CLEAN BEAUTY: A BEGINNER'S GUIDE

The European Union has banned over 1,300 potentially harmful chemicals in beauty products. The FDA–has banned 11.

For many of us, products with undisclosed or problematic ingredients won’t trigger such an immediate or severe reaction, but the potential for longterm damage, like cancer, is painfully real. Our skin is our largest organ—so it’s safe to assume that toxic chemicals we already know are linked to health problems and severe illnesses will have an impact on our bodies when applied to our skin.

FDA REGULATIONS

Similar to the reckoning of the tobacco industry, brands across the beauty industry are now being held accountable for the harmful ingredients in their formulas that are adversely impacting the health of their consumers. The most notable and recent lawsuit that confirmed the newfound link between Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder and various forms of cancer resulted in a massive $100MM+ in settlements.

But the call for accountability isn’t coming from the government–it’s coming from consumers. The European Union has banned over 1,300 potentially harmful chemicals in beauty products. The FDA–has banned 11. The only legislation regulating the personal care industry was enacted nearly 100 years ago in 1938. And, as of today, the FDA does not require beauty brands provide safety information on ingredients before use and the FDA does not issue recalls on products that use harmful ingredients. Beauty brands are left to regulate themselves.

And here lies the problem.

THE RISE OF 'GREENWASHING'

When it comes to beauty, the word ‘clean’ has undeniably become the ‘it’ word of the industry. In recent years, beauty consumers have increasingly called for more transparency in products and formulas that use non-toxic ingredients–paving the way for the clean beauty movement.

But without FDA regulations, brands have the ability to label and market their own products as clean, green, or natural to reach the increasing segment of ingredient-conscious consumers. However, with a practice known as 'greenwashing,' some brands have used these terms to refer to a range of products that include ingredients that have been found to be unsafe. So it’s no surprise that many consumers are unclear on the actual definition.

Unlike cruelty-free products, clean beauty products do not have a registered mark of approval so consumers must rely on brand trust and their own ability to scan labels for harmful ingredients.

WHAT IS CLEAN BEAUTY

Clean beauty at GLAM INC refers to luxe, high-performance beauty products (e.g. makeup, skincare, haircare, etc.) made without a long, unnecessary list of ingredients that are non-toxic, ethically-sourced and processed. Clean beauty can include natural or synthetic ingredients that have been clinically-proven to not be harmful to the body or the environment.We love luxurious, high-performance, beautifully pigmented products which is why we will offer them in addition to our current products that are so clean, they can be used as bases. Science and technology are here. Clean beauty no longer means you have to compromise quality, efficacy, or luxury.

CLINICALLY-PROVEN HARMFUL INGREDIENTS

1,4 Dioxane*
Acrylamide
Acrylates
Asbestos-Free Talc**
Aluminum Salts
Animal Oils/Musks/Fats
Benzophenone + Related Compounds
Bromostyrene
Butoxyethanol
Butyl Methacrylate
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT that is 0.1% or more of total formula.)
Carbon Black
Coal Tar
Deastyrene
Divinylbenzene Copolymer
Dvbcopolymer
Ethanolamines DEA/TEA/MEA/ETA
Ethyl Acrylate
Ethyl Methacrylate
Formaldehydes, Formaldehyde-Releasing Agents
Hydroquinone
Hydroxypropyl Methacrylate
Insoluble Plastic Microbeads (Used in products to be rinsed off.)
Lead/Lead Acetate
Mercury + Mercury Compounds (Thimerisol)
Methyl Cellosolve + Methoxyethanol
Methylchloroisothiazolinone (Used in products not rinsed off.)
Methylisothiazolinone (Used in products not rinsed off.)
Methyl
Methacrylate
Mineral Oil
Nanoparticles (As defined by the European Commission.)
Oxybenzone
Parabens
Parrafin (that is not USP Grade.)
Petrolatum (that is not USP Grade.)
Phenoxyethanol (that is 1% or more of total formulation.)
Phthalates
Polyacrylamide
Resorcinol
Retinyl Palmitate
Sodium
Styrene
Styrene
Styrene Oxide
Sulfates (SLS + SLES)
Tetrahydrofurfuryl Methacrylate
Toluene
Triclocarban
Triclosan
Trimethylolpropane Trimethacrylate
Undisclosed Synthetic Fragrances***

* Refers to final formulas that do not comply with the thresholds as follows: (10 or < PPM for products that are meant to be rinsed off, wiped off or removed, 3PPM or < for products that are meant to remain on the skin.

** For more information about the dangers of asbestos exposure, visit The Mesothelioma Center at asbestos.com.

** Products can be formulated with disclosed synthetic fragrances as long as they do not include ingredients listed here and are at a concentration below 1% of the total formula).

FRAGRANCE AS AN INGREDIENT
Fragrance, not considered an actual ingredient even though commonly listed as one, is a trade secret which means that companies are not required to disclose what’s in it. There are dozens, if not hundreds of potentially toxic chemicals, which cause the fragrance to stick to your skin.

For questions about clean beauty or the ingredients in GLAM INC product, please contact us.

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