As you may know, I am on the path to using clean beauty products.  Last year, when I started my blog, I was coming off of years working at Revlon.  Now, I have to say, those were some of the best years of my life and I met many amazing women along the way.  However, as I tried to leverage my beauty industry knowledge for this blog, I realized there were a lot of things I didn’t know.

I didn’t know that it’s completely legal to use carcinogens and endocrine distributors in everyday consumer products.  I didn’t know that the laws regulating the industry haven’t been updated since 1938 {let’s count, that’s 80 years}.  I didn’t know that the vanilla fragrance in my lipstick could be filled with all types of toxic ingredients.  The list goes on.

I was recently hit with a new realization when I picked up the book GOOP Clean Beauty.  Even though its been around for years, I never read it.  I thought maybe it was too out there for me.  I was only in the forward when I read: ” At GOOP, we find it ironic that many of the U.S.’s biggest beauty companies use ingredients that are known to be harmful and then set up foundations and charities to support breast, cervical, ovarian cancer research.”  Hello.  That was me.  Marketing that we donate to cancer, hanging out with Halle Berry at the Run/Walk in NYC and getting friends and family to participate.

Now, I want to be part of the prevention piece.  And you should too.  But I know what you’re saying. “Wow, some of these products are really expensive!”  And yes, they are not cheap.  But we put our money where our values lie and your health is the most valuable thing you have.  So a change in mindset is needed to make the safer choice.  Beautycounter has quickly become a brand that I can truly say is my favorite.  I’m not a fanatic and only exclusively use every product.  I’ve also shared other brands I like Drunk Elephant , Indie Lee and this ultimate clean gift basket as well.  Overall, making the leap to cleaner beauty is one to consider.  Here are a few whys…

• Save time.  Rather than reading every label, using a brand that prohibits  harmful ingredients is a quicker way to know it’s safe.  The European Union bans over 1,400 harmful ingredients, taking the approach of let’s keep it away from the public rather than let’s wait and see what happens to your health.  The US bans 11. I love that Beautycounter takes the guess work out of figuring this all out by creating the Never List.
• Get More Bang for your Buck.  Most of the products we use have cheap fillers while cleaner products are more concentrated.  It’s like adding high fructose corn syrup to apple sauce.  Companies add it because it costs less than an apple.  Same with beauty products.  Get more of the high quality ingredients you need and less of what you don’t.
• Conscious Purchases.  I’ve been there.  You’re at Target and you just want to throw something into your basket.  But then you have this massive collection and really only use a select few items.  Remember, all those little purchases add up. Clean out your makeup bag.  Purge what you don’t need and narrow down the items you use the most. Start by replacing those products with clean beauty options. Be deliberate in what you truly need.
• Consider Your Total Health.  Another light bulb moment in the Clean Beauty book addressed our lifestyle choices.  Basically, we seek out organic produce, attend different exercise classes and make an effort to be healthy  all while slathering toxic chemicals on our bodies.

Band of Beauty Membership 

If you are committed to swapping out your products for clean, safer alternatives, the Band of Beauty Membership is the way to go. Here’s how it works.

• For an annual fee of $29, you get a free gift when you join. The current gift is the Countermatch Moisture Lotion {a best seller!} and previous ones have been the Charcoal Balancing Facial Mask and the Sugar Body Scrub .  The products typically included are at the $49 price mark so you save money right off the bat.
• For every purchase, you get a 15% product credit. That way, you can save on the products you like and test the waters to try new ones. The credits expire in 60 days so make sure you take advantage of them! I love helping friends and family with using their credits up.
• Free shipping on orders over $100.  Every dollar counts so meeting the free shipping threshold is key.  Usually if someone is struggling I recommend a baby product.  There is usually a shower or someone to gift it to!
• As a next step, if you really, really love the products and are ready to go full on Beautycounter, then bypass the membership and become a consultant! You get a 25% discount on all products and special promotions.

Clean Beauty Products to Try

As a Beautycounter consultant, I make money when you purchase through me, just like the links on this blog. It’s my side hustle in between school drop offs and naps. But you can also purchase through other consultants, directly on the site, on GOOP and even at the occasional pop up store {there are currently two this summer: one in Nantucket and one in the Hamptons}.  If your thinking about a purchase,  here are the 5 I would start with.

• Exfoliating Cream Cleanser
• Lip Gloss 
• Overnight Resurfacing Peel
• Sunscreen
• Facial Oil

Are you ready to try safer beauty products? Have you already? What are your thoughts?