Clean, green and beautiful. Making sense of what is good and not so good (for your skin and the world).

Clean, Green and Beautiful…

MAKING SENSE OF WHAT IS GOOD AND NOT SO GOOD (FOR YOUR SKIN AND THE WORLD)

Compiled by Kerry-Ann Scrase

The beauty world, like most other industries, has started making changes to reduce the impact it has on the environment. This does not only include how beauty products are packaged but also what ingredients goes into them; how these are sourced and what impact they have on the environment once they are used. So, what does it mean if a product is CLEAN, GREEN, ECOFRIENDLY or CRUELTY FREE? Understanding what these terms mean will ultimately help you decide what products satisfy your needs.

Many beauty products claim to be green or to use natural or botanical ingredients. These claims along with branding that uses natural imagery can easily lure one into believing that these products have the well-being of the user and mother earth at its heart. Whilst this is true of many brands, often these labels, quite literally only tell half the story.

According to Stacey King of The Natural™ when it comes to beauty products, there is little regulation around how brands can use these words. Definitions are subjective and often change from company to company, package to package, making it difficult to navigate or decipher the truth from greenwashing.

"You've probably seen a lot of skincare products that claim to be “all natural” or “100% organic.” When a product is labelled certified organic, it means that it is made from 95% or more ingredients that are derived from a plant source. Unlike the term organic, the word natural is not regulated when it comes to product labels. What this means is that a product can be labelled as natural but still contain up to 30 percent synthetic ingredients.”

King helps us breakdown the terminology to clarify exactly what each one means.

WHAT DOES GREEN MEAN?

The word green should mean that the product does no harm to the environment. For instance, a reef-safe sunscreen with biodegradable packaging would be labelled green. However, this is a wishy-washy term with no true definition and is usually used as an umbrella for any product that claims to protect the planet's resources.

WHAT DOES SUSTAINABLE MEAN?

Sustainable goes hand-in-hand with green. It means that the ingredients on the inside of the package - including how those ingredients were sourced - and the packaging itself should not be harmful to the planet.

When you use any product, the ingredients go down the drain and into the water system. Certain ingredients such as exfoliating microbeads and preservatives like BHA, are causing a marine environment health crisis. Likewise, many conventional beauty products contain petroleum jelly and are packaged in plastic, both created from the oil industry.

Truly sustainable ingredients are those that are ethically sourced and proven to be safe for the environment, with sustainable or no-waste packaging, such as glass packaging, biodegradable packaging, post-consumer recycled packaging, or the ability to recycle empty bottles appropriately.

WHAT DOES CLEAN MEAN?

Clean means safe for people and the planet. It means that a beauty product should have considered human and environmental health, using a non-toxic element as a baseline and plant-based ingredients for active results.

Much like eating clean rejects the idea of processed foods and focuses on nourishing, plantbased produce that delivers all the vitamins and antioxidants needed for a healthy immune and digestive system, the same is true for clean skin care.

WHAT DOES VEGAN MEAN?

A beauty product is vegan if it doesn't contain any animal by-products or ingredients sourced from animals. Common non-vegan ingredients found in clean beauty products include beeswax, honey, lanolin, and tallow. Many people associate vegan with clean, but this is not the case. A product can be vegan and still contain chemical ingredients of concern.

WHAT DOES PLANT-BASED MEAN?

As its name suggests, plant-based skincare products are made entirely from ingredients that are derived from plants such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts, whole grains and herbs. These plants are packed with many vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

WHAT DOES ORGANIC MEAN?

Personal care products that are certified to be at least 95 percent organic can bear an official USDA Organic, SOIL or COSMOS Seal. Being certified by these standards guarantee that certified organic ingredients are used; no genetically modified (GMO) ingredients are used; product labelling is clear and honest; ingredients are environmentally friendly (biodegradable) with little processing.

In an effort to avoid pesticides, the clean beauty industry has also begun to use organic, plantbased ingredients in products wherever possible. However, as the certification is expensive, many smaller brands will independently label ingredients that are organic on packaging, despite not carrying an official seal.

WHAT DOES NONTOXIC MEAN?

Water and oxygen can be toxic in the wrong dose. So, when a beauty product is labelled nontoxic, it likely means that the ingredients

have not been shown to cause adverse health effects at the levels found inside the formula and for the intended use. In the clean beauty space, nontoxic means that a product shouldn't include any ingredient that's been deemed toxic at any dose by a third-party resource like the European Union or Environmental Working Group.

WHAT DOES CRUELTY-FREE MEAN?

A beauty product is cruelty-free if it has not been tested on animals anywhere along the manufacturing line or before being sold. It can also mean that any animal-derived ingredients were not extracted at the expense of an animal's welfare (like natural-fibre makeup brushes). It is worth noting that a beauty product can be cruelty-free but not vegan, and vice versa.

THE BOTTOM LINE: the good news is that there are dozens of beauty brands leading the charge, with enlightened pharmacists and chemists crafting effective products made from 100 percent clean and organic ingredients for your skin.

MORE ABOUT THE NATURAL™

Founder of The Natural™, Andrew Franks says the company is all about the natural way of living - a simple, healthy approach to skincare and life.

“It's the reason our products are made with clean, plant-based ingredients for all skin types. We bring the natural way to your daily routine with conscious, caring and connected skincare.”

Mother nature has her title for a very good reason. She knows what's best for us. Her wisdom for our well-being is provided in an abundance of simple, brilliantly logical cues that can be read by those who are willing to humbly admit that 'mother knows best'.

The Natural™ range of skincare is a bioinspired expression of nature's perfect recipes. An ode to the perfect design of well-being,

unadulterated by harmful and unnecessary synthetic chemicals. Skincare that is as pure, simple and as natural as how it can be found in nature The Natural™ is:

Proudly South African Natural & organic Vegan friendly Free of parabens Free of all synthetic chemicals Free of colourants Free of mineral oils Not tested on animals For more info: www.thenaturalafrica.com

WHY PLANT-BASED IS GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN?

Antioxidant-rich, plant-based skincare products work to restore and strengthen your body's cells by combating free radicals (oxidants).

The vitamins featured in plant-based skincare products are vital to maintaining the health of your skin. They also support cell repair and can help decrease signs of aging.

Essential fats and acids offer several skin benefits such as helping to calm acne, fight dryness, combat oiliness, smooth scars, and increase skin elasticity. The word hydrocolloids may sound a little foreign, but these naturally occurring polymers give plant-based skincare products a natural texture without the need for harmful petrochemicals or other synthesised polymers.

Naturally occurring lipids and esters help support the skin's natural defence barrier to smooth, protect, and repair. Such substances are often used as emollients and conditioning agents to keep skin healthy and hydrated.