Clean Beauty Is a Scam and Won't Give Us Safer Products | Lab Muffin Beauty Science

Clean beauty ignores the very basics of ingredient safety. Here's how it gets everything wrong, and how safety assessments actually work (hot tip: they're being done correctly already). Featuring an actual real-life toxicologist (not a fake clean beauty one).
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In this video:
🧼 What is clean beauty?
🧼 There's no such thing as clean and dirty ingredients
🧼 Hazard vs risk
🧼 How scientists ACTUALLY work out risk
🧼 Parabens: personally victimised by clean beauty
🧼 Why take any risk at all?
🧼 How did we get here, and how do we get out?
Blog post with more info here: labmuffin.com/clean-beauty-is...
Thanks to Dr Fred Lebreux for being so generous with his time and expertise - more from him here:
Basic Principles of Toxicology in Cosmetics: • Basic Principles of To...
How to Do a Safety Assessment: • How to Do a Safety Ass...
‪@TheEcoWell‬ facilitates conversations with experts in the beauty industry
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---ABOUT---
Lab Muffin Beauty Science is a channel by me, Michelle - I'm a chemistry PhD and beauty lover, here to explain how beauty products work, debunk myths, and help you make smarter decisions about your skincare, hair and makeup!
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Blog post for this video with more info: labmuffin.com/clean-beauty-is...
---SKINCARE GUIDE---
The Lab Muffin Guide to Basic Skincare is here! Find out more: labmuffin.com/skin

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Do you think clean beauty can be stopped? Or is it too big of a movement?

[@thatsfunny2051]

Sadly I don't think it's going anywhere. Not unless the TGA starts regulating cosmetics as drugs.

[@lorainemcgillivray77]

I don't think it's something that is going away for a while. Maybe as education improves it will start to, but it's here to stay for the forseeable future unfortunately.

[@juliakenney435]

I think that it’s here to stay, but I think that science backed, and clearly labelled (eg % actives) skincare is really nipping at it’s heels.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

@@juliakenney435 I thought that, then I saw The Inkey List put out a video about dirty ingredients 😒 Luckily they took it down once a whole bunch of scientists told them off about it!

[@iamkeri_]

Well yes, I believe we can. 1. Talking about it (like this video, sharing it)- I think a LOT of derms, bloggers, and other skincare experts are now coming out vocally against the fear mongering. We HAVE to continue this. 2. We vote with our wallet. The more we support companies that don't use fear and insecurity based marketing, the more other companies will want to emulate them. 3. We need a catchy slogan like "clean beauty", something that is catchy, easy to remember, can be hashtagged, and thrown around easily. Like "Science Beauty" or something. 4. We need glamorous spokespersons. Just like Clean Beauty the "Science Beauty"😛 movement needs its own celebrity brand ambassadors who are aspirational. I think with all these there's surely a way for the next wave in beauty which is hopefully a science based wave will be able to overthrow clean beauty 😊

[@damaracarpenter8316]

Whenever I hear the phrase "... and it's free of chemicals!" I think.. oh so its... nothing at all?? 🤔😂😂😂

[@ttottot]

plain emptyness in a bottle😂😂😂😂

[@NikitaHunt]

Not even air!

[@AaronFigFront]

If anything it is harmful, radiation participles ( one of many sub-atomic participles) are not chemicals.

[@SongOfSiren13]

LOL exactly my thought 😂👍

[@auricia201]

A bottle full of vacuum 😌🤣🤣

[@Minsooky]

Clean beauty is also a big thing in zero waste, which is another problem, because it seems a lot of people who claim to be zero waste have no clue what it actually means. It seems to be this weird elitist competition of being as “pure” as possible, and they end up buying a lot of stuff they don’t even need and is pretty useless for the skin. Of course, the best way to be sustainable is to simply not buy stuff, but nobody wants to do that...

[@sovrappensiero1]

This is completely spot-on. Same thing in fashion, too: “instead of just not buying more clothes, let’s just buy from “ethical” companies...that way we get a double-hit of feel-good hormones!” Makes me crazy.

[@erinv.4284]

Also sucks for those of us who don't buy into clean beauty, because I'd like to support brands who ACTUALLY use more sustainable packaging and ethically produce their products, but I'm also crazy sensitive to essential oils, so I pretty much have to pick one or the other.

[@123iambex]

I've been in way too many arguments in the zero waste community for calling out greenwashing and pseudoscience. I've even been kicked out of some groups and I voluntarily unsubscribed from others. I've reached my quota of calling out baking soda on skin and vinegar + baking soda cleanser recipes.

[@Noname-qk6qp]

​@@erinv.4284 Same for me.

[@misss7777]

@@erinv.4284 Me too (esssential oils and fragrance in general) and it's just such a joke with clean beauty for using essential oils which are actually high hazard for developing allergies. Especially citrus oils like bergamot oil which are also phototoxic (they increases sun damage)🙈. Strange that those are still allowed in sunscreen... but hey they are natural, they must be ok. I also still find it strange, that some companies sell products with artificial "hypoallergenic fragrance" as if magically no one who is allergic to that will react to it. Weird...

[@TimaHypenoodles]

“It’s like never drinking water because of a fear of drowning” loooove that

[@MrMikk532]

"We don't use SyNtHeTiC FrAgRaNcE, we use EsSeNtIaL OiLs". It kills me to see citrus oils in skin care

[@thehonestbeautyreview]

Yes! That drives me nuts! I’d rather use synthetic over essential oils any day!

