Clean Beauty Movement

East 29th is made in Canada within a regime of strict Canadian Cosmetics Regulations and we’re happy to be transparent with our ingredients, or lack-thereof such as our decision to be fragrance-free & non-toxic.

We’re also proud to be non-GMO, vegan, cruelty-free, & paraben-free.

THE CLEAN BEAUTY MOVEMENT

In Canada our Canadian Cosmetics Regulations are more strict.

Health Canada, the federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, regularly reviews the safety of cosmetics ingredients and prohibits or restricts the use of ingredients that present health risks. The Canadian government regularly updates a Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist that includes hundreds of chemicals and contaminants prohibited and restricted from use in cosmetics such as formaldehyde, triclosan, selenium, nitrosamines and 1,4-dioxane — all of which are allowed in U.S. products.

You’re hearing more about Clean Beauty these days because in the USA the cosmetic industry hasn’t updated their regulations since the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics act passed in 1938. Over 80 years later Americans have seen a lot of improvement to the safety of other consumer products, however, besides the initial law prohibiting the sales of cosmetics with any “poisonous or deleterious substances,” or any “filthy, putrid, or decomposed substances,” they have only banned a handful of cosmetics ingredients for safety reasons.

There are more rules governing the chemicals Americans spray on their crops than the chemicals they put directly on their bodies.

Clean Beauty at its core, means that you can use a product without risking your own health. The ingredients label must contain only safe, non-toxic ingredients. Safe cosmetic ingredients are analyzed for safety & toxicity.

Clean beauty is synonymous with non-toxic beauty.

In the beginning of the Clean Beauty Movement products containing only natural ingredients were mainly considered. “Preservative-free” was another misconception but clean beauty doesn’t have to be all-natural. The science of beauty in the twentyfirst century has evolved to include safe synthetics, safe man-made ingredients, and even safe preservatives. In actuality ALL cosmetics should contain some form of safe preservation to maintain the stability of the formulation. As long as certain synthetic ingredients are non-toxic and proven to have no harmful effects, they can be incorporated into clean beauty products.

Brands that make the effort to list all of their ingredients and labels accordingly are on the right path to true Clean Beauty.

But what about a lack of transparency? A great example of not being transparent is including Fragrance in beauty products. Fragrance is not an ingredient however, in the US with an unregulated industry, companies can hide ingredients under the umbrella term “fragrance.” Fragrances are also patented by companies to ensure other brands don’t use their fragrance formulas they use “masking ingredients” which prevents brands from being transparent about what is in their fragrance.

Therefore, you essentially don’t know what you’re putting on your skin. In Canada fragrance is regulated the same as other cosmetic ingredients. Unfortunately, that doesn’t take away from the fact that fragrance is the result of volatile compounds reacting, which means it’s released when certain chemicals react with each other. Thus making fragrance one of the number one skin irritants.

GREEN BEAUTY

Green beauty is associated with being derived from plants, vegan, cruelty-free, ecofriendly, & sustainably sourced but products can exhibit all of these characteristics and still not be considered clean beauty as its entirely possible to still contain toxic ingredients.

Due to this combined with the lack of regulations in the American Cosmetic Industry some companies have non-transparent labels by being misleading with their packaging. Brands can falsely label their products with ‘natural’ or ‘eco’ to immediately gain the trust and attention of their consumer.

Brands can falsely label their products with ‘natural’ or ‘eco’ to immediately gain the trust and attention of their consumer. “Greenwashing” causes inconsistencies with some brands because when you search the ingredients you might find allergens, irritants, hormone disruptors, and carcinogens. These claims aren’t regulated in the US leaving it completely open for companies to use false advertising/ marketing instead of putting the health of their customers and the environment first.

VEGAN & CRUELTY FREE

Leaping Bunny Certified

NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS OR BY-PRODUCTS

Vegan products must not contain ingredients of meat, fish, fowl, animal by-products (including silk or dyes from insects), eggs or egg products, milk or milk products, honey or honey bee products, or be clarified/finished with any animal products.

NO ANIMAL-DERIVED GMOs

Products must contain no known animal-derived GMOs or genes used to manufacture ingredients or finished products.

NO ANIMAL TESTING (CRUELTY-FREE)

Vegan products must involve no animal testing of ingredients or finished product by the supplier, producer, manufacturer or independent party with the use of animals (live or deceased) for any type of research purposes whatsoever to include environmental safety, feed or nutrition trials, toxicity testing, or animal tests or trials "as required by law" including third-party testing or being tested by another company or independent contractor.

SERUMS vs. OILS

The Vital Serum is just that, a serum with only 0.5% of oil in our formula.

Serums target specific skin concerns (such as wrinkles, fine lines, dullness, dehydration, acne, irritation, redness, and sun damage). Oils are used to protect and moisturize the skin.

The serums' molecular structure is very small, allowing them to penetrate and reach the deeper layers of the skin at a much faster rate. In comparison, oils have larger molecules that only penetrate the outermost layers of the skin. But despite their inability to penetrate the skin as deeply as a serum, face oils mimic the body's natural sebum production, making them ideal for protecting the skin's barrier.

If you're planning to use both, the serum should be applied first. This way, the oil benefits can penetrate past the serum's smaller molecules to get to your skin. If you applied oil first, the serum wouldn't get past the larger molecules, rendering it ineffective.

Serums have active ingredients that you want to penetrate as deeply as possible into the layers of your skin. Serums should always be applied to your skin after cleansing and before your moisturizer.

The absorption rate is what you should be looking at if you want the best way to hydrate your skin. Oils will sit on your skin longer than a serum, and while this might feel like better hydration, it's taking longer to absorb. You aren't getting the benefits as quickly as you would with a serum, nor will you get all the added benefits.

You'll notice the Vital Serum's absorption rate is one of our unique qualities that sets us apart from other serums.