The average woman in America puts 168 chemicals on her skin every day with the cosmetic products she uses1. Consider the damage those chemicals cause without people realizing it, until it’s too late.
When it comes to protecting your health, most people overlook the largest organ of the human body: the skin! What we put on our skin inevitably impacts not just our health, but also the environment as chemicals are washed down millions of household drains multiple times a day. From the large beauty retails, like Sephora and Ulta, to many handcrafted skincare solutions, women have lots of skincare and beauty options to choose from.
There has been an incredible wave of change within the skincare community to get rid of the toxic skincare products being pushed on shelves and replace them with ultra clean skincare brands that enhance and truly protect our health.
Why Is Clean Skincare Better For You?
The straightforward answer is: clean skincare protects the most critical part of you: your health! This new movement is more about enhancing your natural beauty with minimal ingredients and never using ingredients with known toxic effects.
Compared to many industries that have moved toward more natural or organic ingredients, skincare is still at least a decade behind. Which is why you can easily go into any grocery store in America and purchase food, even animal care items that are free from toxins. However, it’s very hard, if not impossible, for women to do the same with skincare and cosmetic products.
The scary truth is, skincare today is where cigarettes were, in terms of their inclusion of harmful products, 100 years ago when doctors advertised cigarette brands! One in 13 women are exposed to chemicals in cosmetics that are probable cancer-causing agents, and 1 in 24 women use a chemical known to cause fertility issues.
Simply put, the state of skincare has become not just dangerous for women, but is on pace to truly destroy our health, without us knowing it!
However, the push for clean skincare that returns back to the roots of pure skincare, advocates for:
- Using only ingredients required to give you the benefits you’re looking for. After all, when 3 ingredients in a product will provide your skin key nutrients, then why do you need 23?
- Banning harmful chemicals that put your health at risk.
- Focusing on ingredients derived from nature that are gentle on your skin and the environment.
The reality is, our ‘grandmother’s skincare’ routine probably contained only 5-6 ingredients, and she still looked naturally beautiful. So, a return to this form of simplistic skincare is very much welcomed!
Benefits of Using Clean Skincare Products
There are over 60,000 chemicals allowed on the market without safety testing, according to research.2
Clean skincare products with minimal ingredients reduce your exposure to chemicals overall, and toxic chemicals specifically. These harmful chemicals don’t just wreak havoc on your skin. They end up being absorbed into your body and can cause hormone disruptions, fertility issues and cancer.
Not to mention, as the beauty industry has exploded, can you guess what has also increased over the same time period?
The number of skin diseases and disorders. Yikes! 1 in 4 Americans is impacted by a skin disorder every year, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.3 It’s hard not to wonder (and for people to assume) that the use of such harsh and dangerous chemicals in our skincare and cosmetics could be to blame.
Skincare ingredients get washed down the drain and can cause harm to the environment as well. For example, many of the ingredients found in chemical sunscreens damage coral reefs and decrease fertility in fish, according to new scientific and environmental studies.4 Your choice of the skincare you purchase affects the sustainability of our planet overall.
So, making a commitment to use clean skincare isn’t just the right thing to do for your current and future health. It’s also a critical part of protecting the environment!
Clean Skincare Products You Must Have
Many of the face washes and face peels only contain at most 5 ingredients. And, all of the products provide the perfect amount of skin nourishment without ever using any of the thousands of skincare ingredients known to contain carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors.
So, no matter if you have sensitive, dry, or oily skin, using clean skincare products with minimal ingredients will help you achieve the radiant and healthy skin you want without adding any harsh chemicals onto or into your body!
The Best Clean Skincare Products for Anti-Aging
Science has proven that women’s faces age faster than men.5 Partly because women’s skin loses more collagen than men over time. And also because women start using cosmetics in their mid teens. So, with decades of putting an extraordinary amount of chemicals on their skin, this can lead to premature aging.
But, the great news is…
It’s never too late to fix that and switch to using clean products, with just the ingredients needed for anti-aging. So what are the best options on the market to choose from?
Here’s the specific clean skincare routine to follow to prevent the signs of aging:
Gentle cleanser. This helps to remove the excess build up of oil, dead skin cells and any makeup or dirt on your face. And keeps your pores from getting enlarged. Most facial cleansers use harsh, industrial foaming ingredients (surfactants) combined with thickeners, and preservatives, which strip the skin from its natural oils and dry it out.
Glycolic acid. With time, the skin develops dark spots, discoloration, hyperpigmentation and even melasma. Glycolic acid, also called “fruit acid” because it’s naturally found in sugar cane, pineapple and papaya, removes the top layer of dead skin that carries the most damage. Helping even out the skin tone. And brighten the complexion. With only three ingredients, this glycolic acid peel is made with water, glycolic acid, and a special salt to minimize any stinging. Add it to your skincare routine and use it to exfoliate 3-4 nights a week, after cleansing.
Retinoid Serum. Retinoids, which are Vitamin A derivatives, support collagen production. Collagen is a protein that makes up most of the skin and gives it the plump, firm and smooth texture. When it breaks down with age, the skin develops wrinkles and crepiness. Retinoids also help the skin regenerate itself faster, so old damaged skin is replaced with newer better looking skin on the surface of the face. With just three ingredients, this serum is made of a retinoid complex in a safflower oil base to provide extra moisture.
1https://www.ewg.org/personal-care-products-safety-act-would-improve-cosmetics-safety
2https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/it-could-take-centuries-for-epa-to-test-all-the-unregulated-chemicals-under-a-new-landmark-bill
3 https://www.aad.org/member/clinical-quality/clinical-care/bsd
4https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html
5https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31189026/
