Reading the ingredients list is mainly unavoidable when trying to buy clean beauty, but we can make it simpler for you. A key tip is to keep an eye out for any words ending in Paraben or anything ‘sulphate’ like sodium lauryl sulphate, lauryl sodium sulphate or sodium dodecyl sulphate.
- Methylparaben
- Ethylparaben
- Butylparaben
- Ethylparaben
Ingredients you should avoid all together when looking for clean beauty are:
Parabens, fragrances, aluminium compounds, ethoxylated agents, formaldehyde, refined petroleum, hydroquinone, talc, triclosan, silica and oxybenzone.
All of these key ingredients are the main cause of concern in the clean beauty industry for many harmful reasons (but it is still unknown if each ingredient has been proved harmful.)
Without these harmful ingredients your beauty products will be free from irritating ingredients that cause itching and burning on the skin. This is often caused by Sulphate and mainly found in your bathroom essentials like shampoo, shower gel and facewash to turn your liquids into foam.
Whereas Parabens have never been linked to any serious health conditions, some people prefer their beauty products without them. These are often found in makeup and sunscreen to help boost their shelf life.
Another benefit to clean beauty is that it’s sustainable and ethical, with many brands using ingredients and packaging that is recyclable and ethically sourced. The main ingredients we should be careful with when thinking about the environment are microbeads and polyethylene. Many synthetic face scrubs contain very tiny pieces of plastic that you feel when scrubbing your face, however these microscopic beads are then washed down the drain to pollute the environment and harm marine life. This is the same issue with polyethylene as it is thought to be harmful for marine wildlife consumption.
