We make no secret of the fact that we are 100 per cent committed to clean beauty – hey, it’s in our name! – but for many consumers, exactly why that’s a more attractive choice isn’t always clear. Non-natural, toxic just isn’t an option for us, and for so many reasons.

What does clean beauty mean to us?

Clean beauty products are made without ingredients shown or suspected to harm human health, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. For us, clean beauty can be luxurious, high-performance, and a true joy to use – factors that weren’t always a must in the realms of natural and organic many years ago. Luckily for us, there’s no compromise to be made any more—the R&D has gotten that good. So why do conventional beauty companies keep making products with potentially harmful ingredients? There are probably too many reasons to name, so we’ll focus on why we love clean and natural, and some brands you might want to explore.

Ingredients to avoid

Did you know that cosmetics companies aren’t required to disclose what’s inside ingredients that are considered trade secrets, like fragrance? This loophole means that any skincare, makeup, fragrance, hair care and the like can contain many potentially harmful ingredients with no mention of them, so long as they are included in the fragrance formula. Many of these are endocrine disruptors, which used to be easier to spot. These are chemicals that have the ability to mimic the body’s hormones and include parabens (a routinely used class of preservatives; look for words ending in “-paraben” on labels, like “butylparaben”). As the name suggests, endocrine disruptors mess with the endocrine system, which regulates our body’s essential rhythms (like metabolism, mood, and reproductive processes). The reason endocrine disruptors are particularly dangerous is that they come in very tiny doses. It’s their micro size that allows them to impersonate our own hormones (also very tiny), altering the production levels of our hormones and the way they behave. Endocrine disruptors have been linked to severe long-term health damage, including reproductive issues, birth defects, metabolic problems, and cancer, and they are even more of a concern for children with developing systems. 

Known carcinogens— and many more ingredients that are considered possibly carcinogenic – are also frequently found in beauty and personal care products, and it’s completely legal to do so. The main carcinogen to be aware of is formaldehyde, which can be used as a preservative in makeup, hair care, body products, fragrance, and skincare. 

But enough science. On top of all this, clean beauty is most often better for the environment, with many brands also opting for more responsible packaging choices and supporting a more circular model for their products. 

Where do I start?

Scroll on and discover three natural beauty brands that we love. You might want to consider these next time you need to replace your foundation or shampoo!

For makeup: Aleph Beauty

Precisely created from powerful active, natural ingredients, all of Aleph Beauty’s products work in harmony with the skin at the cellular level – and they look and feel amazing. With shades that are customisable to all skin types, tones and shades and incredible coverage and staying power, Aleph is one of the fastest-growing cosmetic brands in New Zealand’s market with good reason. Less than a year after debuting their natural cosmetics collection, the brand was nominated for Best Natural Makeup at 2019’s Best in Beauty Awards, and if you haven’t tried their beautiful Concealer/Foundation then you are definitely missing out. 

For skincare: NUORI

NUORI was launched by Jasmi Bonnén in 2015 with a philosophy rooted in freshly blended skincare, which gives the unique opportunity to create the purest formulations with the highest level of efficacy. Incredibly luxurious to use, at the heart of every NUORI product is the brand’s philosophy of “Fight for Fresh”. All NUORI products are freshly blended in small batches every 10-12 weeks in their laboratories, and then quickly shipped to their retail partners around the world. They also invest a lot in premium protective packaging that minimises exposure to air, light, bacteria and mould before and during use.

For haircare: Chloe Zara Hair

Another New Zealand clean beauty hero, Chloe Zara Hair takes luxe, natural haircare and elevates it to incredible new levels. The collection is the work of award-winning Auckland hairstylist Chloe, who has her own boutique salon space and now a haircare collection that has seriously disrupted the industry thanks to its stellar results. The collection is comprised of everyday essentials, as well as a luxurious Hair & Body Perfume Oil that comes with the most incredible earthy, spicy scent of saffron, pineapple, fig and sandalwood that was created in Grasse, France. Launching with the Silk Hair Wash, Silk Condition, Hair Balm and Hair & Body Perfume Oil, she recently added a Hair Crème to the lineup.

Want to discover more clean beauty brands? You can browse more natural, non-toxic beauty brands here.