[@misss7777]

@@thehonestbeautyreview I'm sensitive to both so I'd rather use no product than either but the ignorance of clean beauty (and regular) brands of citrus oils being phototoxic and clean beauty proudly putting them even into sunscreens drives me nuts🤦‍♀️

[@MrMikk532]

@@misss7777 I agree. I'd prefer no fragrance, even masking ones. One of the supergoop sunscreens had citrus oils in it and I'm like why???? Also it smelt literally like a fragrance lotion. I tested it on my wrist and could still smell it hours afterwards.

[@misss7777]

@@MrMikk532 Yes, masking fragrances aren't necessary. I prefer using cosmetics that slighty "stink" over irritated skin any time.

[@cyrielle8803]

Omg yes it bugs me so bad, essential oils don’t do anything for the skin but people act as if it was the holy grail😭

[@camilagonzalezcontreras7968]

People should stop taking everything so personal, yes, we can be allergic to anything; if we taking this to food allergy, it would be like banning nuts from ALL FOOD due to their potential to be allergenic. In my case I’m allergic to onions and garlic (allium) but you don’t see me trashing every place/cooking that uses onions and garlic...

[@jamieferguson3131]

this is a great example!

[@nancykerrigan]

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

[@Noralet101]

love this example!!

[@callmeclariss]

Love this example!!

[@BeccaMoses]

!!! I do think normalizing allergy testing for stuff you don’t eat is also a hugely important step - this might be my US-centric perspective, because without solid nationalized healthcare people are really hesitant to go to the doctor if it isn’t a “necessity” and so going to an allergist to figure out what the ingredient in your chapstick that’s giving you a rash is feels like a waste of money or unimportant because that won’t kill you (as opposed to significant food allergies which very much will send you into anaphylactic shock on occasion and are therefore “necessary” to figure out). I think when healthcare is so expensive in general it feels like going to figure out what’s up with your body/brain/self is a luxuriant expense unless it’s a matter of life and death (like treatment for something like cancer or depression or testing for food allergies), a normalized routine visit which is prophylaxis FOR life and death situations (pap smears, prostate exams, yearly checkups), or related to something which would make it literally impossible to Be A Person because of severe constant suffering (chronic pain, depression and anxiety, gender dysphoria) or because of the structure of capitalist society which mandates that people fit a certain definition of productivity or normalcy (adhd treatment, autism diagnosis, hearing correction) or a combination of the two (treating poor eyesight, antipsychotic medication, getting mobility aids). If there’s an issue someone faces that is possible to ignore without intense suffering or fear of death, it feels like a waste of their money and of the doctor’s time because it’s “not their job” to deal with perceived minor inconveniences. I think that plays a huge part in why people in general are, from what i see, much more likely to just go “oh I’m allergic to The Chemicals in that stuff” and decide that The Chemicals are fundamentally bad instead of figuring out what specifically they’re reacting to and avoiding that one.

[@leonkande1996]

Clean beauty is quite "dangerous" I think. When I started getting into skincare, I was bombarded with "clean" beauty from facebook groups and blogs. I basically excluded hundreds of great products because of the fear mongering "parabens give you cancer" etc. I've used only "clean" beauty products, even though a lot of them weren't working for me, and I was told this is normal because my skin is "detoxifying". Good thing I've found Michelle and other creators who are more science based :D

[@ladycaticorn2950]

I still use clean beauty products because I've had better luck with clean beauty skincare than conventional. My skin really likes aloe in cosmetics for some reason and I find that clean beauty has more of that. However, I also developed cystic acne many years ago from using really heavy, oil-based moisturizers and foundations that were "clean" by just clogged my pores. I messed my skin up badly because of that. I'm glad to have more products to choose from, but there's a lot of b.s. in clean beauty and I'm glad to see valid critiques of the movement.

[@SamMKKK]

Clean Beauty will demonize petroleum jelly & mineral oil b/c of “toxins”, yet sell you shea butter concoctions literally whipped up in some kitchen. I hate it here.

[@stealthis]

Plus mineral oil is inert, literally non-toxic, and does not even absorb into the skin. Ironically the term mineral oil makes it sound quite organic and healthy as well. How can an oil from minerals be bad for you? This kind a bad-faith arguing makes me feel crazy, but it also makes me feel powerful as you can concoct. "gotchacha!" statements from literally anywhere. This is really the thing that fuels disinformation and propaganda. When you realize it is easy to say things that you know others will not look into because it is too complex or will make them feel bad, it is only a matter of time before everybody starts utilizing it for their own gain.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

From speaking to cosmetic regulators, it's usually the smaller brands breaking the laws and being ignorant of them!

[@christalburgess3013]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience 💯

[@karyon1007]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience I want to support small businesses, but when it comes to cosmetics...😬😬😬

[@christalburgess3013]

@@karyon1007 some of them are safe a have a small scale professional level but you really just have to navigate who's good and bad.

[@definitely_not_bryce]

I reject the idea of clean beauty as it is marketed to us as consumers. However, I do appreciate brands that make an effort to avoid irritating ingredients that don’t really need to be in cosmetics, such as fragrance, essential oils, etc. I think that’s one reason why brands like The Ordinary and The Inkey List have been so successful in recent years.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

I have a lot of opinions on fragrance - I'm working on a video on the topic!

[@debrucey]

Brands that advertise themselves as “clean” tend to be the brands that are NOT taking such care to avoid common irritants in their products

[@nancykerrigan]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience looking forward to it!

[@LogicandDreams]

@@debrucey yes! So-called clean brands are the heaviest users of fragrance and essential oils!

