“chemical free” anything doesn’t exist. literally EVERYTHING has a chemical makeup. if anyone tries to sell you something and says it’s chemical free, that’s false advertising.
I'm waiting for that one really bold person who steps up takes one of those chemical free items and goes ' This isn't chemical free! It has chemicals in it !! ' while pointing to the word ' Water ' on the label.
@@lacytaylor1501 I have had that argument so many times, if I had a pound for every time I said water IS a chemical I would have Victoria Beckham's lifestyle
I went on a vacation with a friend who thought that sunscreen was ‘toxic’ and refused to use it. By day 3 she was blistering and desperately covering herself in aloe and my sunscreen but the damage was done
My boss gave me a sunscreen for Christmas. Many in the office thought she gave me a gag gift (that's what she tends to give out), but I know how much thought actually had to have gone into that tube of sunscreen. I have a lot of skin sensitivities and she managed to find one that I have had no reaction to. My desk is right by the window (don't forget about the window's!), and it only took one mild sunburn for me to start wearing sunscreen at work every day, even though I'm inside all day. She got me the Neutrogena SPF 60+ invisible sunscreen lotion, for anyone wondering.
If I were you I'd try to get one of those shielding screens that stick to the window and put it right by your desk so that you're protected from the sun rays.
I'm a licensed Esthetician here in the states, currently working retail, and let me tell you how TIRED I am of the "all natural" "non toxic" "clean" products. I am BEYOND tired of people ignoring science and basic skills of researching/reading or just looking around and thinking "hmm might be a marketing thing". Also It's exhausting trying to explain to people they aren't gonna die if they use a sunscreen other than "supergoop" (who is super shady lmao) for example. It's so tiring. I just want customers to feel confident and happy with their skin and gonna be honest, this whole "clean" beauty/skincare crap has people wrapped around their finger, thinking everything is gonna kill them. It's truly tiring explaining to someone that wearing an SPF is not gonna kill them.
@@efeso511 my guess is how they marketed their sunscreens as clean chemicals, which makes no sense and very contradictory to the whole "chemical sunscreens" is dangerous. Which also proves that clean beauty is a scam since brands makeup definitions on what they considered clean. But also Supergoop is heavily overrated anyway. Never been impressed with them and theyre expensive for what they are. Give me Asian sunscreens all day.
The best sunscreen is the one you actually use. If you have health issues or are pregnant or breastfeeding, that's one thing, but for most people, choosing between sunscreens is about what feels best on your skin. "Don't let the great become the enemy of the good."
I used to work at Ulta. Whenever people asked for "clean" or "natural" products I had to just show them those products, because it was exhausting trying to explain this to people and it usually backfired. 🙃 In fact, trying to be honest or explain ingredients just confused people or even made them upset. I pretty much gave up and just pretended customers were correct no matter what they said, and let them buy the crappy products they wanted lol. It was the only way to retain my sense of sanity.
There are so many people who swear by Honest beauty that whenever someone makes a criticism of it, they lose their minds and it’s utterly ridiculous. The brand’s marketing is very scummy, and fear mongers mothers into believing that everything is horrible for their babies! It’s ridiculous.
Sigh, yeah you see this with so many *insert cult brand, ideology, etc* you often see this when people take a company/brand (it's associated positive values) and mentally integrate it into their sense of self. Now if you criticise the company, to them it feels like a direct criticism of them as a person. Being able to admit that something you like/love is doing harm is not the easiest of tasks, which is why people who can change or adjust their minds if/when presented with new info are the best 💖 critical thinkers are awesome
It’s a scummy thing to do but also smart business move. As long as they don’t cross a line (idk if they have maybe) it’s ironic that it’s called “honest”
This!!! I agree 100% Sam, a lot of influencers (like Tati is a big one) swear by them too and it’s all crap, because I’ve 1. Never liked their products 2.have heard and seen evidence that it’d not as safe as they claim. And now we have this video! Thank goodness we have James!!!
As a very fair-skinned human who lives in a sunny climate, I can attest to the fact that it is VERY difficult to use sunscreen exactly as directed, especially in a beach context where you're fighting against sea water, sweat, sand, and the intensity of sun reflecting off the water. And while I empathize with the concerns that zinc oxide leaves a white cast and is difficult to apply, there is a benefit to being able to see where you've applied sunscreen. Even when I try my darndest to apply sunscreen on every inch of exposed skin, I find that I often miss spots. Anyway, while I very much empathize with the people who were left with horrible sunburns when using these products and it's possible the products were not as protective as advertised, I also think people need to be careful about applying magical thinking to sunscreens. Your best bet will always be a physical barrier. Hats, rash guards, umbrellas, SPF clothing, etc. are your friend. I especially recommend putting children in hats and rash guards because we all know difficult it is to get them to hold still long enough to reapply and then get them to stay in the shade for 20 minutes after that.
This is true!! Paper white people need layers and sometimes it’s going to leave a cast. That’s why they have long sleeved bathing suits now. You won’t boil if you take a dip!
@@goldiefatale Mineral and classic (called 'chemical' to dfferentiate now) work differently. Mineral reflects UV, chemical absorbs UV, transfers it into heat, which dissipates in the usual way. Chemical also absorbs into the skin like a moisterizor whereas mineral sits on top (hence the white cast). So one of those might be your problem with mineral - I know I cant use mineral because I'm always moving around, sititng down, rubbing against stuff, carrying stuff that rubs at the exposed skin, going waist deep into the water, while helping my dad with fishing.
I remember this happening and seeing a lot of photos of children who suddenly started to get burned after it was reformulated. Some of it is very probably user error but considering that the company reduced the zinc oxide to just 9% from the original 20%, then also added shea butter and other plant oils, it went from a sunscreen to something closer to a tanning oil. It's no wonder people got burned.
Aussie kids are taught that sunscreen goes on your skin promptly followed by good coverage clothes, a hat, and staying in the shade as much as possible. Probably taught the same elsewhere, but the first tantrum is usually about not wanting to wear a hat before going outside, so..
@jessg10156 i don't think I ever wore a hat growing up. Then again I'm really easy to tan dark and not burn. I did use some sunscreen of we were going to be out all day though. I grew up in sunny California.
i have an issue with allergies myself. as far as i can remember, i haven’t used anything branded as clean, but i feel like it’d be a nightmare for me lol
I have 26 allergies total and yep, it's a nightmare lol I actually gave up buying shampoo, body wash, etc after multiple awful reactions. I make my own products at home from scratch for a few years now( and even started my own business). But sunscreen is a whole different beast. You can cause burns, skin cancer... It's like they didn't do testing
@@lemondew8138 I did that for a while. After a few years of using the "clean/natural" products I developed allergies to virtually every product you can buy (mostly because of coconut.) Thankfully I've found that with a daily antihistamine I can use certain things. I just have to avoid balsam of peru (which is in a lot of fragrance) and dmdm hydantoin, but coconut thankfully doesn't cause a reaction if I take my zyrtec. I honestly wonder if my product allergies would have progressed as they did if I had never messed with the "natural" stuff.
In Australia, we are VERY sun savvy! Perhaps too much so, as many of us are vitamin D deficient! (Check the studies..) But anyway, for those of you worried about applying Zinc based sunscreens and them making you “white”, just pat skin and they will most likely fade away to invisible. For Aussies, we are recommended a tablespoon of sunscreen per limb (arms, legs), for the back and for the torso, and a teaspoon for the face. We don’t apply enough for adequate protection generally, and I dare say that perhaps this was the case with Honest, and with all sunscreens around the world. Being sunsafe is imperative! For those of you questioning me, I’m a pharmacist with over 25 years experience. This was one of the first things we were taught in derm lessons at University. It’s not just about what you apply, but what you apply, where you apply it and HOW MUCH! Love you all!
Being Latino and living in Brazil which is currently experiencing one of the biggest heat waves in history this was actually very helpful! Thanks for sharing these tips :D
Thank you for pointing out the allergen free vs “clean”, I have sensitive and allergy prone skin and “clean” products are a big no for me, the worst reactions I’ve had were from “clean” products. Natural ingredients that haven’t been processed in a lab to separate the active ingredient from all of the other irritant stuff and lack of preservatives are usually the culprits.
Even allergen free dermatologist tested/suggested products do not help me. I've had chemical burns from brands suggested to me by my dermatologist! Just because it says hypoallergenic and sensitive skin safe doesn't mean it really is. I can really only tell if a product will be okay once I actually test it myself. Just because something is allergen free doesn't mean you can't still have an allergic reaction to it unfortunately. At least in my case. Making it hard to shop for myself. So far youth to the people green tea and kale face wash works for me, as well as vanicream and unscented dove body wash. If I didn't have those idk what I would do.
I've noticed a lot of "clean" and "chemical free" beauty products have mushroom in them, but I'm allergic to mushrooms :"") And now a lot of food products are getting into the Clean and Chemical Free thing, and using mushrooms as a Natural Perservative or something, and it's popping up in things like Capri Sun now. Who would even think to check Capri Sun for mushrooms??
