Let's Define That

Green beauty is a movement referring to completely natural skincare. The foundation of green beauty are the ingredients, anything used in formulating must be entirely natural or naturally derived in a lab. Many companies take this further ensuring the use of only sustainable and renewable resources as well.  We’re going to walk you through some simple definitions of the most common terms used in the natural skincare world.  

Organic.  Refers to how an ingredient is farmed.  It means it is grown and prepared without pesticides, chemical fertilizers, GMO’s, sulphates, parabens, and antibiotics.  For a product to bear an organic label it is required to contain at least 95% organic material.

Natural.  Refers to an ingredient derived from plant, mineral, or animal by-product that is delivered in natural form.  Note, we don’t use animal by-products at Essentialist.

Naturally Derived.  Any substance that starts as natural but then undergoes chemical or bio-manufactured processing, and/or is combined with other ingredients.

Green.  Often used synonymously with sustainable.  Formulas that use natural ingredients produced from renewable raw materials, and/or engage in environmentally-friendly production practices and packaging methods. 

Clean.  It means that both human and environmental health have been considered in formulation and production. Often used synonymously with non-toxic to signal that controversial or unsafe ingredients aren’t being used.  Formulas labelled non-toxic use ingredients that are either plant-based or safe synthetics.  

Chemical-Free. Implies that harmful chemicals have not been used, ex. parabens, formaldehyde, lead, etc.  Scroll down our ingredients page to see a list of NEVER EVER ingredients that are the most common offenders in skincare and cosmetics.  Don't worry we'll never ever use them.