[@misss7777]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience That's wondeful! I'm really looking forward to that. My skin is pretty sensitive to both so only buying fragrance free stuff helped me a lot. I'm really looking forward to hearing your science based analysis of the topic!

[@laurenchan7196]

What disappoints me even more is that this "clean, all-natural beauty" idea has made it's way into education! I'm in the middle of my Diploma of Beauty Therapy, and so far all my teachers have been talking to us about all the "harmful" ingredients that are in most skincare products. One of my teachers even has a salon where she only stocks products made with all-natural chemicals, and she had us do a mini research project on some "bad" ingredients, including parabens. I'm disappointed that even experienced beauty therapists and skincare experts have fallen for this bs movement, because I truly feel like I'm not getting a full-rounded education on skincare products, which is essential for my life of work. I'm so glad I've found this channel, it's frustrating that I'm paying thousands of dollars yet I'm learning more skincare science from KZbin than I am my instructors

[@dianasmakeupworld]

The sad truth is that many beauty professionals have learned their knowledge from schools sponsored by specific brands. The brand presents itself so well that those who learn these skills along with the brand pseudo science take it for truth. It would be good if beauty schools would teach basic chemistry and science so that students could make their own decisions

[@Cosmicangel444]

I am currently at an Aveda school becoming licensed esthetician, and I stumbled upon this video researching ingredients of products for a project. Also about good and bad ingredients and different brands of skin care products and their price ranges, how some less expensive skincare brands are actually better then most luxurious brands. I don't fully understand everything in this video but certain things do make sense to me.

[@ehla718]

I mean sure, but you do realize that there are many skincare ingredients that are so bad that they get banned after research right? like there is a middle ground on this

[@laurenchan7196]

@@ehla718 Of course, but I'm not talking about ingredients that have been thoroughly researched and proven to be harmful. I'm talking about common ingredients that are still used, some that have even been proven to cause no harm, as Michelle outlined in this video, and my teachers are still saying that they're bad, and that only natural stuff is good. It's disappointing that they're only willing to talk about what they believe to be "bad", even if there's no proof and they have to twist facts to suit their views.

[@HelloGoodbye2067]

This is why I trust ME to know what works for MY hair and MY skin. If someone is using a “clean” product and it works for them, great! If someone is using a product not considered “clean” by marketing standards and it works for them, also great! One of my pet peeves involved the slandering of silicones in hair products. I’ve had more fallout and breakage from “natural” and “professional” brands.

[@DaPoofDaPoofDaPoofDa]

What's worst is some of these same advocates for "clean beauty" don't trust the scientific community -- so what's the point?? Why would i trust your barometer for whats clean or safe or non-toxic, anyways? Its like playing a board game with 2 different sets of rule books

[@bir22]

Excellent point. I think with the people who advocate so intensely for "clean, non-toxic, chemical-free" BS, what they're really saying is "I FEEL like this is better" and not that they KNOW it's better. They're like anti-vaxxers who FEEL like vaccines are bad, but don't actually KNOW it because if they did have actual, proven knowledge about vaccines (or "clean beauty") they wouldn't FEEL that way. Feelings and facts are not the same to most of the world, but that isn't the case for a lot of people, unfortunately.

[@user-jp2du8lo9l]

Actually, the entire microbiology and molecular biology department at ASU, especially Dr. Steele, Dr. Chang, and Dr. Stewart are really into clean beauty because they know the negative health effects of phthalates and parabens. Read papers by the NYU medical school Environmental Health Department by Dr. Kannan and Dr. Trasande. Clean beauty isn’t a scam.

[@makeupnnailmaniac8220]

@@user-jp2du8lo9l Clearly you didn't watch the video, and just because one obscure University says so doesn't make it true. It is a scam. The companies tell you that they're clean, so you believe it, again that doesn't make it true.

[@cedargrace]

Yes unfortunately this applies to many aspects of society

[@methylatedlysine]

Michelle: "I don't want this video to be an hour long" Me: 😠😠😔❤️

[@hanamiya8008]

Yeah, I really don't mind if the video would be 1 hour long or more :))

[@stealthis]

Hit us with that Contrapoints length video. We are ready.

[@curlsofa2017]

I would happily watch an hour long video of Michelle ranting about clean beauty! I could get a glass of wine, some snacks and yell “yeah, girl, tell ‘em! Tell ‘em good!” every once in a while for extra effect. What a night it would be! ☺️

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

@@curlsofa2017 Haha I might do a "reacting to clean beauty marketing" video at some point...

[@curlsofa2017]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience Yaasss!

[@tiaraono7668]

I'm a chemist with a background in toxicology, For a long while I was dating a guy who's family owned a "All Natrual" cleaning company. I'd often get into arguments with them because they were making claims that were just plain WRONG and dangerous. It was always a point of contention when we were together. They were big users of the "Chemical free" BS, and it made me so mad.

[@jlrntz]

PLEASE do another video on the environmental side of clean beauty!! Especially from a full product lifecycle perspective.

[@myconfusedmerriment]

"Pseudoscience is generally easier to understand and easier to sell." Yes!!! So glad I found your channel. Thank you for all the research and the work you put in to these videos, Michelle!

[@Queenfairypants]

I don’t understand the fear about ‘toxins’ in skin care when we are breathing in pollution and ingesting micro plastics every day. Surely those are more pressing issues and the reason for health problems. People are mad about moisturiser but not ‘forever chemicals’ 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@YangLoves]

This!!!! It's the same eyeroll that I have for people who endorse 'leather/animal wool' alternatives (aka: macro or micro-plastics), when these products will not biodegradable in thousands of years and affect millions, if not, billions of lives negatively.

