I’ve been on a journey to clean up my skincare routine for about 2 years now. During this time, the wave of new ‘clean beauty’ products just keeps piling up. I’m beginning to question the validity of the marketing and campaigns. Are my favorite clean beauty products really as non-toxic as they claim to be?
The best way to find out is to do your own research. So, I decided to visit my favorite website for fact checking health claims. ewg.org. The Environmental Working Group does a phenomenal job of informing consumers about the potential toxic chemicals hiding in products and foods they use and consume on a daily basis. They even rate thousands of beauty products for their toxicity levels. Here’s how my favorite clean beauty brands rated.
Average Ranking of MILK Makeup products on EWG.org
MILK Makeup
One of my most recent purchases was the Hydro Grip Primer from MILK makeup. This is my first purchase from this cosmetics brand and I’m excited to try it out for the first time. This particular product was not listed on ewg.org but their Cooling Water Mist rated a two. The main concerns were moderate non-reproductive contaminates from their use of FD&C BLUE 1. This gives me faith that their other products will rate in the same range. You can view the full report here.
*The EWG uses a rating scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the least toxic and 10 being the most toxic.
Average Ranking of Versed products on EWG.org
Versed
I’m currently using the Shortcut Overnight Facial Peel from Versed (psst! it’s only $10 here!!). Its a great way to add moisture to my skin overnight. While this product was not rated on EWG.org, several other Versed products rated between 2 and 3 for an average of 2.5*. You can check out how Versed products rank on ewg.org here.
*The EWG uses a rating scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the least toxic and 10 being the most toxic.
Average Ranking of Tarte Cosmetics products on EWG.org
Tarte Cosmetics
If I’ve never expressed my love of Tarte Cosmetics on my blog, then consider this my coming out. I’m quickly stacking up products from this great cosmetics line. Check out my video review of the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Foundation.
Tarte products ranked all over the place with the highest scoring product ranking at a one and the lowest scoring product ranking at an 8. Overall, the majority of the 625 products listed ranked in at a 5 or above. You can view the products here.
I wasn’t thrilled with the ratings for their products but it definitely opened my eyes to the areas that Tarte needs to work on. In their defense, the lower ranking products were older formulations that may now be defunct. Either way, their average product rating was 3.2 (out of 625 products rated) and I’ll keep using their product with that overall score.
*The EWG uses a rating scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the least toxic and 10 being the most toxic.
Average Ranking of Bareminerals products on EWG.org
Bareminerals
As a loyal fan of Bareminerals foundation, I was excited to see the brand rank so well. They’ve recently undergone a rebranding which I have witnessed at Sephora. Their marketing now includes the ‘clean beauty’ tag line. And rightfully so with scores like the ones below.
Prime Time Primer scored a 1 out of 10.
Mineral Veil scored a 1 out of 10.
And their Barepro concealers were also rated a 1.
*The EWG uses a rating scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the least toxic and 10 being the most toxic.
Average Ranking of OSEA Malibu products on EWG.org
Osea Malibu
I’ve grown to love Osea Malibu for their line of luxurious skincare products. And while the ingredients list is lengthy, their ratings on EWG tip towards the better end of the scale. Here’s how a few of my favorites ranked;
1. Black Algae Mask 3 out of 10
2. Ocean Cleansing Milk 2 out of 10
3. Ocean Cleansing Mud 3 out of 10
See more product ratings here.
*The EWG uses a rating scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the least toxic and 10 being the most toxic.
The beauty industry has so many buzz words right now, ‘clean beauty’, natural, organic, it can be very hard to know who’s telling the truth.
The two places I have put my faith in when it comes to navigating the non-toxic beauty world is EWG and Credo. Even if EWG does not list a product analysis on their website, you can look up the toxicity of individual ingredients that are listed on the label of your makeup products. It takes a little work, but your health is worth it. Credo, is the largest clean beauty store that only sells products that meet their definition of ‘clean’ and you can visit their website here.
I hope this post was helpful for you, and I’ll continue keeping it real with you guys when it comes to the ‘clean beauty’ standards. If you like this post share it with a friend!
