Clean beauty sales continue to rise despite pandemic

In spite of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impacts, clean beauty sales are continuing in an upward trend.

According to NPD, clean beauty is up 11 per cent this year, despite beauty’s 14 per cent decline.

“Clean beauty is about safety. And today, there is nothing people are more concerned about than safety,” NPD vice president and beauty industry adviser, Larissa Jensen told WWD.

One of the earlier pioneers of the clean beauty movement, Beautycounter, sees the shift as part of a long-trending rise, only accentuated by the pandemic. 

“Clean beauty has been trending upwards," said Beautycounter founder and CEO, Gregg Renfrew. "People are increasingly thinking of wellness and their skin-care regimens linked to their health; it’s at the forefront of the consumer’s mind-set.”

Founder of fellow clean beauty brand, Vintner’s Daughter, April Gargiulo agrees, telling WWD she sees the correlation of clean beauty and safety concerns, but she also attributes it to a larger cultural shift toward minimalism. 

“What this pandemic has done is strip away a lot of the artifice in our life every day,” said Gargiulo. “You want to fill that with things that have a deeper relationship with our planet and the resources in our planet.” 

BD recommends checking out these 10 clean beauty brands:

Biossance - Biossance products are formulated using the highest standards in the industry through its commitment to transparency and formulating without 2,000+ harmful or questionable ingredients. 

INIKA Organic -  INIKA Organic uses the highest certified ingredients and the strictest processes. Its products are certified organic, certified vegan, certified cruelty-free, certified halal and 100 per cent non-toxic.

Andalou - Andalou is non-GMO, cruelty-free, 100 per cent vegetarian with a large vegan offering, gluten-free and 98 per cent nature derived. 

DB Cosmetics - DB Cosmetics is 100 per cent committed to creating certified cruelty-free and certified vegan products that help to make every day beautiful by being affordable and ethical. 

Glow Lab - Glow Lab is formulated with natural ingredients and elegant, natural fragrances. It is free from parabens, sulphates, silicones and other nasties, as well as being cruelty-free, vegan and palm oil friendly.

Alya Skin - Alya Skin uses only pure ingredients, and is cruelty-free and vegan friendly.

Saya Skincare - Saya respects the environment, stands firmly against animal testing and creates purely plant-based organic skincare products.

Mellow Cosmetics - Mellow Cosmetics provides a range of fun, luxurious, and on-trend makeup products that are cruelty-free, vegan and paraben-free.

A'kin - A'kin products are 100% vegan, free from sulfates, parabens, silicones, ethoxylated petrochemical cleansers and mineral oils, and no animal testing or animal derived ingredients are used.

The Organic Skin Co. - The Organic Skin Co. is into clean, green beauty and is proud to offer an extensive range of natural makeup and skincare, all of it chemical-free and loaded with organic ingredients.