What are Clean Beauty Products?

Recently, I was asked to help host a clean beauty event at Neiman Marcus, and it was so informative that I just had to share what I learned with y’all. The Dallas downtown Neiman Marcus store asked me to host their NEW, NOW, NEXT event featuring Trending Beauty. This event spotlights beauty brands that are innovative in the market and many of them were started by entrepreneurial women looking for clean beauty products without losing anti-aging benefits. Let’s dive right in…

Shop Clean Beauty Products Available at Neiman Marcus

One of the most fascinating things I discovered at the Neiman Marcus beauty event was how unregulated “clean beauty products” are in the U.S. While Europe has banned or regulated 1,328 ingredients in personal care products, the United States has banned only 10 (Bithionol, Chlorofluorocarbon, Chloroform, Halogenated salicylanilides, Hexachlorophene, Mercury compounds, Methylene chloride, cattle materials, Vinyl chloride, Zirconium). That is startling when you think about it! There are 1,317 ingredients and counting that are unsafe for Europeans to use, and yet Americans still have these toxins in their everyday products. Thankfully, retailers like Neiman’s are especially focused on offering more and more truly non-toxic, clean beauty products! You can find clean beauty products and options at places like Sephora, Goop, and Beauty Counter, but I really love Neiman’s “Wellness Shop.” It offers a curated selection of beauty products free of parabens, phthalates and sulfates, preventing carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and other toxins from entering your body.

To give you a little background info, the FDA has very little power over the personal care industry. Did you know that this industry hasn’t passed a regulation for over 80 years? And to make matters worse, 80% of the chemicals in personal care products have never been tested for safety! Can you believe that? Cosmetic companies are not even required to disclose ingredients that they consider to be “trade secrets.” This means that they can use toxic ingredients and even advertise products as being “natural” or “green” without it actually being true. I’m telling you all of this because it is important to be aware that what’s marketed on the front of a product oftentimes does not line up with the ingredients on the back.

So what are “clean beauty products” you might ask? Well, they essentially refer to beauty products that are free of toxic ingredients linked to harmful health effects. Toxic ingredients include things like parabens, formaldehydes, sulfates, phthalates, PEGs, BHAs, ethanolamines, chemical sunscreens, and synthetic fragrances. These can all cause problems as little as skin irritation or as big as reproductive issues and even cancer. Here and here you can find a great comprehensive list that includes chemicals of concern to look out for when purchasing personal products. So if you see any of these listed ingredients on your own beauty products, I highly recommend getting rid of it and avoiding these toxins at all costs!

Listed below are some of my personal favorite clean beauty products that I recently got from Neiman Marcus. I suggest checking these out and replacing some of your typical toxic beauty products with them if clean beauty is your thing. Also, while I’m on my clean beauty education rant – Europe has strict regulations about the clean beauty industry and ITALY is the strictest about this! You have to grow plants on your farm for at least 3 years organically before ever using a harvest for products that will be deemed “clean beauty”. And when you want your crop to be considered for clean beauty products, the government will send out someone to test it first. Talk about quality control!

Clean Beauty Products to Consider

• Kjaer Weis Cream Blush Makeup Compact: This cream blush enhances your complexion with its buildable, moisturizing formula. I love how you can easily control the color intensity from sheer to bold. Its even safe enough to use on both eyes and lips. This brand is also very cool because you can purchase refills for all of the makeup compacts!
• Dr. Barbara Sturm Glow Drops: These drops revitalize tired, dull skin and restore its radiance. It optimizes skin tone and refines the pores, giving the complexion a more even appearance and natural glow.
• Dr. Barbara Hyaluronic Serum: This serum delivers a moisture kick with an instant refreshing effect for hydrated, smooth, and firm skin. It reduces the appearance of fine lines and also restores skin after sun-exposure.
• Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream: Professor Bader developed a luxuriously rich and deeply hydrating face cream inspired by 30 years of research and innovation. This restores and regenerates skin’s youthful appearance with its intense hydration, providing the ultimate protective shield for dry skin. I have the larger size, but the brand also offers this smaller size too.
• Circcell Skincare Cream E3: This Essential Restoration Renewal & Replacement Treatment smoothes fine lines and wrinkles, firms, improves tone, and improves both elasticity & moisture. The cream also provides intensive anti-aging correction for a balanced and youthful appearance.
• ReFa Expression High Tension Mask: This mask has double hooks that attach to the ears, allowing the sheet to cover the neck where signs of aging tend to appear. Its three layers provide moisture to illuminate the skin’s natural suppleness and elasticity.
• Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water: The refreshing cleansing fluid is a makeup remover and gentle cleanser all in one. It’s a soothing thermal mineral water that contains botanical extracts to effectively dissolve even stubborn waterproof makeup easily. This replenishes the complexion with brightening minerals, cleanses pores, and moisturizes skin to feel fresh and clean without oily or tacky residue. You don’t even have to rinse after using it! It also comes in a cloth form if you prefer a makeup wipe.
• Koh Gen Do Pure Cotton Pads: Use these cotton pads with the Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water to cleanse off any makeup or dirt. These extra-thick, extra-soft pads are made of 100% pure cotton that hasn’t been chemically treated or dyed. They are durable yet gentle for sensitive skin. Use them to apply face moisturizer and makeup or wipe off cleansers. The brand even suggests saturating the cotton with lotion to use as a face mask.
• Hum Dietary Supplements – Red Carpet and Daily Cleanse: The Red Carpet supplement contains essential fats that support fuller, shinier hair and hydrated, glowing skin. It also minimizes the appearance of pores and wrinkles. The Daily Cleanse supplement helps detox skin as well as the liver, bowel, kidney, lungs and lymphatic system. This detoxifies for a clearer, smoother complexion.
• Vital Proteins Dietary Supplements – Collagen Peptides and Beauty Collagen: The Collagen Peptide supplement is used to combat loss of skin firmness, elasticity and dryness. It’s a natural ingestible powder that gives you the boost you need for strong and healthy hair, skin, nails, bones and joints. The Beauty Collagen supplement is very similar but just fruit-flavored. It provides moisture and elasticity to skin, strength to nails, and shine and volume to hair. Vital Proteins offers a wide range of other supplements as well.

Check out more clean beauty products from Neiman Marcus Wellness Shop below. What are your thoughts on clean beauty?

xoxo – Tanya

Shop these Clean Beauty Products

photo: Audrie Dollins

Thank you to Neiman Marcus for gifting all the products. All opinions are my own.