Tag: Beauty

Our Mission

Celebrating Beauty, Inclusion, and Empowerment During Hispanic Heritage Month 

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Celebrating Beauty, Inclusion, and Empowerment During Hispanic Heritage Month 

Our mission is to get safer products into the hands of everyone, and we’re proud to foster a community that is inclusive, open, and welcoming to all—regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity. 

From September 15 through October 15 (and beyond), we at Beautycounter celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring the diversity of the Hispanic and Latinx communities. In doing so, we reached out to members of the Beautycounter community—from Associates at HQ to Brand Advocates—to hear about how they raise up their unique voices to champion our mission. Read on to find out: 

Jenny Aspinwall, Beautycounter Sr. Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

“As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I am proud to share that as a first-generation Latina American, I’m using my unique voice to ensure that my community is aware of the harmful ingredients found in some of the products they’ve been using for many generations. Together, we can empower our community to embrace safer options and celebrate the beauty of our heritage with confidence.” 

Karina Baeza, Beautycounter Associate Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

“As a proud first-generation Mexican American and lover of all things beauty, I am deeply committed to empowering our vibrant Hispanic community to make informed choices in selecting their personal-care products. Our culture celebrates beauty, resilience, and authenticity, and it is crucial that we prioritize our health and well-being in the pursuit of these ideals. By educating ourselves about the ingredients in our beauty and personal-care products and advocating for safer alternatives, we create a brighter and healthier future for our loved ones and community.” 

Angie Marie Ortiz Leon, Beautycounter Brand Advocate 

“Wepa, I’m Angie, and this HHM, I’m using my unique voice and platform to show you that even though we’ve been told ‘la belleza cuesta’ (beauty comes at a price), that price should never be our health. Let’s raise up beauty juntas✨.”  

Giuliana Mendoza, Beautycounter Brand Advocate 

“This Hispanic Heritage Month, I will use my voice to continue to grow our mission by inspiring my community to choose and advocate for safer beauty. The idea of community only exists if we can embrace and celebrate diversity, and I want to celebrate how beautifully diverse the Hispanic community is.”   

Melissa van Herksen, Beautycounter Brand Advocate 

“For me, it’s Hispanic Heritage Month every day! Since day one with Beautycounter (nine years ago), I have spread the word on safer products. I am always looking for an opportunity to offer a product swap or pointers on how to read a label. Members of the Latinx community love their products and can be very loyal, but we don’t know (like the rest of America) that many of these products are not safe. It is my mission to change that.” 

Dhalma Marcano, Beautycounter Brand Advocate 

“Hispanic Heritage Month is not only a month of celebration, but also a time for us to create awareness of how vulnerable our community is by the disproportionally higher toxic load as it relates to beauty and personal-care products. I’ll be sharing proudly about the Beautycounter business opportunity and the work we’re doing to ensure everyone has access to better beauty, but most importantly, using my voice to invite more people to our movement to help create the change we want to see in the beauty industry.” 

Maythi Calvert, Beautycounter Brand Advocate 

“I will use my unique voice during Hispanic Heritage Month to speak up for our underrepresented communities and educate on the importance of choosing safer products, especially since we tend to carry a higher toxic load. I plan on hosting events focused on educating and sharing our products, mission, and advocacy efforts.” 

Thank you to our Bc community—our Brand Advocates and Associates—for taking the time to share your voices and what our mission means to you. We appreciate you and are grateful that you are a part of our mission for change.  

Our Mission

Celebrating Beauty, Inclusion, and Empowerment: LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

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Celebrating Beauty, Inclusion, and Empowerment: LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

Our mission is to get safer products into the hands of everyone, and we’re proud to foster a community that is inclusive, open, and welcoming to all, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity.

Read below to hear inspiring stories from our Bc Community and how they raise up their unique voices to champion our mission:

Brand Advocate, Laura Gornall

“Hi, I’m Laura and I have been a licensed cosmetologist for over 20 years and a Beautycounter Brand Advocate for just over six months. I use my unique voice to get safer products into the hands of everybody by speaking up for the underrepresented and disproportionately affected population. I never assume someone’s gender, pronouns, or sexuality in my efforts to raise up beauty. Instead, I approach advocating with inclusivity and respect. We can all learn inclusive language and use it, and when we make mistakes, we can apologize and move forward. We all deserve safer personal-care products. And serving from a supportive and inclusive platform is how I want to raise up beauty!”

Brand Advocate, Stacy Toth

“Hi, I’m Stacy, She/Her. I am a mom of four and a fat, queer, feminist. I use my voice to counter toxic beauty standards. Advocating for and helping pass 12 protective laws for marginalized folk makes our work deeply meaningful. And doing so at home allows me to foster at-risk youth and lift up LGBTQ and BIPOC voices. If our legacy allows for our uniqueness to be expressed without potential harm, that’s raising up beauty.”

