It is no longer conceivable today for a cosmetic brand to launch without being "clean" . Here is the story of the pioneers of this Clean Beauty, of these brands often embodied by women who have really paved the way for this more natural, greener, more organic and more sustainable cosmetic.
Organic cosmetics, pioneer of Clean Beauty?
Does Clean Beauty, this anglicism for the concept popularized by hype and highly Instagrammable brands, often from London, New York or California, have such a new history?
Brands that choose to formulate natural cosmetics, without controversial ingredients, while respecting humans, animals and the environment, doesn't that ring a bell? This is the very principle of all natural and organic brands, some of which date back more than 50 years, in Germany or France, which were the first to shake things up by creating the Cosmebio Charter in 2002. We could mention Weleda, Melvita, Phyt's, Lavera, Sanoflore , etc. By choosing natural and organic raw materials to respect the health of the skin and the planet, with "clean" production principles (the French version of clean, after all!), they shook up the industry. And paved the way for "Clean Beauty".
Pioneers of Clean Beauty, surprising origins
We very often look to America or Asia to find the origin of a movement. But we forget that in France, we also have some pretty flagships, who wanted to move things forward very (too?) early.
Thus, in 2008, Novexpert , created by Cyrille Telinge , a troublemaker in the cosmetics industry, banned a number of substances that were not yet controversial, talked about endocrine disruptors and cocktail effects , without however seeking certification, because the brand is based on science and biotechnology.
The same goes for Bioderma founded by Jean-Noël Thorel and his discourse on the "eco-biology" of the skin, favoring biomimetic ingredients, present in the skin or imitating its natural functioning.
Ren Clean Skincare was founded in 2000 in London by Antony Buck and Robert Calcraft . Their vision is summed up in the name since Ren means "clean, pure" in Swedish: cosmetics without chemical ingredients, developed from the latest advances in biotechnology, healthy for the skin, the environment and the planet. Yes, but the brand has now passed into the hands of the international cosmetics group Unilever, and if it continues in its lineage with a strong environmental message, it has lost its founders.
Other French brands also deserve the title of pioneers: we can cite Kure Bazaar , which created bio-sourced varnish in 2012, or Absolution (2008) which combines organic and beautiful, or Oolution which focuses on naturalness and effectiveness.
The pioneer of Clean Beauty “Green, Clean and Glam”
But it is from across the Atlantic, where the regulation on cosmetics is much less drastic than in Europe, that the Clean Beauty movement has arrived as a reaction. With very well-marketed brands, whose founder has become her own muse and highly publicized spokesperson.
The perfect example, which will inspire others, is Tata Harper , the "Green Beauty Queen". This Colombian woman living in Vermont began working on her brand in 2005, when organic was still a bit austere, which she launched in 2010. She seduced influencers, fashion stars and models by creating organic and "100% natural" products and by standing out from European organic products with products that reconcile organic, effective, clean and glamorous. The formulas are long, with up to 72 plant extracts, the green glass packs are photogenic and the designer transformed herself into an influencer by feeding her Instagram account with stories and master classes. The success is global and creates a business model.

The pioneers of Clean Beauty 2.0
Since Tata Harper, the clean brands that have been on the rise have all been embodied by a female designer, who is also prolific on social networks. Whatever their discourse and positioning, they all emerged via the Internet and then Instagram.
In Great Britain, we obviously distinguish the Goop brand, from the actress turned "priestess", Gwyneth Paltrow . Goop, initially the actress's blog showing her "New Age" lifestyle, delivering her "healthy" recipes and sometimes controversial opinions, became in 2011 a brand of cosmetics, fashion and food supplements.
In France , Oh My Cream and Aime are the benchmarks. Juliette Lévy first created the Oh My Cream e-commerce site, exclusively listing trendy and clean brands, then a network of boutiques before launching her eponymous brand. Mathilde Lacombe , after an initial experience at ELLE magazine, launched the first cosmetic box system in France, JolieBox, which became Birchbox, before imagining the extremely polished world of Aime, with the In and Out concept, combining rebalancing food supplements and clean cosmetics. Mathilde Lacombe has become a prominent influencer, which has allowed Aime to take off through its large Instagram community.
Then comes Respire , which with just one deodorant, made Justine Hutteau a star. And many brands have been following the Clean Beauty movement for the past 2-3 years.