#GreenBeauty Talk: Natural, Organic, Vegan, Nontoxic! What do they really mean?

As a Makeup Artist & Small Business Owner who’s main focus is to offer and use a wide range of natural beauty products, I find myself trying to clear up some of the confusion for a lot of my clients & customers on a daily basis.

Without mentioning brand names, I will say; “If you buy it in a department or drugstore, the likelihood that your makeup or skincare is truly natural or even nontoxic is rare. But let’s zone in on some of those key words.”

Natural: The word “Natural” is great, but can be put on just about anything because it really doesn’t require any kind of certification. All Natural products do exist, but they usually still require you to read your ingredient labels. Also, look out for products that say “Made with Natural Ingredients” - More often than not, these products still have harmful or toxic ingredients in them (Like fragrance, parabens, mineral oil, urea…etc)

Nontoxic: The word “Nontoxic” in the beauty world means that these products may still have some chemicals or synthetic ingredients in them that are not known to be linked to any illnesses. It’s actually in some ways a more truthful word than people just slapping the word “Natural” on something to get you to buy it. As long as you’re not sensitive or allergic to any of the ingredients, Nontoxic products are typically a safe option.

Vegan: The word Vegan drives me crazy because it’s definitely one of the most misunderstood words in the GreenBeauty Vocabulary. It’s not a bad thing - Being Vegan when it comes to beauty products means that there are NO animal related or derived ingredients (like beeswax, gelatin, cholesterol…etc). What does Vegan NOT mean? It does not mean that these products are made with all plant-based ingredients or that it is free of any toxic chemicals. Please - Still read these labels because there is still a huge chance that you’ll still find unwanted chemicals in Vegan-labeled products.

Organic: When a label sports the USDA Certified Organic stamp, you can take that for its word. The word “Organic” truly means that there are ZERO chemicals (toxic or non) in this product. There are also some products that are Organic that are not stamped, simply because it’s expensive to get things certified. So if a product says “Organic” but the stamp is missing, again, read the ingredients. These labels should be easy to read with simple ingredients like organic coconut oil, organic lavender essential oil, organic aloe jelly…etc.

With all of the words associated with healthy beauty these days, it’s easy to get it all mixed up. But the good news is that it really is quite simple - knowing these key words & learning even just a few key ingredients’ (like Parabens, Urea, Fragrance…etc) and truly knowing what each word means can help you in a big way.

Still unsure if you’ll ever have it all memorized? I also highly recommend EWG.com to check your ingredients (Just search an ingredient on this site for a full profile on how toxic or safe it is to use on your body or in your home). OR download the ThinkDirty App to scan a product label for a run-down on what’s really inside.

http://www.thinkdirtyapp.com

You can find Mariel DeScarfino at her store in Northvale and online at:

https://www.lipstickandmagictricks.com

on Instagram

@lipstickandmagictricks