SAN ANTONIO — The term “clean beauty,” which typically refers to skin care and cosmeceutical products free from parabens and other potentially harmful ingredients, can be confusing and misleading for consumers.
“I always say the word ‘clean’ has never been so murky,” Heather Woolery-Lloyd, MD, director of the skin of color division in the department of dermatology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Florida, said at the Society of Dermatology Physician Associates (SDPA) 23rd Annual Fall Dermatology Conference. “It’s something to be aware of, but there’s no standardization when it comes to clean beauty.”
She describes clean beauty as an umbrella term that includes products marketed as natural, vegan, organic, and clean. “Natural, of course, has no definition,” she said. “When you say natural, anyone can [claim that]. Water is natural.” She added that her patients with eczema sometimes ask her for a natural treatment. “And I’ll say, ‘Well, if I made a soap out of grass, grass is about as natural as it gets, but that would be very itchy.’ So [the word natural] doesn’t refer to anything specific, and it certainly doesn’t refer to sensitive skin.”
Vegan products, Woolery-Lloyd explained, are made without any animal-derived ingredients or byproducts, such as keratin, lanolin, collagen, beeswax, honey, or carmine — a red pigment commonly found in lipsticks and other red-tinted products. “Shellac comes from insects, and that’s in mascara,” she said. “If your patients are interested in vegan skin care, you can refer them to PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals], which has a list of products that are officially vegan.”
“Organic” is another popular term that attracts a lot of interest, she continued, but it doesn’t actually relate directly to skin care and isn’t regulated by the FDA. Instead, the term organic is regulated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and applies primarily to agricultural products. In general, a product labeled “100% organic” means that all of its ingredients are sourced from certified organic materials. “ This is almost impossible in skin care because most skin care products require some sort of preservative,” Woolery-Lloyd said. “The only thing that could be 100% organic would be an oil, like a product that only contains olive oil, shea butter, or cocoa butter.”
Most skin care products marketed as organic fall into one of two categories, she added: those made with at least 95% organic ingredients and those containing at least 70% organic ingredients. In the latter category, body lotion made with at least 70% organic ingredients (excluding water and salt) and only organic herbs may be labeled either “body lotion made with organic lavender, rosemary, and chamomile,” or “body lotion made with organic herbs.” Products may not display the USDA Organic Seal and must display the certifying agent’s name and address.
“Clean beauty” is another buzzword in the industry, Woolery-Lloyd said, but it remains a controversial concept because there’s no clear standard for what qualifies a product as clean. For example, ethanolamines such as DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamide), and TEA (triethanolamine) are commonly used in surfactants, fragrances, and emulsifiers in products marketed as clean, yet they are often regarded as potentially toxic ingredients. “The main issue with ethanolamines is that they can form carcinogenic nitrosamines when formulated with ingredients that break down into nitrogen,” she said, adding that their use is restricted in Europe and that they are associated with hand contact dermatitis.
Woolery-Lloyd concluded her presentation by addressing “greenwashing,” a practice in which a skin care company or other business spends more effort marketing itself as environmentally friendly than actually taking meaningful steps to reduce its negative impact on the planet. She cited a 2022 survey showing that nearly 60% of global and 70% of US executives admitted that their companies participated in greenwashing.
Woolery-Lloyd reported having no relevant conflicts.
Doug Brunk is a San Diego-based medical journalist.
