Have you ever heard of a terrifying new chemical called Dihydrogen monoxide? It’s found everywhere nowadays, from under the sea to the very air you breathe. You may know this chemical by another name though, H20 or just oxygen.
There is an alarming amount of fear-mongering regarding chemicals in the beauty community. Brad Pitt recently released a luxury skincare line “La Domaine” that advertises products as ”natural” and ”preservative free”. Beauty retailers like Sephora and Ulta have “Clean Beauty” as a category with nebulous definitions as to what exactly “clean” or “natural ” means. The following three paragraphs will dissect the fear-mongering that surrounds chemicals, fragrances, and preservatives.
Clearly, not all chemicals are bad. The world at its core is built of chemical compounds and nearly anything can be dissected into a scary-sounding scientific name. Superstar ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and retinoids are beloved in the beauty industry and their scientific names are used to add credibility in marketing the efficacy of products. On the other hand parabens, alcohols, and silicones are demonized as artificial monstrosities that are inferior to pure and natural ingredients. While you obviously shouldn’t be rubbing vodka on your face, fatty alcohols like ethanol are vital ingredients that help active ingredients penetrate your skin better. They’re often derived from coconut and palm oil. Retinoids and vitamin E are actually types of alcohol but they’re rebranded to avoid the “drying” reputation. Before you blacklist an ingredient look into how the said ingredient is derived and used in skincare. Many active ingredients with scary-sounding chemical names (often ending in acid, oid, oxide, and alcohol) pack a serious punch when it comes to exfoliation, moisturization, and antiaging.
Fragrance (thanks to Hyram and other influencers) is a demonized word in skincare. People with sensitive skin should probably avoid strongly fragranced items if they’ve experienced reactions to similar products in the past. For most people though, the fragrance is not harmful. The beauty industry has taken pains to spread misinformation regarding fragrance and smell. A product labeled “unscented” likely still contains chemicals that mask the scent of active ingredients. Essential oils are also strongly fragrant and often the culprits of allergic reactions for those with sensitive skin.
Liquids are breeding grounds for bacteria and I’m extremely thankful that modern science has advanced to facilitate the existence of shelf-stable creams, lotions, and essences. Homemade beauty products are infamous for expiring in 10 days or less. Preservatives are necessary to extend the shelf lives of products so that they can make the journey from manufacturing to retail and then consumer use. Common preservatives include glycerin (made from vegetable fats), phenoxyethanol (found in green tea), and benzyl alcohol (which occurs naturally in teas and fruits). The fact that so many popular brands are bragging about being preservative-free (Lush, Herbivore, Eve Lom) is astonishing to me. The marketing pushes the rhetoric of “clean and natural” while the products expire before they reach your door. This is a slight exaggeration but I have indeed had several Herbivore products shipped to me in an expired state.
Beauty and beauty products are subjective and it’s completely valid to avoid ingredients that don’t work for you. What isn’t valid though is blindly trusting a company’s claim that their products are better by using buzzwords like “clean” or “natural”. There’s a lot of nuance to ingredients and if a brand is marketing itself as “chemical free” then it raises a serious red flag. After all, nothing is chemical free, not even the air we breathe.