While many cosmetics companies have evolved with the times to introduce healthier formulas, many others strive to be green or clean as part of their overall mission. “For us, it has been the driving force behind our brand since its genesis in 1994,” says Shawn Towne, global educator at Jane Iredale. “From the beginning, Jane purposefully developed our formulas without things like talc, petroleum, synthetic preservatives, synthetic fragrances, or toxic dyes. Our list of clean initiatives continues to evolve and grow as clean technology evolves and grows, because Jane truly cares about our consumers, our co-inhabitants, and our planet.”
At Vapour Beauty, it is the company’s mission to keep it clean. According to cofounder Kristine Keheley, products rely on minimally processed ingredients that stay as close to the plant source as possible. The company is focused on creating primers, foundations, and color cosmetics made with plant-based organic botanicals and natural pigments that enhance the skin. “We honor global organic farming to reduce pesticides in the soil and water table for human and environmental health,” says Keheley. “Our core beliefs are founded on transparency and education.” Organic formulations with certified organic ingredients are also key at Juice Beauty, which offers vibrant plant-pigment makeup.
Beyond sourcing, it’s also important to consider how the ingredients are processed. RMS Beauty uses minimal heat in the manufacturing process to help preserve the nutrients provided by nature. “Unlike today’s synthetic counterparts, this technique allows natural healing and life force attributes, such as enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and most of all, antioxidants to remain fully intact, naturally penetrating and rejuvenating the skin,” says founder and celebrity makeup artist Rose Marie Swift. “For gorgeous, modern color, RMS Beauty has chosen color tints from pure, raw, uncorrupted, and uncoated minerals that are always free from any harmful processed elements.”
So where the market is headed? According to Organic Spa Media’s Rona Berg, it’s toward an increasing desire, especially among millennials, for ingredient transparency, sustainability, and social responsibility.
“More and more, consumers care about the environment,” she says. “They want their purchases to make an impact, and they are willing to pay more for brands that are transparent and those that share their back story and provenance.” One interesting development in the clean beauty revolution is the fact that the younger generations are leading the charge.
“Consumers are being increasingly discerning with beauty products, and younger consumers are often educating their parents when it comes to evaluating a beauty product, which is the inverse for traditionally how consumer product education used to occur from grandmother to mother to daughter,” says Karen Behnke, founder of Juice Beauty. According to her, department stores are reporting that this tradition of passing down info from old to young is being turned upside down. Instead, younger consumers, influenced by Instagram and social media, are reading ingredient labels and advising their moms what to buy or avoid.
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