What does “clean beauty” really mean? There are about a million definitions! Many brands complicate things and lack transparency when it comes to their ingredients. So how do you know what to look for when shopping for truly clean makeup?
We like to keep things simple. For Izzy, clean beauty means we don’t have any toxic ingredients that are deemed harmful to your health! We do this by following the Credo Clean Standard™, guidelines created by clean beauty retailer Credo Beauty, which we’ll explain a bit later.
Another aspect to consider when it comes to clean beauty products is the quality. Izzy founder Shannon Goldberg dove DEEP into this area, determined to find nourishing, nontoxic ingredients that deliver lasting effects. Her first project was clean beauty mascara. Since then, Izzy has added clean brow gel, lip color, highlighter, and cheek hue to our sustainable, toxic-free lineup!
Learn about the Credo Clean Standard and how we create clean, high-end makeup!
Why Go Clean Beauty?
It may be hard to believe that with all of the research on harmful chemicals, we still have to worry about what’s in our beauty and skincare products—but we do. Unfortunately, many manufacturers still use ingredients that have been linked to:
- Cancer- Hormone disruption
- Allergies/desensitization
- Environmental damage
- Adverse effects on the skin, nervous system, kidneys, liver, and many more
Stocking your vanity with clean lip gloss, brow gel, and mascara ensures you avoid these toxic substances that can cause health problems. Plus, you’ll help prevent their damaging effects on the environment. Shopping responsibly means doing your part to improve the cosmetics industry!
Behind the Credo Clean Standard
These issues exist partially because U.S. law still has light requirements regarding data, ingredient, and materials reporting. But like Credo, we aim to make a global change in the beauty industry by developing safe, healthy products for people and the planet. That means we follow the Credo Clean Standard tenets, including:
- Safety: We prioritize understanding and educating others on chemicals found in cosmetics and their effects—many of which have minimal or no hazard information.
- Sourcing: We research where all materials and ingredients originate to ensure our products and entire supply chain remain safe and sustainable.
- Sustainability: We minimize our impact and harm to the environment by evaluating how ingredients/materials are produced or manufactured, renewability, transportation, and practices.
- Ethics: We ensure humans and animals involved in our products are treated humanely by avoiding poor labor conditions or environmental injustice and digging for accurate information.
- Transparency: We can only instill this positive change with complete transparency, which is why we commit to sharing all information on our ingredients, materials, and processes, as well as those of our suppliers and vendors.
The Credo Clean Standard also has its Dirty List® of 2,700 chemicals that it prohibits or restricts, typically for safety and/or sustainability reasons.
But the Credo Clean Standard notes that it’s about more than the “free of” list. For example, they also call for clear ingredient lists (no marketing terms allowed), thorough ingredient reporting, stability and shelf-life testing, proof for product and ingredient claims, and disclosing fragrance type and ingredients.
They even added Sustainable Packaging Guidelines in 2020, which aligns with our zero waste efforts at Izzy!
How We Develop Clean Makeup Without Sacrificing Quality
Shannon and the rest of the Izzy team have worked hard to provide eco-conscious beauty lovers with products that feel great, look great, and last. It’s taken significant time, research, and testing, but it is possible—and totally worth it.
“When you remove a lot of the ingredients that are traditionally used, it's really difficult to rework a formula without those ingredients. So it's been very much about finding quality ingredients swaps,” Shannon explains.
“And that was really important for me with Izzy. A lot of times, clean formulas have a stigma that they just don't work or perform as well as your traditional products. So for Izzy, quality was huge.”
But it didn’t stop there! “Plus, we wanted to check all those boxes of being clean, vegan-friendly, and gluten-free,” says Shannon. We want Izzy products to work for as many people as possible, regardless of their lifestyles, allergies, and sensitivities.
In addition to becoming one of the most trusted clean mascara brands, Izzy has successfully created many other clean alternatives for your makeup must-haves, including:
- Zero Waste Mascara: Advanced polymers and microfibers thicken and lengthen lashes while sunflower seed wax and jasmine nourish, condition, and soften so lashes don’t dry out or break off.
- Zero Waste Brow Gel: Our clean brow gel contains naturally-derived Maizecare and Biostyle CGP polymers for volume, hold, subtle definition, and lasting shape. Other natural ingredients even promote healthy hair growth!
- Zero Waste Lip Gloss: Izzy’s clean lip gloss provides a shiny pop of color while lip-loving ingredients moisturize, nourish, and protect your pout from UV rays and free radical damage.
Are you new to clean beauty alternatives? Or maybe you’ve struggled to find options that deliver the desired effect? Check out Izzy’s entire collection of zero waste makeup and experience the difference of clean ingredients! Our sustainable packaging and processes also mean you can rest easy knowing your cosmetic choices won’t harm the environment.
