Clean Beauty: How this American beauty trend was born

What is Clean Beauty?

Recently, we hear about clean beauty in the world of cosmetics and skincare. Some of you may have come across this article while researching cosmetics, thinking, "I want to choose something that is safer" or "kinder."

In this article, we explain what clean beauty means and why it was created.

First of all, there are no strict standards for using the term "clean beauty" in cosmetics. And this situation is not unique to Japan.
There are no standards anywhere in the US, Europe or anywhere else in the world.

As a result, many manufacturers tout "clean beauty" or "clean formulas" based on their own unique standards and ideas.

Clean beauty originated in America

First of all, the word "clean" means "clean" or "not dirty." Why did it come to be used in cosmetics?
Knowing this background will give you a better understanding of what clean beauty is.

The idea of ​​clean beauty was born in the United States. In fact, the background to this is that the regulations regarding cosmetics in the United States are very lax. This is because ingredients that are naturally banned in other countries are commonly found in American cosmetics.

Standards for "safe ingredients" vary by country

To what extent do countries (regions) have strict rules on cosmetics? It is easy to understand this by comparing the number of cosmetic ingredients whose composition (concentration, etc.) is regulated by country.

• EU (Europe): Over 1600 types
• South Korea: Since 2018, restrictions have been in place in line with EU rules (approximately 1,600 types)
• China: Over 1200 varieties
• Japan: Approximately 130 varieties
• USA: 11 types

You can see that the number of regulations in the United States is extremely low.

Moreover, the number of regulated ingredients is increasing every year in the EU and South Korea, while in Japan and the US, the numbers have remained unchanged for decades. The gap between them is only widening.

These numbers reflect a country's attitude of whether or not it is actively trying to set safety standards.

Ingredients not used in clean formulations

As mentioned above, clean beauty originated in the United States, where regulations are much looser. Therefore, some ingredients that American clean beauty brands don't use are too common in Europe (and Japan).

For example, formaldehyde is a substance that is widely known to cause allergies .

In Japan, it has been prohibited for over 20 years, so it is not included in any cosmetics. In the EU, it was permitted in limited amounts, but was completely banned in 2022. They have also begun to regulate other preservatives that release formaldehyde little by little .

On the other hand, in the United States, there are still no regulations on formaldehyde use, so it is still possible that formaldehyde may be found in cosmetics as a preservative.

What you need to know here is that there are no set ingredients that should not be included in clean beauty products.

As I wrote at the beginning, there are no standards for clean beauty, so what constitutes a clean formula is determined by each manufacturer or brand's own standards.

Clean Beauty: Where We Are Now

"We do not use ingredients that are considered dangerous in other countries."

This is the concept of clean beauty, which first spread in the United States. It has since spread around the world. In Europe, where environmental awareness is high, clean beauty that incorporates environmental considerations has also been born.

However, as I mentioned at the beginning, there are no strict standards for "clean beauty," and the standards vary from country to country and manufacturer to manufacturer.

The number of clean beauty brands is increasing in Japan, but the standards for what constitutes "clean" are still unclear.

In order to choose "clean beauty" that suits your values ​​and lifestyle, you may need to carefully check the brand's standards and concept yourself.