Skincare Spotlight: Charcoal Cleansing Bar

One of my favorite Beautycounter products- the charcoal cleansing bar. I bought mine back in May 2018 and it's still going strong with at least 1/3 of a bar left. This is easily one of Beautycounter’s most beloved staples, and a fan favorite.  What do you do with it? It's a facial cleansing bar, but it has so many other uses, just the other day I made a lather and used it to rinse my makeup brushes.  I keep my charcoal bar in the shower, and when I’m feeling lazy and the whole nightly face washing routine feels like too much, I lather up with this and feel refreshed and clean.

Made with charcoal powder, green tea extract, coconut oil, and witch hazel, it washes away impurities and clears pores without leaving skin feeling tight afterward. And fun fact- did you know, Jackie O swore by a charcoal bar - it was her #1 beauty secret. 

A Little Video

Why do I love Beautycounter?  It's not just the discount or the products.  It's the mission, the direction, the dedication to research and efforts invested into bringing safer beauty to the masses.  This is a three minute video by Beautycounter's founder Gregg Renfrew, which speaks to the mission, science, and process which makes this company a Certified B Corporation.  If you have three minutes, I encourage you to watch.

Makeup Spotlight: Mascara

Mascara is one of those makeup staples I swear by.  Prior to doing some research, I never bought anything but drugstore mascara.  My go to brands were typically Maybelline, L'Oreal, and Cover Girl, I figured these did the job, so why fork over the extra $$?  But once I did a little digging and searching these brands on EWG Skindeep Database, and educated myself on what ingredients are typically in mascara...I've made some changes. 

According to WebMD, "Mascara's ingredients typically include a carbon black or iron oxide pigment to darken lashes; a polymer to form a film that coats lashes; a preservative; and thickening waxes and oils such as lanolin, mineral oil, paraffin, petrolatum, castor oil, carnauba wax, and candelilla wax."  Doesn't sound so bad right?  Well, consider that petroleum jelly comes from the residue buildup on the outside of oil rigs.  And mineral oil is just a colorless, odorless by-product of the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline.  Oh yeah, and 'preservative' is typically a synonym for 'paraben,' a word you might recognize these days, an agent that prevents bacteria from growing. 

The scary thing is, the WebMD quote leaves out a lot of ingredients that you'll find in many mascara brands, which can include coal tar dyes, synthetic dyes, aluminum powder, formaldehyde, retinol acetate, and more.  And these are ingredients that yes, make you look good, but you're putting this ON. YOUR. EYES!  

Of course, brands are slowly wising up, but at present there are no legal ramifications for companies that include harmful ingredients in their products.  Translation: these mascaras are still on the market, so proceed with caution.   There are clean brands that make effective mascara without all the unnecessary junk.  Of course, my go to is Beautycounter's volumizing mascara, but that is by no means the only clean mascara out there, here are some others to consider.  I like Beautycounter's formula because it defines your eyes, is consistently clump free and stays put throughout the day. Here's a link to its EWG report so you can compare it against the other brands I posted above.

Bottom line...safer beauty doesn't come cheap.  But you've only got one pair of eyes, and one body. Be safe. Go clean. 

Let's Talk Lipstick

Let's talk lipstick, shall we?  Did you know that many makeup items contain heavy metals?  Do you know what the headliner of the heavy metals category is?  Lead.  Yes, lead.  Gulp.  Now, remember, companies are not intentionally adding heavy metals to makeup, but rather these are typically contaminants that are inadvertantly brought along with both mineral and synthetic ingredients used to give products color.

The FDA conducted a study of 400 lipsticks in 2007 for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which found small increments of lead in the majority of lipsticks tested.  The FDA also claims these are of minimal risk to people as lipstick is rarely swallowed.  Well...did you know, the average woman swallows seven pounds of lipstick in her lifetime?  SEVEN POUNDS!  

While there are some guidelines and restrictions limiting the use of lead in color additives used in cosmetics, there is no FDA limit defined for lead in cosmetics. Ultimately, this has been left to companies to create their own heavy metal standards which is terrifying, as many do not subscribe to safety as a #1 priority.

Okay, now that I've given you some facts - some good news.  There are companies that test all color products for heavy metals.  For example, during development, Beautycounter sends its cosmetic formulas to independent labs to test for 12 heavy metals.  They work with suppliers to do their best to avoid contaminants, and keep heavy metal levels at a non-detectable level - which is significantly more screening than most companies do.  Remember, there are no FDA restrictions on what the limit should be for ppm heavy metals in cosmetics at present. 

Some food for thought for the next time you're in the market for a lipstick.  This one is currently always in my purse.  

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