@@rebecca8866 that's been true since the dawn of the cosmetic industry though and is still true now. It's practically impossible to formulate a product that will not cause a reaction to someone. The product could be the most hypoallergenic product ever and YOUR skin could still react to it. Read any leaflet of any skincare product you use, it always says "apply a small amount on skin, if no reaction occurs after 24 hours, the product is safe to use". This is also true for anything chemical, medicines for example. Some people can die from aspirin allergy while it's completely safe to most humans on earth. Especially when you have sensitive skin, you must test the product first on your wrist for 24 hours before using regularly.
@@rebecca8866 exactlyy. i had severe eczema for like a year straight and everything the dermatologist prescribed me just made it all worse, some products gave me an immediate irritation as soon as i put them on and i spent like 100 bucks on multiple different creams and stuff... i was literally better off just using vaseline
man. if this happenedd in australia. we dont fuck around with sunscreen, our regulations are so strict that a lot of brands arent able to release their sunscreens that are out in other countries eg. tatcha's silk sunscreen is available in australia.
@@justanotherhappyhumanist8832 Well actually the main reason is that their origins are mostly in North Europe ( UK, Ireland...) and their ancestors decided to move and settle in Australia... That's absolutely not the same climate. Just like there is a high level of skin cancer in South Africa because of the caucasians living there not because of the Black Africans living there. Just like the #1 state in America to get skin cancer is Hawaii. The Native Australians which are left in Australia do not have those worries.
I bought a cleaning spray from a brand I thought was “cruelty free” I saw a rabbit and was like great... turns out they made their own symbol up for marketing and was not cruelty free, it wasn’t the official rabbit... I was so sad :(
As a pale bitch, I can attest to user error not necessarily leading to burning. My current pairing is a generic sport body spray and a Neutrogena face cream. The first time I used these, I was in the water for three hours and completely forgot to reapply. I walked away completely unburned. Product quality matters
Dude I can't tell you how many "allergen-free" "allergy safe" "fragrance free" "clean" "formulated for sensitive skin" "safe" products I've had reactions too because all of these brands and products just ADORE eucalyptus and lavender oil. My boss is very into that scene and whe I told her I had allergies to both she was shocked and asked if I was sure it was those or if it was artificial fragrances. No. It's the oils. I can tolerate a small of lavender, like the about-fave lip gloss, but it does still trigger my asthma and makes my lips tingle. And I can't use any eucalyptus, that stuff wants to kill me. Its so bizarre to me how people believe you can't be allergic to Natural Products, especially as someone with a huge list of allergies that make most diets or trends impossibilites.
Explaining to people that I'm allergic to a bunch of synthetic detergents: easy, generally accepted. Explaining that I'm allergic to grass: absolutely unthinkable, it must be the pesticides, turns into a whole ordeal. Truly, obsession with 'naturalness' is infuriating.
I work retail in the cosmetics department and am also a chem nerd. The number of times I need to bite my tongue when someone comes in asking for "chemical free" products is mind blowing, or how often I need to explain to people that things like hyaluronic acid is naturally produced by their skin, or that titanium dioxide is a naturally occurring pigment makes me want to bang my head into a wall. just say you dont understand basic chemistry and go
I really don't like honest beauty Their baby lavender wash left burns all over my daughter when she was a year old because there was such a high level of irritating extracts
Man!!! I'm sorry that happened. I've had bad reactions to lavender in products. It seems a lot of "clean" brands are kind of careless with their concentrations of EOs as if lavender is "universally calming" when it ISN'T.
I swore of Johnson and Johnson too I've used their face washes and some baby products it makes me go red and hot and puffy. I guess I'm allergic to something they use but anyway the other baby brands seem fine on me and the kids it's more about finding what you do and don't have reactions too rather than swearing of something cause it doesn't say clean on the bottle
The honest company was my introduction to skincare in general. I care deeply about environmental protection (literally my career field) so I thought it was good. Over time I've found that international skincare products that claim sustainability ACTUALLY use ethical ingredients that do not bioaccumulate or negatively impact the environment otherwise where American companies can flat out lie. Honest company is no different. Edit: also hyperallergenic/whatever doesn't mean anything. That's all a scam like mlm level. Know your allergies and read ingredient labels.
@@purplefishii I love beauty bays skincare line. I also love glow recipe but it's pricey. Some other good ones in my opinion are hanskin, the klog, benton, and isntree. I'm digging round lab but not 100% sure on their sourcing and production stuff. There's also a large parent company that owns Tony moly and a few other big korean brands that has been making some major meaningful changes sustainability wise that is encouraging enough that I'm happy to use their products. I use the EWG a lot but *only* for certain metrics that I as a soil conservationist/microbiologist who knows environmental toxicology understands. If you want to use EWG, look for bioaccumulation and environmental toxicology issues especially relating to water ways/fish and ignore the shit about human health and irritation. Don't trust a product based on its overall EWG score or certification. Some of the brands I listed are EWG certified I think, but I don't see them as brands that lean into the clean beauty shit either. Edit: I also use vegan skincare so there are other brands that are more animal product heavy (honey, propolis, egg, etc) that are good, I just don't know a ton about them. COSRX is fabulous, for example.
I bought an Honest cleanser and it was horrible; stripped my skin, stank of lavender and my skin did not like it, my skin's not sensitive at all so I was def put off this brand. I love this series! I'm bemused why the sunscreen wasn't required to undergo testing in a lab?! and isn't the shareholder issue fraud?!
To be quite honest (lol) see what I did there !! I'm very cynical about all this 'green washing' and claims of being 'natural or clean'. I mean, lead is 'natural', arsenic is 'natural' but I don't want them in my products. Interesting video.
It really kills me when I hear commercials like "look at all these ingredients that you can't even pronounce 😟", as if ingredients having a complex sounding name or being something you've never heard of is automatically bad
Exactly! And people losing their mind every time they hear the word "chemical". Literally everything in nature is a chemical. Not everything that is natural is good for you, and not everything that is not it's bad. People need to start paying attention in science classes at school!
its literally only a marketing scheme, "clean" or "free of toxic ingredients" isnt even a real thing like they cant even properly explain WHAT clean or the word toxic means. they just say it because people who dont know anything about skincare hear clean and free of toxic ingredients and think "oh, that MUST mean its good!"
I've used their lip balm and diapers (gotten as a gift for both my babies), they were fine, but I find Honest expensive for what it is and I don't typically seek them out because of that. Pampers are fine, they're not as cute with the print but they do the job and save money. With the sunscreen thing I'm even less tempted to try anything else from them. Oh I forgot I bought their eyeshadow and it was terrible 🙄
Same, I tried their diapers (a lot of cheaper brands are scented, like luvs), and they were really cute but not worth the price over pampers or Huggies.
Wow one mom guilt checkmark off my list! I used regular smegular baby coppertone for my very fair skinned son (along with rash guards and hats) but always felt that “am I poisoning my kid” feeling.. he has never had a sunburn and he is 7 now so I feel a little better! Now on to the regularly scheduled daily sugar intake mom guilt😂
@@dzingunyte doesn’t mean we should just let our children eat a shit ton of it. Sugar is fine but if you or your child are eating and/or drinking 100g of sugar a day, something needs to be reevaluated. Remember, the guidelines are for 24-36g of ADDED sugar per day, not total sugar. Lots of healthy things have natural sugars that don’t count towards that number
@@emmyjulianne6850 like we don't know, M'am! In USA especially sugar amounts are outrageous! I'm sure this mom doing whatever she can to use less sugar.
Omg I get it. as long as you watch the expiration date you’re fine 🙌🏻 mine was past it’s expiration and it just didn’t work. I got a bad sunburn just like shown here. I had tan lines for years 🤦🏼♀️ Coppertone is great, even the baby stuff is fine for adults.
When I was young and especially after I became a mom the “clean” or “toxic free” health and wellness BS pulled me in. I had so much anxiety when it came to what I was putting in and on my body. I didn’t come out of it till 2021. Now my anxiety is a fraction of what it use to be and my wallet thanks me.
I had a girl in my class that was literally allergic to water aka bathing/washing her face, not drinking it. This showed me at 12 years old, that you can be allergic to absolutely anything, even the most natural ingredients. Therefore Clean Beauty means nothing to me. Personally, I might not have a problem with a ‘nasty’ ingredient but another person might be highly sensitive to something allegedly clean and well tolerated. Me, I get nasty, painful rashes on my arms from a cool tabletop - you know, the famous, dangerous cool tabletops (or toilet seats, for that matter😂).
something kinda funny is that "clean beauty" demonises parabens. parabens were considered "non allergen of the year" a few years ago. instead they often use MI, which is a pretty common allergen.
I find the thing that can trip people up is not shaking it. People usually understand to shake a spray bottle but many lotion sunscreens also need a good shake. It is also possible they simply didn't shake it well enough or shake it at all.
There is sooo much wrong with the Honest Company!! They use essential oils in products in improper dilutions to be considered safe. They use essential oils that are known to not be safe for children. As someone who is actually trained in aromatherapy (NOT an mlm sales rep!!! Legitimately trained by industry recognized experts) and product formulation, i would never allow any of the Honest products to be used on anyones children i know.
Thank-you for continuing to talk about these companies and brands that are jumping on this non toxic bandwagon. The amount of boss babies in my feed online trying to sell these MLM essential oils and cleaning products that are "non toxic" is getting ridiculous
I have used their products for my little one. The body wash made her sick dry, and the diapers that are "chemical free" caused red irritation.Two days after switching to a different diaper brand, the redness was gone.
