deerstalker
https://www.essence.com/beauty/the-myths-about-clean-beauty-dispelled/
With 17 years in product development, Robyn Watkins has pretty much seen it all. She’s been a part of some of the most successful and iconic beauty launches to date, and she’s also been witness to the failed attempts that never make it to market. Today, as a product development consultant and CEO of Holistic Beauty Group, she helps brands make magic in the clean beauty space. But don’t get it wrong, she might consult for brands, but she really works for consumers.
“I have a passion for clean beauty. In my background in the corporate space, I was always trying to advocate towards cleaner, safer ingredients, and always trying to go more natural,” she says. “I was the annoying person always raising my hand asking, can we not do this? Can we not use silicone? Can we try this?”
As an insider in the space, Watkins knows that clean beauty can mean different things in different places because it doesn’t have a harmonized definition. She explained that Europe has much stricter standards than the United States as it relates to clean beauty (Canada also has slightly stricter policies.) They ban about 1,400 ingredients that are not banned in the U.S., including carcinogens, mutagens, nitrosamines, silicones D4 and D5 and reproductive toxins (yes, you read that right).
Consumers are actually putting their trust in companies to identify their products as clean. As we’re beginning to see more brands emerging in this space, we’re also seeing more products identified as clean from legacy brands. Even beauty retailers have begun to make this distinction in product offerings on their sites.
Sephora has an extensive list of ingredients that a product cannot contain in order to receive their Clean at Sephora seal, including some known culprits such as parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and formaldehyde, and also more unknown players such as styrene and synthetic fragrances.
“I think it’s important for the consumer to understand what’s important to them with respect to clean beauty and buying brands that align with that.”
– Robin Watkins
But clean beauty, Watkins explains, is actually not a regulated standard. And her interactions with consumers has taught her that there are many misconceptions about what a clean beauty product really is.
“Clean beauty is a marketing term and it’s an emerging claim that can be defined by any brand that uses it,” she says. “Clean beauty is more like a movement. It’s a mindful decision to create products and market under pillars of human safety, transparency, environmental consciousness and ethics. I think it’s important for the consumer to understand what’s important to them with respect to clean beauty and buying brands that align with that.”
Consumers are also making the assumption that clean beauty and sustainability go hand-in-hand. While Watkins thinks that they should, she also knows that it’s not guaranteed. Sustainability is a multi-faceted category that has levels to it, from biodiversity and carbon footprint reduction to eliminating plastic waste and using renewable or reusable packaging. In other words, like clean beauty, sustainability is complex.
“There’s so much to unpack with regards to sustainability,” Watkins asserts. “But I say [for a brand] starting where you are, understand your carbon footprint, and start to pull back on it from an upstream perspective, meaning how you’re building your product, and then downstream in terms of how the consumer is disposing of the product and what that life cycle looks like.”
A post shared by Holistic Beauty Group (@holisticbeautygroup) on May 8, 2020 at 9:34pm PDT
And that’s where product ingredients can come into play where clean versus non-clean matters. Since the pandemic, consumers have been paying a lot more attention to what’s in their beauty products. Studies show that the online purchase of natural skincare increased by 300 percent at the top of quarantine. Watkins says clean beauty sales are up 25 percent too. People often mistake clean beauty products for natural beauty products, but she says, they’re not the same. And, natural doesn’t always mean better.
“People automatically think, oh, it’s clean, it’s natural, it’s organic. And some products are, but those are two different camps and just know the difference and know that when you see science-based ingredients, it’s not all bad,” she explains. “There are brands that have a blend of natural and synthetic. I highly recommend embracing scientific as the new sustainable. Science based ingredients have huge benefits. They truly are 100 percent renewable, have zero carbon footprint. It really makes sense for the world that we’re living in.”
She’s just trying to do her part to make that world better, one clean product at a time. Her mission is to guide and hold brands accountable, educate consumers—especially other Black women, who are inundated with products that tend to be filled with harmful toxins—and explore the possibility of a new category she calls product therapy, an intersection between beauty, self-care, and mental health all wrapped into effective offerings.
“I try to pour positive intention into the work that I do and with the brands that I work with. I’d like to create more products that have a healing intention—not just holistic products, but products that give positive messaging and don’t drive the consumer to not appreciate themselves or think they’re good enough,” she finishes.
“I like to be a part of projects that really change that narrative around self-compassion and self-love. But I’m just out here, a corporate dropout who decided to take all of my experience and help brands that actually give a shit about what they’re doing. That’s my whole thing.”
