With “clean beauty” being all the rage these days, it's easy to fall into the hype and pick up “clean” alternatives in your skincare and makeup because of the marketing. It looks and sounds healthier, better, and more natural, so it MUST be better for you right? 🤔
WRONG.
Let me delve in to some common problems with clean beauty and why I do not recommend shopping clean beauty just because of the label 👀
1️⃣. SHORT SHELF LIFE
Expect your makeup and skincare products to go bad within a month. Preservatives are there for a reason!
Preservatives in beauty get a bad rep because “ugh, chemicals are bad for you”, but they have all been rigorously tested and marked safe for consumers before they are allowed to be put on the shelf! ✅
You can see my lip balm went mouldy within 4 months. It was also drying over time due to the natural fragrances and plant extracts! 😅
2️⃣. UNSAFE
Many of these products go mouldy or are more prone to bacteria forming due to the lack of preservatives. Despite a huge pool of complaints, these products follow the typical shelf life and care guidelines as normal skincare or makeup, when they in fact should be thrown out/ stored differently.🙄
A lot of the products also use exotic plant extracts as substitutes for chemicals, which are common irritants for people with sensitive skin and can trigger skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. 🚫
3️⃣. NEW/ UNTESTED
Regular preservatives and chemicals in your skincare have undergone years and years of research and product testing across multiple brands and products. 👍🏼
Clean beauty additions are relatively new and many exotic plant extracts or substitutes have not been rigorously tested or have been exposed to a large consumer market!
This is a minefield if you are someone with sensitive skin, as it can be difficult to search for new ingredients and watch out for potential side effects.😩
A lot of these products also combine multiple plant extracts, making it difficult to sift through and look for allergens/ specific irritants.
5️⃣. MISLEADING
A lot of clean beauty brands use this angle while marketing: “makeup as skincare”.✨
Frankly, this is very misleading. Your concealer will never replace a proper spot cream or acne care, and should never be treated as such.
Foundation is not a substitute for SPF or moisturiser, and the small percentage of skincare actives and plant extracts are often ineffective рџ«
The kosas concealer is one example of this (my previous review HERE ). It performs poorly, is not a substitute for skincare, and turns bad quickly within a few months, especially in hot climates.
In fact, there was a class action lawsuit brought against Sephora’s “Clean” Label. Many ingredients that were present in “clean” products were in fact inconsistent with how consumers understand the term “clean” 😩
As a result, many brands use this to mark up the prices on less effective products too! 🙅🏻♀️
6️⃣. UNREGULATED
A layman understanding of the term “clean” is consistent with its dictionary definition, a word describing something as “free from impurities, or unnecessary and harmful components, and pure.” 🍃
In the context of cosmetics, “clean” indicates that a product is made without synthetic chemicals or potentially harmful ingredients, yet many of the products sold under this “clean” label had irritants/ were potentially unsafe. 🥹
As there is no actual definition or regulation for what is regarded as “clean” or “green”, any brand can use this label in their marketing to mislead consumers about the potential benefits/ ingredients.
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