Many of us have heard of clean beauty, especially recently as it has become a very popular term in the world of skin care and makeup. Because of all the chemicals and toxins that are ingredients in both skin care and makeup products, it is important to educate yourself in order to avoid letting harmful ingredients into your body.
What is clean beauty?
Clean beauty is a grouping of skin care and makeup products that are formulated without ingredients that are known to or are suspected to cause harm to us and our bodies. The FDA has banned only eleven ingredients used by companies in the past, while in Europe, over 1,300 ingredients have been banned in the manufacturing of these types of products. Ingredients that are still being used in the U.S. can include carcinogens and ingredients that are known to cause irritation.
Why are clean products important?
Using clean products is extremely important because anything you put anywhere on your body can be absorbed through the skin. As mentioned before, a lot of makeup and skin care products include toxic ingredients that are not being regulated by the FDA. Because of this, any product that you put on your skin can risk letting harmful chemicals into your body. The best way to avoid this is by buying products that you know are safe for you.
What ingredients should We look out for?
While there are tons of harmful ingredients out there, there are some worse ones to start out with. Here is a short list of ingredients that should be avoided if possible:
- Parabens like Propylparaben and Iosbutylparaben
- Fragrance
- Chemical UV filters Octinoxate and Oxybenzone
- Diethanolamine (DEA)
- Triclosan
- Phthalates like Dibutyl phthalate
- Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS)
- Formaldehyde
- Polyethylene (PEGs) like PEG-10 laurate
- Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Another type of ingredient to look out for is any kind of heavy metals.
There are so many aspects of clean beauty to look out for, but these ingredients are a good starting point and quite easy to look out for. There are plenty of awesome clean beauty brands at Sephora, Ulta, Target and even CVS, so make sure to look out for them and try some clean products out!