What is Natural Beauty and Clean Beauty?

NATURAL BEAUTY & CLEAN BEAUTY 

There is currently a trend in the skincare industry that is gaining in popularity. Clean Beauty is the buzzword, with "clean" in this context meaning "free from ...". But what do natural cosmetics and clean cosmetics mean? And can/is it the same as "conventional" cosmetics? We will discuss these and other questions in the article. For example, why it is sometimes not easy to distinguish natural / clean cosmetics from "conventional" cosmetics and what to look out for when buying them.

The Facts

As the US-based "The Environmental Working Group" found out, women are now exposed to an average of more than 168 chemicals every day, which are hidden in cosmetics, but also in our environment.  

Therefore, the environmental and health-conscious knowledge of consumers is now very good that synthetic additives such as fragrances and preservatives can cause irritations and allergic reactions. Labels are therefore studied much more critically and in more detail than they were a few years ago. And it is also a fact that more and more people suffer from particularly sensitive skin. There is also a logical explanation for this. Higher levels of exposure to environmental and air pollution, digital aggressors and stress have led to sensitised skin becoming a widespread phenomenon. Increasing skin sensitivity has therefore long become the most important issue for most consumers, ranking even behind anti-ageing.

What is Clean Beauty? 

Clean Beauty is a buzzword that arose for marketing reasons and suggests proximity to natural cosmetics. Clean stands for clean, so Clean Beauty stands for clean formulations. Officially.

However, "Clean Beauty" is not a label, not a seal of quality, and there is no generally applicable legal explanation or regulation for the term. The hype of cleaner cosmetics is said to come from the USA - because there it is much easier for cosmetic products to get approval. The regulations in force in the EU are much stricter.

Clean Beauty is also not about products without synthetic additives. To ensure that Clean Beauty is not just a sophisticated marketing strategy, but actually stands out as a high-quality product, a precise analysis of the ingredients is indispensable.

In principle, "Clean Beauty" only means that certain substances have simply been dispensed with. Each company that adorns itself with the label decides for itself which substances are to be avoided.

In the very best case, you will find cosmetics under "Clean Beauty" that do without problematic ingredients in favour of skin health and environmental protection; such as microplastics and other plastics. In addition, hormone-active UV filters or substances that are suspected of being carcinogenic.

Is Clean Beauty free of parabens, silicones, mineral oil, synthetic fragrances, etc.? 

Since there is no clear definition of the trendy word, this can by no means be said in general terms. However, many leading cosmetics chains define Clean Beauty in exactly this way. Generally speaking, such a definition makes perfect sense, but it cannot be relied on as a matter of principle. In addition, these lists of ingredients that are considered problematic because of their potential impact on health and the environment are by no means complete. Cosmetic products can be promoted and sold much better under the cover of the buzzword "clean beauty", which is why consumers are required to look into the ingredients of certain products themselves. It is worthwhile to study the INCI lists and the packaging of the products.
 

What is Natural Beauty?

The growth of natural beauty can be seen in the increasingly critical buying behaviour of consumers. More and more people are paying attention to terms such as "wellness" and "naturalness", as corresponding products give them a better feeling. Natural Beauty should contain very few or even no questionable ingredients, although the term is not bound to strict legal requirements. There is therefore no guarantee that Natural Beauty is actually "free from ...". The designation Natural Beauty signals to consumers that they are doing their skin or hair good, but how natural the product actually is can only be determined when the composition has been closely examined.
Thus, products with synthetic ingredients can also be declared as natural cosmetics, even if they have a natural cosmetics certification. As each natural cosmetics certificate has its own framework conditions.

How do you recognise natural cosmetics?

Basically, Natural Beauty are products that are produced from natural and nature-identical raw materials. Here you have to look out for natural oils from "controlled organic cultivation (kbA)" and ideally the natural content in % is indicated (based on ISO 16128).

Therefore, natural beauty is only really genuine and authentic if there is analytical evidence that certain critical substances are actually not contained.

Conclusion: Does Clean Beauty really make sense?

You will probably ask yourself that now.... I understand you completely!

The fact that many consumers and customers desire cosmetics that are as "pure" as possible is of course a great development. However, more and more marketing strategists are taking advantage of this fact. The result: attributes such as Clean Beauty are used in an almost inflationary and misleading manner. Even if a company advertises with such claims, there is no way around dealing with the ingredients.

For laypersons, it is not at all easy to form a well-founded judgement about a specific product due to the many different sources and the numerous misinformation circulating. Therefore, it is worthwhile to find a trusted person or a dealer who is familiar with the subject and from whom you can get comprehensive advice.

Natural Beauty is supposed to guarantee natural ingredients, but this is a fine line, because greenwashing of cosmetics is widespread and those who consistently use cosmetics under 15 € per product should ask themselves how all this is supposed to be "naturally possible".

What is within your control? 

It starts with the client understanding their own skin and what it needs to keep the skin healthy. Every skin goes through a cycle each month and has different needs throughout the year, which is important to understand in order to best match one's skincare regimen. Secondly, it's important to look at the ingredients of any products so you understand what you're putting on your skin and also learn more about what you might react to.

 
And lastly, you don't need a lot of different products or a lot of ingredients.

So it's not just about the product, but about developing your own understanding to achieve an effectiveness that targets your needs.
  

It starts with the client understanding their own skin and what it needs to keep the skin healthy. Every skin goes through a cycle each month and has different needs throughout the year, which is important to understand in order to best match one's skincare regimen. Secondly, it's important to look at the ingredients of any products so you understand what you're putting on your skin and also learn more about what you might react to.
 
And lastly, you don't need a lot of different products or a lot of ingredients. If you ever ask yourself - how many products do I use a day? Cleanser, cream, serum, face oil, body wash, hair shampoo, conditioner, body cream, BB cream, mascara, blush, hairspray and so on. If each of these products contains at least 30 ingredients, you are applying about 360+ ingredients to your skin daily. And that's just during your morning or evening routine. And none of the products have been tested to see if they are compatible with each other. So it's a ticking time bomb until your skin says "enough is enough". Also, since we live in a world of smells, every single one of these products contains essential oils and perfume, which are considered by some to be irritants. The sheer accumulation of all these substances eventually leads to a breakdown of the system. We may have evolved and are living in the 21st century, able to fly to the moon, communicate with each other around the world and use high-speed trains - but our bodies have not evolved much.
 
So it's not just about product, but about developing one's own understanding in order to achieve an effectiveness that strives for one's own needs.