Cosmetics, following the Clean Beauty trend, are established in the beauty landscape and meet a real consumer demand. The arrival of applications to decipher the composition of products has led to a revolution in behavior and the industry. It was much easier and faster to know directly, by oneself, whether a product was clean or not! Beyond this first step, curiosity was raised regarding the ingredients... A vast new world was opening up.
What are these clean ingredients and their benefits? A quick reminder about the controversial ingredients.
USA versus Europe – The Blacklist of Ingredients
“How toxic are your cosmetics?” Translate “What is the toxicity of your cosmetic products?”, the Americans don’t beat around the bush and use shocking terms. Some cosmetics are even stamped ‘Risk-free’! Unthinkable in France, the legislation would not allow it. If we take one of the emblematic clean brands across the Atlantic, like Drunk Elephant, they communicated on the “Suspicious 6”, i.e. the six categories of non-clean ingredients excluded from their products: alcohol, sulfates, silicones, chemical sunscreens, essential oils, perfumes/dyes. The essential is said. However, in France we add many others! (Phenoxyethanol, nanoparticles, endocrine disruptors like parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates, etc.).
The eviction of essential oils deserves to be considered. Their effectiveness is widely recognized, they are composed of powerful molecules but their allergenic potential means that so-called 'clean' brands prefer to do without them and that more and more natural brands are offering one or more products in their ranges without essential oils.
With these exclusions in mind, let's focus on non-controversial ingredients. What are these safe and effective molecules?
Non-controversial ingredients
As Candice Colin , founder of the Clean Beauty app, frequently reminds us: "Our position has always been clear, we do not rate the product, because we believe that the problem is not the product, but the ingredient" and to specify "we must have a global reflection and take into account the exposome (which groups together all exposures to environmental factors)". In clean beauty , we will therefore find natural ingredients, from the plant world, and especially biomimetic ingredients that the skin will recognize and that it will therefore be able to assimilate better. The American distributor of clean cosmetics Follain describes them as follows: "It is about feeding our skin with real formulas rich in vitamins, minerals and nutrients that will contribute to nourishing it and improving it sustainably".
Plant extracts and plant active ingredients (flowers, leaves, roots, fruits, etc.)
Many have proven themselves and their virtues are well known to the general public: aloe vera, honey, centella asiatica, argan, prickly pear, calendula, etc. The list is long!
The issue of course concerns the purity, the extraction method and the transport of the extracts. It is currently difficult to know whether brands use green extraction, i.e. without chemical solvents. This is rarely indicated, however, more by young brands in the last two years. Thus, the clean and organic dermatological brand Alaena uses sprouted seeds from biotechnology (cultivation of active ingredients, living organisms in a bioreactor), for a deeply restorative effect.
The interest of green technologies
These new technologies make it possible to duplicate a plant in large quantities, which is very useful when the species is threatened. In addition, if tomorrow the entire cosmetic industry switched to natural mode, it would be a depletion of resources! Not to mention that land dedicated to food production is the priority, with a horizon of 10 billion humans to feed by 2050, according to statistics. Hence a bright future for biotechnologies as well as for vertical urban farms, whose cosmetics will be able to valorize certain unused parts of plants. Another important advantage is the reduction of the carbon impact.
The importance of harvesting and extraction
For optimal plant efficiency, harvesting is crucial. Several brands source directly from their own gardens or land, a guarantee of quality. Dr Hauschka, Weleda and Jurlique work with plants biodynamically. This approach, increasingly used in viticulture in particular, takes into account seeds, the biotope, gardening, the harvest period, the influence of the moon, etc. It places the plant at the heart of life, in connection with agriculture and the universe. Thus, some plants harvested in the morning dew will have sublimated virtues while for others it will be at the end of the day.
Yves Rocher, Sothys, Sanoflore cultivate organic aromatic and medicinal plants. The extraction for the latter is done with environmentally friendly techniques. Even Lancôme and Clarins have recently purchased plots in order to be as close as possible to the plants and to be able to observe their development, under different latitudes and temperatures (80,000 hectares in the Alps for the Clarins estate).
Land, tomorrow’s issue?
Clearly yes. In plant extracts, fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, and also the fabulous organic vegetable oils and oily macerates (the infusion of plants or parts of plants in a vegetable oil to extract its active ingredients). Enough to obtain the quintessence of the plant with an effect immediately recognized and absorbed by the skin, since it is the unique beneficial ingredient, concentrated in vitamins and antioxidants.