Drunk Elephant sunscreen burnt my skin badly. This happened 5+ years ago. That's when I switched to Korean skincare in general (especially subscreen). Don't know about The Honest Company, but beware of other brands out there too!
The whole Korean sunscreen scandal started off just like this Honest Company sunscreen debacle. Users of that Purito sunscreen were getting burned. People speculated that the low percentages of the sunscreen ingredients were also the problem, but prominent science influencers denied it and said it depends on the formula. Then, the sunscreen was tested independently, and the scandal was born. It's sad. We can't put fairh in any of these companies.
Anytime anyone says they’re something upfront unprovoked, 90% of the time it will be the opposite of that. Trust that a company called “honest”, will be anything but.
I'm sensitive to mint and whenever I see natural on products like this, I'm still scanning the ingredient lists. Especially with items like soap, shampoos, and don't even get started on toothpaste.
I used to babysit a couple kids whose mom wanted them to specifically use the honest beauty spray sunscreen. I don't think I've ever used a more heavily scented product, it was so strong even when I was using on them outside. Granted, I'm allergic to a lot of fragrances but even if I wasn't, it was just off-putting. Not to mention that it also had the worst white cast I've ever seen. The only redeemable quality it had was that it was zinc sunscreen, since compared to chemical filters, zinc oxide is more photostable, more broad spectrum, less irritating (and actually soothing) and appears to be the safest for both humans and the environment based on the minimal studies done on it.
I used this once for my son several years ago. I ended up no longer using it because my son was crazy allergic to it. He was so itchy that he was scratching hard enough to break the skin. I've never used another Honest Company product since. I don't think we even got to test it in the sun because of how quickly he broke out in hives.
You explained everything in such a level headed way, thank you! The issue of communication around “clean” “natural” etc is very relevant for me as I’m in the early stages of making home crafted skin care products for a wider audience than just friends and family. It’s important for a brand to be clear about what they are selling, and not mislead or scare monger. It will always turn out badly.
I am indifferent to clean beauty, but I definitely have to use cleaning supplies that don’t have certain chemicals in them, especially bleach. I would super clean and then be sick the entire next day until I switched to more “natural” cleaning products. Except tea tree oil based products that gave my cat seizures. 😢. Anything can be toxic to certain individuals & animals.
@@maryeckel9682 yes. Thank you for asking! 💖 He went on seizure medicine, but once we figured out what was doing it, I just stopped using it & he is totally fine. That was five years ago and he will be 15 in April. 😻
@@BloodSweatandFears I definitely have an allergy to bleach. I cannot use it in the wash either. Thank you! I’m glad my cat is ok too. It was very heartbreaking to watch. 💙
Did it ever occur to the plaintiffs that Amazon -allegedly- have the tendencies to sell counterfeit, old stock products and cosmetics? For some reason, at least five purchases from Amazon ended up in my return and refund due to the fact Amazon sold me -allegedly- expired washes, defected serums and just odd less potent skin care with active ingredients.
I was looking for someone else to mention this! I've had this problem a couple of times buying niche stuff on Amazon, and having them go, "Here's your bulk pack of 20 chocolate bars that expire next week, and look all dusty and sad because the fats and cocoa solids have separated! (No returns or refunds on food.)"
I adore the fact that the way you’re telling these lawsuit stories sounds like when Robert tells ghost stories! So beautiful the parallel universes of the Welsh Twins!
I got so excited when you mentioned Dark Angel!! I have never met anyone who has watched it, but I loved it. I really enjoy this series - I appreciate how much research you put into it, but you deliver it brilliantly so its really easy to watch. (I also love how you can be talking so intensely about the topic and the next second jump into the product you're about to use, keeps me on my toes hahah)
@ninarry I love Dark Angel too, and if you want to kind of know what would have been going on in the third season then I suggest reading the books! (yup, there are 2 or 3 books, made after the TV-series!) I can't remember the titles right now but I'm sure it's goggle-able. An
As an Australian who watches parades of ignorant tourists burn themselves to crisp every year, just gonna say that sitting out in the summer sun for 2 hours is gonna fck you up no matter how much celeb sunscreen you put on. Especially children, thats just asking for trouble. I don't doubt this company is scummy, but I've seen first hand this being a user issue from people who think you can just put a smear of sunscreen on and then ignore every other sun safety rule.
It frustrates me to no end to see people so trusting with their kids safety. I was badly burnt as a young child and I still have skin discoloration to this day (age 24) and while I don't mind it, the fact that so many parents don't go for the strongest, highest factor, most trustworthy/reliable big brand suncream is concerning. I'm also someone who doesn't shop Garnier due to them being owned by J&J, who have a terrible track record, and generally try to go for zero/low waste options whenever possible, but when it comes to suncream, I buy what's guaranteed to work.
I tried an honest beauty skincare routine for acne one time and woke up the next day with a red, dry, peeling face. I itched so much and could barely close or open my eyes normally. I swear off this brand like the plague 😓😓😓
I have a formaldehyde sensitivity, and generally use "clean" products to avoid it. It sucks. I've also learned that a lot of those ingredient lists are fudged. I can't use Shea butter or aloe because both ingredients are processed with formaldehyde. Unless someone realizes they can't use an ingredient, they shouldn't really bother avoiding it. Particularly formaldehyde. It's in 99% of products in one way or another.
I remember when "clean beauty " started becoming popular. I started buying into it but found most of the products quite costly in a price gouging kind of way, plus the fear mongering was just predatory (allegedly, in my opinion). Regarding the effectiveness of sun screen, I'm a ginger; I apply my sunscreen as directed, but still burn quite easily. I refer to the level of spf in my sunscreen as spf ginger.
I think a lot of the clean living, detox, chemical free, trend is kind of privileged. A lot of sustainable products or chemical free (whatever that means) products are expensive. Shaming people for not buying that kind of products when people can’t afford it is very privileged and very “white” L.A. a lot of people don’t realize that a vegan, organic, not processed life is so privileged.
Yeahhhh… I agree with the user error theory. A lot of people really don’t know how to properly apply sunscreen. I can be at the beach all day as a pasty red head and not get a hint of a burn at all because I have learned the hard way growing up how to properly apply sunscreen for myself. Some people like my mom and sister don’t need to apply it often while out. I definitely need to cake it on and reapply often.
I had no idea this company even existed before your video. How did they manage to get into 5 billion dollars worth of sales? They definitely lied to the stockholders.
James, I just wanted to say how much I enjoy this series. I am a pro-science assistant professor of marketing, focusing on consumer behaviour and online consumer culture in my research. Your marketing analysis is spot on, and I really appreciate how you break these issues down.
'No Japanese honeysuckle' is an anti-parabens thing! Parabens are a natural part of heaps of plants and it's kinda funny that they focus of just one, but it's probably to do with a certain preservative blend brands can buy made from a mixture of Italian honeysuckle extract and Japanese honeysuckle extract.
I’ve never bought anything from this brand but if it’s screaming at you that it’s honest I’m gonna side eye- I have zero belief that any brand clean or not give 2 doo-doos about anything other than the bottom line.
14:26 I do want to point out a woman said she reapplied the sun screen multiple times, assuming the people buying are too stupid to sue is one bold claim. It’s giving every tv show making fun of the Canadian Mc Donald’s hot coffee lawsuit where the woman was burned to the bone but “haha funny spill old lady silly”
I rememer when this was happening and I saw so many people sharing photos of their children who didn't start getting burned until after the reformulation. They reduced the zinc oxide in the suncreen to just over 9% from the original 20% (people complained about white streaks) while also adding stuff like shea butter and other plant oils (to make it feel nicer). Sure, maybe some got burned because they didn't apply enough or shake it well enough, but it went from a suncreen to something closer to a tanning oil. It's no wonder people started to burn.
It also makes a ton of sense for actors to have a veneer of being all-natural so they can rain "relatable". "No, I toooootally don't have a personal chef, $5000 monthly skin care regimen, filler/Botox routine, at-home gym and personal trainer. I just drink green smoothies. I'm just like you! Please give us your money to see us play normal people in movies while our bank accounts gain another comma."
I didn't know anything about this brand until I randomly bought one of their tinted lip balms one day. for all that clean beauty, it was probably the worst lip balm i've ever used 😅
Hi James! I saw your videos roasting Avon and then the video where you see the most popular skincare/makeup brands in the world and you were very susprised when Avon was the most popular brand here in Brazil, which is a huge country. Well, i’m brazilian (i live in São Paulo) and I can confirm that Avon is the most popular makeup and skincare brand in all brazilian territory. But the truth is that Avons approach here is waaaay different! They really focus on diversity, there’s products for everyone to old people to little kids. My grandma was always a Avon reseller, and that was my first experience with makeup and skincare. Avon here is very acessible, not even with prices but with communities that live far from metropolises. When talking to that MLM controversies I never saw situations like the ones americans and english people describe. The dinamic is very simple, the resselers have a magazine with all the products and prices, they show the megazine to the buyers and they choose what they want, and in the end the resellers make the order. You are not pursued to be the biggest seller, they don’t have plans like financing cars and other stuff like that, the only thing is that if you sell a lot of products you can get free itens. There’s is another thing called the sellers magazine, where they can buy products with a lot with discount. That’s why many retired ladys become resellers so they can increase their bilings. Well, to conclude, Avon is a very acessible brand in all meanings, whic is awesome for a country with so many low income people. (I said all this because when I saw your videos about Avon in your country I was extremely confused, it seems like you are talking about a completely different brand) Kisses from Brazil 💖🇧🇷
Okay, if one more person said they would rather have skin cancer then to use sunscreen I will scream. Are there actually that harsh of chemicals in it?