[@sarahgernannt]

@@YangLoves There are biodegradable vegan alternatives for both wool and leather. "Leather" made from cactus, pineapple, and banana leaf has been around for years, and only becoming more and more popular. Personally, I've heard many advocate for ending the leather and wool trades, (by simply not purchasing them,) but I've never heard anyone actually endorse the use of polyurethane.

[@littlewingedzebra]

those are related, though! first, if you are exposed to tons of pollution, and then adding more "toxins" to your body directly, that's not good. also, if everyone is using "toxic" personal care products that's all getting washed down the drain, into our waterways, and all the plastic packaging just adds more to the landfill/oceans.

[@Queenfairypants]

@@littlewingedzebra Yes that’s if the ingredients in products are actually toxic though. Of course that’s no good. But people think things like sulphates in shampoo are toxic.

[@emmao6578]

​@@sarahgernannt I'm afraid out of the three you mentioned only banana leaf leather is actually biodegradable. The other two and many more vegan "sustainable" leathers are very much mirroring clean beauty in that they don't tell the whole story and often use misleading marketing. Both pineapple leaf leather and cactus leather are created by mixing the plant material with a form of plastic in such a way that they cannot be separated easily. Which essentially means that the plant material is no longer easily biodegradable and the plastic is now contaminated so cannot be sent to a standard recycling plant. You'll notice that they avoid saying things like plastic-free because that would be lying and instead say things like "PVC-free"/"contains no toxic chemicals", with the full knowledge that a lot of people will understand that as plastic free. They also say things like "partially biodegradable" and then give no further information on what that means or how to go about biodegrading it. Maybe they are better than standard PU/PVC leather but it's definitely not an obvious answer and the way they skirt around certain topics makes it very difficult to consider all angles. That in itself makes me think they aren't as good as they want us to think.

[@bianka9021]

Girllll, hold my earrings😂

[@clairekennedy8767]

I remember my friend told me to get this app years ago and I thought all my affordable simple products were bad for me. I’m so glad my dermatologist educated me.

[@lisabaughn]

My nails and cuticles look better than ever now that I am using cheapo Vaseline. Hooray!

[@sylvestra_]

I understand your rant so much. Just because pseudoscience is easier to follow, that doesn't make it right! Much love

[@bluecurlygirl]

Exactly. Fairytales are also easy to follow but it doesn't make them true.

[@julieespitia69]

I'm 24 and I've never had a consistent, daily skincare routine. I'm trying to put together one, but two incredibly important things for me are sustainability and cruelty free brands. And I'm in Colombia, so cheap things in the States, UK, Australia, etc. are expensive to me. And there's so much info out there is maddening trying to flesh out the brands that can potentially be good for me (won't ever know if it will work for me if I don't try it out) but that aligns with my morals as well. Understanding this clean beauty thing is very important to me, so thank you Michelle for always making in depth ideos that are still understandable to non scientists (and even non native English speakers lol)

[@estherherzog7655]

I work in marketing in a fairly technical industry and totally agree that educational marketing is the way for skincare companies to go. When I see really good information from a brand on why they chose certain ingredients (not just because they're "natural" or "plant-derived") and talking about how the formulation affects the final product, I'm much more likely to purchase products from them.

[@bayleaf7588]

Thank you Lab Muffin. I detest how big companies are exploiting our naivete and worries, to make themselves more wealthy- at our expense! 🙄 Disgusting. Your well-reserched, consise info is greatly appreciated x

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

I think with clean beauty it's smaller brands that started it, but it's especially disappointing that bigger brands are joining in 😒

[@LogarAcc]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience Smaller or bigger brands, doesn't matter. The common denominator is human greed. Being unethical is their best chance to make more $$$

[@angelab5349]

Brilliant! I think the ill effects of the anxiety from fear of everything potentially ‘poisoning’ us far outweighs any preservative lurking in our nightly moisturiser.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Definitely! Not to mention the additional financial burden of switching all your products to clean products.

[@violalanger7557]

Wow. I was shocked to hear you were losing money the first six years doing all this. I highly appreciate your content. In fact, i am only leaving this comment to support your channel. Thank you for your work!

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

It wasn't a lot of money because I was really careful with my costs, but I treated it as a hobby I was paying to do for fun. Maybe a few thousand dollars a year?

[@katylake212]

Absolutely love this. I've lost more than a few dollars buying "clean" products that in a very short time grew mold or discolored or smelled off. I'm not going to freaking EAT parabens, but I'm glad to have some actual preservatives that work in expensive skincare. Thank you for being rational! You'd need an electron microscope to measure that ingredient in the beauty community!

[@EspadasYCopas]

Everybody eat a little of face cream every day.without knowing.

[@dany734]

Skin is the largest organ. Anything you put on gets absorbed into your bloodstream.

[@makeupnnailmaniac8220]

@@dany734 That's a myth, half of the products that you put on your skin don't sink into it, don't spread more misinformation.

[@ajamesu]

Risk = Exposure × Hazard I'm gonna remember that! It's like "the dose makes the poison"

[@DiaLynneN]

I really appreciate your easy way of explaining this topic. I agree clean beauty is not a thing, I would love to know your thoughts on the environment bc I entered the “clean beauty” realm in search of sustainability, honestly more focused on the packaging. I feel like I go through a lot of plastic and wish I had more sustainable options.

[@bluecurlygirl]

Same

[@littlewingedzebra]

me too! there's so much more to the clean beauty world than just hating on certain chemicals. in theory, it should be an all encompassing eco-friendly thing, including packaging, sourcing, etc.

