There’s no doubt that adopting a greener lifestyle is a worthwhile endeavour. Not only is kinder to animals and the planet but it’s kinder to you—especially when it comes to what you put on your face and body. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the average woman uses 12 personal care products a day exposing themselves to 168 unique chemical ingredients. When you consider that many of these ingredients have been linked to serious health issues, it’s clear that your face, skin and body care products are a great place to start when going green.
That said, it can be overwhelming to know where to start—not to mention, expensive! After all, the good stuff doesn’t always come cheap. The good news, you don’t have to throw out the entire contents of your beauty cabinet and replace them with new, natural products all at once. Certain products contain more chemicals and have more of an impact on your health, so should be prioritised. Read on for the 5 clean beauty swaps you should make first.
Deodorant
If you’re going to go green with just one thing, make it your deodorant. Hormone receptors are found in your armpits, and the absorption of toxic ingredients can interfere with your endocrine system. Although antiperspirants are designed to prevent you from sweating, they can instead clog the area with aluminium. Opt for a cream or roll-on deodorant made from natural ingredients, which will still help to mask the odor. We love the Tarte Clean Queen Vegan Deodorant.
Body wash
When it comes to prioritising natural beauty swaps, you’ve got to think about the surface area covered. And nothing comes into contact with more of your body than your body wash or soap. Not only that, but most mainstream body washes are loaded with harmful chemical ingredients like laurel sulfate and fragrance, as well as tricolsan (which is banned in some parts of the world, due to being a potential hormone disruptor). Go for nourishing, naturally-scented body washes that cleanse the body without stripping the body of its natural oils. Our top pick is the Sukin Botanical Body Wash.
Body lotion
Like your body wash, your lotion or body moisturiser is slathered over your entire body—but this actually stays on their skin until you shower again. Nobody wants potentially harmful chemicals sitting around on their skin for hours, right? Consider swapping your body lotion for a natural body oil, as they don’t require the chemicals lotions do for emulsification, and they have smaller molecules so can more effectively penetrate the skin. We recommend the Herbivore Botanicals Glowing Hydration Natural Body Oil.
Face moisturiser
You’ve probably heard that the skin is the body’s most absorbent organ, essentially making it a sponge for toxins. It’s pretty scary to think about, when you consider how many products we put on our faces each day—and the fact that these probably each have a dozen toxic chemicals. So, where do you start? Well, the most important product is the one that comes into direct contact with your skin. For most women, this is their face moisturiser, serum or primer. If you’re going to swap out any of your skincare products with cleaner alternatives, start with this base layer as it can act as a bit of a barrier for the other products. We love the Dr Hauschka Rose Day Cream Light.
Perfume
We already know that toxic fragrance chemicals are seriously bad news, linked to everything from allergies and migraines to hormone disruption and increased cancer risk. One of the biggest problems with synthetic perfumes is that the industry is so unregulated, so you really never know which potentially harmful chemicals are in them. Thankfully, there are a growing number of 100% natural perfumes popping up that still smell ah-mazing. We like the LaVanila Perfume in Vanilla Coconut.