I bought so much crap from Honest Company and applied to get part of the class action lawsuit payout. Bought it as a monthly subscription directly from Honest Company and they DENIED my claim saying I had no proof I bought the products. Oh ok, sure. Jessica Alba is a crap actor and her company is scam…allegedly.
This SPF wouldn't fly in Australia. Our ratings to get approved into Australia as an SPF is one of the world's highest. Hence why a LOT of SPF products sold OS, aren't available here. We all know to reapply. I grew up in 80s and 90s and my mu. Had t shirts on us, zince cream on our noses and reapplication of SPF every 2 hrs when outside and in the water. We NEVER got burnt and we were always in the sun. Then rashie shirts came out and we wore them along with 50+ SPF sunscreens.
Omg i used honest company sunscreen, the sensitive one for BABIES on myself and had the worst allergic reaction of my life. I know thats an individual thing and i usually patch test but i didn’t have time to wait to use it and wasn’t too worried since its for sensitive skin babies 😂 boy was that a mistake
Are there any recommendations that don't contain palm oil? It's so hard to find products that don't have any in them (outside of clean brands) because it goes by so many names, if it gets labelled at all. I would like good skin, but not at the expense of orang utans and Sumatran tigers.
The only items I’ve ever owned from Honest Beauty went rancid and had to be thrown out in a months time. I’m no cosmetics chemist but the formulations are definitely missing some vital ingredients for efficacy and longevity. Worst products I’ve ever used! I’ll not give them another dollar and urge others to take heed. It ain’t cheap!
Kinda off topic: if I’m at the beach or pool & that’s a huge IF. Chalky white cast spf don’t bother me. Bc it should be obvi. It might bug me if I’m out on a daily & the streaks cause stares, like what’s wrong w/ her? Bc unfortunately I’m cursed w/ worrying what others low key think.😅
Why, why, why are people so ignorant with their sunscreen. I am a melanoma survivor, and it baffles me why anyone wold use "natural clean" sunscreen. That stuff is basically body lotion. Ha, these are the people who believe essential oils cure cancer. I know someone who used "natural" sunscreen on her toddlers. They ended up in the Emergency Department with a severe allergic reaction to the product. With sunscreen, you never mess around.
With the zinc "natural" sun screen you have to look white painted for it to work and once the white look is gone you have to reapply. There is NO clear non-showing zinc sunscreen. Some add makeup color to hide it but still must be thick and reapply often.
So true As a hairdresser the number of people that think you can’t colour your hair whilst pregnant because of all this clean beauty bs is mind boggling Like hairdressers handle hair colour all day and it’s not like our babies come out with two heads People are brainwashed
Yeah "Clean beauty" is something that a lot of businesses take advantage of but at the same time there are actually scientific reports that shows a lot of products contain harmfull ingredients that can be replaced with something else. For example candles are known to be hormonal distruptors and that's why Soy Wax candles appeared on the market. The truth is many brands use cheaper ingredients that are harmful but is our job to find the ones that don't use this "trend" of clean beauty just for PR. Is our job to understand the difference between chemical-harmful.
What candles, and made of what ingredients? There are so many different waxes out there that it can't be a case of "every wax except soy I had for you". That just sounds like marketing/propaganda by companies that make soy wax candles
@@raerohan4241 so the majority of candles are from Paraffin that can threaten human health (hormone disruptors and so much more) and shouldn't be burned in enclosed areas. From what I know the better options are soy, stearin or beeswax candle. Like I said, the fact that many products actually contain toxic ingredients is definitely used for PR but at the end of the day the problem really is there.
Natural does not mean it's good or organic. I was disappointed that Honest do not have good products. I tried beauty products and household and they were not great. I also read their ingredients and yeah, false advertising. I know many people, personally, who do not use sun screen properly, too lazy. Not enough and applied at the beach (not ahead of time) and forget it.
When I worked for a brand of baby products, we did some competitor research… Honest Baby did not have the greatest formulas, some had no-nos they had to be called out on. Products meant to be used on people’s BABIES 😬
Thank you for that reminder that clean does not equal allergen-free. I think lume is one of those products that comes across as clean because it has so many of these chemicals out of it, but my sister who has very sensitive skin and has had patches of eczema, ended up having an allergic reaction to lumi because we made the mistake that such a "clean" product would be better for her.
Aw man, i was hoping you would review a few more of their products. I love the hydrogel (daytime use), and the deep hydration cream (nighttime use). The berry face mask is nice also 😊
have been diagnosed as a celiac and have been told I need to be very careful of everything to do with beauty as well as food. Can I ask for a good low cost ( i have a lot off other health issues, so I live on disability) that does not contain wheat, rye, barley, semolina, durum, and spelt. Sorry not sure if any off these are used in skin care but have found in some shower gels and shampoos especially the first 3.
The misinformation around sunscreen in particular is so dangerous. One bad sunburn can definitely lead to melanoma. This is not something to mess around with.
I wonder how many average people shake their sunscreen bottles every time before applying unless it’s blasted in huge letters on the packaging which it rarely is. I can totally see that on a beach, the bottle sits in direct midday sunlight, the temperature could get higher than the sunscreen should ever be exposed to, maybe the water, oils could separate or the suspended filter ingredients could ”fall” to the bottom of the container or smtn and then the stuff you squirt out without shaking could be totally different from the intended formulation.
Love Jessica Alba with the honest eye cream I had been using for maybe 2 months started giving me Milia and zits around my eyes and I had to stop using it
"Free from chemicals?" The essence of all life is based on chemistry.
Right? I mean water is a chemical!
its almost like they have no idea what the word chemical even means
Omg i always hateeee when ppl say "no chemicals" like okay so ur selling nothing???? Everything is chemicals 🤣🤣
@@Jadeeee2323 I'd say they're selling air, but even that's a chemical.
@@SignedWithBlood literally!! Loool i was gonna say that too and i was like wait.... they cant even sell that🤣
“chemical free” anything doesn’t exist. literally EVERYTHING has a chemical makeup. if anyone tries to sell you something and says it’s chemical free, that’s false advertising.
Or it's a very impressive vacuum chamber
Yes technical everything is chemical but they are talking about chemicals like artificial ingredients
I'm waiting for that one really bold person who steps up takes one of those chemical free items and goes ' This isn't chemical free! It has chemicals in it !! ' while pointing to the word ' Water ' on the label.
@@lacytaylor1501 I have had that argument so many times, if I had a pound for every time I said water IS a chemical I would have Victoria Beckham's lifestyle
@@PunkySpunky exactly why its false. companies shouldnt be labelling products based off of peoples misuse of language and lack of knowledge
I love the “natural is best and will never harm you” argument… As if the sun or peanuts weren’t from nature………..
I always think there are tons of plants that will kill you.
Lol those people should eat hemlock, nightshade and random mushrooms before thinking that.
Naw arsenic? totally not from nature
or every single venomous animal out thee lol
I went on a vacation with a friend who thought that sunscreen was ‘toxic’ and refused to use it. By day 3 she was blistering and desperately covering herself in aloe and my sunscreen but the damage was done
My boss gave me a sunscreen for Christmas. Many in the office thought she gave me a gag gift (that's what she tends to give out), but I know how much thought actually had to have gone into that tube of sunscreen. I have a lot of skin sensitivities and she managed to find one that I have had no reaction to. My desk is right by the window (don't forget about the window's!), and it only took one mild sunburn for me to start wearing sunscreen at work every day, even though I'm inside all day.
She got me the Neutrogena SPF 60+ invisible sunscreen lotion, for anyone wondering.
🥺
That is so thoughtful!! I swear by that brand. It’s also non-tacky.
That's so sweet omg
I love that one! Also the Neutrogena breakout free 50spf one
If I were you I'd try to get one of those shielding screens that stick to the window and put it right by your desk so that you're protected from the sun rays.
I love how quickly James switches gears. “So they were ~misleading~ shareholders. I’m gonna apply a moisturizer.”
I'm a licensed Esthetician here in the states, currently working retail, and let me tell you how TIRED I am of the "all natural" "non toxic" "clean" products. I am BEYOND tired of people ignoring science and basic skills of researching/reading or just looking around and thinking "hmm might be a marketing thing". Also It's exhausting trying to explain to people they aren't gonna die if they use a sunscreen other than "supergoop" (who is super shady lmao) for example. It's so tiring. I just want customers to feel confident and happy with their skin and gonna be honest, this whole "clean" beauty/skincare crap has people wrapped around their finger, thinking everything is gonna kill them. It's truly tiring explaining to someone that wearing an SPF is not gonna kill them.
what’s wrong with supergoop? i’m so out of the loop lol
If i ever see an esthetician, I definitely see someone like you.
