Today, one of the most popular trends in beauty circles is what is known as ‘clean beauty.’  You may have already seen this term referenced on social media and beauty blogs – but that doesn’t answer a basic question: What exactly is clean beauty?

 

Understanding Clean Beauty

If a beauty product is described as ‘clean,’ it should: 

1. Use Clean Ingredients

Clean ingredients essentially mean that the ingredients in any given product are completely safe for human health. This includes being free of elements that can affect your natural hormone levels, carcinogens, and other harmful materials. 

Additionally, they should go one step further and be beneficial to your health as much as possible. They should deliver nourishment to your body via vitamins, antioxidants, and so on, all of which will ensure you have healthy skin.

Given the number of technical-sounding ingredients out there in today’s beauty products, it can be challenging to determine which ingredient is beneficial and which is harmful. However, there are numerous online databases you can consult to make this search easier.

 

2. Offer Transparent Labels

Clean beauty means beauty products that are good for you – but when it comes to determining which products fit these criteria, you need to depend on the product label to help you make a decision.

This is why clean beauty is also associated with completely transparent labels. These go beyond the legal minimum and include all the information that manufacturers feel that a user may need to know. 

One example of this distinction is products that contain fragrances. “fragrance” is an umbrella term that a beauty brand can legally include in its ingredient list without going into further detail. However, this leaves the ingredient a relative mystery to users, who cannot look up the specific components of the “fragrance” to determine whether or not it falls under the clean beauty concept. 

Thus, clean beauty emphasizes transparent ingredients, ensuring that not only do they not pretend to be something they aren’t (by avoiding the use of misleading and unregulated terms such as “eco” and “natural”). They also let users known exactly what is in their products, allowing people to make an informed decision over whether or not to purchase the product in question.

 

Clean Beauty and Green Beauty

Many people mistakenly confuse clean beauty and green beauty and believe that, in order to be one, a beauty product must also fit the requirements of the other. However, this isn’t necessarily the case.

Some of the many concepts linked to green beauty include:

• vegan beauty
• cruelty-free
• plant-based products
• sustainably sourced
• eco-friendly and environmentally friendly

It should be noted that it is possible for a product to be green without being clean if the product label is not upfront with the ingredients within it. Similarly, it is possible to be clean while using animal products such as honey or by using ingredients such as palm oil that are not necessarily sustainably sourced.

Thus, while the mistake between the two concepts is understandable, they are certainly not the same.

 

What to Look For in Mud and Clay Masks

When choosing a mud and clay mask, there are some considerations to keep in mind. These include:

• The mask should meet the above-mentioned requirements of clean beauty. This will help you feel confident that you’re choosing the right option for your skin.
• Consider your skin. While mud and clay masks are spoken of in the same breath, they are often two separate products. Mud masks are great for people who have dry or dull skin and need to moisturize it, while clay masks are perfect for oily and acne-prone skin.
• The mask method. That’s right, mud and clay masks aren’t only available as a cream – they’re also available in sheet mask form! Creams are a great option if you’re looking for a gentle, daily cleanse, while sheet masks are perfect for people looking for a deeper detox experience. Additionally, you can also find powder masks that you will have to mix but that you can tailor to meet your skin’s specific needs.
• The type of mud or clay. There are different types of mud and clay available, each with a different skin benefit. For example, bentonite clay is perfect for people with oily skin, as well as for people with skin issues related to bacteria and fungus. On the other hand, kaolin clay is gentle and perfect for dry skin and acts as a mild exfoliant. There are also several types of kaolin available, each with its own benefits.

 

Malibu Mud, Dark Sea Face and Body Mask

When choosing a clay and mud mask that exemplifies the qualities of clean beauty, you don’t need to look any further than Malibu Mud's Dark Sea face and body masks.

This mask is made from only ten ingredients, each of which has a purpose in the formulation. These include:

• aloe barbadensis leaf juice: also known as aloe vera extract, this ingredient is not just a moisturizer, it also helps fight skin impurities and infections like pimples and acne, reduces age lines, and more.
• Dead Sea mud: helps reduce skin impurities and removes acne-causing bacteria from the skin while also helping you look younger and more hydrated.
• kaolin clay: as mentioned, kaolin is great for treating oily skin. It also has antibacterial properties for fighting acne.
• bentonite clay: bentonite clay absorbs impurities and helps treat oily skin. It is also an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
• glycerin: helps hydrate and moisturize your skin and protect against outside irritants like dirt.
• charcoal: helps reduce acne breakouts and unclog pores, as well as controlling oily skin.
• lavender angustifolia (lavender) essential oil: kills acne-causing bacteria, soothes skin issues like eczema, speeds up wound healing, is an anti-inflammatory, and more.

Malibu Mud, Dark Sea mud mask comes premixed, making its application easy. The mask is also gentle on your skin. In fact, it’s so gentle that, unlike many other similar masks, you can use it daily, to the point that you can even replace your daily face soap with this mask! It treats all your concerns like acne while also ensuring that you don’t have to worry about oily or dry skin.