What Is Clean Beauty?
Clean beauty isn't just a trend at CONTENT - it's part of who we've always been.
When we opened our doors in 2008, the term didn't exist. We created Content Beauty & Wellbeing on natural and organic beauty principles from day one, and as the industry evolved, 'clean beauty' grew into that same founding belief.
Where Did The Term 'Clean Beauty' Come From?
A little history from our founder....
"The term 'clean beauty' was born from the same cultural moment as 'clean eating'. In this incarnation in the early 2010s, clean eating referred to a growing consumer desire to cut out unnecessary additives and processing, and to prioritise minimally processed, whole foods in their natural state - fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, nuts, and whole grains. This principle was applied to beauty too and the term 'clean beauty' became increasingly used.
What began as a conversation about food has since evolved into the wider 'low-tox living' movement and the current conversations around 'ultra-processed food' - and beauty continues to be included in these conversations. One of the founding reasons I opened CONTENT was this: if we're questioning what goes into our bodies - as I was doing in the early 2000s - it makes complete sense to question what goes onto our skin too."
What Does 'Clean Beauty' Actually Mean?
It's a bit complicated, but this is how we view it....
It's important to understand that the opposite of clean beauty is not 'dirty'. All beauty products sold in the UK must complete a registration process to meet some of the strictest safety requirements in the world - including the exclusion of ingredients prohibited across the UK and Europe. Every brand sold in the UK, and on our shelves, has to meet this standard as a minimum.
This industry regulation also explains why that beautiful indie brand you discovered on your travels might not be available at CONTENT just yet. Compliance and registration takes time and can be costly - often out of reach for small independent brands. We wait, sometimes up to 10 years, because it matters.
Brands labelled 'Clean Beauty', go a step further than compliance. These are brands that have chosen to go beyond the industry baseline, voluntarily removing additional ingredients that, through their research and values, they have decided not to use.
We think of clean beauty brands as 'exclusion brands' - formulated with intention, not just regulation.
'Clean' however isn't a legally regulated or third-party certified term - think of it more as a shorthand for brands that are making deliberate choices about what they won't use - whether or not natural or organic ingredients are their primary focus.
It's also worth noting that clean beauty and natural beauty are not the same thing. Clean beauty brands may still contain natural ingredients, but we think their defining characteristic is what's been intentionally left out.
A certified natural or organic brand will also be considered 'clean', however a clean brand may or may not be considered a natural brand - its dependent on the percentage of natural ingredients used. While not everything we stock is certified natural or organic we have made it easy to shop the ethos that suits you best.
The Edit Starts With The Ingredients
When we launched, no beauty retailer was editing what it stocked based on ingredients. If you wanted ingredient scrutiny, you were looking in health food shops - not beauty stores. We changed that.
From day one, every brand we considered was reviewed against our ingredient policy before it had a place on our shelves. That's still true today. Some ingredients we exclude as a precautionary measure, where the evidence gives us reason for caution. Others we simply don't need - because alternatives exist, and we choose to stock those.
Some of the ingredients we stopped stocking from the very beginning - microbeads and Methylchloroisothiazolinone among them - have since been regulated in the UK and EU. Others, like Talc and Aluminium Chlorohydrate, remain in wide circulation but not on our shelves - there are some concerns about the evidence around them.
We share our ingredient thinking openly, because ultimately these are your choices to make. We hope it makes it a bit easier to decide what you want to use.
The Clean Beauty Brands We Stock
Many of today's most iconic clean beauty brands started their retail journey in the UK with us. We brought RMS Beauty to the UK in 2009 and launched ILIA in 2011, and we've been curating the world's best clean skincare and make-up since 2008.
Our range spans 3rd party certified brands to genuinely natural formulations, and performance-driven clean colour (long-wear formulations that contain som synthetics). Every product we stock has been chosen with the same criteria we've always applied.
Frequent Asked Questions
Since 2008 we've been helping people find the right products for their skin, their values, and their lifestyle. Whether you're just starting to read ingredient labels or you've been shopping clean for years, we're here to make the process feel easy, enjoyable, and personal to you
Have a question of your own? Contact Us Here.
Where can I buy clean beauty products in the UK?
You can shop our full edit of clean beauty brands online at contentbeautywellbeing.com with UK delivery, or visit our London studio to try make-up (some skincare is available too) in person with expert guidance.
The studio doesn't have public access by day - but you can book and appointment in person or via video.
To book a visit with the team just contact us on help@beingcontent.com.
Where Can I try Clean Make-Up Brands?
At our studio! Just contact us to book an appointment to visit us and the team can help you choose the best products for your skin.
Can I Earn Clean Beauty Rewards When I Shop?
Yes we have a loyalty programme where you can earn points everytime you shop.
What is clean beauty?
Clean beauty generally refers to products formulated without ingredients considered potentially harmful to your health or the environment, without sacrificing performance.
At CONTENT, we use the term to describe 'exclusion brands' - brands that have voluntarily gone beyond the regulatory baseline to remove additional ingredients. It is not a legally certified term, but a shorthand for describing brands that exclude ingredients but may not be focused entirely on natural or organic ingredients.
Clean Beauty brands may not be 100% natural - most often they have excluded ingredients like parabens, SLS and many more ingredients.
Is clean beauty regulated in the UK?
All cosmetic products sold in the UK must complete a safety registration process and comply with strict ingredient restrictions. 'Clean beauty' itself is not a regulated or legally defined term - it describes brands that have chosen to go beyond these mandatory standards by voluntarily excluding additional ingredients due to their ethos or brand values.
Is Clean Beauty The Same As Natural Beauty?
No. Clean beauty and natural beauty are related but distinct. We define clean beauty by what a brand has chosen to exclude - it may still contain some synthetic ingredients.
Natural beauty prioritises a high percentage of naturally derived ingredients. A product can be 'clean' but not contain many natural ingredients. Whereas a certified natural product we would also consider to be 'clean'. Many brands are both.
It's complicated and we are always happy to answer questions or help you find the brand that matches your ethos or requirements.
Is everything you stock 'clean'?
Today, we would consider 98% of our edit to sit comfortably within the definition of 'clean beauty' - and the vast majority of that is also natural, organic, or both. But clean beauty is not static, and neither are the brands we have stocked - some for over 18 years.
As some of our longest-standing brands have grown, their formulations have evolved. A number of brands we've carried for years have made the considered decision to incorporate certain safe, well-researched synthetics into their formulas - to improve performance, accessibility, or sustainability. This is often seen in clean make-up brands where finish, longevity on the skin and colour are the priority.
A good example of this is the move from beeswax to synthetic wax. For brands committed to becoming fully vegan, replacing animal-derived beeswax with a lab-created equivalent can be a values-driven choice - and as a brand scales globally, synthetic alternatives also reduce the demand on a finite natural resource. What works for a small indie brand doesn't always translate when that same brand is supplying millions of customers across the world.
In instances like this, the product is no longer entirely 'clean' and we think it's important you know the difference, which is why we always flag ingredients we think will be of interest to those looking to shop natural in the details section of every product page and within the full ingredients listing.
The beauty industry is always evolving - and often the changes we see are making room for innovation. But if a brand you once loved for it's ingredients makes a change you would prefer not to use, just let us know and we will find the best alternative.
If you prefer to shop as natural as possible just look for our certified natural or organic badges on each product.
Which ingredients does Content Beauty & Wellbeing avoid?
We apply an ingredient policy to every brand we stock.
Ingredients we will never carry include parabens, phthalates, SLS and SLES, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives and certain chemical UV filters. Brands prioritise fragrance-free or natural fragrance and essential oils. Read More.