@@efeso511 my guess is how they marketed their sunscreens as clean chemicals, which makes no sense and very contradictory to the whole "chemical sunscreens" is dangerous. Which also proves that clean beauty is a scam since brands makeup definitions on what they considered clean.
But also Supergoop is heavily overrated anyway. Never been impressed with them and theyre expensive for what they are. Give me Asian sunscreens all day.
The best sunscreen is the one you actually use. If you have health issues or are pregnant or breastfeeding, that's one thing, but for most people, choosing between sunscreens is about what feels best on your skin. "Don't let the great become the enemy of the good."
I used to work at Ulta. Whenever people asked for "clean" or "natural" products I had to just show them those products, because it was exhausting trying to explain this to people and it usually backfired. 🙃 In fact, trying to be honest or explain ingredients just confused people or even made them upset.
I pretty much gave up and just pretended customers were correct no matter what they said, and let them buy the crappy products they wanted lol. It was the only way to retain my sense of sanity.
There are so many people who swear by Honest beauty that whenever someone makes a criticism of it, they lose their minds and it’s utterly ridiculous. The brand’s marketing is very scummy, and fear mongers mothers into believing that everything is horrible for their babies! It’s ridiculous.
Yeah it’s so weird how these “clean” company’s act like everything is dangerous EXCEPT their products. Like what a convenient coincidence lol
Sigh, yeah you see this with so many *insert cult brand, ideology, etc* you often see this when people take a company/brand (it's associated positive values) and mentally integrate it into their sense of self. Now if you criticise the company, to them it feels like a direct criticism of them as a person. Being able to admit that something you like/love is doing harm is not the easiest of tasks, which is why people who can change or adjust their minds if/when presented with new info are the best 💖 critical thinkers are awesome
It’s a scummy thing to do but also smart business move. As long as they don’t cross a line (idk if they have maybe) it’s ironic that it’s called “honest”
Exactly my thoughts--thank you.
This!!! I agree 100% Sam, a lot of influencers (like Tati is a big one) swear by them too and it’s all crap, because I’ve 1. Never liked their products 2.have heard and seen evidence that it’d not as safe as they claim. And now we have this video! Thank goodness we have James!!!
As a very fair-skinned human who lives in a sunny climate, I can attest to the fact that it is VERY difficult to use sunscreen exactly as directed, especially in a beach context where you're fighting against sea water, sweat, sand, and the intensity of sun reflecting off the water. And while I empathize with the concerns that zinc oxide leaves a white cast and is difficult to apply, there is a benefit to being able to see where you've applied sunscreen. Even when I try my darndest to apply sunscreen on every inch of exposed skin, I find that I often miss spots. Anyway, while I very much empathize with the people who were left with horrible sunburns when using these products and it's possible the products were not as protective as advertised, I also think people need to be careful about applying magical thinking to sunscreens. Your best bet will always be a physical barrier. Hats, rash guards, umbrellas, SPF clothing, etc. are your friend. I especially recommend putting children in hats and rash guards because we all know difficult it is to get them to hold still long enough to reapply and then get them to stay in the shade for 20 minutes after that.
@@amandak.4246 Maybe for most, but I'm basically already the colour of the white cast, which is convenient because I NEED sunscreen like no other
This is true!! Paper white people need layers and sometimes it’s going to leave a cast. That’s why they have long sleeved bathing suits now. You won’t boil if you take a dip!
Hi red head here..mineral sunscree does not work. When I use regular spray on sunscreen I have no problems.
@@goldiefatale Mineral and classic (called 'chemical' to dfferentiate now) work differently. Mineral reflects UV, chemical absorbs UV, transfers it into heat, which dissipates in the usual way. Chemical also absorbs into the skin like a moisterizor whereas mineral sits on top (hence the white cast). So one of those might be your problem with mineral - I know I cant use mineral because I'm always moving around, sititng down, rubbing against stuff, carrying stuff that rubs at the exposed skin, going waist deep into the water, while helping my dad with fishing.
I remember this happening and seeing a lot of photos of children who suddenly started to get burned after it was reformulated. Some of it is very probably user error but considering that the company reduced the zinc oxide to just 9% from the original 20%, then also added shea butter and other plant oils, it went from a sunscreen to something closer to a tanning oil. It's no wonder people got burned.
Aussie kids are taught that sunscreen goes on your skin promptly followed by good coverage clothes, a hat, and staying in the shade as much as possible. Probably taught the same elsewhere, but the first tantrum is usually about not wanting to wear a hat before going outside, so..
Slip, slop, slap🇦🇺
No hat no play was the rule at many primary schools at lunchtime 🇦🇺
@jessg10156 i don't think I ever wore a hat growing up. Then again I'm really easy to tan dark and not burn. I did use some sunscreen of we were going to be out all day though. I grew up in sunny California.
As someone with severe allergies those "clean" products are the worst thing for me.
i have an issue with allergies myself. as far as i can remember, i haven’t used anything branded as clean, but i feel like it’d be a nightmare for me lol
Lol yup. I think this is why origins became less popular.
Yep same here
I have 26 allergies total and yep, it's a nightmare lol I actually gave up buying shampoo, body wash, etc after multiple awful reactions. I make my own products at home from scratch for a few years now( and even started my own business). But sunscreen is a whole different beast. You can cause burns, skin cancer... It's like they didn't do testing
@@lemondew8138 I did that for a while. After a few years of using the "clean/natural" products I developed allergies to virtually every product you can buy (mostly because of coconut.) Thankfully I've found that with a daily antihistamine I can use certain things. I just have to avoid balsam of peru (which is in a lot of fragrance) and dmdm hydantoin, but coconut thankfully doesn't cause a reaction if I take my zyrtec. I honestly wonder if my product allergies would have progressed as they did if I had never messed with the "natural" stuff.
In Australia, we are VERY sun savvy! Perhaps too much so, as many of us are vitamin D deficient! (Check the studies..) But anyway, for those of you worried about applying Zinc based sunscreens and them making you “white”, just pat skin and they will most likely fade away to invisible. For Aussies, we are recommended a tablespoon of sunscreen per limb (arms, legs), for the back and for the torso, and a teaspoon for the face. We don’t apply enough for adequate protection generally, and I dare say that perhaps this was the case with Honest, and with all sunscreens around the world. Being sunsafe is imperative!
For those of you questioning me, I’m a pharmacist with over 25 years experience. This was one of the first things we were taught in derm lessons at University. It’s not just about what you apply, but what you apply, where you apply it and HOW MUCH! Love you all!
Being Latino and living in Brazil which is currently experiencing one of the biggest heat waves in history this was actually very helpful! Thanks for sharing these tips :D
Thank you for pointing out the allergen free vs “clean”, I have sensitive and allergy prone skin and “clean” products are a big no for me, the worst reactions I’ve had were from “clean” products. Natural ingredients that haven’t been processed in a lab to separate the active ingredient from all of the other irritant stuff and lack of preservatives are usually the culprits.
Even allergen free dermatologist tested/suggested products do not help me. I've had chemical burns from brands suggested to me by my dermatologist! Just because it says hypoallergenic and sensitive skin safe doesn't mean it really is. I can really only tell if a product will be okay once I actually test it myself. Just because something is allergen free doesn't mean you can't still have an allergic reaction to it unfortunately. At least in my case. Making it hard to shop for myself. So far youth to the people green tea and kale face wash works for me, as well as vanicream and unscented dove body wash. If I didn't have those idk what I would do.
I‘m in the same boat. So far I have found two brands that work for me, and the rest is try and error. And shockingly some of them contain perfumes 😱😂
I've noticed a lot of "clean" and "chemical free" beauty products have mushroom in them, but I'm allergic to mushrooms :"") And now a lot of food products are getting into the Clean and Chemical Free thing, and using mushrooms as a Natural Perservative or something, and it's popping up in things like Capri Sun now. Who would even think to check Capri Sun for mushrooms??
@@rebecca8866 that's been true since the dawn of the cosmetic industry though and is still true now. It's practically impossible to formulate a product that will not cause a reaction to someone. The product could be the most hypoallergenic product ever and YOUR skin could still react to it. Read any leaflet of any skincare product you use, it always says "apply a small amount on skin, if no reaction occurs after 24 hours, the product is safe to use". This is also true for anything chemical, medicines for example. Some people can die from aspirin allergy while it's completely safe to most humans on earth. Especially when you have sensitive skin, you must test the product first on your wrist for 24 hours before using regularly.
@@rebecca8866 exactlyy. i had severe eczema for like a year straight and everything the dermatologist prescribed me just made it all worse, some products gave me an immediate irritation as soon as i put them on and i spent like 100 bucks on multiple different creams and stuff... i was literally better off just using vaseline
man. if this happenedd in australia. we dont fuck around with sunscreen, our regulations are so strict that a lot of brands arent able to release their sunscreens that are out in other countries eg. tatcha's silk sunscreen is available in australia.
Highest rates of skin cancer.
@@RosesTeaAndASD Well, I mean, they did have a hole in the ozone layer over their country for awhile so…yeah. That makes sense, if true.
@@justanotherhappyhumanist8832 Well actually the main reason is that their origins are mostly in North Europe ( UK, Ireland...) and their ancestors decided to move and settle in Australia... That's absolutely not the same climate. Just like there is a high level of skin cancer in South Africa because of the caucasians living there not because of the Black Africans living there. Just like the #1 state in America to get skin cancer is Hawaii. The Native Australians which are left in Australia do not have those worries.
