Little more than a decade ago, the clean-cosmetics industry included just a few isolated brands. Not so today.
In 2015, Shashi Batra, who helped bring cosmetic behemoth Sephora to
the United States, launched Credo Beauty, which exclusively offers
natural-beauty brands that meet a rigorous standard of purity and
sustainability. It now boasts a robust online operation and a
brick-and-mortar storefront in San Francisco.
There are dozens of clean-beauty sites online, like Spirit Beauty
Lounge and the Detox Market, whose founders curate products based on
their ingredient quality, safety, and efficacy — not simply how
dramatically the product will change your look.
And high-profile brands are following their lead. Celebrity facialist
Tracie Martyn, whose clients include Kate Winslet and Madonna, uses and
promotes plant-based products.
The global demand for organic personal-care products is expected to
reach $13.2 billion by 2018, according to a report by Transparency
Market Research. The body-care aisles of Target and Whole Foods are
lined with brands boasting clean ingredient profiles. In 2013,
mega-retailer Walmart began requiring suppliers to disclose certain
hazardous chemicals in the cosmetics, fragrances, and other
personal-care products sold in its stores.
Stacy Malkan, cofounder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author of Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry,
attributes the growing popularity of clean cosmetics to two factors:
rising consumer consciousness about the links between toxic ingredients
and health problems, and greater connectedness among consumers.
“People are no longer getting their information directly from
companies,” Malkan says. “They’re getting it from friends and trusted
sources, and sharing what’s good and what works.”
Companies that want to survive are adapting quickly, Malkan explains.
“They’re giving consumers what they want, which is clean products and
full transparency about what’s in them.”
The enthusiasm for cleaner body-care products also crosses gender
lines; sales of natural products marketed to men are on the rise. In
2013, men spent more on toiletries than shaving gear — a historic first —
and many are opting for cleaner products from brands like Bulldog,
Herban Cowboy, and Burt’s Bees.
Men account for 40 percent of the customers at Soapwalla, a line of
clean skincare products for sensitive skin, says founder Rachel Winard.
And well-established companies like EO, one of the first personal-care
companies to offer certified organic products, have also launched lines
specifically for men.