"Clean beauty": New Generation of Cosmetics or Marketing Hook?

Cosmetic brands continue to fight for the attention of consumers. A few years ago, organic cosmetics became a major beauty trend, then Halal and natural cosmetics started generating interest. Shopping for any beauty product recently, you may have noticed new labels that call out certain items as "clean beauty". Let’s try to understand whether this is a new generation of cosmetics or another marketing hook.

Beauty brands claim that products labeled as "clean" is a symbiosis of organic and natural cosmetics. At the most basic level, clean beauty products generally do not include potentially toxic and harsh ingredients, including sulfates, silicones and synthetic fragrances and toxic substances, they are completely safe for the consumer. Another important criterion is the ethics and sustainability of production, that is, the brand claims that the cosmetics are not tested on animals.

"Products formulated with harsh chemicals, synthetic fragrances, color and plasticizers, which are often added to help makeup and moisturizers adhere to your face longer, can irritate the skin causing redness, roughness, irritation and breakouts", says Suzanne Leroux, founder of One Love Organics, a brand that identifies as "clean".

Especially for people with sensitive skin, clean beauty products can be a game-changer, however, it’s not so simple. Because the clean beauty category is not regulated, it can be difficult to determine just how "clean" the product you're buying really is.

That makes it tricky to understand what "clean" beauty products really are.So, before you purchase the "clean" product, you need to check the top-listed ingredients and make sure they are natural ones.