The tricky thing though,is that it's kind of hard to define clean beauty. Unlike organic certification it's not regulated. So the very cynical would say it's merely a clever marketing term. Are you clean if you're vegan? What about"vegan friendly"? Does it use plant stem cells? Is a tree planted whenever a product is sold? How recyclable is the packaging? Are the"nasties"we so often hear about really that bad? According to the Guardian,that's debatable.
Research firm Mintel found that 57 per cent of shoppers would buy,or boycott,a brand according to its ethical values.
The general rule around clean beauty brands is that they're free from parabens (preservatives for making your products last longer,which is why you might consider keepingsome natural products in the fridge) and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS),which is a surfactant and helps to make products lather.
The new clean beauty brands tend to be transparent about their products,open about their ethics and conscious of their impact.
Bestselling clean beauty brands forMECCAinclude cult brands such asDrunk Elephant which is almost 100 per cent vegan,Dr Dennis Gross,Urban Decay andChantecaille. While Sephora stocks the likes ofTarte,which is vegan and also cruelty free,Edible Beauty,which uses organic,wild Australian active ingredients,Votary,another cult face oil purveyor andTata Harper,which is one of the more wellknown luxe clean beauty brands.
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Alex Chantecaille,vice president of sales at the family run beauty companyChantecaille (started by her indomitable mother,Sylvie Chantecaille after a successful career withEstée Lauder) says clean beauty was always a no-brainer for the brand. Chantecaille uses plant stem cells in its precise formulations and has a big philanthropic arm for wild animal and nature causes.
"It was very innate,not anything other than'of course we would do it,'"she says.
In part it was because,as Ms Chantecaille puts it,her mother thought women deserved better.
"[That] women deserved better quality ingredients,better formulas."
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The brand stripped away unneccessary chemicals and detergents and is focused on effective,natural ingredients in its super luxurious products.
Nadia Eizadi has spent the last two years turning her Melbourne beauty salon, Bat Your Lash,waste-free,eco-friendly,vegan and toxin-free.
It wasn't an easy transition,with Eizadi conscious of not compromising on the quality of her services. However she says clients have been on-board with what she sees as a re-education process,for customers and for herself.
"I noticed how the beauty industry could be so superficial,wasteful and at times harmful.
Having a business I felt I had the opportunity re-educate people. I wanted to ignite a new
way of thinking for my clients,to create what it should be,through new habits;a new age
beauty boutique where the focus isn’t just obsessing with oneself,"she says.
"Loving yourself,caring for the planet and our furry friends is our top priority. Beauty shouldn’t come at a cost of the environment,animals or your own health."
Which,when you think about,is a pretty great way to think about your own clean beauty philosophy.
What to buy this Thursday
Your weekly recommendation for a late-night shopping trip ...
Vintner's Daughter Active Botanical Serum
So ... does it work? Trying a hyped product can be fraught. A bit like meeting your heroes. The good (and bad) thing is that this is really good product. The bad bit is for your wallet,obviously,because it's expensive. But I've never really tried anything like this before. As mentioned it has 22 active botanicals as well as vitamins,antioxidants and omega fatty acids. There's a lot going on. I've been trying it for a few weeks now,replacing my nightly skin routine with a few drops of this using April's"push and press"method. It smells like jasmine and my skin has never had so many compliments. Less sensitive,less inflamed,softer and more glowing. Sometimes I even skip foundation and/or a filter on Instagram,which for me was previously unheard of. $270,vintnersdaughter.com
Skin Deep,our weekly beauty column,is not sponsored. All product recommendations are genuine endorsements.