The post This Black Product Developer Dispels The Myths About Clean Beauty appeared first on Essence.
With 17 years in product development, Robyn Watkins has pretty much seen it all. She’s been a part of some of the most successful and iconic beauty launches to date, and she’s also been witness to the failed attempts that never make it to market. Today, as a product development consultant and CEO of Holistic Beauty Group, she helps brands make magic in the clean beauty space. But don’t get it wrong, she might consult for brands, but she really works for consumers.
“I have a passion for clean beauty. In my background in the corporate space, I was always trying to advocate towards cleaner, safer ingredients, and always trying to go more natural,” she says. “I was the annoying person always raising my hand asking, can we not do this? Can we not use silicone? Can we try this?”
As an insider in the space, Watkins knows that clean beauty can mean different things in different places because it doesn’t have a harmonized definition. She explained that Europe has much stricter standards than the United States as it relates to clean beauty (Canada also has slightly stricter policies.) They ban about 1,400 ingredients that are not banned in the U.S., including carcinogens, mutagens, nitrosamines, silicones D4 and D5 and reproductive toxins (yes, you read that right).
Consumers are actually putting their trust in companies to identify their products as clean. As we’re beginning to see more brands emerging in this space, we’re also seeing more products identified as clean from legacy brands. Even beauty retailers have begun to make this distinction in product offerings on their sites.
Sephora has an extensive list of ingredients that a product cannot contain in order to receive their Clean at Sephora seal, including some known culprits such as parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and formaldehyde, and also more unknown players such as styrene and synthetic fragrances.
“I think it’s important for the consumer to understand what’s important to them with respect to clean beauty and buying brands that align with that.”
– Robin WatkinsBut clean beauty, Watkins explains, is actually not a regulated standard. And her interactions with consumers has taught her that there are many misconceptions about what a clean beauty product really is.
“Clean beauty is a marketing term and it’s an emerging claim that can be defined by any brand that uses it,” she says. “Clean beauty is more like a movement. It’s a mindful decision to create products and market under pillars of human safety, transparency, environmental consciousness and ethics. I think it’s important for the consumer to understand what’s important to them with respect to clean beauty and buying brands that align with that.”
Consumers are also making the assumption that clean beauty and sustainability go hand-in-hand. While Watkins thinks that they should, she also knows that it’s not guaranteed. Sustainability is a multi-faceted category that has levels to it, from biodiversity and carbon footprint reduction to eliminating plastic waste and using renewable or reusable packaging. In other words, like clean beauty, sustainability is complex.
“There’s so much to unpack with regards to sustainability,” Watkins asserts. “But I say [for a brand] starting where you are, understand your carbon footprint, and start to pull back on it from an upstream perspective, meaning how you’re building your product, and then downstream in terms of how the consumer is disposing of the product and what that life cycle looks like.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Holistic Beauty Group (@holisticbeautygroup) on May 8, 2020 at 9:34pm PDT
And that’s where product ingredients can come into play where clean versus non-clean matters. Since the pandemic, consumers have been paying a lot more attention to what’s in their beauty products. Studies show that the online purchase of natural skincare increased by 300 percent at the top of quarantine. Watkins says clean beauty sales are up 25 percent too. People often mistake clean beauty products for natural beauty products, but she says, they’re not the same. And, natural doesn’t always mean better.
“People automatically think, oh, it’s clean, it’s natural, it’s organic. And some products are, but those are two different camps and just know the difference and know that when you see science-based ingredients, it’s not all bad,” she explains. “There are brands that have a blend of natural and synthetic. I highly recommend embracing scientific as the new sustainable. Science based ingredients have huge benefits. They truly are 100 percent renewable, have zero carbon footprint. It really makes sense for the world that we’re living in.”
She’s just trying to do her part to make that world better, one clean product at a time. Her mission is to guide and hold brands accountable, educate consumers—especially other Black women, who are inundated with products that tend to be filled with harmful toxins—and explore the possibility of a new category she calls product therapy, an intersection between beauty, self-care, and mental health all wrapped into effective offerings.
“I try to pour positive intention into the work that I do and with the brands that I work with. I’d like to create more products that have a healing intention—not just holistic products, but products that give positive messaging and don’t drive the consumer to not appreciate themselves or think they’re good enough,” she finishes.
“I like to be a part of projects that really change that narrative around self-compassion and self-love. But I’m just out here, a corporate dropout who decided to take all of my experience and help brands that actually give a shit about what they’re doing. That’s my whole thing.”
