“Clean” Makeup, Non-Toxic Beauty… and Why I Went Back to What Works
I have officially been down the makeup rabbit hole.
You know the one.
clean beauty
non-toxic
vegan
cruelty-free
no fragrance
no chemicals
no anything apparently
And at some point, I was like…
“Wait… what am I even supposed to use at this point?” 😂 Slap some beet juice on my cheeks and call it a day
How This All Started
Like everything else, it started with good intentions.
I wanted:
better ingredients
fewer toxins
products that felt safer
So I started switching things out.
Trying new brands. Reading labels. Watching videos.
And Then… Reality Hit
The “clean” makeup?
Did not work for me.
At all.
A lot of it:
didn’t sit well on my skin
didn’t last
didn’t give me the coverage I wanted
And the biggest issue?
👉 I’m allergic to botanicals.
Which is ironic… because a lot of “clean” beauty is packed with plant-based ingredients.
So instead of helping, it made things worse.
This Is Where I Think People Get Stuck
There’s this idea online that:
“Clean = better for everyone”
But that’s not always true.
What works for one person:
might not work for another
might actually cause irritation
might not perform the way you need it to
And no one really talks about that part. Once again social media is fear mongering and not telling you the entire truth.
What I Did Instead
I went back to what I know works for me.
Brands I’ve used before. Products my skin actually likes.
For me, that meant going back to MAC Cosmetics.
And honestly?
It felt like a relief. I went in and dropped $200 on products and it made my heart so happy.
Because Here’s the Thing
Makeup isn’t just about ingredients.
It’s also about:
how it wears
how it looks
how your skin reacts
how confident you feel using it
And if something checks all those boxes?
That matters.
Let’s Talk About the Pressure Around “Clean Beauty”
I feel like this space has gotten really intense.
Like if your makeup isn’t:
perfectly clean
perfectly non-toxic
perfectly approved by the internet
…then you’re doing something wrong.
And that’s just not realistic.
A More Honest Take
Are there ingredients worth being aware of?
Yes.
But does that mean everything outside of “clean beauty” is bad?
No.
There’s a middle ground here that people aren’t talking about enough.
Where I’ve Landed
I care about what I use.
But I also care about:
what actually works
what my skin tolerates
what I enjoy using every day
And right now?
That’s not 100% “clean beauty.”
And I’m okay with that.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve tried switching everything over and felt frustrated…
You’re not alone.
And you’re not doing anything wrong.