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Clean Beauty vs. Green Beauty by Lacey Bourassa June 01 2020
Clean Beauty vs. Green Beauty: What’s the Difference?
In the last few years, clean beauty and green beauty products have been more popular and attractive to beauty shoppers. Consumers want skincare products that align with their values — supporting their wellbeing while not infringing on effectiveness. To put it simply, people want safer ingredients without sacrificing on quality.
There’s just one problem: beauty brands are using labels like “clean beauty” and “green beauty” to attract eco- and health-conscious consumers without actually defining these labels. To clear up some misconceptions, here is the difference between clean beauty and green beauty.
Understanding Skincare Labels
There are a lot of labels attached to skincare products: vegan, cruelty-free, all-natural, eco-friendly, zero-waste, clean, green, and so on. These labels aim to attract consumers who share the same values as the maker of those products.
Two labels that are thriving but also confusing shoppers are clean and green beauty. The differences between clean beauty and green beauty mean that they can overlap, but this is not always the case. You may encounter clean beauty products that are non-toxic and safe to use, but they are not environmentally sound. Similarly, green beauty products may be eco-friendly, but this doesn’t mean they don’t contain ingredients linked to health risks.
In our case, we prioritize vegan and cruelty-free values when crafting our skincare products. We’re cruelty-free because we don’t think animals need to suffer to have healthy skin, and we’re vegan because of the benefits of plant-derived skincare ingredients. While many of our products are powered by plants, we choose our ingredients based on their safety, benefits, and effectiveness — not their trendiness.
What is Clean Beauty?
Clean beauty is heavily associated with its push for non-toxic ingredients and transparent ingredient lists. The movement urges consumers to steer clear of known toxins and irritants, such as parabens, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, and harsh preservatives.
Cosmetics safety is important to many people. The clean beauty movement focuses on cosmetics, though many consumers switch to all non-toxic products, from household cleaning products to BPA-free canned goods.
In relation to beauty products, the responsibility to assess product safety falls on the consumer. This is because the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has only banned 11 toxic ingredients while the European Union has banned more than 1,300 harmful ingredients.
The Global Cosmetic Industry also describes clean beauty as consisting of whole ingredients closest to nature or in their least-processed state. In that regard, clean beauty strives to be as close to all-natural as possible, though synthetic or chemical ingredients are permitted as long as they are non-toxic.
What is Green Beauty?
According to a 2017 Harris Poll survey, 69 percent of women aged 35 to 44 say that purchasing green beauty products is important to them. The survey also found that more than 60 percent of all women read beauty product labels prior to purchasing them. Since labels are important to consumers, understanding them is vital.
While clean beauty places a heavy emphasis on safety and low health risk of cosmetics, green beauty turns its attention to the environmental friendliness of beauty products.
Green beauty entails not only eco-friendly ingredients, but takes the entire production process into account: low-waste or recyclable packaging, minimal shipping materials, ethical workplace practices, etc. You may hear words like sustainable, recycled, fair trade, and locally sourced surrounding the green beauty market.
Sources
The Anti-Aging Benefits of Plant-Derived Skincare Ingredients April 18 2020
The Anti-Aging Benefits of Plant-Derived Skincare Ingredients
by Lacey Bourassa
If you’ve ever perused the skincare shelves of Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom, you’ve likely seen the words “anti-aging” plastered everywhere. Reversing the signs of aging is a challenge (unless you have a time machine — in which case, can I borrow it?), but preventing them is an achievable goal.
One natural approach to our search for never-aging skin is by harnessing the anti-aging benefits of plants. Both in your diet and in your moisturizer, the anti-aging powers of plants are well understood in the cosmetics industry and may explain why plant-derived skincare products are flying off the shelves.
Sure, to maintain your youthful complexion you should also lead a healthy lifestyle. Drink more water, eat your veggies, exercise regularly, and so on. Another way to have your skin looking its best is to look into a vegan skincare routine.
Is Anti-Aging Important?
Growing old is a privilege, but many men and women are concerned about the signs of aging: wrinkles, fine lines, dark spots, sun spots, hyperpigmentation, sagging, dark circles, loss of elasticity, etc. While not a fatal flaw, these characteristics can take a toll on our self-esteem.
Skincare products are heavily associated with women, but they’re not the only ones buying anti-aging products. In fact, one-third of U.S. fathers care about preventing the signs of aging. Similarly, more than half of U.S. women aged 35 to 44 regularly worry about the signs of aging. That’s a lot of stressing about the inevitable fact that we are all growing older each day!
When looking for skincare products, anti-aging benefits are important to a lot of people. If that includes you, then you may be faced with the challenge of deciding which anti-aging ingredients and products to implement into your routine. One of the many benefits of vegan skincare is that the plant-derived ingredients have natural anti-aging properties. It’s a win-win.
Anti-Aging Benefits of Plants
As more and more people worry about anti-aging, they also start to worry about what’s actually in those skincare products. We’re talking about skincare ingredient safety as well as effectiveness. Are the ingredients safe? Do they actually work? We want answers, not just good advertising!