[@adorabell4253]

I don’t want toxic chemicals in my skincare products and that’s why I don’t use white lead, mercury, or arsenic.

[@danams4166]

This is by far one of my favorite videos of yours. I face a similar issue when teaching community nutrition courses where people try to convince me that organic foods are pesticide-free. There is a lot of misinformation that gets passed around and it is based on successfully scaring people.

[@sasstsuma1467]

Wait, they're actually not pesticide-free???? 😱

[@LogarAcc]

@@sasstsuma1467 No, they're not. The whole "organic foods" stuff is just marketing. They're not much different than regular fruit-veggies. Save your money

[@faceonnailsdonehairdid]

Side note: I honestly hear "click the nerdification bell, so you don't miss any videos..." btw I would happily do that to nerd out on the science behind beauty products.🙃

[@catkajary4415]

I heard "nerdification" too! I thought it was her cute way of embracing her science nerdiness; I didn't occur to me that I misheard it because of her Aussie accent until I saw your comment!

[@dangerouscolors]

i'm not into skincare specifically, but as someone with an interest in medicine who DESPISES the "natural always=good and anything manmade=evil cancer" movement in every field, fucking THANK YOU for this video !!! oh my god!! im so tired of the obsession with undefined Toxins and Detoxification in everything from food to medicine to skincare. jesus christ

[@sonian7234]

Omg thank you so much Michelle for addressing this. I’m all for cleaner and healthier living in general but all of this fear mongering is driving me insane. It’s so obvious that 90% of the brands claiming they’re “clean” are just tapping into that new trend of people going “natural” with everything including skincare or makeup. It’s pure greed and it disgusts me.

[@ryeofoatmeal]

lol when she mentioned about the definition of clean beauty is like good music, that really hits home 💀

[@khiahahaha]

As a pharmacy dropout, you bet your coints that I was not buying the clean beauty thing. Water is good but it can be toxic y’all - just the dosage permits it not to be.

[@queeniekizzy2634]

Love your lipstick color, looks amazing on you! And I laughed so hard on the earrings 🤣🤣🤣 I'm so glad you're calling out clean beauty as hard as you are.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Thank you! It's Revlon Toast of New York 😊

[@queeniekizzy2634]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience well I know what I'm looking for today!!! Thank you!

[@Rea13434O]

Yesss please make a video on the environmental impact of clean beauty!! It frustrates me when I see people down themselves or others for not being able to have an extremely eco-friendly lifestyle when it’s really oil companies and big corporations at fault!

[@ifrah3224]

You're soooo good at explaining 😭❤️ ... I wish you were my chemistry teacher in college 😂 Thank you so much for sharing all this information with us ! Appreciate your hardwork, Love you! ❤️

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Thank you! I usually revise my scripts over a few weeks to try to make them more understandable, it's great to hear that it's working!

[@ifrah3224]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience appreciate every bit that you do . Thanks for saving our skin !❤️

[@Cara-39]

My best friend has a Bachelor's in Chemistry, a Masters in Biochemistry and works for a nuclear power plant; I'm a Director of Talent Acquisition in financial services. She talks to me all the time about her work, sort of like I'm a coworker and know what she's talking about, and many times I've considered sending her some of Michelle's videos so she can learn how to explain things in a way I can understand!

[@nocturnalizzie]

That cute high risk lion picture made me laugh! Thank you for this video! I'm so sick of the pseudoscience and the fearmongering.

[@auricia201]

17:42, we are! I tend to look down on products that feature "natural" marketing, not because I think natural ingredients are bad, but because that "natural is better" idea annoys me. I think it's sad that this extreme idea of clean products is also making some people go to the other extreme side of "anything synthetic is ok", which is also not true. Not that science itself promote that idea, but companies want to profit from new finding, regardless of whether the necessary risk investigations were made. And since extreme ideas generate other extreme ideas...it' hard to focus on the healthy middle.

[@PeachesSkinCare]

Michelle, I loved this. I have been Saying for years that the term “ Clean Beauty” is a marketing term. In fact many products will demonize an ingredient in one of their products when it is in another product they make🤔 We also have to keep in mind just how much of the “ bad ingredient “ is in the products. So many of these “LIST”are not always accurate. I just loved this!!! You have mentioned esthetician can be unkind to you. Well this is a master esthetician of over 33 years that loves most of what you say!! Keep up the good work. 🍑🙌🏻Lisa Peaches Skin Care

[@Sigurjon543]

Yo Lab Muffin! I'm a molecular geneticist nearly finished with my PhD. I think clean beauty is just another trend. Shortly, the trend will snap back and I predict that scientifically literate beauty will be the next trend. I think this change will be catalyzed by KZbin. Content creators like you make the science accessible to the ley audience. There's a movement of consumers who are passionate about learning what the science actually says, and the market will follow.

[@KRfromthePaleozoic]

I'm so glad to see this. I've always been suspicious of "clean" beauty, it seemed unscientific and merely an excuse for elitism/classism. Super "clean" brands like Lilah B, Kjaer Weiss, and others are outrageously priced and I don't think it's a coincidence. Companies don't care overmuch about our health, they care about our money going into their pockets.

[@shhhentient]

PLEASE DO talk about clean beauty's effect on the environment. So far I can't find anyone explaining why shea butter from overseas would be better for the environment than petrolatum, which I think is just a byproduct? Idk I've had a lot of internal conflict on this, and that's just an example, and haven't found much information out there.