Brand Advocate, Norka Ramser

“My name is Norka, and I use my voice to get safer products into the hands of everyone by sharing with my friends, family, and on social media our mission and the products that I’m using, why I love using them, and giving them tutorials, advice, help, and tips. Thank you, Beautycounter, for your brand and for all the products. I love using them and happy Pride Month!”

Beautycounter Director of Social Media Marketing, Carlos Sanmiguel

“Hi, I’m Carlos, director of social media. At the core of Beautycounter’s mission is rallying for better health-protective laws so we may get safer products into the hands of everyone. Join us as we raise up beauty and stand with our community and our allies to raise our voices and continue to propagate this very important mission. Happy Pride!”

Beautycounter Coordinator, Recognition Sales, Ava Ralls

“Hi, I’m Ava and I’ve been with Beautycounter since 2021. I am non-binary and I use the pronouns They/Them. I’ve always been super passionate about makeup, so I’m using my unique voice to raise our mission of putting safer products into the hands of everyone by using the new Statement Maker Satin Lipstick collection with shades such as Passionate, Daring, Bold, Brave and Fearless because that’s what Pride is all about.”

Thank you to our Bc Community—our Brand Advocates and Associates—for taking the time to share your voices and what our mission means to you. We appreciate you and are grateful that you are a part of our community.

Our Mission

Our Commitment to Honoring and Supporting the AAPI Community 

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Our Commitment to Honoring and Supporting the AAPI Community 

At Beautycounter, we are proud to honor and support our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community during AAPI Month (and throughout the year) through our continued commitment to advocating for beauty justice and fostering inclusivity across our business. The AAPI community is disproportionately affected by toxic chemical exposures found in personal-care products, which is why we advocate for stricter safety standards in the personal-care industry, especially for communities at higher risk.  

Advocating for change is essential to support this community. That’s why we are proud to have supported the passing of The California Professional Cosmetics Labeling Requirements Act (AB2775) through our advocacy efforts back in 2018. This bill was a critical step in protecting salon workers, a professional community with significant representation from those who identify as Asian American, who are often disproportionately exposed to toxic chemicals in their workplace. The law demands greater transparency from the cosmetics industry by requiring product manufacturers to list ingredients on the labels of professional cosmetic products, enabling salon workers to make informed decisions about the products they use, day in and day out. This law is just one example of our advocacy efforts to help raise the standards of the beauty industry in hopes of positively impacting the AAPI community. 

Additionally, Beautycounter has spent over a decade advocating for the ban and restriction of harmful chemicals in personal-care products. Used in skin-lightening creams marketed to Black women and women of South Asian descent, hydroquinone is associated with skin irritation and discoloration and has suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential. In 2020, a COVID response bill included an expedited process for the FDA to ban an ingredient when determined unsafe for consumer use—and hydroquinone was one of them. Though it is still available through prescription, over-the-counter products with the ingredient were removed from shelves by the end of 2020.  

At Beautycounter, we are dedicated to supporting the AAPI community and fostering a more inclusive future for all. As we celebrate AAPI Month, we renew our commitment to this important work, and we are proud to have our Chief Impact Officer, Jen Lee, leading the way. 

Jen Lee at the 2023 Raise the Impact Forum
Jen Lee at the 2023 Raise the Impact Forum

As a member of the AAPI community herself, Jen brings invaluable insights and perspective to our advocacy efforts. We are grateful for her leadership and the meaningful change she has helped drive within our organization and beyond. See below for a Q&A with Jen. 

Q: What does AAPI Month mean to you? And why is it important for organizations to celebrate these heritage months?  

A: I think it’s important to recognize the richness of the AAPI community’s diverse background, heritage, and contribution—but also a great way to take time to celebrate how diverse being an American or Canadian can look like. How exciting to celebrate our past, present, and future as an AAPI community! 

Q: How will your new role at Beautycounter continue to help advance our advocacy efforts to support underrepresented communities?   

A: I’m honored to be Beautycounter’s first Chief Impact Officer, and as an Asian woman of color in this role, it is absolutely my personal and professional passion to support DE&I and underrepresented communities in my work. It’s not a coincidence that Beautycounter’s mission and our advocacy work intersect—beauty justice and environmental justice will continue to be a top priority and I truly believe it will be a conversation in the industry as a whole.  

Q: Why is it important to have AAPI representation in higher levels of leadership?  

