Natural Beauty has been deemed one of the hottest trends in beauty since 2019 but we believe it is more than a trend, it’s a movement, and it is here to stay. Just like the food industry, the ugly truths of the long under-regulated beauty industry are finally being un-earthed.

We define clean beauty as the movement to have skin care products that are free of toxic substances and that utilize ingredients found in nature to nourish and benefit the skin.

And not just toxic free products...new to the clean beauty movement is "Blue Beauty."  Blue beauty supports environmental and ocean conservation by using reef-safe ingredients with a goal toward zero-waste packaging. That is something we have been passionate about here at CNF. With trillions of pieces of plastic (yes, trillions) floating in our oceans, we want to focus on supporting brands who are moving towards plastic free and zero waste packaging.

How much does the beauty industry contribute to this plastic problem? "According to Zero Waste Week, the beauty industry contributes a whopping 120 billion units of packaging a year (8.3 billion of it being plastic), and the shipping industry (an integral part of the process) contributes more than one billion tons of CO2 a year." We are reaching a critical point with our plastic waste, so every little bit helps. That's why supporting brands like Good Juju and Attitude are so important for the health of our oceans and planet as a whole!

The Current Regulations

We’re a bit better off in Canada than the United States. Back in 2014 Canada’s cosmetic ingredient labelling laws were updated and now require manufacturers to list all ingredients on the label. When this requirement took effect in 2006, the long lists of obscure chemicals that appeared on personal care product labels sparked the conversation about all the chemicals we’re putting on, and therefore in, our bodies.

The new regulations helped with some of the disclosure but unfortunately, toxic ingredients are still present in many personal care products. Loopholes in Canada’s cosmetic ingredient labelling requirements result in incomplete ingredient lists on many products. For example, manufacturers are not required to disclose specific fragrance ingredient, instead using the generic term parfum, which potentially represents dozens of chemicals. If a product at our store says parfum, look for the asterisk to take you to the bottom of the label for source of ingredients (ie. organic essential oils).

Also, personal care products regulated as “drugs” on the basis of therapeutic claims (e.g. tartar fighting toothpaste, bacteria-killing cleansers, face cream with sun protection) are not subject to the cosmetic ingredient labelling requirements. 

We’re the Trusted Source

At Community Natural Foods we believe strongly in the natural beauty movement. We’ve made-over our Clean Beauty section and now proudly sell over 1,800 products with high performing, non-toxic, cruelty-free, organic ingredients that will make you look and feel your best.

The Clean Beauty Bar includes beautiful skin care lines, nail polish, hair care and hygiene products, as well as a variety of makeup lines. Brands include Mineral Fusion, Anne Marie Borlind, Sukin, Andalou, and Routine.

myCNF Verifed Clean Beauty

Every ingredient is vetted through our myCNF Verified program for toxicity, quality (grade, processing and source) and impact on human, animal and environmental welfare. Our standards for ingredients far exceed simply being legal and allowed for sale in Canada. Community Natural Foods has reviewed studies and ratings by several different worldwide agencies and governments to ensure absolute safety.

Most items are gluten free and many are vegan as well. All products are free from animal testing. Community Natural Foods allows certain identified ingredients of concern or “cautionary” ingredients due to the lack of better ingredient options in products. These concerns include:

• Synthetic colors in some hair colour
• Widely used and approved substances considered safe for use, such as fluoride in some toothpaste
• Lower-risk surfactants and emulsifiers in some hair colouring products

For our complete list of ingredients we dont use in our beauty products, click mycnfverifiedbeauty.

Part of article sourcing: https://editorialist.com/beauty/what-is-blue-beauty/