[@juliakenney435]

This was great! I would definitely love a part 2 about the environmental impact of clean beauty. Thanks Michelle 🙂

[@HelenaMeow]

I’m so sick of “clean beauty” terminology! I once came to Sephora and they asked my if I’m interested in clean beauty and I said “no, it’s not a thing for me”, they started to try to convince me that I’m wrong 🤯😐🙄 so stupid

[@lisabaughn]

We would have to give up tons of super effective and wonderful products too.

[@loliq361]

Wow, her courage of speaking the truth (and actual science) is ultimately admired!👏👏👏 My skin has been visibly improved since I started to use fragrant&dye free skin care products. That means many so-called 'clean' products on Sephora are NOT good for me, what a BS! Also if eco-friendly is a real concern, how about firstly, cut down all those fancyass overly-over packagings for cosmetic and skin care products?

[@sunscreenhoarder6558]

Absolutely! Better yet, stop producing repetitive products entirely. The world just doesn't need this many cheap basic moisturisers or cleansers or micellar waters, ya know? It's only ultimately adding to waste

[@ladycaticorn2950]

To be fair, some clean cosmetic companies don't test on animals, are vegan, and use recycled packaging/consumer waste packaging. I don't see that push as much in conventional beauty brands, but I think everyone should be thinking about how to reduce their waste for sure. I've tried to buy less makeup/skincare because 1) I'm broke 😂 and 2) I don't need all of that stuff because most of it will end up in the trash anyways.

[@loliq361]

@@ladycaticorn2950 I like your 'to be fair' points, they're totally valid. I don't know other markets, but in France, I don't see many 'refillable' skincare products at all. I always prefer to get refill format for basically anything I like to use. With the Christmas approaching, there are so many gift-boxes and calendars on the market, I'm avoiding them as well. Anyway I totally agree what's most important is to buy what you really need and not buying those marketing illusions.

[@rosieroo538]

I love this! Unfortunately I often give in to the cleaner beauty brands as they tend to be more transparent on their animal testing policies and where ingredients are sourced. More transparency on ethics AND science would be incredible.

[@shuchko]

Finally someone with sense

[@jani7th]

I wish I would know about this 5 years ago, when I started using natural skincare. I started with healthy skin, now I've rosacea, damaged skin barrier, pimples, dehydration and extreme sensitivity, can't stand even water. I really think it is all due to natural, organic skincare.

[@nicoleshan6410]

I'm sorry you experienced this... Back in my teenage years, I used Vitamin A to exfoliate my skin and it caused me more acne than ever (I still think it had to do with my hormones) 😥

[@iceteeize]

“Natural is good!” Then I guess I should pick up smoking again. Tobacco is pretty natural I would say. It’s such a dumb and hollow argument, I’m glad you made this video so I can send it every time I see someone claim this. (And please don’t point out that there are additives in cigarettes and that the filter is bad, you know what I mean and I hope you realize even the cleanest tobacco is still bad to inhale)

[@arila656]

Natural can be good, but it depends on what you’re talking about. Nature can be both good and bad, of course. Hopefully when people say “natural is good”, they don’t mean for you to pick up a cigarette or use something from nature in a way that will harm you. Hopefully.

[@SusanIvanova2257]

That subtle shade with the Native deodorant at 1:25 😏 Glad I'm not the only one who can't hear their marketing bs anymore

[@andrewryan724]

So sick of the Native deodorant advertisements! They’re owned by P&G, too!

[@SusanIvanova2257]

@@andrewryan724 somehow I'm not even surprised. So much for pandering to the eco conscious consumers. Last time I checked Procter & Gamble still happily sell many of their brands in China and thus definitely can't be considered cruelty free by most people's standards. Native deodorant themselves still claim not to be tested on animals according to their website. Misleading on more accounts than just safety of ingredients.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

@@andrewryan724 P&G have also started with "free from" advertising with Palmolive, and have partnered with the EWG... really not happy with the route they're taking

[@rumblefish9]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience EWG is the biggest BS. Its masquerading as a reliable and unbiased group but they're not. There was a time I worked as a freelance web editor for a green cleaning company and when my group submitted our articles, we were strictly forbidden by the company to reference or quote anything from EWG--only EPA and FDA.

[@derrypalm945]

isn't there essential oils that are carcinogenic? like lavender. and citrus oils are phototoxic. yet clean beauty uses them all the time. and then they want to state that they wont use anything that has a potential to harm. I cant stand their hypocrisy 🤦‍♂️

[@iaretagi]

this is incredibly enlightening and very timely for me personally as i step into more skin and haircare! love ittt

[@electricbrighto625]

Your rant at the end was everything I needed. Distrust in the skin care and beauty industry is huge and I would adore a deeper dive into this topic. I an a former clean beauty sales person so I understand where a lot of this comes from. Thank you for a great video

[@patriciaodonnell4239]

I still like the idea of clean beauty. I think that there has to be a happy medium, because I do not want to use products that are harmful. And there are harmful ingredients out there in cosmetics!! Please continue to advise us as I do not have time to research the products I buy thoroughly

[@sebu.4706]

Thank you so much Michelle for educating us

[@2010bibirodrigues]

Thank you!! This is video is so necessary these days.

[@RaeRaesRaveReviews]

Ive watched a couple of these "clean beauty=scam" videos and none of them address forever chemicals and the fact that they bio-accumulate. So even if makeup products contain a very small, non-hazardous amount of PFAS and PFOS, that amount bio-accumulates over time. I appreciate that clean beauty movement encourages transparency in ingredients. I would like to use makeup without forever chemicals -- not just for my health but for the long term health of all life on the planet, I wish to not support the production of those chemicals.

[@blastypie]

What are forever chemicals? Chemicals that never biodegrade?