A: Strategic direction in any organization should come from a team that represents the community that they serve, and even simply having the visual representation of people that are like you (and look like you) can inspire and motivate a community. As an Asian/Korean American with a 1.5-gen immigrant background, I wouldn’t be who I am without my diverse set of mentors who fought to give me a seat at the table—all without asking me to compromise who I am.  

To learn more about our commitment to advocacy for all and the positive change we are working toward, we invite you to check out our 2022 Social Mission Report.  

And please join us in celebrating the AAPI community this month and beyond—let’s continue to work together toward a more equitable and inclusive future for everyone, together. 

Join the Movement by participating in one of these upcoming opportunities: 

  • Join us May 11 in Vancouver, Canada, for an exploration into the Beauty of Inclusion with Beautycounter’s Chief Impact Officer, Jen Lee, and Sr. Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Jenny Aspinwall, alongside our esteemed local Beautycounter Consultants. RSVP here.
  • Advocate for ongoing policy change and mobilize our community in support of clean beauty. 
  • If you live in the U.S., take action by texting RAISEUPBEAUTY TO 52886* to contact your Members of Congress and urge them to support and pass health-protective legislation. 
  • If you live in Canada, take action by visiting this link to contact your Members of Parliament and urge them to strengthen federal toxic laws.

*Standard data rates may apply.  

Our Mission

10th Anniversary Recap: Celebrating Raising Up Beauty Through Our Mission Wins

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10th Anniversary Recap: Celebrating Raising Up Beauty Through Our Mission Wins

Last month, Beautycounter celebrated our 10th anniversary by hosting a multi-day event in our hometown of Los Angeles. As a mission-based company, it was no surprise that a key part of our anniversary was celebrating our 10 years of impact through safety, advocacy, sustainability, and giving. Here’s a closer look at what went down: 

Raise the Impact Forum 

As a part of the celebration, we hosted our first-ever Raise the Impact Forum: a four-hour event dedicated to elements of Beautycounter’s mission. The Forum consisted of three panels of subject-matter experts in safety, advocacy, beauty justice, sustainability, and clean beauty.  

Our first panel, “A Conversation on Fostering Equity in Beauty,” featured Janet Nudelman from Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP), Dr. Ami Zota from Columbia University, and Stephen Holland from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce.  

In the past 10 years, Beautycounter has influenced the passage of 11 pieces of federal and state legislation, hosted over 2,000 meetings with lawmakers, and held a Congressional briefing on beauty justice and the disproportionate exposures people of color have to harmful chemicals in personal-care products. The discussion emphasized the importance of Beautycounter’s support and amplification of beauty justice organizations, Dr. Zota’s research on beauty justice issues, and BCPP’s recent launch of the Non-Toxic Black Beauty Project, which aims to tackle the environmental injustice of Black beauty.  

A key takeaway of the conversation was that while the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) was a step in the right direction, there is more work to be done, such as banning harmful ingredients from products, closing the “fragrance loophole,” and addressing the disproportionate exposures people of color have to harmful chemicals in personal-care products.  

Our second panel, “A Conversation on Green Mindset vs. Green Action,” featured Steve Hatfield from The Carlyle Group and Davis Han from California Senator Ben Allen’s office.  

The conversation emphasized that sustainability is multifaceted and there are various ways governments, corporations, and nonprofits can do their part to protect the planet. Mr. Han dove into Senator Allen’s recent legislative wins, including the passage of Senate Bill 45, which establishes a producer responsibility scheme to hold plastic industries accountable for the waste they produce. Mr. Hatfield discussed recent attacks on Environmental Social Governance (ESG), but also said he sees sustainable coalitions growing and believes that ESG will ultimately prevail.  

A key takeaway of the conversation was that businesses, like Beautycounter, need to continue leading the way by pursuing ambitious climate and sustainability goals while putting pressure on federal and state governments to protect ESG and take bold climate action. 

Ulta’s Muffy Clince and Beautycounter’s Chief Impact Officer Jen Lee in conversation.  

Our final panel, “A Conversation on What It Means To Be a Leader in Clean,” featured our Chief Impact Officer, Jen Lee, and Muffy Clince from Ulta.  

The discussion dove into Beautycounter’s new partnership with Ulta and why Beautycounter, as the leader in clean beauty, will be the anchor of Ulta’s Conscious Beauty Program.  

Ms. Clince spoke about Ulta’s Conscious Beauty Program, which emphasizes clean ingredients, sustainable packaging, cruelty-free products, and positive impact. Ulta’s priority is to “educate, guide, and simplify,” so transparency around the products they carry both online and in-store is key. Ms. Lee discussed that, although it is not an approach often seen across the industry, a priority for Beautycounter has always been using a science-based approach to banning and restricting harmful ingredients. Moving forward, Ms. Lee anticipates that “clean” will become a more holistic concept and that consumers won’t just look at chemicals that are banned in products but will also look to a company’s sustainability and climate goals when determining what makes a company “clean.” Ms. Clince and Ms. Lee both expressed excitement about the partnership and the brand awareness that will be generated from being sold at the country’s largest cosmetics retailer. 

