BARBARA OLIOSO
The Green Chemist Consultancy, United Kingdom

Clean Beauty is a buzz word that has spread far and wide in the cosmetic industry over the last couple of decades. It is the combination of two subjective words that both have a great emotional pull; “clean” has connotations of physically being without dirt or blemish, as well as an ethical reference of having integrity, and “beauty”, which is both in the eyes of the beholder and has a sense of well-being, referring to how one feels about one self.

The subjective quality of these words and the complexities and nuances of meanings surrounding the terms have led to a great deal of controversy and many discussions, generating a variety of points of views!

In my opinion the key to reconciling these different points of views is to understand how this trend started, how it has evolved, and how it is currently shaping the industry.

THE ORIGINS OF CLEAN BEAUTY
Clean Beauty was born in the USA, birthed from the health concerns about several cosmetic ingredients, as well as from the desire for milder beauty products that would not compromise on performance. Since then, it has become a sign ...