[@blazingstar9638]

I totally agree

[@blazingstar9638]

This is the actual important part

[@RaeRaesRaveReviews]

@@blastypie yes. google PFAS. They never go away. check out recent stories of them in the media. Its estimated that 97% of americans have PFAS in our blood and it will never go away.

[@RaeRaesRaveReviews]

@@blastypie yes. We dont know how to get rid of them. They stick around in the environment and bio-accumulate in our food and in our bodies.

[@nancyaustin2430]

It's just crazy what they are doing. I have products I have used for years. I'm still going to use them. I unsubscribed to a couple of very popular KZbin beauty influences for just shoving this clean down your throat. Thank you for this information. I just hope the brands pay attention to the science.

[@smhauolic]

This is why I love that I discovered you and follow you! I actually have a friend that refers to this website on ingredients anytime she wants to look at buying a new product and I just roll my eyes LOL. I do take the time to look up things out of curiosity but I know it's easier to just think that whatever is being marketed to us is based on in-depth, scientific data. Thank you for covering this topic!

[@geniej2378]

I dislike the fearmongering of clean beauty but I really like the aesthetic of their packaging and marketing so I find myself buying from those brands. I'm sure it's similar to the "green halo" of health foods in the supermarket

[@haoqinggeng514]

I'm the opposite! I like the concept and intention of clean beauty but hate the "natural" and green aesthetic of their packaging 🤣

[@TheLadyRowyn]

I love how nerdy and detailed this video is.

[@tyresseferguson2462]

😂😂😂 I love that she took off her earrings like it's about to get real with facts 😂😂😂

[@karyon1007]

I DIED😂

[@lisabaughn]

Too good! A beauty scientist's equivalent of "the gloves are off!"

[@Bianca-nb7by]

I’m so glad that you made this video. I recently read that if you’re having hormonal issues, particularly if you are estrogen dominant, that you should stay away from hormone-mimicking substances found in “conventional cosmetics.” I was a little sceptical when I heard this but your video has luckily put this to rest in my mind 😌

[@salponce3368]

Thank you so much for sticking to the science, even when it wasn’t successful (I had no idea you struggled for the first 6 years!). Please keep being a beacon of reason among so many sell-outs & misinformation-spreaders!

[@mfb760]

Ohh I so happy you are here!!!! Thanks for this video!!

[@everythingbuthair]

this exact issue (and your efforts to fight it) are the literal reason im now a chemistry major and plan on joining this fight of misinformation with you soon. you're a dream. thank you for everything that you do

[@katrinadessavre5293]

Thank you so much for this video! I hope that everyone who believes in ‘clean beauty’ sees this. I think that companies will continue to exploit consumers’ misconceptions about clean beauty as long as they can, so the more people know about the science of toxicology, the less power these companies will have.

[@martinmoore8216]

Totally appreciated your informed perspective on this confusing and on the surface appealing trend. Nice to have the Toxicology perspective as well. It alleviates some anxiety I have with the impulse to do the best we can, which is a genuine intention, yet not having the important nerdy science knowledge to delve deeper than surface appearance. Thanks.

[@jenluv]

Thank you, Michelle! Keep yelling from the rooftops!!!

[@StateofKait]

I so appreciate you, Michelle. Thanks for this!

[@kattkatt744]

I think the worst part of the parabens scare is that phenoxyethanol has been put in products instead. Phenoxyethanol may have more certain evidence for not being carcinogenic, but on the other hand it has a much higher risk of giving people allergic reactions. Hence there was a spike of people being hospitalised for server allergic reactions and lots of people who never would have needed to care about reading ingredients list now have to do so because they where exposed unnecessarily.

[@AlexS-cp3rx]

I am so interested in the messy truth! And I’m so grateful to have found your KZbin for this exact reason.

[@ashleyhathaway8548]

Thank you million times for this!

[@Afroniponica]

Wonderful explanation! Before finding your channel I was really caught up on this lies, thank you for all the info!!!

[@alexishooker2437]

So glad I’ve discovered your channel! As a PhD student I’ve come to understand the importance and benefits of finding research backed claims to things and not just running with what’s all over the internet.

[@leahsegura6614]

We love and appreciate you every single video! Thank you for all of your hard work.

[@AngieBurgs]

This was the most thorough debunking of clean beauty!! Thank you so much Michelle for sharing this!

[@suegourd8211]

Good for you Michelle, well done.

[@lindamihalic9897]

toxicology is fascinating! thank you for providing this valuable info💕

[@Zantetsukens]

Accurate science is not good marketing. That's how fear-mongering trends like "Clean Beauty" surfaces. It's unfortunate though, more and more people seem to not look into the science and jump on the bandwagon without much thought, some even become anti-science.

[@krizirizzo5957]

Thank you Michelle for sharing your knowledge! you deserve all the subscribers in the world. keep growing, keep glowing. You go girl!

[@geniej2378]

Thank you thank you thank you for making this video! It's so important!

[@stefaniebabchuk2050]

Oh my goodness I’m so thankful for you and telling the facts!

[@podpoe]

Kind of unrelated but i havent seen anyone talk about it. What do you think of prebiotic and probiotic skincare products? I have seen more and more of these products recently and im curious about the science behind it. Thanks for your videos! I find 'clean' beauty frustrating so thank you for spreading science!

[@shamanlilac260]

I work as a scientist in microbiome research. As much as I want to say that “good” bacteria can really help with skincare, there’s very little evidence that they actually make much of a difference. Your skin is really good at regulating itself. The only situation where giving people “good” bacteria has a large enough reproducible effect is when patients have severe intestinal disease and are given what we call FMTs or “fecal microbial transplants” to help recover the body’s natural flora.

