-I feel that consumers --
we're becoming more conscious
about what we are
putting onto our skin,
what we are putting onto our
hair, what we are ingesting.
When I think about
clean beauty,
I think of us becoming
more aware and conscious
of what you are consuming
as a buyer in the market.
-"Clean beauty" is the
new buzzword in cosmetics.
-Guilty-free, paraben-free,
gluten-free,
fragrance-free, silicone-free.
-Formulated without
formaldehydes, phthalates,
parabens,
sulfates, and talc.
-Everybody has different
standards,
and there's no common definition
or regulatory standard
that defines what is clean.
And so, it's still really
on consumers to try
and navigate all of that.
-In the U.
S.
, the Food &amp; Drug Administration
provides very little oversight
when it comes to ingredients
used in cosmetics.
According to the FDA's
website --
Essentially,
it's on the companies
to ensure the safety
of their products.
-When customers come
into our store now,
they are definitely
looking at ingredients.
So, they are picking up
the packaging,
they are asking
about ingredients.
They might come in and know
a certain ingredient
that they're looking for.
-You'll here people kind of
conflate words like "organic"
and "natural" or "vegan"
or even "small-batch"
or "plant-based."
So, to me, clean beauty
is something that is really,
at its root,
non-toxic and safe.
-The ingredients clean
beauty buyers avoid show
that consumers are looking
for transparency
in products and awareness
in what's in them,
and that can get
even more confusing
when there are
so many labels.
There is little evidence
that most ingredients
in cosmetics are toxic.
-She knows Love Beauty
and Planet shampoos
are made with ingredients
she can feel good about.
-Some ingredients, like sulfates
and shampoos, are not harmful,
but have been associated
with eye and skin irritation.
-If you love your color,
go sulfate-free with
EverPure Haircare from L'Oreal.
-Several large retailers
have begun to adopt clean beauty
as a way to label ingredients.
Sephora has a clean checkmark,
meaning the product
does not contain sulfates,
parabens, or formaldehydes.
In 2019, Target introduced
a bright, green Target icon,
letting shoppers know
the product is formulated
without a group
of unwanted chemicals.
The icon now appears
on over 4,000 products.
-I have mostly
cornrows and beads.
-Before the term "clean beauty"
emerged, women of color
were using common ingredients
to make their own products.
-When it comes to natural hair
--
-Yeah, when it comes
to natural hair --
-Yeah, women have been, like,
in the kitchen for,
like, over 20 years.
-We've been doing it forever.
-Yeah.
Yeah.
-I think we've been doing it
forever, and I think, like,
even some of the brands
we have in our store
have such,
like, great origin stories.
-I would say outside
of the cosmetics,
all the cosmetics are
paraben-free, most are vegan.
But when it comes
to truly green,
more naturally derived products,
I don't think that we made
a conscious decision to do that.
Like, we knew, when it comes
to natural hair,
we want products that are
really safe on our hair,
and when it comes to our skin,
we want products that are
really kind to our skin.
-So, I feel like women
of color -- [Laughs] -Yeah.
And that's probably
why it was hard for us
to kind of define clean,
because now,
that's the buzzword,
but we've been doing it --
-We've been doing it.
Yeah.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
-So.
[Both laugh] -Clean skincare,
despite not having
a firm definition,
is probably the new standard.
-Clean skincare
has really expanded,
and I think what's great
is that now,
you see, you know,
products that are formulated
for every type of customer,
every type of skin type,
every age.
But it's still not
quite mainstream,
and I think you're seeing more
and more brands, again,
like, understanding
there's market interest,
and so, they're just
following suit
because that's where they see
the market going,
and I think with that,
you'll also hopefully see --
we're already seeing now,
actually, better price points,
more accessibility,
more inclusively,
and that will become more
and more the mainstream.
-[Chuckles]
