Today consumers and retailers are demanding “clean” beauty and “green” beauty and grooming products, but the tug of war and confusion still lies in the fact that there is no single unified definition of what that means in the industry.
It is becoming increasingly confusing for consumers to know what products are good and not good for our body and our planet as well as what products are not being tested on animals. These issues should be front and center with consumers before making their beauty investments.
What is Clean Beauty?
The definition of “clean” beauty means whole ingredients, closest to nature and least processed. Packaging materials should be free of harmful toxins, BPA-free plastic containers and we believe they should not be tested on animals as well!!!
Green ingredients and clean ingredients may not be the same. Ingredients are green when all details of sourcing, manufacturing, disposal (including information concerning energy and water use are considered.
A green, clean ingredient is closest to nature made with minimal processing using green chemistry principles. A synthetic ingredient can be green too if it is processed with “green” process principles. Some natural materials may not be considered green if its cultivation impacts our lives and environment in a negative way. Some examples are water-intensive crops, unethical working practices, unnatural regenerative cultivation, use of toxic insecticides and fertilizers.
Animal Testing
In addition to “green clean” there is absolutely NO NEED FOR TESTING ON ANIMALS. If you want to pull the curtain away and expose the beauty brands that still test on animals here it is:
Nars Sephora Brand L’oreal
Clinique Shiseido Estee Lauder
Almay Burberry MAC
Max Factor Dior Benefit
Bobbi Brown La Mer Lancome
Chanel Guerlain Avon
Mary Kay Maybelline Armani
Rimmel Tom Ford D&G
Revlon YSL Bourjois
They still practice this barbaric act because it helps their bottom line. That is the ONLY reason. Indie brands like GERI G. and others pay more for testing on humans and I would never change that for a single dime. Causing pain or discomfort onto a living creature is disgusting and no one should support any company who chooses profits over dignity of a life.
Green May Not be Clean
What works and what doesn’t is the question and what is considered safe? I feel it’s a combination of science and nature that creates the right combination to allow ingredients from nature to penetrate the skin to help to restore normal cell activity. Not all ingredients regardless if they are natural or not can be delivered “into” the skin. They sometimes need help to talk to the skin and let the skin feel balanced in order for it to allow the benefiting nutrients in the ingredients themselves to be absorbed. That’s why one clarification may not work in the future.
The Geri G commitment
I created my brand because I didn’t feel there were products that met my demands both as a professional but also as a consumer. Until recently brands didn’t pay attention to ingredients or testing. It wasn’t until consumers took a stand and Indie brands like myself stood up for what they believed in. We now see a change on the horizon to convert all brands and labs to ditch the chemicals and put research into more natural ingredients and only test on humans, and by the way, humans get paid for testing beauty products. Animals get nothing but misery while someone else makes a profit from their discomfort and pain.
Beauty should be a positive force for good from its’ very conception. There is no beauty in polluting our planet with plastic and paper or testing on animals just to produce and sell something at a higher profit margin. There are options available that allow the consumer to feel good about their purchase knowing that it is not contributing harm to our planet, animals and especially to their own health. Education is the key to confidence in your purchase. We owe it to every consumer to step up and do more. A manufacturer does not have a right to ask for client loyalty when they show none to our planet or mankind.