Video: Inside Beauty That Raises the Bar 

Beautycounter was thrilled to premiere a new video about our mission at the Raise the Impact Forum. Take a look at the below:  

1% Giving Campaign  

Giving back has been central to our mission of getting safer products into the hands of everyone—since day one. On March 4, we launched a campaign that donated 1% of our total sales of the day to our longtime advocacy partner, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP). Through our dedicated Brand Advocates and customers, we were able to raise over $20,000 for BCPP! 

BCPP is a 501(c)(3) and a national leader in science-based advocacy that works to prevent breast cancer. They run the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Non-Toxic Black Beauty Project, which work to protect people and the planet from toxic chemicals in personal-care products. In addition, BCPP has served as one of our closest allies and partners in influencing lawmakers and legislation. Together, we have worked to pass six health-protective laws: 

  • Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 
  • PFAS-Free Beauty Act of 2022 
  • Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act of 2020 
  • Cosmetic Fragrance and Flavor Ingredient Right to Know Act of 2020 
  • Salon Product Ingredient Disclosure Act of 2018 
  • Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017 

Click here to learn more about BCPP. 

Raise Up Beauty  

Most recently, Beautycounter advocated for the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022, the first significant update to cosmetics laws in almost a century. This and the other legislative victories we’ve helped secure move us closer to ensuring that all beauty is clean beauty. 

As we continue to celebrate and reflect on a decade of successful advocacy, we’re raising up beauty by urging lawmakers to pass legislation requiring full ingredient and manufacturing transparency and banning harmful chemicals in personal-care products. 

If you live in the US: Text RAISEUPBEAUTY to 52886* or click here to contact your Members of Congress and urge them to strengthen personal-care product laws today.  

If you live in Canada: Click here to call on your Member of Parliament to modernize the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). 

California Residents: Click here to learn about California Assembly Bill 496 and urge your lawmakers to support the bill.  

New York Residents: Click here to learn about New York Senate Bill 4265 and urge your lawmakers to support the bill.  

Illinois Residents: Click here to learn about Illinois State House Bill 1282 and urge your lawmakers to support the bill.  

Oregon Residents: Click here to learn about Oregon State Senate Bill 546 and urge your lawmakers to support the bill. 

Vermont Residents: Click here to learn about Vermont Senate Bill 23 and urge your lawmakers to support the bill.  

*Standard data rates may apply. 

Clean Living, Our Mission

Advocacy Update: 2022 Recap and 2023 Outlook

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Advocacy Update: 2022 Recap and 2023 Outlook

Over 240,000 emails, 16,000 calls, and 2,200 meetings with lawmakers later, Beautycounter is proud to be one of the most outspoken beauty brands—if not the most outspoken beauty brand—in D.C., Ottawa, and state capitals. We have influenced the passage of 11 health-protective laws in the past 10 years, including the first major federal cosmetics reform law since 1938, the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA).

Earlier this month, Beautycounter’s Chief Impact Officer, our Director of Advocacy, and a D.C. public affairs firm led a “Mission Power Hour” to provide a 2022 advocacy recap along with an outlook for 2023. Check out a recap of the presentation below:

Federal Updates (U.S.)

2022 was a busy year for Beautycounter. We took over 200 Brand Advocates to Washington D.C. for a “BC Takes DC” advocacy trip during which we lobbied our elected officials to support reforms of the personal-care product industry. In addition, our community of advocates from all 50 states sent thousands of letters and made hundreds of phone calls to get the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 across the finish line.

Key provisions of MoCRA include:

  • New Requirements for Cosmetics:
    • Adverse Event Recordkeeping and Serious Adverse Event Reporting
    • Mandatory Facility Registration and Product and Ingredient Listing
    • Cosmetic Safety Substantiation
    • Cosmetic Labeling and Fragrance Allergen Transparency
  • New FDA Enforcement Authorities:
    • Facility Suspension
    • Records Access
    • Recall Authority
  • New Requirements for the FDA to Issue Three New Rules:
    • Good Manufacturing Practices Rule
    • Fragrance Allergen Disclosure Rule
    • Talc Rule

A new session of Congress just began in January 2023. Beautycounter will continue to use its business voice to influence bipartisan reforms of the personal-care product industry. We are working closely with lawmakers and their staff on the reintroduction of the Safer Beauty Bill Package and the No PFAS in Cosmetics Act. As this session of Congress progresses, we will continue to educate and build awareness through text actions, storytelling, and opportunities to call and meet with our lawmakers.

