We dissect one of skincare’s contemporary trends and recommend entry-level products for you
Taking care of our skin can be one of the most rewarding things. Finding the right products and brand can be a chore, but the payoff is great once you’ve actually done so. Amid all the skincare products available on the market, some of them are classified as clean beauty products. And as expected, certain brands carry products that fall under the said classification.
One can equate these to non-toxic products. It’s not about going natural or organic, just really non-toxic. Natural or organic labels don’t necessarily mean clean, as some of these could still contain toxic or harmful properties.
Simply put, clean beauty products are ones that stay away from chemicals such as parabens, phthalates, talc, hydroquinone, synthetic fragrances, and oxybenzone. While it may still be a gray area, the existence of such a concept does spell a bright future for something like self-care.
The benefits and why you should try it
The biggest benefit of clean beauty is its avoidance of harmful chemicals. With these, users are guaranteed to have zero exposure to conventional yet potentially toxic chemicals used in most products. Especially in this category, regulations still have their ways to go before it can be called refined.
Safety and self-care with little to no trade-off is the philosophy here. Your whole body is taken care of as ingredients penetrate deep once applied. In case you missed it, the ingredients mentioned earlier are catalysts for long-term illnesses. Especially for phthalates as it’s linked to ones like reproductive defects. Hydroquinone and parabens are hormone disruptors and can cause allergic reactions along with talc, which can also be a cancer catalyst. These are all aside from the basic skin-based issues, including irritation in the long run.
Aside from health and skin, there are also environmental considerations, which are also linked back to ingredients. Similar to how it can disrupt the body and skin, the same can happen to the ecosystem as they get washed out and into places such as bodies of water.
Products to start out with
Should you want to consider switching, it’s best to go for basic cleansers and moisturizers. You can consider Drunk Elephant’s Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser which is made of Mild Surfactant blends, Glycerin, and Virgin Marula Oil. It also has a 5.5 pH formulation, which is well within the safe range for skin.
Alternatively, there are Tata Harper’s Regenerating Cleanser, or Youth to the People’s Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser—two gentle options for clean beauty cleansers. Notably, Tata Harper’s cleanser also has exfoliating properties aside from its basic functions. Both predominantly use herbal ingredients for their products apart from ditching toxic components.
For moisturizers, Drunk Elephant has their own line, which includes the Protini Peptide moisturizer—a basic option that ensures firmer skin. There is also True Botanicals’ moisturizer line for different skin types or Versed Skincare‘s offerings for different functions like skin softening.
But the options for clean beauty doesn’t stop here as even shampoos, sunblocks, perfumes, and even deodorants have clean beauty counterparts now. All it takes is simple research to find a wide list of brands for your transition.
