Sustainability, environmental factors, cruelty-free, plant-based, organic, natural?…What does all of this mean?
We’ve discussed ingredients we don’t want in our beauty products. This week in our final post on clean beauty we cover some more terms commonly seen and helping you better decide which products work for you and which ones don’t. It’s important to note, definitions are subjective and often change from brand to brand this is partially due to the fact that the FDA not yet regulating these terms. This can make it more difficult to decipher and navigate the truth from greenwashing.
Let’s start with organic.
Personal care products that are certified to be at least 95 percent organic will hold an official USDA Organic Seal. Products bearing the USDA Organic Seal must also comply with handling and manufacturing specifications, and the use of genetically modified organisms is prohibited. In an effort to avoid pesticides, the clean beauty industry has begun to use organic, plant-based ingredients in products wherever possible. However, the certification is expensive, so many smaller brands will independently label ingredients that are organic on packaging, despite not carrying an official seal.
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What about nontoxic?
When a beauty product is labeled nontoxic, it likely means that the ingredients have not been shown to cause adverse health effects at the levels found inside the formula and for the intended use. This is true of every beauty product currently sold in the United States. In the clean beauty space, nontoxic means that “a product shouldn’t include any ingredient that’s been deemed toxic at any dose by a third-party resource like the European Union or Environmental Working Group.”
Are my beauty products sustainable?
Sustainable and green are interchangeable. Sustainable products means that the ingredients on the inside of the package—including how those ingredients were sourced—and the packaging itself should not be harmful to the environment and our planet. When you use any product, the ingredients go down the drain and into the water system, which, thanks to exfoliating microbeads and preservatives like BHA, is causing a marine environment health crisis. Likewise, many conventional beauty products are made from petroleum jelly and are packaged in plastic, both created from the oil industry. Truly sustainable ingredients are those that are ethically sourced and proven to be safe for the environment, with sustainable or no-waste packaging being defined as glass packaging, biodegradable packaging, post-consumer recycled packaging, or the ability to recycle empty bottles appropriately through a recycling program.
Are any animals being harmed?
A cruelty-free label means the product has not been tested on animals anywhere along the manufacturing line or before being sold. It can also mean that any animal-derived ingredients were not extracted at the expense of an animal’s welfare (like natural-fiber makeup brushes). A beauty product can be cruelty-free but not vegan, and vice versa.
What about vegan products?
A beauty product is vegan if it doesn’t contain any animal by-products or ingredients sourced from animals. Common non-vegan ingredients found in clean beauty products include beeswax, honey, lanolin, and tallow. Many people associate vegan with clean, but this is not the case. A product can be vegan and still contain chemical ingredients of concern.
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