The post This Black Product Developer Dispels The Myths About Clean Beauty appeared first on Essence.
Kelis is prepping her family table for one more addition!
The singer-turned-chef shared the news that she is expecting another child with her husband Mike Mora. Her announcement was sponsored by pregnancy test brand First Response, whom the singer praises for being “committed to supporting healthy, equitable pregnancy journeys and understand the importance of a nurturing environment for black women and mothers.”
“As a Black mother, there are so many things to consider during this time in your life,” the singer shared while holding up a positive pregnancy test, “especially during the crazy times that we live in — from what we eat, to how we live and love. This is the time we must take for ourselves without apologies, especially when we still live in a country where Black women historically have had the highest maternal mortality rates.”
The singer also announced that as part of her First Response partnership, a charitable donation will be made to Black Mamas Matter Alliance.
View this post on Instagram
Happy to announce that I’m expecting and I’m partnering with @firstresponsepregnancy, as they are committed to supporting healthy, equitable pregnancy journeys and understand the importance of a nurturing environment for black women and mothers.#Ad #BlackMamasMatter #Motherhood As a Black mother, there are so many things to consider during this time in your life, especially during the crazy times that we live in — from what we eat, to how we live and love. This is the time we must take for ourselves without apologies, especially when we still live in a country where Black women historically have had the highest maternal mortality rates. So for me, self-care has become paramount, particularly in the beginning stages. Knowing your body and what it needs, being able to be still and quiet enough to hear what it tells you. That’s why I used a First Response Early Result test as it can tell you if you’re pregnant 6 days sooner than your missed period.* Don’t be afraid to look for a team that looks like you and can relate with a level of care that will make you feel your most comfortable. It’s your right. It’s our right. And we must demand not only what’s best for us, but for our community. So, I’m so grateful to be able to work with First Response and to announce that a charitable donation to @blackmamasmatter will be made on my behalf. @blackmamasmatter is an organization that’s working to ensure Black mamas have the rights, respect, resources to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy. Together we can change these statistics, one woman at a time.*Early Result Pregnancy Test detected the pregnancy hormone levels in 76% of pregnant women 5 days before their expected period.A post shared by Kelis (@kelis) on Aug 5, 2020 at 8:09am PDT
In May 2020, Kelis visited our “Yes, Girl!” podcast and spoke about what life as been like for her family since relocating from their Los Angeles home to a farm miles outside the city. “We first got out here and I had a moment of sheer panic: ‘Oh my God! What have I done? Did I just play myself? Is this crazy?’ I definitely had a moment of ‘Abort mission. Let’s go back,'” the Harlem native admitted.
Now, Kelis and her family have adjusted to their new rural life. “If you had asked me 10 years ago, I’d have been like, “Girl, bye. No way I’m doing that,’” she continued,”but now I’m like, ‘What’s wrong? This is amazing. I love it.’”
In case you weren’t aware, Kelis and Mora have a four-year-old son named Sheperd, and Kelis also has an 11-year-old son named Knight with ex-husband Nas.
Congratulations to the happy couple!
The post Kelis Is Pregnant With Her Third Child appeared first on Essence.
Writer: N.K. Jemisin / Artist: Jamal Campbell / DC Comics
There are many ways that you can start a comic book written by a Black woman and starring a Black woman. But one of the best ways is probably using a Lauryn Hill quote on the first page.
That’s exactly how issue #7 of Far Sector kicks off, which is written by none other than N.K. Jemisin.
If you’re unfamiliar, the series focuses on a member of the Green Lantern Corps named Sojourner “Jo” Mullein who is stationed so far away from Oa that it’s probably not even on a map.
In her current adventures, she’s investigating a series of murders on a planer where biological life and artificial life coexist. Issue #7 picks up with her battling a series of artificial beings who have taken over the (dead) bodies of local citizens to control fighting suits of armor.
Eventually, this fight leads to Jo transporting herself to the digital world in a scene taken straight out of a dozen science fiction stories.
While the art in the opening battle scene feels a little jarring—perhaps that’s the case with most robot right scenes—the work done in the latter half of the issue more than makes up for it with the introduction of a totally new world worth visiting, full of pop culture references to fan favorites like Akira and The Matrix.
I haven’t read the first few issues of this story, which means that the plot was handled with care if I could still be caught up in just one issue. But that doesn’t mean that I won’t go back and catch up as soon as I can.
8.0 out of 10
Reading Far Sector? Check out BNP’s other reviews here.
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The post Far Sector #7 appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.