Beauty Buzzwords (and how we define them)
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Beauty Buzzwords (and how we define them)

August 11, 2020

At Aleph Beauty, we are on a mission to seek knowledge and expand the potential of natural beauty.

We love that consumers are becoming more conscious in their decisions and questioning where products come from and how they are made. Especially when we are surrounded by claims that sometimes mislead us to believe a product is more one thing than another.

Buzzwords are commonly used in the beauty world to influence the perception of a brand. These terms can be used to inflate a brands ethical or sustainable practices, that otherwise can't be backed up.

There is no one definition to determine exactly what we are getting when purchasing makeup and skincare products. This type of deception leaves customers uneasy and unsure which brands to trust. 

Most brands claim different things using the same term, making it almost impossible to establish a universal understanding. And therefore, there are no real regulations that prevent brands from making claims such as natural, cruelty-free or sustainable.

Buzzwords in the beauty world have essentially become a commodity. Even we use these words.

The difference being, we are completely transparent about what we mean when we claim where our ingredients come from, how our products are formulated and what we are doing as a business.

We too expect more from the brands we love, to not just make these claims but to explain what they mean and how they apply to the products we are personally purchasing.

Here are the buzzwords we consciously use and how we define them.

Animal-Friendly

Cruelty-Free

Cruelty-free is a standard held throughout the entire procurement, sourcing, manufacturing and testing process that eliminates harm to animals. But for a lot of people, this term simply means the product has not been tested on animals. This belief fails to consider the testing process conducted prior to the finished product.

Animals are commonly used for testing ingredients that are suspected to be nasty and unsafe. Which begs the question, why do we need to conduct animal-testing on something we already know is harmful? At Aleph Beauty, we believe animal testing has no place in cosmetics.

The ingredients we use have been around for a long time and are known to be safe and efficacious for cosmetic purposes. These ingredient compounds can be tested and measured by chemical reaction and do not require animal testing.

Animal-friendly is one of Aleph's core values, and we strictly do not test our ingredients, or products, on our furry friends.

Vegan

This means no animal products or by-products are used in the development of beauty products and that no animals are harmed, directly or indirectly in the process. We use no animal products or by-products in Aleph product formulations and only source ingredients from suppliers who align with our ethical stance.

There are several alternatives to commonly used animal-derived products and ingredients. For example, the creamy texture of Aleph makeup pots comes from using candelilla wax instead of beeswax. We also use vegetable ink, and vegan glue in our packaging and our Diffuser Brush is made from vegan bristles.

Sustainable Packaging

Sustainable

The beauty industry shines a spotlight on reducing plastic usage and thus reducing the environmental impact of product packaging. However, a better way to describe sustainable beauty is anti-waste.

There is so much unnecessary waste in the beauty industry, from product design, product range to product packaging included.

Without a doubt, our packaging design considered sustainability when choosing glass jars, aluminium lids and compostable materials. Our packaging ensures no waste with all materials either recyclable or compostable, including the product boxes, stickers and postage bags.

Aleph Beauty products are further designed to minimise waste by simplifying makeup. Our multi-functional range replaces the need for a clutter of products that ultimately go unused. Aleph’s compact collection allows you to get the full use out of the product, preventing masses of resources left trapped inside product packaging. For this reason, we don’t use water as a filler in our products and instead densely pack our makeup pots with potent ingredients.

Ethical

As an extension of sustainable and cruelty-free, adhering to ethical business practice considers the harm and exploitation of anyone or anything involved in the business process. There is transparency in how the product is sourced, made and marketed, with trust established in the brand and products.

At Aleph Beauty, we want to educate people to make inspired and conscious choices by sharing the conscious considerations we have made. These include making sure all of our ingredients are ethically sourced, child-labour free and come from sustainable crops. 

The moral compass that directs us as individuals is used within the business to ensure our decisions lead to the best possible outcome for those affected. We choose to work with industry partners who are making a conscious effort to maintain these moral principles.

Natural Beauty

Organic

Commonly used in the food space, organic produce is grown without artificial pesticides or fertilisers. Close to nature, organic can refer to living things or materials that come from living things.

We favour ingredients with eco-certifications, such as Cosmos and Ecocert, and where these aren’t applicable, we choose 100% natural ingredients. We endeavour to source organic ingredients where possible, but due to the nature of cosmetic pigments, they are not able to be classified this way.

Natural

In the most literal sense, everything is natural. It’s when considering the fine line between natural and naturally-derived that the definition becomes complicated. Everything has been derived from nature at some point. But the classification depends on the number of steps taken from the natural origin to the end result.

In order to achieve high efficacy, raw materials do need to be refined and processed somewhat for stability. There is a sweet spot where nature and science meet to create products that are both natural and effective.

To compete on a performance scale with traditional synthetic beauty products, we have to do a bit more than mix raw oils together (a pretty old school perception of natural beauty). At Aleph, we take the highest care in selecting natural extracts that protect, nourish and regenerate the skin while providing long-lasting makeup performance.

Clean Beauty Good Magazine – photo by David Shields, makeup by Emma Peters (Aleph Beauty).

Clean

Clean is how we best like to describe Aleph as it encompasses more than using natural ingredients. Rather, natural is just one element of clean. We believe clean is a collective of all of our values.

Clean means no harm to people, planet or animals and the greatest concern for safety, sustainability and ethics.

At Aleph Beauty, we aim to treat all aspects of being as the single most important factor in existence. A holistic approach means these terms do not stand alone but complete each other to reach the most ethical and sustainable outcome.

We honour this by being transparent, showing you every decision we make and the rationale behind it. We choose consciously, so your conscience is clear.

The enlightened makeup choice for conscious women.

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