Clean Beauty

The True Meaning of Clean Beauty

When you are shopping for a new beauty product, it’s no secret that purchasing decisions are heavily influenced by what’s in the product. 

Will the ingredients work? 

Will the ingredients work for you? 

How long will the product last? 

Will it ever go bad?

With the rise of the clean beauty movement, these are only a few of the questions that are now being asked. More information has been made available about what ingredients to avoid in your beauty products such as parabens, sulfates, and carcinogens. 

But how would you feel knowing that the ingredients in your favorite product were produced through child labor? What if the mining of the ingredients is threatening endangered species or destroying the environment? 

In addition to focusing on the impact the ingredients have on your health, it is important to recognize the impact the sourcing of ingredients have on others and the environment. This responsibility falls on beauty brands to be transparent about their production and supply chain, and to disclose to consumers where the ingredients are coming from.

That’s the true meaning of clean beauty.

Ingredients to avoid 

Mica is a mineral that is known for its incredible shine. This is often used in highlighter or in eyeshadow, but can be found in other types of skincare and makeup products. The Bureau of International Labor Affairs has identified Mica as being often produced through illegal child labor and forced labor practices.

Almond oil has grown to be a very popular ingredient in beauty products. The danger with almond oil production is that almonds depend on bees to grow. As you may already know,the majority of crops are dependent on bees. Unfortunately, nearly 40% of all bee colonies died last year, a trend that has continued for the past decade or so. Bees are often shipped in to help pollinate almond trees, but the high stress caused from habitat loss and exposure to pesticides causes many to die in transit.

Palm oil is used in the majority of cosmetic and beauty products available in the industry. Palm oil production means harvesting in natural habitats like the Amazon, home to hundreds of species of animals.Deforestation in the Amazon rainforests also turns up the dial on climate change, increases the chance of wildfires, and harms people who depend on these forests for their livelihoods. 

Essential oils have been widely popularized in the past decade, as there are many forms of application and usage. However, did you know that essential oils have an incredibly large land footprint, considering their small yield? Many of the ingredients used in essential oils are slow growing, meaning that they are not sustainable in the long run. Essential oils are typically extracted from other, more sustainable sources (like trees and other plants), thus damaging our natural environment.

These are just a few of the many popular beauty product ingredients that need to be examined for their unsustainable production. The responsibility to educate consumers on their favorite ingredients falls on the beauty brands: they need to not only advertise that their ingredients are effective for the consumer, but that they are sourced in an ethical and sustainable way.

At Olecea Beaute, we source only the best ingredients for your skin: ingredients that also cause no harm. Many companies also do the same, so next time you are getting ready to buy some new beauty products, do some digging into what you are supporting, especially if you subscribe to the clean beauty movement.

Interested in learning more about our products, mission, ingredients, and more? Check out our other blogs!

-Olecea Beaute