Carcinogenic dyes, petroleum, and lead. What do these have in common? They are all banned from food, but not from cosmetics.
The United States has not passed a major federal law to regulate the safety of ingredients used in personal care products since 1938.
https://www.beautycounter.com/our-story
Over the past two decades, the European Union has banned close to 1,400 chemicals in the product formulas of personal care products and restricted the levels of over 250 more in such products. The United States has only partially banned 30 to date.
Lead, aluminum, cadmium (a groundwater contaminant that’s found in breast cancer tumors and known to be carcinogenic), and other heavy metals are regularly found in lipstick; the FDA doesn’t have a set limit on how much lead can be in a given lipstick, and its recent (2007, 2009, and 2012) studies actually show an increase in the amount of lead present.
https://goop.com/beauty/makeup/nontoxic-organic-and-gorgeous-pigments-what-it-takes-to-create-non-toxic-makeup/
To create what’s called “carbon black”—used in mascara and eyeliner—companies combust heavy-duty petroleum products or coal; used in tires, inks, films, and plastics, carbon black is classified as possibly carcinogenic in humans and has been shown to be carcinogenic in animals, yet many women expose their eyes to this compound on a near-daily basis.
https://goop.com/beauty/makeup/nontoxic-organic-and-gorgeous-pigments-what-it-takes-to-create-non-toxic-makeup/
Brands like ILIA, KOSAS, GOOP, HERBIVORE, DRUNK ELEPHANT, ANTONYM, ACURE, and GABRIEL COSMETICS are all changing the game. Find a variety of clean beauty products below.
LIPS
FACE
There are a variety of clean skincare brands. Two that I love are Drunk Elephant and Herbivore. I’ve been using both for over a year and can’t say enough about either.
Drunk Elephant
When I first came across the brand, I wondered why it was named “Drunk Elephant.” Apparently it’s named for the effect the fruit of marula trees has on elephants. When the fruit ferments in their large stomachs, it supposedly makes them drunk. Marula oil is a key ingredient in many of the products. Founder Tiffany Masterson found marula oil to be a superior oil due to its anti-microbial nature and high contents of antioxidants and fatty acids. DE products are not “all natural”. They contain a mix of clean AND clinical ingredients, but the clinical ingredients are clean, high-quality and toxin-free. Read more here.
Herbivore
Herbivore is another skincare brand I love. They started in Seattle in 2011 and are now carried in many retailers, including Sephora. Their products are filled with high-grade natural ingredients. From their site:
CREATED WITH:Natural ingredients, plant-based food-grade cold-pressed oils, steam distilled therapeutic-grade essential oils, GMO free soy wax, recyclable and reusable packaging, many certified organic ingredients.
CREATED WITHOUT:Synthetic ingredients, parabens, sodium laurel sulfate, phthalates, chemicals, fillers, animal testing, mineral oils, petroleum.