Clean beauty
Why it matters
Finding my way to beautycounter
How you can make the switch to clean
the beauty industry and its flaws
I first began researching clean beauty and clean products for the home over 5 years ago when my husband and I started trying for our first child. As a dietitian, I thought I was well-versed on healthier and safer ways of living. I felt a certain level of mastery when it came to healthy eating and cooking, how to shop in the grocery store, exercise, etc. But wanted to really focus on “cleaning up” every area of my body and environment to hopefully one day carry and bring home a baby. Little did I realize, I was unknowingly missing a large piece to the endocrine and hormone health puzzle. A dear friend of mine helped me slowly connect the dots, as I began to peel back and learn more about what was going into the products I was using every day.
Come to find out, the personal care industry in the US is largely under-regulated. Before this past Fall of 2022, the last beauty industry related federal law was passed in 1938! That is staggering. Some of the more glaring flaws of the beauty industry that I discovered were:
There is no required recall method - in personal care products, if there is contamination of a product or some other issue with that product, companies are not required to disclose that information and do not have to recall the product. So a lotion is put under a microscope and tested for mold - if it’s found, the product can still be sold on shelves. Yikes, to put it lightly!
We are majorly behind in banning known harmful ingredients from the formulation of products - harmful ingredients that include known carcinogens, allergens, and endocrine disruptors. To compare, the European Union bans the use of over 1,500 of these harmful ingredients; Canada bans over 600; the US… only 32 ingredients are banned from use.
There is no standardization of labeling in the personal care industry - this basically means that words like “organic”, “natural”, “clean” really mean nothing. Anyone can put anything on a label, and it goes basically unregulated. That is why greenwashing can be so harmful to well-intending consumers. (Pro-tip: shop with companies that disclose every ingredient that goes into their products, that way you can make an informed decision - instead of going off of trendy labeling!)
how i came to find beautycounter
Serendipitously, as I was beginning to learn more about the products I was using, a friend introduced me to Beatuycounter. While I wasn’t in a position where I could spend hundreds of dollars and overhaul my entire beauty cabinet, my attention was grabbed. I started with a foundation (which cracks me up now because I rarely wear makeup and quality skincare trumps makeup in my book!), and I was hooked. I began asking more questions, because there was certainly a learning curve to this whole clean beauty and personal care thing. What about lotion? Deodorant? Detergent? Candles? … You see where I am going with this. Pandora’s box was officially opened.
But there were a few key standouts to Beautycounter that really attracted me from the jump:
Bomb products that performed! Coconut oil is great, especially for cooking. But let’s be honest, slathering it all over my arms and legs as a replacement lotion just wasn’t cutting it and felt a little like greasing up to sunbathe back in the 60’s. The makeup I started using, and the samples I was able to snag really actually worked. It felt like a luxury that I didn’t also have to compromise my health for.
Total transparency and integrity of ingredients - as I alluded to up above, companies are not required to disclose their full list of ingredients. So there is never truly a way to fully know what you are using, unless a company chooses to disclose and be openly transparent about their ingredient selection. Beautycounter was different - every product with every ingredient was on full display. It was honestly a sense of relief to know I wasn’t having to go the extra 10 steps to research and approve every individual product. That was already being done for me.
Hey, I could make money with a mission minded brand? Sign me up! I won’t beat around the bush with this one. The idea that I could share products and a company I was falling in love with, and get paid to do it, while also purchasing said products at a steep discount - I was ready to sign on the dotted line. I am an entrepreneur and adventure seeker by nature; so to have an opportunity to try something new that fully aligned with my values as a professional and personally, it was a no-brainer for me.
This company was on to something, and I did not want to miss the boat!
helping YOU make the switch to clean
So since the summer of 2018, I have taken very seriously my job as educator to the every day woman and mom. I love getting to empower others to dig further and ask more questions about the products they have used. Because up until just recently, I was wearing those same shoes!
I remember what it was like when the lightbulb first came on - it was thrilling and overwhelming all at the same time. I was so excited to start cleaning up the products I was using for me and my family (I have since become equally as passionate about cleaner home products like perfume, hair care, detergents, deos, toothpaste… the list goes on). But I remember and can appreciate that it all started with making one single swap in the foundation I was using.
If you’re ready to start with you, albeit makeup, skincare, hair - I would love to walk you through that. Partnering with Beautycounter can be done in a number of ways.
Vote for safer with your dollars by shopping with Beautycounter. If just starting out as a client and getting your toes wet sounds like the right fit for you, I would love to help you do just that. With over 200 products on our site, it can feel a little overwhelming. So I recommend that you start with our Skincare Quiz. This will get you headed in the right direction to start with. But if you have questions, or would prefer a curated cart by me - let’s connect!
Shop as a loyal Perks Program Member - if you’re ready to dive into clean and don’t plan to look back, this is an essential “add to cart” item. With our perks program, $29 a year (no auto renew) will get you free shipping on orders $100+, 10% product credit on every purchase, and a Think Clean welcome set of two products when you join as a Band of Beauty perks member and spend $50+. Putting it simply, this is the Prime version of Beautycounter. :)
Come join the affiliate fun!! Whether you love the idea of a discount, or think “why not” and want to go for it by starting a clean beauty business - there is room for all. From my experience, businesses have taken many shapes and sizes. So don’t count yourself out, and give it a go. You might just fall in love with a new business venture and sharing clean beauty with your friends and family. To get a link of your own to share, it’s just $50 to join. Still have questions - that’s okay, so did I! Please reach out and we can hop on the phone and chat about what Beautycounter could look like for you.
i’ll leave you with this
Making a big life change like moving towards non-toxic personal care can feel overwhelming. But over time it does get easier! Some resources I have loved using to help me make informed decisions without spending oodles of time researching individual ingredients include:
EWG (the Environmental Working Group)
Lindsay Dahl (IG @Lindsay_Dahl)
Other trusted experts on that can be easily found on social media, like Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Jolene Brighten, and Dr. Josh Axe