Why Clean Beauty?

The words Natural, Clean and Organic are catchy little phrases plastered all over every bottle everywhere making it hard to know what it means, and why it matters. What’s wrong with the $5 tube of Maybelliene and Cover Girl Foundation we have always loved?! It’s been a steady staple in a changing world and they are brands that we can count on. And who in the world wants to go shopping for cosmetics at Whole Foods anyway!

I have been wondering this myself. I’ve spent the last few years slowly researching this topic and gradually trying to switch to more natural cosmetics as I run out of things I love. It’s also an exciting time because the cosmetics market is changing!

Because so many people want GREAT high quality cosmetics with SAFE ingredients the big box stores are stepping it up. These days, the natural brands formulated without all the cancer causing (not even kidding) parabens, sulfates and fillers are showing up in Sephora, Ulta and even Target. Gaining so much momentum and sales these retailers have devoted entire spaces in the store to the future of beauty!

Wanna know why it matters? Not just for me, but for our kids too? I am not a researcher, but I do have google. Let’s chat!

FIVE things to know, before you buy.

The European Union has banned over 1,300 chemicals (like formaldehyde… yes. it. is in. YOUR. MAKEUP.) in their cosmetics because they are linked to illnesses like cancer, genetic mutation, reproductive harm or birth defects.. The United States has banned ELEVEN. Not even kidding!! ELEVEN!!! Still wanna keep buying that Cover Girl Foundation? Because there are literally only ELEVN THINGS THEY CAN’T put in your lipgloss. Or your daughter’s. Or your granddaughters. ELEVEN.
Our cosmetics sit on our skin and eventually end up in our blood stream. Basically, you are what your wear.
There are so many gross animal by products in your lipstick and mascara you don’t even wanna know. So, I’m gonna tell you. Bat Poop. Fish scales. Bugs. Blood. Not kidding. They stick a fancy name on it and put it in your cosmetics and don’t even have to tell you about it. Gross. Super duper gross.
This is a brief, but scary list of illness the chemicals in your cosmetics have been linked to. Infertility, hormone disruption, early onset puberty, allergies and cancer.
On average we use 10 beauty products a day. That can mean over 200 harmful chemicals sitting on your skin and seeping into your blood stream. Every single day.

So what does that all mean?

Well, for me it means this. As I run out of shampoo and lipstick I am replacing those products with brands that don’t put harmful chemicals and additives into my cosmetics and hair care products. That doesn’t always mean they are completely organic, but it means they aren’t formulated with with ingredients that will get into my bloodstream and cause harm to my body. They are also beautifully packaged and perform just as well (if not better) than the ones I am replacing them with.

Here are some products that I am loving that pass my current litmus test for clean, and I am loving right now! And a few that I use on my kiddos too!!!

Brandon

Concealers + Foundation