State Recap & Outlook

In 2022, two pieces of vital health-protective legislation passed at the state level:

  • The California PFAS Free Cosmetics Act: Adopted in 2022, this bill will ban intentionally added PFAS from all cosmetics sold in California beginning January 1, 2025.
  • New York Mercury Out of Cosmetics Bill: Adopted in 2022, this bill will ban the sale of personal-care products that contain mercury. Despite being a persistent neurotoxin that can cause kidney damage and psychosis, mercury is often still used in creams designed to lighten skin color. People of color are often exposed to disproportionately high levels of toxics, including mercury, so this law is a small but significant victory for New York’s beauty justice movement.

We are currently advocating for the passage of the following bills, many of which were just introduced in January 2023:

  • Washington Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act (HB 1047): This bill restricts the sale and distribution of cosmetic products containing nine chemicals or classes of chemicals, including PFAS, formaldehyde, mercury, and phthalates, beginning January 1, 2025. Additionally, it directs the WA Department of Ecology to perform a hazard assessment to ensure that when companies remove harmful chemicals like PFAS or mercury from their products, they aren’t replacing them with chemicals that are just as harmful. It also directs the Department of Ecology to implement an initiative to support small cosmetics businesses that employ fewer than 50 people.
  • Oregon Toxic Free Cosmetics Act (SB 546): This bill requires the Oregon Health Authority to adopt and maintain a list of designated high-priority chemicals of concern used in cosmetic products and to periodically review and revise this list. It requires manufacturers of cosmetic products sold in the state to include notice of certain chemicals used in products on manufacturers’ websites. Similar to the Washington bill, this bill bans the sale and distribution of cosmetic products containing certain chemicals and classes of chemicals in the state, including phthalates, PFAS, formaldehyde, and mercury.
  • Illinois Cosmetic Product Safety Bill (HB 1282): This bill will amend the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and it provides that, beginning January 1, 2025, no person or entity shall manufacture, sell, or deliver cosmetics products containing intentionally added phthalates, formaldehyde, mercury, PFAS, and more.
  • Additionally, Beautycounter is advocating for the passage of the following PFAS bills below:
    • Nevada Intentionally Added PFAS Bill (SB 76)
    • New Jersey Protecting Against Forever Chemicals (PFAS) Act (A 4758)
    • Rhode Island Comprehensive PFAS Ban Act (SB 16)
    • Massachusetts Act to Protect from PFAS (HD 3324)

Canada Federal Recap & Outlook

Since Beautycounter expanded into Canada in 2016, our community has hosted hundreds of community meetings and meetings on the Hill with Members of Parliament (MPs) and sent over 20,000 emails calling on MPs to make personal-care product reform a priority.

In 2023, a priority for Beautycounter is advocating for modernization of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). CEPA is Canada’s central piece of legislation for the protection of human health and the environment from harmful chemicals and pollution. It has been over two decades since Parliament updated CEPA, and in 2019, Beautycounter Brand Advocates held meetings with Members of Parliament in Ottawa urging for CEPA reform.

In February 2022, The Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act (Bill S-5) was introduced in the Senate and it is an important step toward modernizing and improving CEPA. The bill passed the Senate in 2022 and is currently in the House of Commons. While Bill S-5 offers a workable starting point for much-needed improvements to CEPA, it fails to require ingredient labeling on consumer products and there are many opportunities to strengthen it. Beautycounter will continue to advocate for the strengthening and passage of the bill through text actions, community meetings with MPs, and our “BC Takes Parliament” advocacy trip in May.

Take Action

While we saw many successes in 2022, including the passage of the first major federal cosmetics law since 1938, there is much more work to do. Depending on where you are located, follow the instructions below to reach out to your lawmakers and make your voice heard today:

If you’re in the U.S.: Text BETTERBEAUTY to 52886 to contact your Members of Congress and urge them to pass laws that require full ingredient and manufacturing transparency and ban the use of harmful chemicals in personal-care products.

If you’re in Canada: Visit P2A.CO/JMJ9POG to urge your Members of Parliament to support CEPA modernization and make transparent labeling a priority.

If you are a resident of Washington state: Text TOXICFREECOSMETICS to 52886 to contact your lawmakers and urge them to support the Non-Toxic Cosmetics Act, which will ban some of the worst offenders, including formaldehyde, mercury, and PFAS from cosmetics.

As legislative sessions progress, there will be many opportunities to advocate for clean beauty this year. Thank you for being a part of our movement. And stay tuned—we’ll be sure to keep you updated every step of the way.

