The clean beauty trend isn’t a passing fad—it’s a movement that’s growing due to new data demonstrating the need for cosmetic ingredient regulation, advocates say. Media coverage continues to fuel consumer's concerns. Last year, Vogue covered the documentary "Toxic Beauty," with the attention-grabbing headline: Are Skin Care Products the New Cigarettes?

A recent article in The Guardian calls standards for beauty ingredients in the U.S. "lax," which they are, since the FDA has no authority to review ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products. EWG's Scott Faber writes: "The U.S. has fallen far behind our international trading partners in the regulation of cosmetics. More than 40 nations have taken steps to ban or restrict, in combination, more than 1,400 chemicals or contaminants in cosmetics..."

As more studies are published, perhaps change will occur. 

The Move to Ban PFAS

The first study to test makeup for PFAs was published on June 15th, 2021. Then in July, Sephora added PFAs to its 'Formulated Without' list. Retailers are stepping up to set standards for "clean" beauty since our government has not. 

In the study “Fluorinated Compounds in North American Cosmetics” published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, researchers at the University of Notre Dame tested more than 231 cosmetic products sold at retailers in the U.S. and Canada. The products were tested for the presence of fluorine.

The study results were alarming— 56% of foundations and eye products, 48% of lip products, and 47% of mascaras contained fluorine, an indicator of PFAS.

What Are PFAS?

PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—a class of over 7,000 manmade compounds in thousands of products. Numerous studies have linked them to kidney, liver and pancreatic cancers, endocrine disruption, weakened immunity and more.

PFAS are a potential health risk and are “a potentially toxic class of chemicals added to cosmetics to increase their durability and water resistance,” the study states. PFAS are called “forever chemicals” because they are slow to break down in the body and in our environment.

Why are PFAs in Makeup?

Foundation, mascara, and lip product categories had the highest number of products with fluorine in the study mentioned above. In cosmetics, PFAS can increase a product’s water-resistance, and are sometimes used in makeup that claims to be long-wearing, such as lipstick and foundation.

New Legislation Aims to Regulate Beauty Ingredients 

On June 15th, the same day the study above was published, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the “No PFAS in Cosmetics Act.”

If passed, it would ban the inclusion of PFAS in cosmetics. “Chemicals in cosmetics are currently almost completely unregulated,” states Senator Blumenthal.

Maine is the First State to Ban PFAS in Cosmetics

On July 15th, Maine became the first government in the world to ban the sale of products containing PFAs, which takes effect in 2030.

The groundbreaking law prohibits selling any products with PFAs that were intentionally added, except for critical products, such as medical devices.

Retailers Step Up To Help Consumers Shop for Clean Beauty

In July 2021, a month after the study mentioned above was published, Sephora added PFAS to its "Formulated Without" list for beauty brands using its "Clean at Sephora" seal.   

Retailers are stepping up to set standards for "clean" beauty, since our government has not. Ulta Beauty has its Conscious Beauty at Ulta program. Credo Beauty, the largest clean beauty retailer, has the strongest standards for ingredients in all the products they sell. ILIA, shown above, is a popular clean beauty brand at Credo Beauty. 

But it's all still so confusing for beauty consumers. There is no standard or regulation to call a product “clean,” so beauty brands and retailers continuously define the term differently.

Goop, for example, states, “Clean, for us, means that a product that is made without a long (and ever-evolving) list of ingredients linked to harmful health effects, which can range from hormone disruption and cancer to plain old skin irritation. To name a few of the offenders we avoid: parabens, phthalates, PEGs, ethanolamines, chemical sunscreens, synthetic fragrance, BHT, and BHA.”

Women should be able to trust that their makeup isn't a health hazard. This may happen soon, analysts say, as more beauty brands reformulate products to win over Gen Z. 

Read more in the feature: Striving for Next-Level ‘Clean & Green’ Beauty—beauty brands and retailers aim to clear up confusion over ‘clean' and 'green,’ as suppliers offer cleaner product formulations and more sustainable packaging.

Photo on left via @credobeauty on Instagram