Why Green Beauty?

What is Green Beauty?

Green Beauty has many definitions, some more extensive than others, but for all intended purposes in OurSKN we consider Green Beauty to be all or a combination of these:

• Green — derived from nature. Combining only natural ingredients that are sourced from Earth.
• Sustainable — gathered from sustainable or renewable sources. Sourcing from the Earth shouldn’t be at the expense of it.
• Ethical — supporting local communities. Ethically sourced means that everyone is fairly rewarded for their efforts and provided with a living wage. No harm was caused to anyone in the process.
• Toxic-Free — we have enough pollutants in our environment, we don’t need to add more directly onto our skin. All of our DIY recipes are made with organic ingredients.
• Cruelty-Free — we don’t support testing on animals, especially for cosmetic purposes.
• Green Packaging — the brands we support must have biodegradable, at least 50% recycled or at least 80% recyclable packaging. We’ve trashed the Earth beyond comprehension, no need to add to it.
• Transparent Supply Chains & B Corporations — we give preference to companies that have a transparent supply chain & are classified as B corporations that do good just for the sake of doing good.

Why Green Beauty?

We, as a society, are lost. Our value system got all messed up at one point and we are finding it difficult to find our way back home.

We grew up thinking that the only way forward is to hustle and grind. That our food doesn’t come from the Earth, but from a plastic bag in the store. That we need to change our appearances & use artificial ingredients on our skin on a daily basis in order to be accepted. That our diets and lifestyle won’t catch up with us, that….this is the only way forward & who cares if we are miserable as long as we look good on Instagram!

If we want to stop being anxious all the time, to stop pushing forward and release the tension, we need to start changing our daily lives one step at a time.

Green Beauty allows us to take a stance, make a change, send a message and improve our wellbeing in the process. Just like eating more organic food is changing the landscape of how we produce food, changing your skincare products will lead to an increase in companies that offer better, greener products.

Mainstream Beauty

A few years ago I read an article in The Harvard Gazette that made me realize how vulnerable we are when it comes to the products we use daily and how little we actually know about them.

There was a line in the article that said: “The average teen uses 17 personal-care products daily (versus 12 for adults), which subjects her to perhaps 180 chemicals.”

Most of these chemicals are endocrine disruptors. This means that these teens would have their hormones messed up early on in their development, potentially leading to long lasting negative effects, such as infertility, diabetes or cancer.

We are all exposed to chemicals in our daily lives. More often than not, we cannot avoid nor control that. So why not concentrate on avoiding what we can control?

Legislation

The products we use daily affect our lives, so we have to be mindful of which products we use. EU legislation bans 1,328 chemicals from cosmetics that are known or suspected to lead to cancer, genetic mutations, birth defects or reproductive issues. This list, however, is not exhaustive.

Most legislation is based on scientific proof that certain chemicals can lead to a variety of health issues. However, most of the ingredients that go into cosmetic products have not been subjected to scientific testing for their effects on our health. Nor is it clear how they effect women in different stages of their lives.

In the US, the FDA has banned or restricted only 11 chemicals from cosmetics. In this case most companies need to make the decisions themselves on what to include and exclude from their products. Which is why integrity and care for the customer are more important than ever.

A simple rule to follow is that if you don’t understand or cannot pronounce some of the ingredients of the products you are buying, then you shouldn’t use them.

In order to change the market, we need to change our thinking. We have to understand that just because something is packaged nicely and it is for sale, it doesn’t mean it is safe to use. 

Green Beauty is here to stay. It is the only way forward, if we want to protect women’s health and generational wellbeing.

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