Our Mission

Celebrating Black History Month Through Uncompromising Beauty

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Celebrating Black History Month Through Uncompromising Beauty

Getting safer products into the hands of everyone is our mission, and in celebration of Black History Month, we’re honoring the Black community by uplifting through action. 

Beautycounter has worked tirelessly to advocate for safer beauty and regulation of the personal-care industry, helping to reduce toxic exposures that disproportionately affect communities of color. This effort recently paid off with the passing of the Modernization of Cosmetics Act, which will allow the FDA to more effectively regulate the industry. These reforms mark the first meaningful change in cosmetics regulation since the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938. 

In order to pursue safer standards in beauty, we look to the guidance of our Science Advisory Council—and integral to our mission to create a more equitable beauty industry is Dr. Ami Zota. Dr. Zota, a Columbia University Professor, investigates how social-structural factors, such as racism, classism, and sexism, shape beauty product use, environmental chemical exposures, and health inequities in women across the life course.  

To further underscore the importance of Black History Month, we’ll be interviewing Dr. Zota about her work and actionable steps that can be taken. Be sure to check back here later in the month for a link to the full video. 

And as we continue to push the industry beyond clean—in our aim to create uncompromising beauty for all—we pursue a holistic commitment to equity and inclusion among our diverse community of Associates, Consultants, and consumers.  

Unequal exposure, unequal harm  

Research[1] shows that Black and Indigenous communities as well as People of Color (BIPOC), experience higher incidences of certain chronic diseases, including diseases associated with harmful chemical exposures. Unfortunately, beauty and personal-care products can be a source of these toxic chemicals. This presents a unique opportunity for prevention. Over the past eight years, Beautycounter has made significant progress toward stronger regulation and systemic change through our product formulations, more responsible sourcing efforts, and advocacy.  

Our work, our promise 

The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act was a big step in the right direction for our industry—but our work doesn’t stop there. We also pledge to actively advocate to address racial disparities when it comes to unequal toxic exposures. Thus far, we’ve helped pass two California laws: the Cleaning Products Right to Know Act and the Safer Salon Bill. These bills work to protect vulnerable populations like domestic professionals, hotel workers, and salon professionals, by arming them with information to make safer choices. These professions are dominated by women (often women of color) who are exposed to dangerous chemicals for long periods of time in poorly ventilated areas.[2] 

We’ve also held two high-profile Congressional briefings, highlighting the disparate impacts of harmful ingredients on people of color, for Members of Congress and their staff. The briefings were sponsored by leaders of the Congressional Hispanic and Black caucuses. Beautycounter also helped pass two California bills that remove some of the worst offenders from personal-care products as well as promote greater transparency for fragrance ingredients, which can have links to cancer and hormone disruption.    

Through Beautycounter’s unmatched safety standards, we provide a broad lineup of safe and effective makeup, skin care, and body-care products. And to ensure our makeup products authentically serve diverse skin tones, we continue to expand our shade range options.   

Powered by community 

We understand the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our Consultant base, which plays a crucial role in achieving our mission of getting safer products into the hands of everyone. To this end, we have implemented various initiatives to support our DEI efforts. One notable example is our Beautycounter BIPOC Leadership Forum, where we collaborate with a group of BIPOC Consultants to develop resources and programs that promote diversity within our Consultant community and help us advance our goal to transform beauty into a positive force for good.  

Over at HQ, we work to ensure our HQ employee base represents the diversity of the world around us. One way we foster an inclusive workplace is by celebrating our Associate Resource Groups (ARGs)—and this month, Beautycounter’s Black ARG will host an outing to the Pasadena Black History Parade and Festival. 

 Actionable steps for change 

  • Join us February 23 in New York at our Prince Street store for an exploration into the Beauty of Inclusion with Beautycounter’s Sr. Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Jenny Aspinwall, alongside our esteemed local Beautycounter Consultants. RSVP here. 
  • Advocate for ongoing policy change and mobilize our community in support of clean beauty. Take action by texting BETTERBEAUTY TO 52886 in the U.S. to add your voice in celebration this month.  

[1] Zota, Ami, Women of color are disproportionately affected by environmental toxins such as beauty-product-related environmental chemicals. This is independent of socioeconomic status. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28822238 

[2] https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Professional%20Beauty%20Association-%202014%20Economic%20Snapshot%20of%20the%20Salon%20Industry.pdf  

Our Mission

This Giving Tuesday, Let’s Give More Good

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This Giving Tuesday, Let’s Give More Good

Giving Tuesday began in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. It has since grown into a global movement that inspires us all to give back, celebrate community, and create lasting change. Mostly importantly, everyone can be a part of it: people, non-profits, businesses big and small—you name it.   

