Why I Made the Switch to Non-Toxic Makeup and Skincare

It’s no secret that I struggled with persistent acne for 5 years. And, let it be known, when you struggle with acne, natural and non-toxic makeup and skincare sometimes isn’t at the top of your priority list. It might seem counter intuitive, but when you have acne, you often just want it covered up and/or have it be gone completely. Sometimes no matter how toxic you know a product may be, it doesn’t matter. If it’s going to make the difference between you being able to go that brunch with your friends without feeling embarrassed, you are going to slap on that toxic makeup because there doesn’t seem to be any other option.

I know that’s not the case for everyone, but it absolutely was for me. I approach everything in my life in a very holistic way. I choose to purchase high-quality, whole food, I work out and I try to fill my home with as many naturally derived alternatives to common & often toxic home care products. But when I was suffering from acne, I did my fair share of experimenting with conventional treatments. Up until a month ago, conventional makeup products were really all I’d ever owned.

Thankfully, I had already made the switch to 100% natural skincare products when I started my hormonal acne protocol, but I avoided switching to non-toxic makeup up until very recently.

Here are the excuses I made for not ditching my toxic makeup sooner:

1. I didn’t think it was that bad for my skin. Sure, I knew the natural stuff was probably better, but how bad could the makeup really be for me? I didn’t wear it every day, how could it really be that bad?
2. I didn’t think there was any natural makeup out there that would actually cover my acne. The funny part about this excuse is that even my conventional, toxic makeup didn’t do an amazing job at covering my acne, especially when it was severe. I was never 100% comfortable with my skin, even when I wore makeup. Even still, I always told myself there was just no way natural products could come close to the performance of conventional products.
3. I avoided makeup stores at all times. Any women whose had acne or any other skin issue will understand what I mean when I say makeup stores are the absolute last place you want to go. To test makeup, you have to not be wearing makeup. Walking into a store where everyone is staring at your makeup-less face recommending products and having to talk about your bad skin while they insist it’s “not that bad”… It’s pretty much a nightmare. If I couldn’t try any of these natural makeups because I was too embarrassed to go into a store, how would I choose anything or know what works?

A few months ago, my friend Caroline from Colorful Eats told me about Beautycounter. She said that they were a non-toxic makeup and skincare company and that I should really check out some of their products, because she thought they were great.

I was skeptical. But then I kept hearing about this company from even more friends who were falling in love with their products…. at a certain point, I started to be really curious.

Could it be? Was there actually a company out there with non-toxic products that performed well?

I decided to do some research. If I was going to make the switch, it was going to have to be for a company that I trusted from a health and wellness standpoint, but also from a performance standpoint.

In doing my research, I learned a long list of terrifying facts about the cosmetic industry overall. At a certain point, I started to think that even if this natural stuff didn’t perform well, maybe it was work making the switch anyway? Here are just a few of the horrifying facts I learned about the safety of the skincare products in our country:

1. Although the European Union bans 1,300 known harmful chemicals in cosmetics, the US only bans 11.
2. Out of the 10,000 chemicals found in cosmetics, only 10% have been tested for safety and human health.
3. Not since 1938 has a law been passed to regulate cosmetics in the US and companies are not required to disclose their ingredients to the public. 
4. Over 95% of popular lipsticks contain lead, cadmium, chromium, aluminum and other dangerous heavy metals. On average women consume 7 POUNDS of this toxic lipstick in their lifetime. 
5. On average, women use an average of 12 products a day, each with dozens of toxic, harmful ingredients that can act as endocrine disrupters and cause extensive health issues from acne to reproductive problems.

After spending a full year limiting toxic estrogens from my environment in an effort to heal my acne, I was still putting the worst offenders all over my face, on the one area I wanted to see improvement. Crazy, right?!

Not only did I learn about all of these eye-opening realities, I also learned about all of the wonderful things Beautycounter was doing to lobby for heavier regulation of the cosmetic industry and their rigorous 5-step ingredient selection process, where they ban 1,500 ingredients, setting a new standard in the industry worldwide.

Now that I had been fully convinced of the dangers of conventional makeup and Beautycounter’s mission, the only thing left to overcome was to put these products to the test up against the conventional products I had.

I started slow. At first I purchased the Charcoal Cleansing Bar, Charcoal Purifying Mask and the Touchup Concealer Pen. After quickly falling in love with all three, I made my second order within a number of days.

My fears about natural makeup not working as well as conventional stuff, especially to cover problem skin, were unfounded. Yes, there are undoubtedly many natural makeup brands out there that don’t stand up to the test, but Beutycounter is not one of them.

After replacing the vast majority of my makeup with Beautycounter products, my only disappointment is that I didn’t learn about them sooner. All of the excuses I told myself for so long finally made no sense when I discovered this company. I could shop in the comfort of my own home and support a company that was creating reputable, high-performance products. Not only that, but I no longer feel guilty about putting makeup on or feel that I need to wash it off immediately after getting home.

Not only does this makeup work to cover any skin issues I’m suffering from, but I don’t suffer from any of the stress I once did about damaging my skin even more than it was already damaged.

I have switched the vast majority of my cosmetic products to Beautycounter and become a consultant with them as well. For me, using their products wasn’t enough. I wanted to help spread the word and help as many women as possible learn all that I learned and make the switch to safer skincare.

There are 3 ways you can join Beautycounter:

1. Become a customer. 

Start swapping your toxic skincare and makeup products to safer options from Beautycounter. Buy as many or as few products as you’d like!

2. Join the Band of Beauty

Join as a Band of Beauty member for $25 and receive the following perks:

1. Free shipping on all orders over $100
2. 15% product credit with every order. Ie, Beautycounter pays you to shop.
3. Complimentary gift, just for signing up. (This more than pays for the membership).
4. Exclusive offers available only to Band of Beauty Members.

3. Become a Consultant

Do you want to help spread the word about Beautycounter and safer skincare? Beautycounter consultants receive 25% off all orders and have the opportunity to earn some additional income by educating friends, family and those in your community about safer skincare options.

Do you have questions about becoming a consultant or want to learn more? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email! If you’re ready to sign up, make sure I am listed as your mentor to ensure you’ll be on my team!

 

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Want to read more about my skincare journey and shop my favorite products? Click here.