We get it – with so much choice out there it can be impossible to tell what’s best for you and what isn’t.
Did you know we make more than 220 decisions every day on food alone? Say what?!!
So when it comes to choosing skincare, decoding the latest green beauty buzzwords is a must. And knowing what's safe to apply and what isn’t is crucial (especially with so much greenwashing marketing tactics out there!).
Buzzword #1: Natural
There was a time when searching for natural, skin-friendly products was like finding a needle in a haystack. Thankfully times have changed. Not only are natural products highly effective, they’re not so hard to come by.
However, just because a brand says it’s natural, that doesn’t mean it actually is. The term ‘natural’ isn’t regulated. This unfortunately gives way to brands teaming plant-based natural ingredients with a plethora of not-so-skin-loving chemical ingredients and claiming to be natural (AKA “green washing”).
So where does that leave you?
Time to pop on your Investigator Cap. The only way to make certain that “natural” istruly natural is to check out the label.
Ingredients are ordered from highest percentage to lowest, so if a product is as natural as it says it is you’d expect to see a comprehensive list of plant-based or botanical ingredients up front.
Take ourGood Vibes Omega Facial Oil for example, it contains: Hemp Seed Oil, Camellia Tea Seed Oil, Argan Kernel Oil, Sea Buckthorn Oil, Chia Seed Oil, Watermelon Seed Oil, Pomegranate Seed Oil, Acai Oil, Elderberry Fruit Extract plus a host of other botanical extracts and oils. It’s as natural as they come!
If the label has a bunch of strange-sounding ingredients with only one or two natural ones, it’s probably time to look for an alternative product.
Natural gotcha - some ingredients can sound REALLY complicated and totally un-natural, but they’re actually as natural as they come. Take MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) for example. It’s one of our all time favourite ingredients because it’s a naturally occurring form of the beauty mineral sulphur. You’ll find a few of these “scary-but-not-scary” ingredients on our labels - if you ever have any questions just ask! We’re here to help :)
Buzzword #2:Non-toxic
Non-toxic is another claim with little regulation, but the bottom line is that non-toxic simply means the product contains no ingredients that have been linked to toxic responses in humans.
You’d expect products calling themselves “non-toxic” to be free from parabens, petro-chemicals, mineral oils, phthalates, formaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium, laureth sulfate. My oh my, the list goes on… But sadly some still do until they get caught years later! Which is why, again,alwaysread your ingredients list.
Buzzword #3:Vegan
The term “vegan-friendly” simply means free from animal-derived ingredients. Instead, products are made using mainly plants and minerals. Vegan skincare also means cruelty-free, so you can rest assured the products aren’t tested on our fur friends (or any non-furry animals, for that matter!).
It’s a good idea to make sure your vegan skincare products have been certified by an organisation like the Vegan Society. That means the products have been scrutinised to the nth degree to make sure that a monkey didn’t help pick the nuts that went into the products :)
Buzzword #4:Organic
The term “organic” refers to the use of organically farmed ingredients. This means that no pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilisers or genetically modified (GM) organisms have been used during the growing or farming process. In essence, “organic” means better for the environment and better for your skin.
But be careful – some unregulated brands claim to be ‘all-organic’ or whack the label on their products when they may in fact only have 10% organic ingredients and the rest could very well be synthetic fillers. In this case, it pays to do your research, especially when it comes to a lack of regulation in the industry.
Just to set the record straight, we want to make sure that you know that our little happy creations aren't certified organic. We use a bunch of certified organic ingredients though (because becoming certified is so much $$$$$$$$$$$$ and we don't want to put our prices up). Most of our product labels will tell you what percentage of the product is made from certified organic ingredients, and almost all of them are well over 80%! OK, now that we're clear on that....
#SHAMELESSPLUGALERT :)
Woohoo Skincare makes choosing skin-loving products a cinch. Why you ask? Because our products are made from the highest quality certified organic, vegan and 100% natural ingredients that have been sourced from plant and mineral origins (but no mineral oils!). And in case you’re wondering… clean beauty can be just as effective as synthetic counterparts.
Like our best sellingHappily Ever After Vitamin C Eye Serum; this beauty is gentle on your delicate eye area but totally effective at reducing dark circles and puffiness, lessening fine lines while also hydrating your skin for a fresher, brighter skin tone. What’s more, it’s 87% organic, 100% natural and vegan. Not a single nasty ingredient in sight!
Or ourOver the Moon Rich Repair Cream – a deeply hydrating, rich, luscious daily moisturising cream for dry and normal skin types that soaks in quickly and without that heavy feeling. Incredibly soothing for the most sensitive skin; it keeps you happy!!!
What all this boils down to is that it pays to do your research. Especially when it comes to a lack of regulation in the beauty world. Your best bet (if you want to save a few braincells) is to find a couple of brands that you trust, and let them do all the hard work for you. And remember - we’re always here to help:)
What beauty buzzwords have you been bamboozled by?
Leave a comment below!
