What is clean makeup, and how can it impact your skin? Read on for my rundown of clean make-up, clean beauty and the benefits

When new buzzwords start popping up in marketing, they can often feel gimmicky or like a fad or trend. However, facts are facts: people are becoming much more aware of how their habits impact their wellbeing, skin and the environment, meaning clean beauty – one of the beauty concepts that has recently gained major momentum – is here to stay.

Clean makeup is just one of the many areas that are becoming more popular because of this. And it makes sense, why. It’s like a pyramid of positivity; better for your skin, wellbeing and the environment.

While clean skincare products are a massive pro in the beauty-sphere for many reasons, they can be quite a minefield to understand which ones live up to their claims, which is why education and understanding of what is in our products and makeup are essential. Of course, in some cases, we believe the more natural the product, the better it is for us but is that really true?  The link below is such a great article to read By Dr Ernst Eiselen and Dr Des Fernandes.

Is natural REALLY better than synthetic for skin?

What are the overall health benefits of clean beauty?

Aside from the changes that you will see once you start using clean products, there are some other health benefits you will notice too. Lately, people are a lot more conscious about the products and substances they use in their day-to-day lives, and it doesn’t stop with our food and drink choices. We want products to be nourishing, nutritional and healthy, which is also true for our makeup and beauty items. Beauty and wellbeing very much go hand-in-hand. Certain chemicals have been linked to hormone and fertility problems and can cause headaches and sickness caused by strong odours. Once we start using more skin-loving ingredients, many of these ailments start clearing up and lessening.

For anyone who suffers from rosacea or acne, the products you use can cause flare-ups or for your symptoms to worsen if they include any irritants. Products that contain skin-loving properties and do not contain ingredients that exasperate your skin will make a difference in how your skin looks and feels.

So, let’s start by looking at what clean makeup is before we delve into what to avoid and the benefits we will see from doing so.

What is clean makeup?

“Clean” is the word that the beauty industry uses to describe makeup products that do not contain potentially unsafe ingredients, or use ingredients in make-up that clog the skin such as fillers and talc’s which play havoc with problematic skins. However, it doesn’t mean that they are chemical-free because that would be pretty impossible (considering even air and water have chemical components). It’s more that they don’t have chemicals in them that are harmful at any level.

What makeup ingredients should we try and avoid?

Understanding what ingredients to use, or not to use, can be a bit confusing at times; especially with the list growing by the day. But knowing what to watch out for will help you when buying make-up products. Some of the main ingredients that to ideally avoid in make-up are:

Artificial fragrances
Bismuth Oxychloride (Bismuth)
Talc
Heavy Metals
Nanoparticles

Make-up products that contain these ingredients can impact our skin. Physically they can irritate, dehydrate and cause redness, sensitising the skin over time leading to long-term skin problems, including congestion and breakouts. And do remember anything we apply to our lips, for example, we unconsciously consume. It is said that we eat up to 9lb of lipstick in our lifetime!

How does clean makeup impact your skin?

Our skin is delicate and has to withstand a lot each day. From changing temperatures, varying weather conditions and the heating and cooling in our homes, the last thing we want is to put it under more strain by using makeup products with ingredients that clog pores. Clean makeup means we are not adding further burden to our skin due to their skin-loving-  ingredients some of which calm and soothe the skin, reducing redness and irritation, some ingredients are anti-bacterial and anti-microbial. Makeup with clean ingredients are less likely to irritate and congest, leading to healthier, brighter and clearer skin.

Is clean makeup better for the environment?

In short, yes: clean makeup is better for the environment. Toxic chemicals in some make-up products are not just bad for us, they can harm the environment too. Because many products we use end up being washed off, they then flow into the rivers and oceans, which affects the water and its inhabitants. Many companies that produce clean products also use recyclable and environmentally-friendly packaging to be conscious of how the cycle of their product can impact the environment from its formulation to its packaging, right on through to when the consumer finishes with the product.

How do I know if my makeup is clean?

The best place to check whether your makeup is clean or not is on the labels. Talc is one of the ingredients in make-up which is known to clog pores and it is often high up in the ingredient list, so try and find a make-up brand that doesn’t contain talc in their ingredient list. Bismuth Oxychloride is used as a light reflector in make-up to make your skin more luminous, however, for some skin, it can really cause irritation due to the minute copper and lead shards becoming buried in the pores, causing bacteria build-up and breakouts. Look for labels that include the words’ safety tested, allergy tested, dermatologist tested and clinically tested. This won’t be a complete fail-safe but it may be useful when looking for a new makeup brand. Ensure you know who and where you are buying your skincare and makeup products from, with the ever-increasing ‘fake’ skincare and makeup products readily available online, it can be really hard to determine what you are buying these days.

One of the best ‘clean’ and vegan friendly makeup’s is et al. which is available in the clinic. If you would like a colour match for the foundations, please book in a free consultation.