether women preferred a clean or conventional option. More than half the participants chose the clean mascara based on its perceived quality and performance. Given that clean beauty is the fastest-growing category of makeup, we expect to see even more innovation in the coming years.

The environmental studies

You may or may not know, but conventional cosmetics are actually classified as hazardous waste by the Environmental Protection Agency [9]. Makeup re-enters the ecosystem a couple ways. When we wash our faces at the sink or in the shower, the harmful chemicals can permanently contaminate the water supply as the particles are too small to get filtered out [10]. When discarded makeup is thrown in the trash, chemicals end up in the landfill and can seep into the earth.

Because clean products typically include ingredients that aren’t harmful or toxic, they are significantly less harmful to the environment when they get into the water supply. As a bonus, many clean beauty companies use product packaging that’s recyclable and find other ways to make production sustainable. By using clean cosmetics, you help shift demand away from products that pollute the environment.

Get “shockingly accurate” clean beauty picks. Take your beauty assessment.

This article has been reviewed by two scientists: Tim McCraw, PhD, CEO of Skin Science Advisors and a PhD chemist, and Ilene Ruhoy, M.D., neurologist and PhD in Environmental Toxicology.

Do you have any questions about clean beauty? Leave them in the comments below, and we’ll get you the answers you’re looking for.

Originally published 10/18/2018.

References

[1] Cosmetics don’t need to be reviewed or approved before you pick them up at the store:
https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceRegulation/LawsRegulations/ucm074162.htm

[2] The majority of chemicals haven’t been tested for safety:
http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2016/new-toxic-substances-control-act-end-wild-west-chemical-safety/

[3] Traditional makeup brands often use ingredients thought to contribute to cancer, hormone dysfunction, reproductive issues, and other health problems:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28758506
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27286252
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4488303/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4113841/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4262586/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25128701
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25047802
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25128701
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25047802

[4] BHA is thought to be carcinogenic and an endocrine disruptor, and cause liver, kidney, and thyroid problems:
https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article-abstract/70/2/343/969907
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300483X04006079
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/605053
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300483X04006079
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0300483X86901599
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300483X04006079

[5] Lead is a neurotoxin that contributes to cancer, developmental and reproductive harm, and organ toxicity:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412010000632
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1097-0274(200009)38:3%3C316::AID-AJIM11%3E3.0.CO;2-P/full

[6] Parabens can contribute to hormone dysfunction, cancer, and reproductive harm:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25128701
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25047802
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27810681
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25047802

[7] Phthalates contribute to endocrine disruption and birth defects:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28758506
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27885243
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27567446

[8] Synthetic fragrance contributes to skin and respiratory infection, triggers allergies, and contributes to cancer, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and developmental problems:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28758506
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27885243
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27567446
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25445825
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25800443
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26922148

[9] Cosmetics are defined as hazardous waste by the Environmental Protection Agency:
https://www3.epa.gov/region9/waste/solid/house.html

[10] Toxic chemicals permanently contaminate the water supply as the particles are too small to get filtered out:
https://www.epa.gov/dwucmr/occurrence-data-unregulated-contaminant-monitoring-rule