Clean Beauty Doesn’t Mean Sustainable

the unwash: sustainability

Clean beauty has become almost synonymous with sustainability to consumers who are none the wiser, primarily in part due to misleading marketing tactics that muddle both of the terms. Green or brown labels, the use of leaves or foliage in logos, and the dreaded plain cardboard packaging easily decepts consumers. Most of these are used by brands claiming ‘clean’ status, not those using these for solely sustainability purposes. Major companies such as Sephora tag their ‘clean-certified’ products with a green leaf logo which isn’t something that makes it abundantly clear to a shopper that this does not equate to a sustainable product. There’s a fine line between deception and truth leaving consumers to their own devices, hoping their purchase is what it seems to be.

Clean isn’t a term that backs any sustainability claims. ‘Clean’ ingredients or sourcing does not mean it is sustainable. It’s easy to think that less processed or un-dyed ingredients could have a positive environmental impact but there isn’t any correlation between the two. A dig around the internet brought us to a Harpers Bazaar article that classified clean as being safe for “people and the planet” and that the ingredients used account for “human and environmental health”. If this were the case, these products wouldn’t be sold at mass retailers, packaged in plastic, or ending up in landfills all of which are reductive to this claim. So what does clean even mean? This typically refers to products that use natural ingredients. Well, what is a natural ingredient? Isn’t everything technically…natural? Here’s the thing, just about everything is natural or naturally occurring, all chemicals are natural (the horror!) and are needed to create everything including the air we breathe but we can put that aside for now. Most of these brands opt for plant-based products and ditch ingredients such as formaldehyde, phthalates, or hydroquinone. Clean is a term that is completely unregulated and unsubstantiated whether you like it or not. There’s an opportunity for regulation and serious claims but this just hasn’t happened yet. Unlike opting for stating clean ingredients are being used, many brands use organic ingredients that follow strict regulations and guidelines but not all brands are created equal.

Let’s look at how two different brands approach this. Dieux is an ever-popular skincare brand that rejects the term clean or natural and rather embraces science. On their social media, they often dive into their ingredients by explaining the pros of components such as lactic acid, glycerin, and petrolatum. They go on to explain their packaging such as why they opt for aluminum as much as possible and when plastic might be a need. Corpus is a body care brand that uses both natural and clean terminology and prefers for its formulas to be powered by plant-based ingredients. Lots of plant oils and extracts such as grape seed oil, cocoa butter, and rosemary leaf extract are used. Both brands use various modes of sustainable packaging including glass or aluminum and are transparent about their practices and goals. Despite one leaning into the clean branding, it doesn’t mean one has inherently better outcomes than the other or that they are even remotely similar to each other. Both are very different in practice but could be classified under the same umbrella in the beauty aisle because of how marketing has encroached on these topics. When purchasing clean beauty products consumers need to understand that if they’re hoping this automatically means sustainable, it doesn’t, and that there is much need for clarity in the beauty industry.