When it comes to non-toxic living and making cleaner, safer swaps, I always love reminding others, as well as myself, that it’s all about progress, not perfection – there is no perfect, especially now, but we have to applaud ourselves for every better step we take along the way.
Beautycounter recently launched our Blueprint for Clean – 12 safety standards that define our product formulas, as well as what our manufacturing partners must adhere to (if not, then they are a hard NO) – and I love how these can be used as prompts when shopping not just for personal care products, but safer products across all areas of your life:
- Unparalleled Safety Screening – have you thought about how safe the ingredients are that may be in products you’re using and ensure nothing harmful is included?
- Ingredient Transparency – disclosure is key, especially when it may come to pesky ingredients like fragrance, so read those product labels!
- Responsibly Sourced Raw Materials – responsibility is key when it comes to the way ingredients are farmed, harvested or mined!
- Sustainable Packaging – leachability, toxicity and life cycles, as well as recycling, are important things to consider when it comes to packaging materials!
- Environmental Footprinting – are the companies you support looking at ways to minimize their footprints (i.e. offsetting carbon usage, business travel, etc)?
- Awarded for Product Performance – you want products that actually perform, so it’s great to see how they rank and receive awards within their industry!
- Quality Assurance Program – an ingredient is only as safe as the environment where it’s manufactured, so this is key!
- Trace Contaminant and Heavy Metal Testing – be sure to check that companies are testing each batch of product for contaminants like heavy metals, phthalates and more!
- Formula and Preservative Innovation – what safer preservatives, if any, to protect your products from bacteria and maintain its stability?
- Going Beyond Regulatory Standards – our government is working towards more health protective laws (the last was passed back in 1938?!), but while we wait, ensure companies’ standards are setting the bar high!
- Supplier Code of Conduct – safer and cleaner standards should span across the entire supply chain, from labor and health to safety and environmental!
- Leaping Bunny Certified – when it comes to personal care products, why should any be tested on animals?!
Impressive? Yes!
Daunting? Most definitely!
Universal? Understandably not for everything!
But when I look at this blueprint, I see a company that is beyond committed to driving change for universal safer practices and love these standards as a helpful tool to use and apply when furthering your non-toxic journey.
These prompts can definitely help you seek out those companies whose values and ideals align with your own and rule out those who don’t.
After all, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, so go easy on yourself, prioritize accordingly and applaud the progress you’ve made so far ❤
Living Cleaner, Easier & Safer 