@@heredianna2496We all need sunscreen here, even Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, the sun is a deadly laser
@@therobotfromirobotnot anymore there’s a blanket
I bought a cleaning spray from a brand I thought was “cruelty free” I saw a rabbit and was like great... turns out they made their own symbol up for marketing and was not cruelty free, it wasn’t the official rabbit... I was so sad :(
Thats awful and so shady!
SHAME
I try to buy everything cruelty free, but this now I’ll double check thanks
I love how separately yours and Robert's videos are mostly business only, straightforward. But your videos together, UTTER CHAOS!
As a pale bitch, I can attest to user error not necessarily leading to burning. My current pairing is a generic sport body spray and a Neutrogena face cream. The first time I used these, I was in the water for three hours and completely forgot to reapply. I walked away completely unburned. Product quality matters
Dude I can't tell you how many "allergen-free" "allergy safe" "fragrance free" "clean" "formulated for sensitive skin" "safe" products I've had reactions too because all of these brands and products just ADORE eucalyptus and lavender oil. My boss is very into that scene and whe I told her I had allergies to both she was shocked and asked if I was sure it was those or if it was artificial fragrances.
No. It's the oils. I can tolerate a small of lavender, like the about-fave lip gloss, but it does still trigger my asthma and makes my lips tingle. And I can't use any eucalyptus, that stuff wants to kill me.
Its so bizarre to me how people believe you can't be allergic to Natural Products, especially as someone with a huge list of allergies that make most diets or trends impossibilites.
i had a HORRIBLE allergic reaction to a “nAtUrAl” LUSH bathbomb lol literally have a rash from my neck downwards and had to be put on 3 antihistamines
@lauryn Omg I hope you're okay and recovered now
Explaining to people that I'm allergic to a bunch of synthetic detergents: easy, generally accepted.
Explaining that I'm allergic to grass: absolutely unthinkable, it must be the pesticides, turns into a whole ordeal.
Truly, obsession with 'naturalness' is infuriating.
There are people who are allergic to water and people allergic to the cold. So wild how anything could cause an allergic reaction to someone.
@@ZZ-qy5mv tryna explain to people ur allergic to a temperature really stumps em lmao
I work retail in the cosmetics department and am also a chem nerd. The number of times I need to bite my tongue when someone comes in asking for "chemical free" products is mind blowing, or how often I need to explain to people that things like hyaluronic acid is naturally produced by their skin, or that titanium dioxide is a naturally occurring pigment makes me want to bang my head into a wall. just say you dont understand basic chemistry and go
I really don't like honest beauty
Their baby lavender wash left burns all over my daughter when she was a year old because there was such a high level of irritating extracts
Man!!! I'm sorry that happened. I've had bad reactions to lavender in products. It seems a lot of "clean" brands are kind of careless with their concentrations of EOs as if lavender is "universally calming" when it ISN'T.
Poor babygirl! :(
I swore of Johnson and Johnson too I've used their face washes and some baby products it makes me go red and hot and puffy. I guess I'm allergic to something they use but anyway the other baby brands seem fine on me and the kids it's more about finding what you do and don't have reactions too rather than swearing of something cause it doesn't say clean on the bottle
SPF rating in America is super off. There are a lot of products that can’t be sold in Australia because we are so strict about accurate SPF
The honest company was my introduction to skincare in general. I care deeply about environmental protection (literally my career field) so I thought it was good. Over time I've found that international skincare products that claim sustainability ACTUALLY use ethical ingredients that do not bioaccumulate or negatively impact the environment otherwise where American companies can flat out lie. Honest company is no different.
Edit: also hyperallergenic/whatever doesn't mean anything. That's all a scam like mlm level. Know your allergies and read ingredient labels.
Just wondering, what are some of these sustainable brands you like?
@@purplefishii I love beauty bays skincare line. I also love glow recipe but it's pricey. Some other good ones in my opinion are hanskin, the klog, benton, and isntree. I'm digging round lab but not 100% sure on their sourcing and production stuff. There's also a large parent company that owns Tony moly and a few other big korean brands that has been making some major meaningful changes sustainability wise that is encouraging enough that I'm happy to use their products. I use the EWG a lot but *only* for certain metrics that I as a soil conservationist/microbiologist who knows environmental toxicology understands. If you want to use EWG, look for bioaccumulation and environmental toxicology issues especially relating to water ways/fish and ignore the shit about human health and irritation. Don't trust a product based on its overall EWG score or certification. Some of the brands I listed are EWG certified I think, but I don't see them as brands that lean into the clean beauty shit either.
Edit: I also use vegan skincare so there are other brands that are more animal product heavy (honey, propolis, egg, etc) that are good, I just don't know a ton about them. COSRX is fabulous, for example.
Oh thanks for sharing that I had no idea!!
Hypoallergenic is a non regulated term! (Funnily I learnt that from you James, you once quoted Paula's Choice website on a podcast episode)
@@purplefishii I think Krave Beauty is one of the best examples of a skincare brand attempting to be sustainable.
I bought an Honest cleanser and it was horrible; stripped my skin, stank of lavender and my skin did not like it, my skin's not sensitive at all so I was def put off this brand. I love this series! I'm bemused why the sunscreen wasn't required to undergo testing in a lab?! and isn't the shareholder issue fraud?!
To be quite honest (lol) see what I did there !! I'm very cynical about all this 'green washing' and claims of being 'natural or clean'. I mean, lead is 'natural', arsenic is 'natural' but I don't want them in my products. Interesting video.
It really kills me when I hear commercials like "look at all these ingredients that you can't even pronounce 😟", as if ingredients having a complex sounding name or being something you've never heard of is automatically bad
Exactly! And people losing their mind every time they hear the word "chemical". Literally everything in nature is a chemical. Not everything that is natural is good for you, and not everything that is not it's bad. People need to start paying attention in science classes at school!
its literally only a marketing scheme, "clean" or "free of toxic ingredients" isnt even a real thing like they cant even properly explain WHAT clean or the word toxic means. they just say it because people who dont know anything about skincare hear clean and free of toxic ingredients and think "oh, that MUST mean its good!"
Yep!!
Uranium is natural too.😂
I've used their lip balm and diapers (gotten as a gift for both my babies), they were fine, but I find Honest expensive for what it is and I don't typically seek them out because of that. Pampers are fine, they're not as cute with the print but they do the job and save money. With the sunscreen thing I'm even less tempted to try anything else from them.
Oh I forgot I bought their eyeshadow and it was terrible 🙄
Same, I tried their diapers (a lot of cheaper brands are scented, like luvs), and they were really cute but not worth the price over pampers or Huggies.
Wow one mom guilt checkmark off my list! I used regular smegular baby coppertone for my very fair skinned son (along with rash guards and hats) but always felt that “am I poisoning my kid” feeling.. he has never had a sunburn and he is 7 now so I feel a little better! Now on to the regularly scheduled daily sugar intake mom guilt😂
dang sugar is added in everything. don't feel guilty,Mom!
@@dzingunyte doesn’t mean we should just let our children eat a shit ton of it. Sugar is fine but if you or your child are eating and/or drinking 100g of sugar a day, something needs to be reevaluated. Remember, the guidelines are for 24-36g of ADDED sugar per day, not total sugar. Lots of healthy things have natural sugars that don’t count towards that number
@@emmyjulianne6850 like we don't know, M'am! In USA especially sugar amounts are outrageous! I'm sure this mom doing whatever she can to use less sugar.
Omg I get it. as long as you watch the expiration date you’re fine 🙌🏻 mine was past it’s expiration and it just didn’t work. I got a bad sunburn just like shown here. I had tan lines for years 🤦🏼♀️ Coppertone is great, even the baby stuff is fine for adults.
I’m certain that if there were health concerns we would have found it by *now* , considering how old the tried-and-true brands are.
When I was young and especially after I became a mom the “clean” or “toxic free” health and wellness BS pulled me in. I had so much anxiety when it came to what I was putting in and on my body. I didn’t come out of it till 2021. Now my anxiety is a fraction of what it use to be and my wallet thanks me.
The pressures on mothers is insane!
As a toxicologist, your efforts in educating the public make my heart happy ❤ thank you!
I had a girl in my class that was literally allergic to water aka bathing/washing her face, not drinking it. This showed me at 12 years old, that you can be allergic to absolutely anything, even the most natural ingredients. Therefore Clean Beauty means nothing to me. Personally, I might not have a problem with a ‘nasty’ ingredient but another person might be highly sensitive to something allegedly clean and well tolerated. Me, I get nasty, painful rashes on my arms from a cool tabletop - you know, the famous, dangerous cool tabletops (or toilet seats, for that matter😂).
something kinda funny is that "clean beauty" demonises parabens. parabens were considered "non allergen of the year" a few years ago.
instead they often use MI, which is a pretty common allergen.
I find the thing that can trip people up is not shaking it. People usually understand to shake a spray bottle but many lotion sunscreens also need a good shake. It is also possible they simply didn't shake it well enough or shake it at all.