Of course, giving back has always been central to Beautycounter’s mission. That’s why we’re proud to work with trusted partners in support of issues that are important to us and to our community, like protecting public health, advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and advancing scientific research in fields such as breast cancer research. To date, we’ve contributed over $3.7 million in cash and product donations to the causes we stay close to and aligns with our mission.

We make targeted gifts to programs specific to building healthier communities that are free of harmful exposures including toxic chemicals from beauty and personal care and investing in the next generation of sustainability leaders. This ensures that we remain inclusive, representing the causes that unite our Beautycounter community on transforming the beauty industry into a positive force for good.

This Giving Tuesday, we’re proud to highlight the incredible work that some of our nonprofit partners are doing. If you’re able, we invite you to help support the work of our partners through whatever contribution feels right for you; donations links are included below.

Black Women for Wellness (BWW)
 Black Women for Wellness is committed to the health and well-being of Black women and girls through education, empowerment and advocacy. BWW believes in the strength of  this community and its allies, and that they collectively have the solutions, resources and responsibility to create necessary shifts to impact health outcomes. Click here to give now.

Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP)

Breast Cancer Prevention Partners work to prevent breast cancer by eliminating our exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation linked to the disease. Breast Cancer Prevention Partners are a founding member and national coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition working to eliminate dangerous chemicals from cosmetics and personal care products. Click here to give now.

Environmental Working Group (EWG)

Environmental Working Group uses the power of research and information to protect public health and the health of the environment. Their Skin Deep® Cosmetics Database allows consumers to search over 87,000 products for hazardous ingredients. Click here to give now.

Good+Foundation 

Good+Foundation works to dismantle multi-generational poverty by pairing tangible goods with innovative services for low-income fathers, mothers and caregivers, creating an upward trajectory for the whole family. Click here to give now.

We truly believe that every act of generosity counts, and we encourage you to join us as we give more good and support our nonprofit partners this Giving Tuesday. 

Click here to learn more about Beautycounter’s corporate giving.

#betterbeauty, Uncategorized

Climate Week 2022: Celebrating Our Commitment to the Planet

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Climate Week 2022: Celebrating Our Commitment to the Planet

As Climate Week NYC wraps up, we’ve been reflecting on what else we can do to help combat the climate crisis here at Beautycounter, as our mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone is now more important than ever.  

Protecting the health of the people and places we love is our number one priority—and that means committing to climate solutions that reduce our environmental impact. We know the window to act is small, and we’re committed to being a part of the solution through the following ways: 

  • Since day one, we’ve been a Certified B Corp dedicated to using our business power as a force for good. In 2021, we achieved our highest-ever B Corp score—97.7. 
  • We are committed to being carbon neutral by 2030. 
  • We conduct Life Cycle Assessments to guide decision-making for our packaging materials, and  we’ve also been piloting a tool from BlueBird that gives us data and insight to strategically design low-carbon and low-waste products.  
  • We calculate our annual carbon footprint for all scopes across our business in alignment with the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. 
  • We partnered with the Pact Collective to provide a solution for our hard-to-recycle packaging.  
  • We’re actively participating in the B Corp Coalition, a coalition of more than 40+ beauty B Corps around the world who unite to share best practices, pioneer responsible innovation, and create transparency around outcomes in hopes of changing the beauty industry for the better.  
  • We’re a proud member of the Planet A Coalition—for the second year in a row, we’ve joined @ItsPlanetA and over 100 brand allies to pledge our continued commitment to climate action.  
  • Lastly, we’re working closely with our investors, the Carlyle Group, to help scale our work to develop decarbonization initiatives that can solve industry-specific challenges.  

In light of all this, we still have a ways to go. This is hard work, but we are committed to holding ourselves accountable to do better. For more information on our progress, look out for our annual Social Mission Report, and stay tuned as we plan to share more information on our climate goals before the end of the year. 

Our Mission

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month Through Safer Beauty

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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month Through Safer Beauty

From September 15 through October 15 (and beyond), we at Beautycounter celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring the diversity of the Hispanic and Latinx communities. And part of honoring this community means uplifting through action. 

Our mission has always been to get safer products into the hands of everyone. The Latinx/Hispanic community among other BIPOC suffer from exposure to a disproportionally higher toxic load as it relates to beauty and personal-care products. Here are some ways we are taking action. 

With the help of our Science Advisory Council (our in-house team of academic researchers and scientists), we make sure we are considering vulnerable groups—including communities of color—when making decisions related to the safety of our products.  

