How One Beauty Editor Made The Transition To Natural Products
(Photo: Vanessa Jackman)
By Melissa Magsaysay
It started with a tube of Coca-Cola-flavored lip balm when I was 5 years old. It smelled good enough to eat. In fact, there may have been a few instances where I took a tiny nibble of the waxy stick, savoring the cloyingly sweet and artificial flavor of soda, even though I had yet to try the real thing.
My love of beauty products grew from a few soda-flavored lip balms to a vanity stocked with Calvin Klein perfume bottles, Wet n Wild eye shadow palettes and tube upon emerald green tube of Revlon lipstick. This obsession partially informed my decision to forge a career as a fashion and beauty editor (once I became aware of what a Beauty Closet was, there was really no other option for me).
Now more than a decade into my career, I can safely say I’ve tried a good portion of the skincare and makeup on the market—often before it hits shelves. I can blindly reach into any one of my handbags and fish out a fistful of gorgeous lips glosses and maybe even an eyebrow pencil or two. I have all the beauty products I could ever want and more than I can actually use. But recently, when it comes to my own personal use outside of research for work, I’ve chosen to cut down on the amount of shiny black compacts and sleek gold palettes in my cosmetics bag, focusing instead on using only safe, nontoxic skincare and makeup products that are as healthy for me inside as they are glamorous for the outside.
Upon receiving a report from my doctor a few years ago that the level of aluminum in my body was notably high (something she said could be attributed to personal-care products), I started to tinker with the idea of researching clean beauty items. However, parting ways with the high-end brand of foundation I know gives me a flawless complexion and just the right amount of glow is easier said than done. Furthermore, the thought of having to research ingredients until I was cross-eyed, all to possibly end up with a concealer that barely covers a blemish seemed downright daunting and not nearly as fun or easy as dipping into the lovely arsenal of products I already owned. I have never denied being vain, but the thought of moving away from many of the traditional products I’ve used for years amplified my attachment to looking and feeling a certain way.
Not until I became pregnant with my son did I get serious about transitioning to clean beauty. Luckily right around that time a Santa Monica-based company called Beautycounter was launching and basically doing all of my homework for me. Started by Gregg Renfrew in 2012, Beautycounter creates products that straddle the line between clean and effective. “Women were always being asked to compromise on safety and efficacy,” says Renfrew. “Our company was founded on the notion that women shouldn’t have to compromise on their health.”
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Gregg Renfrew, Founder of Beautycounter. Photo: Danielle Directo-Meston
The brand essentially does the science-y homework for you, turning out personal-care products that are free of the 1,600 harmful ingredients stated on the “Never List” posted on their website.
Speaking of which, let’s address the boring (but important) science to all of this: Clean beauty can be summed up as products that are free of known carcinogens, endocrine blockers or elements harmful to reproductive health. “Americans are using—on average—10 personal-care products a day, exposing themselves to hundreds of chemicals,” said Nneka Leiba, Deputy Director of Research for the Environmental Working Group. “Some of these chemicals have been associated with cancer, hormone disruption and reproductive problems. What’s worse, most of the ingredients used in those products have never been tested for safety by the federal government.” The EWG database, Skin Deep, is an amazing resource that rates the level of toxicity in your products. (Find it at www.EWG.org to get quick results on whether you’re using something that’s potentially harmful.)
The top 5 worst offenders to look out for include coal tar (found in hair dye and shampoo), formaldehyde (found in shampoo, body wash and bubble bath), hydroquinone (found in skin-lightening creams), and phthalates (found in synthetic fragrance, nail polish and hairspray). And that’s only the top 5 of the 1,600 Beautycounter lists. See, I told you: daunting.
But by focusing on eliminating mainly just parabens, pthalates, hydroquinone and anything heavily perfumed, I was able to navigate my new product regimen with minimal anxiety.