There is sooo much wrong with the Honest Company!! They use essential oils in products in improper dilutions to be considered safe. They use essential oils that are known to not be safe for children. As someone who is actually trained in aromatherapy (NOT an mlm sales rep!!! Legitimately trained by industry recognized experts) and product formulation, i would never allow any of the Honest products to be used on anyones children i know.
Thank-you for continuing to talk about these companies and brands that are jumping on this non toxic bandwagon. The amount of boss babies in my feed online trying to sell these MLM essential oils and cleaning products that are "non toxic" is getting ridiculous
I have used their products for my little one. The body wash made her sick dry, and the diapers that are "chemical free" caused red irritation.Two days after switching to a different diaper brand, the redness was gone.
Drunk Elephant sunscreen burnt my skin badly. This happened 5+ years ago. That's when I switched to Korean skincare in general (especially subscreen). Don't know about The Honest Company, but beware of other brands out there too!
The whole Korean sunscreen scandal started off just like this Honest Company sunscreen debacle. Users of that Purito sunscreen were getting burned. People speculated that the low percentages of the sunscreen ingredients were also the problem, but prominent science influencers denied it and said it depends on the formula. Then, the sunscreen was tested independently, and the scandal was born. It's sad. We can't put fairh in any of these companies.
Anytime anyone says they’re something upfront unprovoked, 90% of the time it will be the opposite of that.
Trust that a company called “honest”, will be anything but.
I'm sensitive to mint and whenever I see natural on products like this, I'm still scanning the ingredient lists. Especially with items like soap, shampoos, and don't even get started on toothpaste.
I hate toothpaste, why oh why do they feel the need to murder the mouth with so much mint!
The fact that certain brands still rely on marketing bs words like "non toxic" "clean" "no nasties" is disheartening
I used to babysit a couple kids whose mom wanted them to specifically use the honest beauty spray sunscreen. I don't think I've ever used a more heavily scented product, it was so strong even when I was using on them outside. Granted, I'm allergic to a lot of fragrances but even if I wasn't, it was just off-putting. Not to mention that it also had the worst white cast I've ever seen. The only redeemable quality it had was that it was zinc sunscreen, since compared to chemical filters, zinc oxide is more photostable, more broad spectrum, less irritating (and actually soothing) and appears to be the safest for both humans and the environment based on the minimal studies done on it.
I used this once for my son several years ago. I ended up no longer using it because my son was crazy allergic to it. He was so itchy that he was scratching hard enough to break the skin. I've never used another Honest Company product since. I don't think we even got to test it in the sun because of how quickly he broke out in hives.
I got sun poisoning from this brand of suncreen! My legs swelled so bad i couldnt walk.
Ooh that sounds like it was painful
You explained everything in such a level headed way, thank you! The issue of communication around “clean” “natural” etc is very relevant for me as I’m in the early stages of making home crafted skin care products for a wider audience than just friends and family. It’s important for a brand to be clear about what they are selling, and not mislead or scare monger. It will always turn out badly.
I am indifferent to clean beauty, but I definitely have to use cleaning supplies that don’t have certain chemicals in them, especially bleach. I would super clean and then be sick the entire next day until I switched to more “natural” cleaning products. Except tea tree oil based products that gave my cat seizures. 😢. Anything can be toxic to certain individuals & animals.
Thank You for mentioning animals too 🦋
Is your cat ok?
@@maryeckel9682 yes. Thank you for asking! 💖 He went on seizure medicine, but once we figured out what was doing it, I just stopped using it & he is totally fine. That was five years ago and he will be 15 in April. 😻
You may have an allergy to bleach my mother cant even be around the fumes or she breaks out all over. So glad your cats ok!
@@BloodSweatandFears I definitely have an allergy to bleach. I cannot use it in the wash either. Thank you! I’m glad my cat is ok too. It was very heartbreaking to watch. 💙
Did it ever occur to the plaintiffs that Amazon -allegedly- have the tendencies to sell counterfeit, old stock products and cosmetics? For some reason, at least five purchases from Amazon ended up in my return and refund due to the fact Amazon sold me -allegedly- expired washes, defected serums and just odd less potent skin care with active ingredients.
I was looking for someone else to mention this! I've had this problem a couple of times buying niche stuff on Amazon, and having them go, "Here's your bulk pack of 20 chocolate bars that expire next week, and look all dusty and sad because the fats and cocoa solids have separated! (No returns or refunds on food.)"
I adore the fact that the way you’re telling these lawsuit stories sounds like when Robert tells ghost stories! So beautiful the parallel universes of the Welsh Twins!
I got so excited when you mentioned Dark Angel!! I have never met anyone who has watched it, but I loved it. I really enjoy this series - I appreciate how much research you put into it, but you deliver it brilliantly so its really easy to watch. (I also love how you can be talking so intensely about the topic and the next second jump into the product you're about to use, keeps me on my toes hahah)
Dark Angel was so good! I wish it got a better ending than it did :(
@ninarry I love Dark Angel too, and if you want to kind of know what would have been going on in the third season then I suggest reading the books! (yup, there are 2 or 3 books, made after the TV-series!) I can't remember the titles right now but I'm sure it's goggle-able. An
@@lillachrissay5564 There are books?? 😮 I didn't know that! Will definitely look into that, thank you for the tip! 😊
I loved Dark Angel when I was a kid, hated that it got cancelled just after 2 seasons.
It’s really telling that most “all natural” products I’ve ever used have given me bad contact dermatitis and skin reactions so 😶
As an Australian who watches parades of ignorant tourists burn themselves to crisp every year, just gonna say that sitting out in the summer sun for 2 hours is gonna fck you up no matter how much celeb sunscreen you put on. Especially children, thats just asking for trouble. I don't doubt this company is scummy, but I've seen first hand this being a user issue from people who think you can just put a smear of sunscreen on and then ignore every other sun safety rule.
It frustrates me to no end to see people so trusting with their kids safety. I was badly burnt as a young child and I still have skin discoloration to this day (age 24) and while I don't mind it, the fact that so many parents don't go for the strongest, highest factor, most trustworthy/reliable big brand suncream is concerning. I'm also someone who doesn't shop Garnier due to them being owned by J&J, who have a terrible track record, and generally try to go for zero/low waste options whenever possible, but when it comes to suncream, I buy what's guaranteed to work.
sitting by a pool for hours with spf 30 is BRAVE
That’s awful. I would be so angry if my kids got sunburned so badly when I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do by reapplying, etc.
I tried an honest beauty skincare routine for acne one time and woke up the next day with a red, dry, peeling face. I itched so much and could barely close or open my eyes normally.
I swear off this brand like the plague 😓😓😓
I have a formaldehyde sensitivity, and generally use "clean" products to avoid it. It sucks. I've also learned that a lot of those ingredient lists are fudged. I can't use Shea butter or aloe because both ingredients are processed with formaldehyde.
Unless someone realizes they can't use an ingredient, they shouldn't really bother avoiding it. Particularly formaldehyde. It's in 99% of products in one way or another.
I remember when "clean beauty " started becoming popular. I started buying into it but found most of the products quite costly in a price gouging kind of way, plus the fear mongering was just predatory (allegedly, in my opinion). Regarding the effectiveness of sun screen, I'm a ginger; I apply my sunscreen as directed, but still burn quite easily. I refer to the level of spf in my sunscreen as spf ginger.
Seriously love this series so much. I know it takes a ton of work, but I love your opinions and critical thinking about these different situations
Couldn't sleep tonight, but I'm glad I'm up for an upload! And I relate to getting ready to go absolutely nowhere
I do that every day even if I don’t leave the house 😂 I have to be prepared just in case!
💜💜
Welcome back to 2023 filming James.
Always great to see your face 💜
I think a lot of the clean living, detox, chemical free, trend is kind of privileged. A lot of sustainable products or chemical free (whatever that means) products are expensive. Shaming people for not buying that kind of products when people can’t afford it is very privileged and very “white” L.A. a lot of people don’t realize that a vegan, organic, not processed life is so privileged.
This is my favorite series of yours. It's always fascinating!
I would never buy anything again from her company because my dad and brother got sunburned so badly😢 can’t trust her products after that.
Yeahhhh… I agree with the user error theory. A lot of people really don’t know how to properly apply sunscreen. I can be at the beach all day as a pasty red head and not get a hint of a burn at all because I have learned the hard way growing up how to properly apply sunscreen for myself. Some people like my mom and sister don’t need to apply it often while out. I definitely need to cake it on and reapply often.
I had no idea this company even existed before your video. How did they manage to get into 5 billion dollars worth of sales? They definitely lied to the stockholders.
James, I just wanted to say how much I enjoy this series. I am a pro-science assistant professor of marketing, focusing on consumer behaviour and online consumer culture in my research. Your marketing analysis is spot on, and I really appreciate how you break these issues down.
'No Japanese honeysuckle' is an anti-parabens thing!
Parabens are a natural part of heaps of plants and it's kinda funny that they focus of just one, but it's probably to do with a certain preservative blend brands can buy made from a mixture of Italian honeysuckle extract and Japanese honeysuckle extract.
I’ve never bought anything from this brand but if it’s screaming at you that it’s honest I’m gonna side eye- I have zero belief that any brand clean or not give 2 doo-doos about anything other than the bottom line.