[@podpoe]

@@shamanlilac260 Thank you!! Thats good to know.

[@shamanlilac260]

@@podpoe No prob! Happy to help and educate!

[@fernandalugo2007]

Thank you for this video. Now I realized I was falling into this clean beauty world. In the past I was a little paranoid searching in the ingredients list of each product, now I feel better. Greetings from Mexico.

[@jhe9488]

Unfortunately clean beauty is never going away. Just like how vaccine hesitancy will never really go away. People can be extremely irrational regarding their own strongly held views, regardless of how much evidence there is discrediting them.

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

That's true - but vaccine hesitancy is considered pretty fringe, while I feel that clean beauty is quite mainstream. Maybe it's possible to make it a fringe idea too?

[@nadareyene]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience exactly it's so mainstream that i feel educating more and more people will make it smaller

[@ezgiebren6537]

@@LabMuffinBeautyScience The negative effects of vaccine hesitancy are usually more drastic and can be observed in a shorter time interval. Governments also make a conscious effort to clear misunderstandings and explain those disadvantages to the general public. However, with clean beauty, it is mostly skin irritation or infection (if there aren't other diseases I am not aware of?) and the environmental impact will only be obvious long term. To me, the most efficient way to destroy the idea of "clean beauty" as something positive would be to promote fear and hesitancy among the general public towards it, just like they do for toxic ingredients etc. Sadly, I don't believe that we can make people understand through knowledge and science. With that said, I also believe that platforms such as this channel teach the minority who are not prejudiced a lot. So, thank you for this and many other amazing content.

[@saskoo]

I feel like anti-vaxxers are the same as the anti-maskers here in the US. And taking into consideration the result of the election ...i.e. 71M people vpted for a man actively targeting science and best practice, I feel the anti-science trend may not be as fringe as we think at least here. I would like to think it's better in other countries though.

[@ladycaticorn2950]

As someone who uses clean beauty but is skeptical of a lot of the claims and also uses some conventional products, I don't appreciate the comparison between clean beauty and anti-vaxx (as someone who is VERY pro-vaxx myself and knows many clean beauty users who are also pro-vaxx). Clean beauty may be pseudoscientific, but no one is going out and putting other people at risk of death by using a "clean" moisturizer or lipstick.

[@Lulovna]

Thanks for this video!

[@sandraehni4033]

I am so glad you are educating us! 😁💕

[@mashingwachine1342]

Omg I need this!! Thank you!

[@renepena3024]

Thanks for this!

[@hanamiya8008]

Very out of topic--- Dr Fred just reminds me of my childhood-> Steve from Blues Clues!:")) Anyway, thank you for making this video as always! I think beauty industries "trends" would stops inevitably, like how I can't see people raving about their clarisonic or foreo things... so yeah I hope people in the world would open their eyes and sharpen their brain so this "trends" would go away too....

[@Purple_haired_cleric]

Maybe a bit... on the other hand, he reminds me of that guy from Crash Course 😂 It's not a tv show, but yeah, Idk...

[@annarose477]

I love your work!! Thanks for doing what you do!! ❤️❤️

[@iriscroatica5908]

I used to fall for all that. It's a little embarrassing, however I'd like to think of as just another step to a better understanding of cosmetics and all the processes around it (to put it shortly). You helped a lot so thank you!

[@KattyTheLover]

Love this video, Excellent. Thanks you for all the info !

[@jenadams2576]

New sub. Thank you so much for making these videos. I am so excited I found your channel as I want to learn more about beauty and skincare from someone who knows. I love science, education and beauty so I love your channel. I love that you educate and include so many links in the description box so people can look into things further for themselves. I want to learn more but it is hard to find time to look into everything, plus I don't have a chemistry background so it is hard for me to know where to start. Your videos and links help me so much. Thank you! ❤️

[@skinquisitive6745]

Excellent video! When you announced your supplementary info channel at the end, I just thought Christmas has come early 🙌🙌

[@dinurse8591]

Oh girl I love your honesty and thank you so much for educating us. Even though I have a little knowledge about chemistry I still get trap into the “clean beauty” tornado. I just remember being happy that Ulta has started carrying more “clean” beauty products. Jajajajaja it is very easy to get sucked into it because it sounds Disney like. Again a big THANKS from me. Love from Colombia 🇨🇴

[@TsubataLately]

I'm constantly seeing people who should know better spouting this clean beauty nonsense. Most recently, a well-respected dermatologist who promotes using mineral sunscreens over chemical sunscreens because "chemicals = bad." 🙄

[@LabMuffinBeautyScience]

It's the worst! There are quite a few scientists and dermatologists who push clean beauty - it's embarrassing.

[@kyrakytana]

I HATE the argument "chemicals = bad". I always counter by saying that water is a chemical compound AND can actually kill you when you overdose (hyponatremia). Would you consider water = bad?

[@sunscreenhoarder6558]

Don't be shy, drop their name.

[@catalinamathews9511]

@@sunscreenhoarder6558 I think they mean dr Vanita Rattan from the hyperpigmentation clinic? She says chemical sunscreens are bad.

[@sunscreenhoarder6558]

@@catalinamathews9511 I completely forgot she existed. That sounds about right, to be honest. Hella yikes on that 👀

[@pattygosselin1037]

Great video - what an education you provide! I totally agree that brands should be a lot more transparent about ingredients and formulations; and consumers should be more interested in the science (and the truth!) about cosmetics, skincare, and toiletry products in general. Please keep up your amazing work!