Manucurist X Clean Beauty Day

July 15th is National Clean Beauty Day! As a beauty brand focused on offering “clean”, non-toxic and health-focused nail products, Manucurist formulates all of its products following not only strict European standards, but our own internal blacklist. Let’s talk about what Clean Beauty means to us, and how we work to fight back against greenwashing in the industry. 

Clean Beauty Day serves to promote the use of “clean” beauty products including cosmetics, skincare, and personal care products that are formulated without the use of potentially harmful ingredients. Often prioritizing organic, natural, and/or sustainably sourced ingredients, “clean” beauty products should omit things like toxins, endocrine disruptors and carcinogens such as formaldehyde, parabens, sulfates and phthalates among many others.

As with everything else, knowledge is power. Understanding the definition of “Clean Beauty” and how this idea seeks to propel the industry in a more sustainable and responsible manner can help consumers make better decisions when it comes to the products they purchase, especially those applied to skin, nails, and hair.

National Clean Beauty Day therefore is important in drawing attention to the differences in safety and reporting regulations when it comes to cosmetic and personal care products, and seeks to educate consumers about what is actually in the products formulation they are purchasing.

Within the United States regulatory system, cosmetic products often fall through regulatory cracks as they are subject to less government oversight than other consumer goods. According to the California Department of Health’s Safe Cosmetics Program:

“Since 2009, 595 cosmetics manufacturers have reported using 88 chemicals, in more than 73,000 products, that have been linked to cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm.”

Even with the recent MoCRA regulations, the first major update to the FDA’s cosmetics authorities since 1938, when it comes to “non-toxic” cosmetics, European regulations are much more stringent than those in the US. In fact there is only one state in the US that requires companies to report harmful ingredients used in cosmetics – California.

Ahead of the curve, and helping to push cosmetic safety standards, California legislators also proposed the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act hoping to ban chemicals such as:

• Formaldehyde (carcinogen)

• Paraformaldehyde (type of formaldehyde)

• Methylene glycol (type of formaldehyde)

• Quaternium 15 (releases formaldehyde)

• Mercury (can damage nervous system and kidneys)

• Isobutyl and isopropyl parabens (hormone disruption and reproductive damage)

• Dibutyl & diethylhexyl phthalates (hormone disruption and reproductive damage)

• PFAS (linked to cancer)

• M- & o-phenylenediamine (carcinogen, DNA damage, skin sensitization/irritation)

All of which have already been banned for use in cosmetic formulations by the European Union.

Manucurist, being a French company with formulation labs and production facilities located in France, has all final product formulas and ingredient choices subject to European standards and blacklist ingredient regulations. This means that even when buying Manucurist products in the US, the formulas are held to a higher overall safety and regulatory standard.

You can find here Manucurist own personal formulation black list.

The phrase “ Clean Beauty ” itself is debated as the term is not legally defined or regulated meaning there is no official standard or requirements for companies to surpass or complete in order to label products as “clean”. This can lead to greenwashing as companies cut corners by labeling products as “clean”, without making genuine commitments to safer or more ethical practices, all with the goal of appealing to the increased number of consumers seeking safe and health-centered products. The controversy around Clean Beauty Day therefore highlights the multifaceted issues and tensions between marketing practices, consumers’ demandes, safety and scientific evidence.

With health-focused, science-based formulations and eco-friendly initiatives at the heart of our business model, Manucurist understands the importance of avoiding Greenwashing. We seek to be as transparent as possible with regards to our ingredients and packaging choices, and in order to hold us accountable to these standards we work with 3rd party agencies and certifying bodies to ensure our products are up to par.

We are certified vegan by the Vegan Society and certified cruelty-free by PETA, in addition to offering:

• COSMOs Organic balms

• Certified Biodegradable Glitter

• GOTs certified cotton bags

• FSC certified kraft packing

Our polishes are created by prioritizing natural formulations which means sourcing our ingredients from things like:

• Corn

• Wheat

• Cotton

• Yuca

• Sugar Cane

• Potato

We also seek to harness the natural power of plant based ingredients in our nail treatment bases, nail-care & color effect polishes, hand creams and soaps which feature things like:

• Raspberry Extract (Antioxidant)

• Blueberry Extract (Antioxidant)

• Beetroot Extract (Antioxidant)

• Seaweed Extract (Antioxidant)

• Lemon Extract (Source of AHAs)

• Sweet Almond Oil (Soothing & Moisturizing properties)

• Biodegradable Castor Fibers (natural ridge filler)

Whether a Manicurist user or not, we encourage all beauty consumers to celebrate this day! Seek transparency from your favorite beauty brands and stay knowledgeable about current regulations and greenwashing practices. Additionally, if you have any questions about Manucurist own standards and practices, you can email us at hello@manucurist.com. 

Sources:

Cal. Dep’t of Pub. Health, Cal. Safe Cosmetics Program, Current Data Summary, 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1253722/