It’s no secret that cosmetics closely follow trends in the food industry, from organic farming to reinterpreting ingredients like quinoa or superfoods like blueberries. So, we've moved from "clean eating" to "clean beauty." But is "clean beauty" actually safer than conventional cosmetics?
Without actively demonizing synthetic ingredients and without current legislation, "clean beauty" has become, in the eyes of the consumer, a safer alternative compared to traditional cosmetics. In my opinion, "clean beauty" should refer to all products that contain both synthetic and natural ingredients but do not interfere with the consumer's health. In Europe, we are very fortunate to have official bodies that look after our health, testing and verifying the safety of ingredients. ( https://www.cir-safety.org/ ) Despite some voices claiming these official bodies are linked to raw material suppliers, they still provide a good indicator for assessing what we can include in our formulas and what is best left out. Natural ingredients present many challenges, among the most important being their reproducibility, which is linked to external factors such as climate. Availability is also a concern, as there is already talk of scarcity in certain ingredients. Finally, stability. This type of cosmetic is more susceptible to oxidation phenomena, potentially becoming a harmful product in cases of advanced degradation. The solution, pending an official definition, is to trust the formulators of different brands, their judgment in choosing ingredients, and their expertise in formulation. I believe we should study cases separately, such as silicones; not all of them are harmful. By this, I don't mean that "clean beauty" doesn't work, quite the opposite. If we compare, for example, vegetable oils with other oils obtained in a laboratory, plant-derived oils offer greater skin benefits compared to synthetic ones, which are more inert. What gives me confidence is that despite being a term born in marketing departments, it is increasingly linked to transparency, but we will have to wait for an official definition for everyone to speak the same language.