They started up when my son was born so i used the diapers...gave my son rashes even though it claimed not to...gave up on it after a month
14:26 I do want to point out a woman said she reapplied the sun screen multiple times, assuming the people buying are too stupid to sue is one bold claim. It’s giving every tv show making fun of the Canadian Mc Donald’s hot coffee lawsuit where the woman was burned to the bone but “haha funny spill old lady silly”
I rememer when this was happening and I saw so many people sharing photos of their children who didn't start getting burned until after the reformulation.
They reduced the zinc oxide in the suncreen to just over 9% from the original 20% (people complained about white streaks) while also adding stuff like shea butter and other plant oils (to make it feel nicer).
Sure, maybe some got burned because they didn't apply enough or shake it well enough, but it went from a suncreen to something closer to a tanning oil. It's no wonder people started to burn.
It also makes a ton of sense for actors to have a veneer of being all-natural so they can rain "relatable".
"No, I toooootally don't have a personal chef, $5000 monthly skin care regimen, filler/Botox routine, at-home gym and personal trainer. I just drink green smoothies. I'm just like you! Please give us your money to see us play normal people in movies while our bank accounts gain another comma."
I didn't know anything about this brand until I randomly bought one of their tinted lip balms one day. for all that clean beauty, it was probably the worst lip balm i've ever used 😅
Hi James! I saw your videos roasting Avon and then the video where you see the most popular skincare/makeup brands in the world and you were very susprised when Avon was the most popular brand here in Brazil, which is a huge country.
Well, i’m brazilian (i live in São Paulo) and I can confirm that Avon is the most popular makeup and skincare brand in all brazilian territory. But the truth is that Avons approach here is waaaay different! They really focus on diversity, there’s products for everyone to old people to little kids. My grandma was always a Avon reseller, and that was my first experience with makeup and skincare.
Avon here is very acessible, not even with prices but with communities that live far from metropolises.
When talking to that MLM controversies I never saw situations like the ones americans and english people describe. The dinamic is very simple, the resselers have a magazine with all the products and prices, they show the megazine to the buyers and they choose what they want, and in the end the resellers make the order. You are not pursued to be the biggest seller, they don’t have plans like financing cars and other stuff like that, the only thing is that if you sell a lot of products you can get free itens.
There’s is another thing called the sellers magazine, where they can buy products with a lot with discount.
That’s why many retired ladys become resellers so they can increase their bilings.
Well, to conclude, Avon is a very acessible brand in all meanings, whic is awesome for a country with so many low income people.
(I said all this because when I saw your videos about Avon in your country I was extremely confused, it seems like you are talking about a completely different brand)
Kisses from Brazil 💖🇧🇷
Okay, if one more person said they would rather have skin cancer then to use sunscreen I will scream. Are there actually that harsh of chemicals in it?
i loveeeeee this series please keep it going💗💗💗💗
I bought so much crap from Honest Company and applied to get part of the class action lawsuit payout. Bought it as a monthly subscription directly from Honest Company and they DENIED my claim saying I had no proof I bought the products. Oh ok, sure. Jessica Alba is a crap actor and her company is scam…allegedly.
literally just noticed now how many pokemon u have in the backround, lol. Love it!
This SPF wouldn't fly in Australia.
Our ratings to get approved into Australia as an SPF is one of the world's highest. Hence why a LOT of SPF products sold OS, aren't available here.
We all know to reapply.
I grew up in 80s and 90s and my mu. Had t shirts on us, zince cream on our noses and reapplication of SPF every 2 hrs when outside and in the water. We NEVER got burnt and we were always in the sun.
Then rashie shirts came out and we wore them along with 50+ SPF sunscreens.
Omg i used honest company sunscreen, the sensitive one for BABIES on myself and had the worst allergic reaction of my life. I know thats an individual thing and i usually patch test but i didn’t have time to wait to use it and wasn’t too worried since its for sensitive skin babies 😂 boy was that a mistake
Are there any recommendations that don't contain palm oil? It's so hard to find products that don't have any in them (outside of clean brands) because it goes by so many names, if it gets labelled at all.
I would like good skin, but not at the expense of orang utans and Sumatran tigers.
Always love a when beauty turns ugly video!
The only items I’ve ever owned from Honest Beauty went rancid and had to be thrown out in a months time. I’m no cosmetics chemist but the formulations are definitely missing some vital ingredients for efficacy and longevity. Worst products I’ve ever used! I’ll not give them another dollar and urge others to take heed. It ain’t cheap!
I try not to roll my eyes when my clients talk about “clean products.”
Kinda off topic: if I’m at the beach or pool & that’s a huge IF. Chalky white cast spf don’t bother me. Bc it should be obvi. It might bug me if I’m out on a daily & the streaks cause stares, like what’s wrong w/ her? Bc unfortunately I’m cursed w/ worrying what others low key think.😅
4:25 lol I always laugh when someone says “no chemicals” because literally every single thing in the entire universe is literal made of them 🤣
Why, why, why are people so ignorant with their sunscreen. I am a melanoma survivor, and it baffles me why anyone wold use "natural clean" sunscreen. That stuff is basically body lotion. Ha, these are the people who believe essential oils cure cancer. I know someone who used "natural" sunscreen on her toddlers. They ended up in the Emergency Department with a severe allergic reaction to the product. With sunscreen, you never mess around.
With the zinc "natural" sun screen you have to look white painted for it to work and once the white look is gone you have to reapply. There is NO clear non-showing zinc sunscreen. Some add makeup color to hide it but still must be thick and reapply often.
omg love the dark angel reference! No one mentions that show enough, the first episode is easily one of the best in TV history
Love this. Clean beauty was hyped and demonized already known safe and effective ingredients. Lab Muffin Beauty explained this so well.
I just look for cruelty free, as long as we leave the innocent animals alone I’ll buy your products
I wish brands would say carcinogen free if they are instead of chemical free. Everything has a chemical compound
It all sounds a little naughty to me, glad you did this video a little education for both parties involved. Love ya work James x
"Clean" is a marketing term that has no defined meaning (per U.S. law, anyway). It's very easy to slap a "clean" label on it and jack up the price.
So true
As a hairdresser the number of people that think you can’t colour your hair whilst pregnant because of all this clean beauty bs is mind boggling
Like hairdressers handle hair colour all day and it’s not like our babies come out with two heads
People are brainwashed
Yeah "Clean beauty" is something that a lot of businesses take advantage of but at the same time there are actually scientific reports that shows a lot of products contain harmfull ingredients that can be replaced with something else. For example candles are known to be hormonal distruptors and that's why Soy Wax candles appeared on the market. The truth is many brands use cheaper ingredients that are harmful but is our job to find the ones that don't use this "trend" of clean beauty just for PR. Is our job to understand the difference between chemical-harmful.
@@amandak.4246 You've put it just right!
What candles, and made of what ingredients? There are so many different waxes out there that it can't be a case of "every wax except soy I had for you". That just sounds like marketing/propaganda by companies that make soy wax candles
@@raerohan4241 so the majority of candles are from Paraffin that can threaten human health (hormone disruptors and so much more) and shouldn't be burned in enclosed areas. From what I know the better options are soy, stearin or beeswax candle. Like I said, the fact that many products actually contain toxic ingredients is definitely used for PR but at the end of the day the problem really is there.
Natural does not mean it's good or organic. I was disappointed that Honest do not have good products. I tried beauty products and household and they were not great. I also read their ingredients and yeah, false advertising.
I know many people, personally, who do not use sun screen properly, too lazy. Not enough and applied at the beach (not ahead of time) and forget it.
When I worked for a brand of baby products, we did some competitor research… Honest Baby did not have the greatest formulas, some had no-nos they had to be called out on. Products meant to be used on people’s BABIES 😬
Okay BUUTTT the Honest Beauty cream blush is the best I've ever had. Not because it's "clean". It's GOOD.
Yes!
Thank you for that reminder that clean does not equal allergen-free. I think lume is one of those products that comes across as clean because it has so many of these chemicals out of it, but my sister who has very sensitive skin and has had patches of eczema, ended up having an allergic reaction to lumi because we made the mistake that such a "clean" product would be better for her.
Aw man, i was hoping you would review a few more of their products.
I love the hydrogel (daytime use), and the deep hydration cream (nighttime use).
The berry face mask is nice also 😊
have been diagnosed as a celiac and have been told I need to be very careful of everything to do with beauty as well as food. Can I ask for a good low cost ( i have a lot off other health issues, so I live on disability) that does not contain wheat, rye, barley, semolina, durum, and spelt. Sorry not sure if any off these are used in skin care but have found in some shower gels and shampoos especially the first 3.
The misinformation around sunscreen in particular is so dangerous. One bad sunburn can definitely lead to melanoma. This is not something to mess around with.
I wonder how many average people shake their sunscreen bottles every time before applying unless it’s blasted in huge letters on the packaging which it rarely is. I can totally see that on a beach, the bottle sits in direct midday sunlight, the temperature could get higher than the sunscreen should ever be exposed to, maybe the water, oils could separate or the suspended filter ingredients could ”fall” to the bottom of the container or smtn and then the stuff you squirt out without shaking could be totally different from the intended formulation.
“Honest” yet they lie😂
Love Jessica Alba with the honest eye cream I had been using for maybe 2 months started giving me Milia and zits around my eyes and I had to stop using it
that’s the worst :( i’m so sorry u had to deal with that