Debunking beauty myths

The beauty sphere is riddled with myths and misinformation, especially when it comes to the clean beauty movement. We dive into the murky waters of what makes a product "clean" with the help of cosmetic chemist Michelle Wong to debunk and demystify the ever-evolving world of skincare.

- GEORGIA NELSON

In the Goop-ified world of beauty and wellness, the clean beauty movement has become a regular -point of tension, especially between brands and influencers on the one hand and scientists within the field on the other. When you scratch the surface, it becomes clear that "clean beauty" is more of a marketing label slapped onto a product much akin to "clean eating", insinuating that your favourite comfort foods are polluting your body and so too are your goto serums, moisturisers, and perfumes.

As The Eco Well founder Jen Novakovich writes in a blog post, "When you label your brand as 'clean', you imply to consumers that other products are 'dirty'. This denigrating marketing strategy trains people not to trust science, encourages conspiratorial thinking around regulations, and betrays trust across the whole industry."

The idea that products are "unsafe" because they contain particular ingredients is completely false - after all, it is illegal to sell unsafe products. Cosmetic regulations differ around the world, and in Australia, there are no specific government-mandated guidelines on testing cosmetics for safety and stability. But this isn't to say there are no regulations entirely (an argument made by many clean beauty advocates). There are plenty of regulations that all parties within the supply chain must comply with; for example, ingredients must be certified safe and adhere to specific purity standards. All legitimate beauty manufacturers also refer to other guidelines such as the British Pharmacopoeia, certain therapeutic goods orders (TGOs), and industry best-practice guidelines to ensure their products are stable and safe to use.