A few years ago, it occurred to me that even though I had been careful about what I put in my mouth, I had absolutely no idea as to what was in the magic lotions and anti-aging potions I was putting on my skin, the body's largest organ which absorbs just about everything.
After nearly six months of research (once an analyst, always an analyst), as well as a lot of trial and error, I learned that:
There are countless products on the market that can make your skin look good, but most contain dangerous and harmful ingredients that are gradually destroying your health
Words like “natural” and even “organic” don’t mean much when it comes to personal care products (psst: arsenic is both natural and organic)
Companies can make any kinds of false claims, because there is virtually no government oversight in the personal care and beauty industries
Although some "all natural" and organic products may be safer, they simply don't perform
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So given my family history of cancer, autoimmune disorders and Alzheimer's, I decided it imperative to stop slathering myself with the multisyllabic, disease-causing, mystery chemicals that appeared on the ingredient labels of some of my favorite products… but not until I found products that could perform at least as well as the products I loved, because ego. 🙈
And it was in this limbo that I remained until I discovered Beautycounter, a skin care and makeup brand, has become synonymous with the clean beauty movement (their mission is “to get safer products in the hands of everyone!”). It's also involved in advocacy for better, healthier legal regulation in the US and Canada.
Its makeup is solid and it has some of the best skin care products— all blessedly sans harmful chemicals — on the market. Move over, La Mer (literally, I gave mine away when I discovered Beatycounter’s Cleansing Balm and Rejuvenating Eye Cream)!
Beautycounter is one of only 1,800 companies across the world that are B-Corp Certified (this means that these companies meet the highest standards of verified, overall social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability). It is also Leaping Bunny Certified (this means that their products are never tested on animals and 100% cruelty-free).
To see how your products and the ingredients inside them measure up, visit EWG’s SkinDeep. You’ll find product and ingredient safety ratings, health information about cosmetics ingredients and smart shopping tips you can trust. Look for EWG Verified brands, like Beautycounter, which boast good manufacturing practices, full transparency of all ingredients used, and consciously avoid EWG’s ingredients of concern.
What makes Beautycounter different is it's ability to strike the perfect balance between high-end skincare and cosmetics which are safe and yet still perform as well as (and in many cases, better than) the products you currently have on your shelves. Beautycounter products are luxurious, beautifully packaged, smell amazing (without any synthetic fragrance), and make me look and feel beautiful. Even more importantly, Beautycounter is leading the movement to change the way lawmakers regulate harmful chemicals that make up our everyday products, because today, there is barely any oversight at all. Just watch the short, 3-minute video to learn more.
Want to know why we need more companies like Beautycounter that are not only producing products with ingredients that aren’t going to harm us but fighting for us in Washington? Just take a look at these deeply disturbing facts about the regulation of the personal care and beauty industry in the U.S. by numbers:
80,000
80
percent of personal care and beauty ingredients never tested for safety
1400 vs. 30
the number of harmful chemical banned or restricted in the E.U. vs. the U.S.
1.5
the number of pages of U.S. federal law used to oversee the personal care and beauty industry
1938
the last time Congress passed a law to regulate the personal care and beauty industry
400
6
the number of FDA inspectors to monitor 3 million international shipments of personal care and beauty products (some products that made it to inspection contained hazardous levels of mold and others were found to have dangerous levels of mercury, enough to cause kidney and nervous system damage).
While BeautyCounter's products aren't touted as “organic” or “all-natural” (although many of their ingredients are, given the lack of government oversight, these terms don't mean very much anyway), they employ a rigorous Ingredient Selection Process that ensures some of the safest, cleanest, and most high-performing products available. And what I love is that Beautycounter gets an A+ for transparency. They aren’t shy about telling you exactly which ingredients you’ll find in their products (vs. hiding behind "proprietary formulas" to hide toxic chemicals). All ingredients are openly listed on every package, and even explained in detail (e.g., what they are and how they're derived) on the Ingredients page of their website.
It is because of Beautycounter's commitment to using safe ingredients and practices (many of their products are EWG Verified), the countless celebrity endorsements (and you know they can afford to buy any brand they want), and the fact that I absolutely love the products that I feel confident using them on myself and my family. What’s really reassuring is that Beautycounter's Never List™ is made up of more than 1,500 questionable or harmful chemicals that will never used as ingredients in their products. This includes the over 1,400 chemicals banned or restricted in personal care products by the European Union (the US bans only 30!), plus additional chemicals screened by Beautycounter and found to be of concern.
My family and I deserve better. And so do you and yours.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Gregory is an Integrative Nutritionist and founder of NEWTRITION NEWYOU. Her focus—whether with private clients, readers of her blog, or her followers on social media— is whole body wellness, incorporating whole-food nutrition, supplementation, exercise, toxin-free living, and mindset coaching. Victoria’s personal mission is to help make the world a healthier place, one person at a time, and she has helped thousands of people find joy and self-love through better eating habits and mindfulness. Learn more about Victoria.
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