Celebrity makeup artist and Beautycounter’s Head of Creative Design, Christy Coleman, switched her entire professional kit to clean in 2007, so I consulted her on where to start. “Start with your body lotion, face cream, foundation and tinted moisturizer because they cover the largest areas of skin,” says Coleman. Also, lipstick is an important one since we tend to ingest the product throughout the course of wearing it.
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(Clockwise from left) Ren Moroccan Rose Dry Oil; Beautycounter Color Sweep Blush Duo; Ilia Wild Child Lipstick; Hourglass Hyaluronic Skin Tint.
I tackled my face cream first. The initial few brands I tried proved not emollient enough, as I have really dry skin. I then tried facialist-to-the-stars Joanna Vargas’ Daily Hydrating Cream, which is packed with effective moisturizers and sinks right into skin leaving it plump and dewy. Face oils like Rodin Olio Lusso and Sunday Riley’s Juno and Flora oils are also amazingly effective for hydration, fine lines and overall rejuvenation.
Tinted moisturizer and foundation were hard products to replace because I like medium-to-full coverage without a heavy or greasy feeling. Most of the clean brands I tried initially just didn’t cut it (I still saw the sunspots on my cheeks, and my skin was not quite as even as I had hoped), but since finding Hourglass’ Hyaluronic Skin Tint I’ve never looked back. In fact, I might use this even if it wasn’t free of parabens, fragrance, sulfates, phthalates, synthetic dyes or GMOs— but it is, so it’s a win-win. For that everyday, run-to-the-market coverage, Beautycounter’s Dew Skin Tints are very pretty and have a glowy, natural finish.
Things got more difficult when it came to clean, anti-aging products. Even though I prioritize health that does not make me exempt from caring (maybe a little too much) about looking good and—well—youthful. Everything I tried in this category felt good on my skin and was free of the heavy and sometimes chemical-y smells traditional anti-aging serums and creams often have. However, my skin didn’t seem especially firm or revitalized when I used them. That’s when I turned to a line I had tried in the past called Ren Clean Skincare, a British brand that—as the name suggests—is free of harmful chemicals. The difference was that their anti-aging products truly worked. Their Glycol Lactic Renewal mask is something I apply an hour or so before a big event or anytime I want my skin to look shiny and new. Their Moroccan Rose line of body oil, bath oil, sugar scrub and lotion is also a favorite and feels and smells luxurious without using any synthetic scents or ingredients.
For lipstick and lip gloss, Ilia Beauty makes gorgeous lipsticks and sheer lip tints free of harmful chemicals. It makes me feel better knowing I can paint a fiery red shade called Wild Child across my pout without the chance of eating anything terrible. Plus, should I smother my son with kisses while wearing a lip tint or conditioner from the brand, I have peace of mind knowing his sensitive, baby skin won’t react to the ingredients.
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Sasha Plavsic, Founder of Ilia Beauty.
Mascara is the one product that’s been tough as my lashes are especially wimpy, and according to several brands it’s nearly impossible to make a totally clean version. I’m not quite as worried about using traditional mascara though as it doesn’t interact with my skin as much as say, body lotion does, but having said that the search continues.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting a massive overhaul of your beauty routine, but incorporating clean products into your regimen should be similar to the way many people approach food: Mostly organic and GMO and hormone free but not without an occasional In-N-Out meal or handful of gummy candy thrown in. And in the same way we’ve become conscious of what is in our food, learning what ingredients are safe also takes time, education and most importantly awareness.
“I think it’s about the consumer becoming more aware of ingredients as a whole—in food and with beauty products,” says Ilia Beauty founder Sasha Plavsic. “As a result, some brands are starting to pay attention and make changes where they can to adjust formulations and provide transparency.”
Today, I still have a bathroom counter peppered with bottles and jars, but unlike the ones atop my childhood vanity I have read their ingredients or know the brands to be clean. Of course like any beauty junkie, some childhood favorites—namely flavored lip balms—are still stuffed in my makeup bag. After all nobody is perfect, but now my beauty routine is far closer than it used to be.
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