Is Clean Beauty & Make-up the Future? 🤍

You’ve heard of clean beauty and the whole movement that is rising around it. But do you know what it actually means? 🤔 Fret not beauty crusader, you’re not alone. While clean beauty has been making waves, it is still a topic of much ambiguity. So, we decided to take it upon ourselves and find out what the whole clean beauty uprise is about. Grab that tub of popcorn you guys! This one’s going to be an entertaining read.

In one sentence: Clean beauty is Non-toxic beauty💜

It honestly is as simple as that. But why the whole clamor around it you ask? Well, since there’s no legal or official definition, it becomes a matter of convenience to define the norms of clean beauty basis a brand’s whim. Can’t blame them, can we! But what we can definitely do is take charge of our skin & make-up routines and set the course right. More on that later... 

What makes Clean Beauty “Clean”?

Ingredients (This one’s a no-brainer)

Let's just say that everything that's non-toxic is clean. Now, don't sweat too hard trying to put down a list of toxic substances you should to be wary of because we dug a tad deeper and put together a list of 5 toxic ingredients commonly found in make-up to get rid of now!

 

No Greenwashing

Old proverb alert: All that glitters isn’t gold! Guess what. The same could apply to your beauty routine. All that's called organic need not be safe. All that's called natural need not be healthy. And all that's called green need not be environment-friendly.
Unfortunately, some brands label their products with buzzwords (just to grab your attention) like "organic" or "natural" or "green", while they're actually not. This, my friends, is Greenwashing. The best way to steer clear of Greenwashing: Stay away from products that do not list their ingredients in detail while they sing the song of buzzwords! Yes. As simple as that. Don’t let the sophistications of marketing get the better of you. Keep your precious trust saved for the ones that deserve it. (Life lesson! 😉) 
Let’s also clarify that Clean beauty in its own right is very, VERY different from Green, Organic, Natural products. If you’re curious like us, here’s a simple visual on how they are so different.

 

Transparent Labels

One quintessential mantra of Clean Beauty - Read the label. Yep! A label is the path to a product’s soul (Got a wee bit dramatic there!). Its undeniable. For example, a brand that's not trying to Greewash will not use disguise words like fragrance in their list of ingredients. How can fragrance be an ingredient, let alone in their natural form? This is the first red flag that the brand you're eyeing is not entirely being true to you. If you find this word in the label, moving along to the next aisle might be a good idea.
 
Clean beauty is the real deal. It is proud & confident of what it originally is & doesn’t claim to be something it’s not. (Sounds familiar? Looks like you’ve found your perfect beauty type! 💖)

 

Here’s how you can make the switch to clean beauty in 2021:

1. De-clutter. One Step at a Time. 

If you just stop what you're doing right now and think for a second, you'll actually realize that we all use numerous products on our bodies daily. DAILY! From the minute our eyes open until the minute they close, there's so much to take care of - there's hair, face, eyes, lips, arms, feet, the list doesn’t end. It's intimidating, isn't it? We recommend the most tested way out: Slow & Steady. 

Start with the bottles of shampoos and conditioners, then grab that innocent looking face wash from the vanity shelf. Once you're done sorting out the toxic ones from the non-toxic products, then you should put your hands on the many products you use on the body, and repeat the same process of keeping the good ones. Here's the step-by-step guide to sort out your makeup and skincare products. 

1. Look up the label for ingredients.

2. Refer our list of 5 toxic ingredients to get rid of now

3. Set aside products that have any of the ingredients in the list.

4. Dump these with a huge smile and give yourself a proud hi5!

5. Keep the products that are clean.

6. Re-stock with clean products if you need to.

 Voila! Your shelf is now a clean beauty haven. 😎

2. Find a brand you associate with and give them your dedicated time.

Easier said than done, right? We won’t lie, clean beauty brands in India are not a many but we’ve not given up our search, just like you. And we stumbled upon Sublime Life and Vanity Wagon. These amazing Marketplaces house brands that are carefully curated by stringent standards. You can trust our word on them. Once you’ve imprinted on the clean beauty brand of choice give it a month or two to show results.

3. Verify & Validate 

Now, this is probably the toughest step in the process but most critical. We can’t stress your role (Yes! You!) in this entire process. Especially in a country like ours where the cosmetic industry is highly unregulated. Being a smart shopper is the most underrated part of being a conscious shopper. Make sure you know your toxins and never settle for anything but the best for your skin. 

Bottomline: a product is only as clean as its worst ingredient.

Clean vs Organic vs Natural vs Green vs Vegan (All the same?) 

This is every beauty crusader’s misconception today. And we’re thrilled to play confusion-buster! 😊 This little illustration should clarify all your doubts around these forms of beauty.

 See! It’s not rocket science. 🤗

 

5 toxic ingredients to get rid of

Here's a whole glossary of our research on toxic ingredients, what we not so fondly call Rogue Particles!

Clean Beauty in 5 lines: 

• Clean beauty brands use non-toxic and safe ingredients
• The Ingredient Label is the holy truth
• No buzz-words. True to it’s imperfections.
• Fewer products with a short ingredients list is the way to go.
• Natural, Vegan, Organic, Green are at their best partial subsets of Clean beauty

Bonus Point:

• Indian Regulations do not mandate legal explanations for “Natural”, “Vegan”, “Organic”, “Green” or "Clean". So tread with care while in the beauty zone. 

Clean beauty isn’t about being 100% perfect. This means that yes, man-made ingredients are clean, as long as they’re safe and non-toxic. This also means that clean beauty doesn’t have to be all-natural, preservative-free, etc. Clean beauty is synonymous with non-toxic beauty. 🤍🤍

Rather than focussing on buzzwords like “natural” and “organic,” switch to clean beauty products and focus on eliminating as many toxins as possible from your daily products. 😘

At Novavii, we are hustling to create mske-up that is constructed on the ethos of clean beauty. While skincare in India has taken leaps in the clean beauty space, cosmetics are still trailing far behind and we want to be forerunners to this change for better! Also, we write interesting reads on clean beauty, DIY skincare, awesome lifestyle listicles and breakdown beauty-buzzwords to mean more than just words to you. If any or all of these are your jam, don’t forget to become a #NovaNative (we mean sign-up to Novavii) and we’ll make sure you’re the first to know when we’re up to some good. 😉
Until then, stay clean, stay Gently on-fleek!

Know someone who could benefit from this? Help them find us. Tell them to check us out and spread some clean love. 🥰 Clean Beauty is for Everyone.