Women are especially skeptical about ingredients lists. Nearly half of U.S. women actively seek natural products that are free of toxic ingredients. It’s clear that smart shoppers don’t just want lofty claims wrapped up in pretty packages — we want real ingredients that produce real results.
We mentioned how plants have those anti-aging benefits you’re looking for. Don’t just take our word for it — scientific research has shown that plant extracts used in topical anti-aging products yield the following benefits:
- Antioxidative activities, which reduce free radical damage to skin
- Photoprotective properties that diminish sun damage
- Promote collagen synthesis
- Improve skin firmness and elasticity
Plant extracts used in cosmetics are often considered safe because they come from nature. With more people looking for less toxic products that are just as effective, plant-derived skincare products seem to check all the boxes.
Preventing the Signs of Aging
If you, like many of us, want to prevent the visible signs of aging, one way to work toward this goal is to update your skincare routine with plant-derived skincare products.
The American Academy of Dermatology also recommends the following to prevent premature skin aging:
- Apply sunscreen every day
- Discontinue use of products that irritate your skin
- Moisturize your skin daily
- Cleanse skin gently to avoid irritation
- Wash your face twice per day
Sources
- Mintel: “Holding Back the Years: 1 in 3 U.S. Dads are Interested in Preventing the Signs of Aging”
- New Beauty: “This is the Generation Most Worried About Aging”
- The NPD Group: “Women are Gravitating Towards More Natural Ingredients, While Also Adding More Products, and Using Them More Frequently”
- Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: “Skin Ageing: Natural Weapons and Strategies”
- American Academy of Dermatology: “11 Ways to Reduce Premature Skin Aging”
6 Reasons to use Vegan Skincare November 01 2019
6 REASONS TO USE VEGAN SKINCARE
1 - You know what you're putting on your skin.
As a society, we have become way more vigilant about reading ingredient lists on food to what we're eating. We should be doing the same with what goes on our skin.
2 - Vegan Skincare products are less toxic.
While this may not be true for every single vegan product out there, for the most part, vegan skincare products contain less toxic chemicals. By using healthier, plant based products, you are reducing the risk of harmful toxins being absorbed into your system. However small amount those ingredients may be, they do build up over time. So the more beneficial ingredients the better.
3 - Plant based products are loaded with antioxidants.
You know all those antioxidants which are supposed to be super good for your skin? Well, they're found in plants! Some great examples are found in our products. They are Organic Camellia Seed Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Meadowfoam Oil, Jojoba Oil - and many more! Antioxidants have many benefits for your skin, such as protecting you from free-radical damage (anti-aging), toning, and brightening you skin. Bring on the antioxidants!
4 - Vegan products are overall gentler on the skin.
By creating products that are natural and plant based, we're creating something that is beneficial - especially for sensitive skin. Plant based ingredients are gentler on all skin types and less like to cause irritation. Vegan products are often favorites of people with sensitive, allergy-prone skin. In addition to being gentle, the ingredients is nourishing as well.
5 - You won't be harming any animals.
In fact, you will be saving loads of animals! The harmful effects are two folds with animal products. First, are the components that are literally made from animals. It may not be obvious by the name of the ingredients, but many common skincare ingredients such as gelatin, collagen, and retinol are derived from animals. Second, is that vegan products are cruelty free for the most part. At least ours are. When buying vegan skincare, check to see if they are cruelty free. So you can rest assured that you are not harming any furry friends.
6 - Vegan products are better for the environment.
A big reason why many people choose to become vegans is to benefit the environment. The same can be said about vegan beauty. Animal agriculture is a leading factor the contributes to pollution and climate change. By eliminating animal byproducts from skincare, we help reduce the amount of damage that we humans do to the planet. Trust us, mother earth has faced enough damage already!
We hope we've inspired you to try vegan skincare products! Your skin, the animals, and the environments will thank you!
Benefits of Vegan Skincare September 21 2019
BENEFITS OF VEGAN SKINCARE
Over the past few years, you've probably noticed the rise of vegan skincare. Skincare free of animal products used to be hard to come by. But luckily these days, it is readily available. However, 'vegan' isn't (and shouldn't) be just a buzzword or a trend. We believe vegan skincare and cosmetics are the new norm....and they are here to stay!
To put it simply, vegan skincare products are made without animal products or byproducts. By using vegan products, you're not only benefitting your skin and body, you're also benefitting the environment, and of course animals.
You might be weary of trying vegan skincare products if you have never used them before. Let us assure you that vegan does not mean non-effective. In fact, some of the most effective and nourishing ingredients are vegan! Using it is one of the best things you can do for your skin and the world around you.
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Clean Beauty vs. Green Beauty by Lacey Bourassa Posted on June 01, 2020
The Anti-Aging Benefits of Plant-Derived Skincare Ingredients Posted on April 18, 2020
6 Reasons to use Vegan Skincare Posted on November 01, 2019
Benefits of Vegan Skincare Posted on September 21, 2019