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Did you know? Women apply on average up to 168 different chemicals onto their faces in the form of deodorant, shampoo, makeup, skin care products among other products everyday.
As a result, overhauling beauty / skincare products and embracing a toxic-free, clean lifestyle can be a liberating experience. But we understand, it can be completely overwhelming. From decoding ingredient labels to knowing which ingredients to avoid, it’s hard to know where to start.
Now, before you transition to a clean skincare routine, here’s the three R’s (Replace, Read, Recognize) that you can expect, which will hopefully make your road to clean skincare a little smoother:
1. Replace the products gradually as you go
You don’t have to stress over throwing away your entire bathroom cabinet and drawers and replace everything all at once. Instead, take a careful look at all the products in your bathroom and push yourself to discard any products that you haven’t used in a while or are long past their expiration date. This will help you start your clean skincare routine with a clean slate.
Before you make any investment into a full-sized product to practice your clean skincare routine, test the waters by stocking up on samples, especially when you’re still not entirely sure which brands to start with. It can be challenging to figure out which ingredients suit your skin best, so sampling different products is a great way to become familiar with what works best for you, and to make your clean skincare routine more sustainable.
2. Read the ingredient list
You're going to need to develop a new habit: turning a bottle or package over and reading the ingredient list—from top to bottom (and yes, the clutter of unpronounceable words do have a meaning!) As there is a lot of green-washing out there, the price tags attached to clean skincare products doesn’t necessarily guarantee its quality or safety. In fact, there is a long list of harmful and questionable ingredients in the skincare products we use everyday.
While product labels and claims might lie, the ingredients don’t. Scrutinizing each ingredient before using any skincare product is essential, so try familiarizing yourself with them and their potential negative effects on your personal health is especially important at the beginning of your road to a clean skincare routine. The more knowledge you earn, the easier it will become.
To start, look out for anything ending with the suffix (-paraben), (-siloxane), which are usually found at the end of the ingredient list. Sulfates are also clearly identifiable. Finally, look for fragrance-free products or products using only naturally-derived fragrances.
There are shortcuts, too: simply type the name of the clean skincare products into sephora.com— they list what the clean skincare products are formulated without under the product description (e.g. parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, and GMOs). Not only does our Know More Luminosity Serum has no harsh detergents, chemical preservatives, synthetic chemicals added, the powerhouse ingredients broccoli sprout extracts and hyaluronic acids further hydrate and condition the appearance of skin tone and texture.
3. Recognize your skin type before start trying
As you become better equipped with knowledge of ingredients, it's also important to acquaint yourself with your skin all over again. Switching to a clean skincare routine doesn’t mean all clean skincare products would suit you, as each brand and formula will work differently from one person to the next.
To avoid unnecessary suffering, it’s better to find out what your real skin type is. We always suggest patch testing new clean skincare products, because your skin may react negatively to specific ingredients even though they are natural or organic, and they work perfectly well on another person’s skin.
Also, it’s important to understand that it takes at least 28 days for new skin cells to reach the surface of the skin and to see true results, so patience and consistency is key!