The natural skincare world uses a lot of acronyms to affirm its safety for your skin. From NSF to USDA to COSMOS, it can be hard to keep up. But knowing the meaning behind each label is important.
Though just a handful of letters, these certifications describe the sourcing and sustainability of personal care products. The difference between certified and non-certified skincare can mean the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest, toxic pesticides, or dangerous chemicals. With deforestation and climate change threatening the planet at rapidly increasing rates, understanding these legal disclaimers is more important than ever.
But such a task is easier said than done.
With so many certifications and verifications in existence and new ones hitting the market every day, it can be difficult to keep up. The best practice is to take these acronyms one at a time.
What Is EWG?
One of the most popular – because they are all important – certifications in the clean beauty and skincare world is EWG.
EWG stands for the Environmental Working Group, which is a non-profit activism group that works to protect and serve the planet we call home. With over three decades of experience preserving the Earth, EWG is a key researcher in sustainability and safety. The organization investigates agricultural subsidies, toxic chemical and pesticide usage, drinking water pollution, corporate accountability, and more.
What Is EWG Verified Skincare?
EWG sponsors several programs to ensure corporations maintain eco-friendly practices in their sourcing, including the EWG Verified™ program.
Launched 15 years ago, the EWG Verified™ program guarantees excellence in its products for both your skin and the Earth. To become verified, a company must apply for the certification and be granted the label after a lengthy investigative process.
Switching from paper files to a digital database isn’t enough to become EWG verified. To earn this certification, skincare brands have to demonstrate their dedication to sustainability in big ways.
The criteria for EWG verification are extensive and specific to each product, but all EWG products must meet at minimum these three standards:
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Be produced by only the best manufacturing processes
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Be free of all EWG’s ingredients of concern, and
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Demonstrate full transparency to the organization regarding ingredient labeling
What Should I Know About Ingredient Transparency?
While environmentally conscious production processes are important when creating clean skincare, sustainable sourcing is arguably more important. No matter how many carbon emissions a company avoids while manufacturing their product, a skincare product cannot truly be clean if it is made from toxic chemicals.
Everyone knows the best skincare is made using the best ingredients. That’s why EWG places such a heavy emphasis on full transparency when it comes to ingredient labels. No more passing off man-made plastics as medicinal plants. Like evaporated water returns to the earth in a rainstorm, natural skincare ingredients come from nature and will return to it.
Not only are naturally derived ingredients better for the environment, but they are better for your skin. With moisturizing, plant-based oils and natural cleansers, nothing can beat the power of Mother Nature herself.
How Can You Incorporate EWG Products into Your Skincare Routine?
For a clean Earth to clean skin, switch to EWG Verified™ skincare. You can search EWG Verified™ to check the status of any skincare or beauty product like deodorant or antiperspirant.
You’ll find that, from cleansers to concealers to lip gloss, there are plenty of skincare options backed by the Environmental Working Group.
Skincare Foundations
Every good skincare routine needs a strong foundation. Additional face serums and lip balms are less effective without good products to cleanse, tone, and moisturize your skin. To make the most of your clean skincare goals, follow EWG’s guide when building the base of your skincare routine.
- Healthy Cleansing: Start your skincare off right with a cleanser that is good for your skin. Oil-based facial cleansers and toners can refresh your skin without stripping it of its natural oils. And skin-safe exfoliants are just as effective in smoothing and soothing irritated skin. For cellular repair and skin-deep refreshment, look for EWG Verified™ exfoliants.
- Natural Moisture: Whether you’re naturally dry or have oily skin, it’s important to prioritize hydration in your skincare routine. Like splashing your face with cool water, you want a lotion that will lock in moisture without over-conditioning your skin. For the perfect balance of hydration and health, trust nature to moisturize your skin.
Sunscreen Safety
After you’ve cleaned and conditioned your skin, it’s time to protect it. Like natural oils prevent grime from settling into your skin, sunscreen prevents UV rays from damaging your dermis.
Gaining a platform in skincare circles, sunscreens and sun protectants are becoming increasingly popular ingredients in skincare.
For a product to be considered a sunscreen, it must have an SPF of at least 15 or higher. Unfortunately, the FDA does not test many plant-based oils independently for their SPF values, so we cannot call many natural ingredients sunscreens on their own. But that doesn’t mean nature does not provide sun safety.
Though no known plants can substitute sunscreen, there are herbal remedies that can supplement its effects for your health. Oils like olive and jojoba naturally strengthen your skin barrier and support your skin health during exposure to penetrative UV rays. With an added layer of moisture, natural oils can also help soothe skin suffering from sun damage.
EWG Skincare at Furtuna Skin
Skincare should be as clean for the environment as it is for your skin. That’s why here at Furtuna Skin, we are proud to produce best-selling EWG Verified™ products.
We put sustainability first in every step of production: our ingredients come straight from the land, are safely sourced, and smoothly integrate nature and science to create luxury products that will make your skin glow. With eco-friendly growing methods like crop diversity and natural fertilization backed by the Environmental Working Group, lab-made chemicals can’t beat our natural skincare.
Sources:
Our Mission | Environmental Working Group
Shop Smarter, Choose EWG VERIFIED™ Products | Environmental Working Group
EWG Skin Deep® Cosmetics Database | Environmental Working Group
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