What’s the deal with clean cosmetics?

The early days date back to 2010, when the first clean beauty retailers started their journey, influenced by the detox trend. Fast forward a few years, the major rise of so-called clean beauty was triggered in 2018 by a study of the Fashion Institute of Technology about transparency in the beauty industry¹.

At that time, the first big brands in the USA started to create their own definitions for what they considered clean cosmetics solutions. Since then, these initial developments have become a mega trend and can no longer be ignored.

The numbers in 2020 are testament to this: in the year of the pandemic, the US prestige beauty industry experienced a 14% decline, where as clean prestige cosmetics increased by 11%².

Clean or natural?

The consumers’ request for more transparency, sustainability and eco-friendliness is continuously increasing combined with a tendency towards natural ingredients assum-ing green is also clean. On a global scale, 58% of women believe clean beauty refers to a product being natural³. But as a matter of fact, to date, no generally binding definition can be associated with the claim “clean beauty” nor is it governed by any cosmetics regulations.

It is important to note that clean is not identical with natural cosmetics. However, this makes things even more complicated as neither of these terms is protected. For natural cosmetics, several certifications and seals have been developed that provide the consumer with a certain degree of orientation. So far, clean cosmetics is more of a marketing term, in absence of a common definition, official seal/certification and official regulatory and governing bodies. 

However, clean cosmetics is currently undergoing a development like that of natural cosmetics in the 1990s. Back then, it also started with only vague declarations while clearer definitions only emerged once associations were founded to certify natural cosmetics, such as BDIH or Natrue.

Deciphering “clean”

Overall, it can be observed that clean beauty labels are proof for many  consumers that no harmful, disputable, or questionable ingredients have been used to manufacture the cosmetics product they want to buy. It has been scientifically proven that one should avoid certain ingredients in their make-up bag or on cosmetics shelf such as MI/MCI, aggressive fragrances, or formaldehyde. While each manufacturer or brand has developed their own ingredients blacklist, most of these chemicals fall into one or more of three major categories: irritants or allergens; potential endocrine disruptors (substances that interact with the hormonal system) and potential carcinogens (cancer-causing agents)⁴. In addition, the topic of vegan comes into play. To classify a product as vegan and thus also clean, it must be free from any animal related ingredients.

To summarise, the following prerequisites should be considered when making or marketing clean cosmetics in Europe:

• There are strict standards and regulations for the approval of new raw materials as cosmetics ingredients in the EU (EC 1223/2009, REACH/CLP)
• European legislation EC 1223/2009 regulates very precisely what a cosmetics product may and may not contain.
• Animal testing for cosmetics has long been banned for both raw materials as well as finished products as stipulated in the EC 1223/2009.
• Manufacturers are only allowed to use claims that are defined by the guidelines to the European Regulation 655/2013 – No. 655/2.
• The claim “free from parabens” or “free from preservatives” is no longer permitted according to the Commission Regulation (EU) No 655/20136. 

Based on the aforementioned key facts, for a company, a good definition of clean beauty can include a commitment to sustainable, eco-friendly formulas and highest safety and hygiene standards. Clean solutions should be mindfully created with ethically sourced ingredients and formulations that are free of critical ingredients. Ingredients should be sourced from reliable, trusted suppliers who share values and comply with the company’s code of conduct. This enables to trace every single ingredient back to its origin. Manufacturers can orientate along the clean lists of major international brands and retailers.

Taking the market by storm 

Influenced by the wellbeing movement and driven by an uprise of influencers, clean indie brands and retailers, clean cosmetics is one of the main topics of the future.

It has become prevalent that mass-market brands are making “clean” a key feature which is a clear indicator that the clean beauty movement is becoming the norm. Already soon, customers will be able to find more and more clean beauty products on the shelves – at a certain point of time these might even outweigh the standard offer.

Besides that, the request for more natural ingredients will increase. One of the biggest challenges of clean cosmetics is maintaining the performance of a product whilst ensuring that its ingredients meet clean standards. Not all natural ingredients show the same performance as their possibly artificial predecessors. This is where innovation and research come into play. Suppliers and brands need to ensure that they offer the best of both worlds – a high performing clean product that allows the consumer to look and feel good at the same time. 

Conclusion

As clean beauty is becoming the norm, it will be important that a certain governance ensures standards that the consumer can rely upon – like what has already happened in natural cosmetics. 

One thing is for sure: clean beauty is here to stay, and brands and manufacturers alike owe it to the consumer to offer products and experiences that embody both performance as well as clean ingredients because ultimately beauty should never be a compromi

References

¹ NPD, 2020
² Statista, 2019
³ Fashionista June 27, 2018
⁴ Molly Wanner, Nathan Neera; Harvard Health Blog, Clean Cosmetics: The science behind the trend, March 12, 2019
⁵ Acc. to Commission Regulation (EU) No 655/2013 some parabens or preservative are considered safe for use while a claim “free from” would denigrate the entire group of parabens or preservatives