What does it truly mean?

Clean is a great, feel-good word and associated with beauty, it has become a buzz word, driving the industry to new highs, especially in terms of revenue.

And because clean beauty sells, retailers have also been promoting this concept, waving the flag in the busy marketplace, giving consumers an extra reason to buy a product: “why buy this cream instead of another?”, the reason being “because it is clean!” So, clean feels beautiful and is considered safe. 

If we go beyond the consumers’ feeling of clean to try to grasp some objective meaning, then what emerges is a sense of confusion and that “anything goes”. How is this possible? In my opinion, this is because there are additional cultural and geographic factors at play. The word “clean” has different connotations depending on the country, the brand and even the person using the term.

I do not mean to denigrate the spirit behind clean beauty; it has empowered consumers and brands to be different and to make a difference as well, especially in showing care for the environment. I am saying that “clean” needs more clarity and objectivity added to it.

USA versus Europe

The clean beauty phenomenon was born in the USA, out of a mistrust with a minimalistic approach to human safety when it comes to cosmetic products. The number of banned ingredients in the US can almost be counted on two hands, with only eleven chemicals compared to the 1,611 substances listed in Annex II of the European Cosmetic Regulation. That is quite a difference; and then one has to take into consideration the rigorous safety assessment and testing required by law in Europe. So, the American clean beauty movement is driven by safety concerns.

Fragrance is also a key player in clean beauty, as it is one of the most common culprits behind skin reactions, and therefore it also requires complete transparency when it comes to fragrance composition. EWG and Credo Beauty both require such 
disclosure, something that can be quite challenging as fragrance composition has a history of secrecy, being kept under wrap because of intellectual property (IP) issues, as well as number of ingredients used. A fragrance can easily contain more ingredients than the product into which it is put.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, where Europeans are more protected by the cosmetic regulations and are concerned about the environment, clean is more likely to be associated with an absence of environmental pollutants, and even with a high proportion of plant derived ingredients rather than petrochemicals. In fact, in Europe, natural or organic cosmetic certifications can be seen as another take on clean beauty, one with a more environmentally conscious perspective. Fragrance disclosure is not a regulatory requirement in Europe, apart from the compulsory allergen declaration, and it is up to the brand to share it on the pack or not.

After decades of easy access to all sorts of information online, as well as environmental concerns becoming more globalised than ever, the original US version of clean beauty is evolving towards the European one, integrating sustainability principles for ingredients and even packaging. It is good to see this evolution of clean beauty as it shows a strong connection to consumers values, however it also adds to the blurring effect which needs to be addressed to gain credibility at an industry level, not just consumers. 

The future

Clean beauty can become an authentic expression of consumers’ values and desires, driving the industry to constant improvement in terms of safety, transparency, and likely environmental impacts. Such values and desires need to be translated and grounded in a more objective yet ongoing system that makes sense to formulators, brands, and consumers alike. There can be different approaches or systems, depending on the values and desires that are most important, but it needs to be coherent and not just the publication of a “free from” list. 

European regulations provide a good starting point in terms of human safety, so applying these is a good start that can then be further fine-tuned for sensitive skin giving extra safety. Unfortunately, the regulations do not take into account environmental safety and sustainability as much as consumers would like, so this is the area where clean beauty can expand and grow, providing there are solid and detailed criteria put in pace, and not just exciting shortcuts. This is important because there are non-renewable petrochemically derived ingredients with a good human safety profile and not so good end of life, and natural ingredients with a good beginning and end of life but not so good for the skin.

Clean beauty to aspire to be safe for humans as well as the environment, needs to step up and become coherent and consistent in its core messages. It is complicated but necessary for its credibility and even longevity.