  • A recent study1 that included 100 Latina teenagers, conducted by UC Berkeley’s Dr. Kim Harley (also a member of our Science Advisory Council), showed that when this group switched to cleaner cosmetics (without phthalates, parabens, triclosan, or oxybenzone) for just three days, they had a 25-45% drop in the levels of these four chemicals in their bodies.   
  • We helped pass the Cleaning Products Right to Know Act and the Safer Salon Bill, which protect salon professionals, hotel workers, and maintenance staff by providing them with information to make safer choices.   
  • We held two high-profile Congressional briefings, sponsored by the Congressional Hispanic and Black Caucuses, calling attention to the disparate effects of harmful ingredients on people of color.  
  • Beautycounter helped pass two bills in California that remove some of the most dangerous ingredients from personal-care products, and promote more transparency for fragrance ingredients, which can be linked to cancer and hormone disruption.   
  • Currently, Beautycounter is supporting federal legislation that requires the FDA to examine the effects of ingredients with a lens towards impact on vulnerable populations.   

DIVERSIFYING OUR COMMUNITY OF LEADERS IN CLEAN 

For us, education is fundamental for our #betterbeauty movement to succeed, and that’s why we prioritize Consultant programs that help raise awareness within their network and communities.   

We recognize that we have an opportunity to further diversify the 50,000+ strong Consultant base that supports us in our mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone. Through Mi Comunidad: Legacy Circle, one of our Consultant programs, we help develop leaders to be agents of change for the beauty industry. These programs include trainings, community webinars, newsletters and events held in English and Spanish, and the opportunity to engage on social media using our hashtag #Somosbeautycounter.   

“To be a Latina, for me, is to be passionate and resilient. To be loud about my values. To feel free to speak Spanish without hesitation. To bring Puerto Rican culture everywhere I go. My culture represents hard work and I celebrate it every day. I’m proud to have partnered with Beautycounter, because they are setting the bar in the beauty industry—of going beyond clean—and that means creating a safer future for all.”—Dhlama M., Sr. Manager Consultant 

EMPOWERING OUR HQ ASSOCIATES 

Over at HQ, our commitment to inclusivity goes beyond Hispanic Heritage Month. Last year we were excited to announce our partnership with Hispanic Association for Corporate Responsibility (HACR) Leadership Pipeline Program (LPP). This partnership was a two-day virtual experience for Hispanic/Latinx managers who aspire to accelerate into executive roles. We are always looking for opportunities to elevate and support our Associates.  

“As a proud Latina and lead of Voces, our Latinx/Hispanic Associate Resource Group, I love that Beautycounter is invested in DE&I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and the future Leadership development of our Associates. It’s important that we continue to stay committed to this very important work and ever-evolving DE&I journey.” —Jenny A., Senior Director of DE&I 

1 https://cerch.berkeley.edu/research-programs/hermosa-study 

#betterbeauty

Transparency In Action: More About Heavy Metals in Color Cosmetics

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Transparency In Action: More About Heavy Metals in Color Cosmetics

As we’ve previously shared, the raw materials we use in our formulations continue to be a cornerstone of our precautionary approach to formulating safer, high-performance products.

Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements (arsenic, cadmium, lead, etc.). They are plentiful within the earth and can sometimes mix with raw materials that are used in color cosmetics, like clays and micas.

Heavy metals can be potentially harmful to our health depending on various factors, such as the extent and timing of exposure, in addition to other factors. Unfortunately, they can appear in beauty products like color cosmetics that can contain mined ingredients—like mica, iron oxides, and titanium dioxide—to help define shades. 

We tackle this issue head-on with a combined approach with our state-of-the art, in-house lab, and third-party validation of various results during the year. Here are our 2021 third-party testing results for some of our most popular products. Stay tuned for our 2022 results!

Table 1. Average Heavy Metals Concentrations and Limits (ppm)

Heavy MetalAverage Beautycounter Concentrations (2020) (ppm)[1]Average Beautycounter Concentrations (2021) (ppm)[2]FDA Regulatory Cosmetic Product Limits (ppm)[3]
Arsenic0.10.016None
Antimony0.20.152None
Cadmium0.020.003None
Lead (lip)0.20.02510.0 (all products)
Lead (non-lip)0.60.23710.0 (all products)
Mercury0.01—[4]1.0

Beautycounter takes its commitment to clean seriously and is proud of our leadership in the beauty and personal care sector. To learn more about what clean means to Beautycounter, please visit our Blueprint for Clean.

[1] Based on third-party testing data for Beautycounter color cosmetic products made and tested in 2020.

[2] Based on third-party testing data for Beautycounter color cosmetic products made and tested in 2021.

[3] See here: https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/potential-contaminants-cosmetics/fdas-testing-cosmetics-arsenic-cadmium-chromium-cobalt-lead-mercury-and-nickel-content

[4] All third-party testing resulted in “non-detect” findings for mercury except for one product that yielded a value of 0.001 ppm.