Ilia, Saie, Mario Badescu, Drunk Elephant, the list goes on and on. Clean makeup is a recent trend that brands are dying to label their products as.
Have you ever walked around Sephora and saw the “Clean Makeup” section, and wondered what it was? Well, clean makeup is makeup that is clean from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and anything else that is toxic to the skin. People use clean makeup to avoid exposing themselves to harmful chemicals.
Not only can makeup be clean, but skincare and hair care can be clean too. Anything related to cosmetics that is free from toxins and harmful chemicals can be labeled as clean.
These brands that market themselves as clean are not always clean in the way you’d think. Mario Badescu, a popular skincare brand, is terrible for your skin. It contains many harmful ingredients that can trigger enlarged capillaries and dermatological misery, including skin atrophy.
Capillaries are tiny blood vessels that transport blood, nutrients, and oxygen to cells.
If it’s enlarged, it can cause ruptures and blockages. Skin atrophy can cause wrinkling and the thinning of the skin. Those products don’t sound very “clean.”
Clean shampoos are not always the best product, but it really varies depending on person and routine. Clean shampoos are generally formulated without sulfates. The issue with this is that if you use a conditioner with silicones, you will not properly cleanse your hair without sulfates.
If you get build-up on your hair from too much silicone, it can lead to dryness, breakage, dullness, scalp irritation, and even flakiness. This is why it is important to switch to a clean (silicone-free) conditioner if you switch to a clean shampoo.
Any brand can decide that they think their product is “clean,” and then say that on the packaging. You have to carefully look out for specific ingredients and always read the labels.
Some ingredients that you may want to look out for in cosmetic products is 1.4 Dioxane, acetaldehyde, acetone, acetonitrile, animal/animal by-products, BHA/BHT, cyclic silicones, ethanolamines, gluten, methyl cellosolve, methylene chloride, parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and synthetic coloring.
This isn’t to say that all products with these ingredients are terrible and must never be used or exist. It simply means you must look out for them if you suddenly break out or have a reaction to them, and to be cautious while using them.
Next time you pass Sephora’s clean beauty section, keep an eye out for if the product is really that clean.