Key assets
Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, retinol, resveratrol, peptides, collagen… almost all have their plant counterpart (only vitamin C is mainly of synthetic origin because it is difficult to stabilize). For three years, there has been a real craze for plant retinol or phyto-retinol: bakuchiol, from the seed of babchi, an Indian plant used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. Concentrated between 0.5% and 2%, its effectiveness is comparable to synthetic retinol, with the advantage of not causing any irritation. Let us also mention marine collagen, very present in food supplements . Algae are also becoming a star ingredient (we have been saying this for years!), both in our food for their high nutritional value and on our skin to regenerate and remineralize it (the benefits of thalassotherapy are more than proven…).
The Conservatives
In the natural version, they are often replaced by alcohol and essential oils, possible irritants. Some young brands are promoting ferments from radish root (leucidal) to preserve their products. The ultimate solution is to do without preservatives, as is the case in anhydrous products (without water), the famous 'solids'. Including soaps, quite simply. However, solid products such as shampoos are controversial regarding their sodium cocoyl isethionate ingredient (because of the 'ethoxylated' manufacturing process - made from a very reactive, toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic gas, ethylene oxide. Not to mention their ecotoxicity). Nothing is perfect and other solutions are coming! Powder-based textures are also a good alternative to formulations with preservatives (be careful, however, to check that there are no heavy metals or irradiation).
The question of ethics
Can an ingredient be considered clean if it has a high environmental impact and is disrespectful to humans? No! It must also be manufactured in a 'clean' way in every sense of the word. For example, mica powder, widely used in makeup, is often extracted by children. Hence the interest in checking how the ingredients were manufactured. In this specific case, to ensure that the brand has joined the "Responsible Mica Initiative" association.
The organic approach
The Ecocert / Cosmebio certification of a product provides the guarantee that 95% of the products are of natural origin . This provides reassurance regarding the use of clean ingredients. The remaining 5% of ingredients from petrochemicals are authorized, and the list is set to evolve. For example, quaternary ammoniums, compounds derived from ammonia, are authorized in organic by the Cosmos label in their plant version. While these molecules, the 'Quats', can be toxic at certain concentration levels and their carbon footprint is poor (extraction is very polluting, they are non-biodegradable, just like the silicones they replace).
Reduce the number of ingredients
If you want clean ingredients in a product, you might as well try to have as few of them as possible.
“ Less is more ”
This is the assurance of avoiding subjecting your skin to a 'cosmetic soup' in the jargon of the trade! Because if you look closely at the composition of a cosmetic product, you will be surprised to see a whole bunch of ingredients participating in the binder, stability, sensoriality and of course the effectiveness of a formula. Such as polymers, glycerin (moisturizer), cellulose (bulking agent). But also surfactants, emulsifiers, emulsifiers, emollients, relipidants, touch agents, rheological agents, perfumes, preservatives, etc. Even if some are of natural origin, the majority are on supports derived from palm oil, which poses a real problem. Especially since this can be difficult to detect in the INCI. It is therefore advisable to avoid 'consuming' cosmetic products that are too loaded and processed, like food and its 'ultra-processed' products.
Reduce natural ingredients
This gesture also helps to reduce the risks of reactions, allergies and possible interactions (also with all the molecules to which humans are exposed throughout the day and life)! Not to mention that it also helps to reduce the carbon footprint, linked to the origin, extraction and transport of raw materials. Recent brands offer clean products with a reduced number of ingredients.
Homemade
You can also make your own cosmetics, the famous DIY (Do It Yourself) . For example, Cérat Galien with rose water contains five ingredients and is very easy to make for optimal nourishing effectiveness.
What about efficiency?
There is no universal ingredient or miracle ingredient! Except for vegetable oils, an ingredient used alone is not always a guarantee of effectiveness. Its activity can be reinforced in a galenic form, not to mention the increased sensory effect which greatly contributes to the appreciation and use of a product. When it was launched in 2010, the État Pur brand offered a library of pure active ingredients, to be combined with bases according to needs (day care, cleanser, etc.). Which is also the essence of DIY or the art and manner of making your own recipe by combining active ingredients and textures for a sensory and effective result.
The future of Clean ingredients? Those that will do good to our microbiome ! This community of billions of microorganisms that live on the surface of our skin. Tailor-made ingredients, which will promote the proliferation of 'good' bacteria and homeostasis, the right balance of the body and skin.
And why not present in a clean environment? In 2017, the Korean brand DrJart+ offered a 100% clean experience in its concept store in Seoul: the air was purified, visitors took an air shower upon arrival, the light was natural and purified water was available to customers. A concept that could well expand in these times of epidemic!
