Clean Beauty, Non Toxic and the Marketing That MAKES ME MAD!!
The words “clean” and “non toxic” in beauty are mostly marketing. I’m writing this so my clients and anyone who buys skincare can be a more educated consumer and worry a little less about buzzwords that don’t mean what they sound like.
What people mean by “non toxic” and “clean” is nothing more than a marketing strategy designed to sell product. Fear sells. Labels that imply danger in conventional products push people toward whatever is being marketed as “safer.” Multi-level marketing (MLM) companies helped popularize this language, and that momentum spread through influencers, social media, and both large and small brands.
A few practical realities to keep in mind
Toxicity is about dose. As the old adage goes, “the dose makes the poison.” Almost everything is harmful at a high enough dose; at the doses used in regulated skincare, many ingredients are safe and effective.
Chemistry matters. Small molecular changes or different derivatives of an ingredient can change safety and efficacy. A name on a label doesn’t tell the whole story.
Why these terms make me mad
They’re unscientific. “Clean” and “non-toxic” have no standardized, regulated definitions. Anyone can slap them on a label.
They mislead consumers. People may avoid perfectly safe, effective products because of fear-driven messaging, or they may overvalue unproven products that use the label as a selling point.
They can oversimplify risk. Skincare safety isn’t binary. Ingredients aren’t inherently “good” or “bad” without context (concentration, form, formulation, usage).
They create unnecessary anxiety. I don’t want my clients worrying that everything is secretly harmful when it’s not.
My promise to my brand and to you
I will never use “clean” or “non-toxic” as marketing for my brand. It feels vague and a little dishonest. Unless of course someday it becomes a real standard.
My products are small batch and made with intention you can easily see the ingredients listed on the bottle.
I will continue to educate my clients so they can make informed choices rather than scaring them into buying one product over another.
Don’t feel silly! I used to believe completely in the “non-toxic” messaging too. We all want safe choices for ourselves and our loved ones. But honesty and transparency are better long-term strategies than fear mongering.