What is Clean beauty?

11 July

Written By Clean Beauty Coalition

What Is Clean Beauty?

Redefining Beauty for Our Bodies, Communities, and the Planet

At the Clean Beauty Coalition, we believe beauty should never come at the cost of your health—or our environment. But in a world filled with confusing marketing, greenwashing, and unregulated terms, one question continues to surface:

What is clean beauty?

Clean Beauty Is…

Non-toxic. Transparent. Ethical. Inclusive.

At its core, clean beauty means using products made without ingredients known or suspected to harm human health. That includes a wide range of toxic chemicals—like parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, and synthetic fragrance blends—that have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, infertility, and other serious health risks.

For us, clean beauty also means:

• Transparency: Clear labeling and full ingredient disclosure

• Science & Safety: Backed by toxicologists, dermatologists, and rigorous testing

• Sustainability: Eco-conscious packaging and ethical sourcing practices

• Health Equity: Centering the needs of communities disproportionately impacted—especially Black women and children

Why It Matters

Black women are exposed to 80% more toxic beauty ingredients than white women. And 1 in 12 products marketed to us are ranked “highly hazardous.” This isn’t just a beauty issue—it’s a justice issue. Clean beauty means protecting our bodies from harm, standing up to outdated regulations, and pushing for safer industry standards.

Beyond Buzzwords

Unlike terms like “natural” or “organic,” which are often loosely defined, clean beauty is a movement. It’s a call to action—for consumers, brands, and legislators to do better.

At Clean Beauty Coalition, we’re raising the standard through advocacy, education, and policy reform. We’re also working to create tools like the CBC Verified™ certification and the Klarity™ mobile app so that you can shop smarter and safer.

What You Can Do

• Start reading ingredient labels

• Take our Clean Beauty Pledge (https://www.cleanbeautycoalition.org/pledge)

• Support brands committed to clean formulations

• Share what you learn with friends, family, and community

Because beauty should empower—not endanger.

Stay tuned as we continue to break down ingredients, highlight safe swaps, and fight for a cleaner, more just beauty industry for all.

Clean Beauty Coalition

The Clean Beauty Coalition led by Amber Makupson, is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that aims to eliminate toxic chemicals from beauty and personal care products, particularly those that disproportionately affect women and children of color. The organization advocates for ingredient transparency, policy reform, and health equity.

Mission and goals

Driven by research highlighting toxic ingredients in products marketed to Black women, the coalition works to create a safer, more equitable, and sustainable beauty industry through several initiatives. These include advocating for regulatory changes, educating consumers about harmful ingredients, holding brands and retailers accountable for providing clean products, offering a certification program to help brands comply with regulations like MOCRA, and partnering with brands focused on sustainability.

http://cleanbeautycoalition.org

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