Written by Valerie Delucca
We all know trends come and go. We have seen some interesting and glamorous makeup trends over the past few years. In 2016 we saw a boost in beautiful full lips, a deep, face-framing brow, and heavy foundation coverage. Fast-forward to 2022 and the standard post-pandemic face is graced with minimal makeup. We all love a lightly filled natural brow and dewy, radiant skin. The skincare industry works alongside this no-makeup makeup movement. Concerned consumers want preventative and preservative regimes to nourish the skin. Even the makeup we use is geared toward helping us maintain healthy skin. We see labels like "clean makeup" and "sulfate-free makeup." In conjunction with this trend, there is an uptake in interest regarding sustainable makeup.
This summer, The Makeup Studio team attended a beauty event in NYC. Prominent industry leaders spoke about conscientious consumer decisions on beauty products. The sourcing of ingredients and packaging of products is important. That ties into sustainability which will sometimes, but not necessarily, overlap with clean makeup. Here we will break down the two to better explain what they mean.
Clean Makeup
Not to be confused with "all-natural" makeup; clean makeup means it is safe for human use. Words like clean and toxic are difficult to define. There are no rules surrounding the term "clean," which means a company can claim its products are clean even if they contain potentially toxic ingredients. Many corporations and cosmetic companies have particular specifications for a product to be branded clean; however, those qualifications differ by brand. This makes it difficult to tell if something is specifically clean for you.
The Makeup Studio's best advice is to research the ingredients in products before you try and buy. This can save you a lot of time, money, and scary skin damage! The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database is a great place to look for information about a product or brand. When you search by brand, you can see particular goods rated based on the toxicity of their contents. The Makeup Studio believes in paraben-free, cruelty-free, vegan ingredients. We list all of our ingredients online so you can see if they are clean for you.
Sustainable Makeup
Sustainable makeup focuses on the sourcing, extraction, and packaging of ingredients. Consider all the makeup you've purchased throughout the years, as well as the vast packaging. Sure, it's cute, but the majority of the plastic ends up in landfills. According to Euromonitor International, about 7.9 billion units of rigid plastic were produced in the United States alone in 2018 for beauty and personal care items.
More and more companies are employing recycled materials or avoiding plastic altogether. They are opting for packaging products in glass, aluminum, bamboo, or even paper. Purchasing refillable products is another approach to reducing waste, especially if you know you'll use them again and again. Shopping for refillable makeup in-store rather than online reduces packaging as well. Not all stores have this option; but, The Makeup Studio does! We offer a 10% discount for women who bring back and refill their custom blend foundation bottles with us. This is one way we contribute to plastic waste reduction by cutting down on bottle distribution.
Stop by The Studio to test our products in person as well. We love to help our clients find their perfect products. See you soon!