What is clean beauty and is it really better?

Clean beauty, green beauty, natural beauty. What’s right for your – possibly sensitive or problem – skin type? And does it live up to the hype? Read up, we investigate. 

 

If you’re somewhat of a beauty buff and on Netflix – aren’t we all these days – you may have caught wind of this documentary called Toxic Beauty. It caused quite an uproar. It’s calling out many beauty companies, using endless and hardly pronounceable ingredient lists for their products. Ingredients that aren’t too kind on your skin in the end. Better yet, overusing certain moisturizers could possibly wreak havoc on your once radiant complexion. Speeding up the aging process – of course depending on your personal skin profile and what component would be too abrasive. Don’t put down the face cream or oil just yet, hear us out! It’s all about being mindful about what to put on your skin. Three vastly popular terms that are closely intertwined: clean beauty, green beauty and natural beauty. They’re often used synonymously, but there’s a distinct difference between them. Disclaimer: at LALO® Skincare we’re opting for clean beauty, marrying the riches of natural resources and the latest in scientific breakthroughs.   

 

‘Not all natural ingredients from Mother Earth are in fact great to rub on your skin, some can even be harmful’ 

What is natural and green beauty? 

Clean, green and natural beauty, trends on the uprise in 2020. Let’s start with the latter. In short, natural beauty is the type of skincare with 100% natural components. You could even go as far as to dub it ‘edible skincare’. Sounds delicious and pretty dreamy, no? There is, however, a catch. Some of these natural ingredients are from the plant world but may not be that great for your skin. Case in point: poison ivy, a beautiful plant found in the woods of parts of Asia and North America. Yet without any therapeutic benefits and it can be harmful if you cover your face with it. Natural, but not efficacious or safe for topical use in humans. Of course, some natural products are wonderful, but ‘natural’ isn’t a guarantee for safety. Petroleum jelly and mineral oil are also examples of natural, but harmful ingredients. In other words, nature’s gifts are potent and you want to make sure they’re formulated carefully for a safe, effective skincare product. 

To sum it up and make it crystal clear you could say:  
- Natural beauty: ingredients sourced solely from nature with zero added synthetics.
- Green beauty: sustainable skincare with an environmental responsibility when it comes to our planet.
- Clean beauty: non-toxic products with nature-derived ingredients but possibly also synthetics proven to be beneficial and safe for your skin developed by honest manufacturers that value minimizing their environmental impact.

What is clean beauty? 

Let’s pass the mic to clean beauty! This class of skincare refers to both natural and synthetic ingredients, either plant-based or lab-made beauty formulas. The key to clean beauty: all ingredients, including non-toxic synthetics, are shown to be safe to use. Meaning our precious skin and body is able to process, accept, recognize and yield the benefits without getting irritated, overtly sensitive, disrupted or – worst-case scenario – sick. You would think safe formulas are a no-brainer. Demanded by our authorities and health and beauty regulators. We hate to break it to you, but the number of products available in the mainstream beauty sector containing toxic and carcinogenic ingredients today is staggering. While customers are slowly waking up, the demand for natural and clean beauty (with buzz-worthy ingredients such as CBD) are rising.

‘The number of products available in mainstream beauty containing toxic and carcinogenic ingredients is staggering’

Why is clean beauty important? 

At LALO® Skincare we’re huge proponents of green and clean beauty: a resounding NO to ingredients linked to harmful health and environmental effects. Added bonus – but not exclusively linked to ‘clean’ – our whole range is cruelty-free, vegan friendly and produced in the most sustainable way possible. Kind to Mother Earth. From the start it’s been founder Maria Kerstens’ aim to keep things as pure and transparent as possible. You deserve to know what you put on your skin, and therefore ends up in your bloodstream. True, the personal care industry is way more regulated in Europe than in the United States, but major players still get a free pass when it comes to potentially harmful ingredients (linked to for instance hormone imbalances and irritating skin) and possibly toxic packaging. Not to mention, ‘greenwashing’. Meaning, you may think you’re buying natural, green and eco-friendly, simply because that’s what the label seemingly tells you. While we believe clean skincare shouldn’t just be a ‘golden standard’, but the absolute norm. At LALO® Skincare we pour over the latest studies from the medical field and decide: what ingredient from the lab or our green earth will end up in our skincare products? Products with CBD that your skin – and the environment – will love and adore.