Everything you need to know about 'clean beauty'

Anyone with a finger on the pulse of the beauty industry has likely heard the term 'clean beauty' in recent years. But despite its growing popularity with celebrities and controversial Netflix documentaries, clean beauty is much more than a buzzword or a passing trend—it’s here to stay, and for good reason.

Clean beauty is a term for products that use safe, nature-derived ingredients; unlike the products you find on drugstore shelves, clean products have been created without harmful additives. They focus on making every ingredient count, working to produce healthy skin and hair from the inside out.

You might be surprised to know that there are 1,300 beauty ingredients banned in Europe, but only 11 banned in the U.S. Those 1,570 other ingredients that are considered unfit for human use just across the Atlantic are often found in our everyday skin, makeup, and hair products. What’s worse, these ingredients aren’t beneficial in any way—they’re included as cost-effective fillers that mask concerns rather than solve them, and often result in dull, greasy, lifeless hair and skin.

Of course, clean beauty isn’t just about what it excludes. Clean brands focus on including enriching, nature-derived ingredients that truly benefit your hair and skin. They also formulate their products with both human and environmental health in mind—oftentimes making them ethical, eco-friendly, sustainable, and cruelty-free.

The term 'clean beauty,' however, isn’t interchangeable with 'natural' or 'organic,' though a product can be all of these things. 'Natural' means the product has been created with only ingredients found in nature, but many natural ingredients can be irritating and have considerable allergy risks. Every batch of all-natural products will also be different, as they are difficult to control at scale with ingredients varying from season to season.

On the flip side, organic refers to ingredients produced without pesticides. While many clean beauty brands might very likely be organic, most lack the certification, which requires a lengthy and costly process oftentimes not accessible to newer brands. It is also important to remember that while a brand might be organic, it can still contain natural ingredients with risk for irritation.

Finally, clean beauty doesn’t have to be exorbitantly priced. Many mistake cost for quality, assuming that the more expensive a product is, the better it is. But what many don’t realise is that those large price tags are often paying for expensive ad campaigns and brand perception—not necessarily high-quality ingredients. We’ve lately seen an uprising of brands selling directly to consumers and selective retailers, making it easier to offer luxury quality at a lower price to the end consumer.

All that being said, it's important to remember that 'clean' isn't yet a regulated term. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but a few common filler ingredients to look out for include sulfates, parabens and silicones. Silicones are the sneakiest ones, as they are found in almost every conventional beauty product - as well as in many new products claiming to be 'clean.' Avoid them by choosing products without ingredients that end in -cone, -conols, -silones, and -siloxanes.

Silicones produce an illusion of softness and shine; however, as they build up, they can weaken your hair and hinder healthy growth. Silicones in makeup and skincare products also clog pores, leading to breakouts and blackheads. Extended usage of these ingredients results in the exact things we are trying to avoid by using these products in the first place.

Clean beauty combines the power of nature with science. Our skin is our largest organ, and our scalps are actually among the most absorbent parts of our bodies. It makes sense to treat those areas with only the best products. By mixing intentional, natural ingredients with safe synthetics, clean brands are able to offer stable and safe formulas that aren't only kind to you and the planet, but also deliver the results we expect.