You may have heard me talk about Beautycounter a few times by now, but today I wanted to share my “why” with you. Truthfully, I’ve always tried to make healthy choices food-wise, but up until recently I had never given much thought about what I was using on my body. Sure, I stayed away from hydroquinone and retinols while pregnant or breastfeeding, but I never really thought about it beyond that. Call it naive or just blissfully ignorant, but I assumed that the personal care industry was regulated enough to ensure that everything available here in the US was totally safe. I now know that I was very wrong. So, here is what made me take the Beautycounter plunge, and why I’ve fully embraced this skincare company that truly has safety and better beauty in mind.
It all started with artificial sweetener. I had been a Splenda lover from the moment it arrived in stores, and every day in my coffee for years and years I’d use two packets per cup. When I was pregnant with Jack I mostly cut Splenda out, but then picked the habit back up once he was born. I had become so addicted to the sweetness that the amount of sugar I had to use to make it taste similar was embarrassing.
When I got pregnant with Caroline I completely eliminated artificial sweeteners and switched back to regular sugar. It was a big adjustment but I realized that since I try so hard to eat healthfully that I shouldn’t be putting fake stuff into my body, especially while growing a tiny little life inside me. Sure, sugar is sugar, but at least it’s real and found in nature. My taste buds slowly adjusted to the difference and after a while I no longer needed a lot of sugar in each cup.
After Caroline was born I decided I’d stick with avoiding artificial sweeteners. My diet isn’t perfect but I think cutting that out was a healthy and relatively painless choice. So, fast forward a few months and we run out of the normal Chobani Greek yogurt our kids (and I) love to eat. Tom went to the store to pick some up and came back with Dannon Light and Fit Greek Yogurt instead because the store was out of what we normally eat. I took one bite of it without even looking at the ingredients and could immediately identify that there were artificial sweeteners in there. It’s crazy that by not consuming artificial sweeteners for over a year my tastebuds had become heightened and could detect it after one bite. And to think that we were about to feed it to our children. Not that fake sugar is crazy dangerous or anything like that (though it is linked to metabolic disorders that can cause obesity and diabetes), but it just made me start to think about why paying attention to ingredients is so important, for my children and myself.
Whole foods are always better than anything fake, and ever since then I’ve tried to be deliberate about choosing things that are actually made with real ingredients. I don’t always choose organic (let’s be honest, it’s expensive), but over all I try to at least be cognizant about the choices I make for my family and I always try to check the ingredient list. (And yes, Jack and I did eat Oreos a few days ago while waiting for a doctor’s appointment…my mom always taught me to enjoy everything in moderation, so that day I decided I really wanted an Oreo after not having them for a few years! It’s all about balance, am I right?)
So once I had the food epiphany it started trickling over into what we put on our bodies. I had been frustrated that I couldn’t really treat the melasma (skin discoloration) that I got while pregnant because so many ingredients for lightening, fading and anti-aging are unsafe if you’re nursing (or pregnant). I then learned about Beautycounter and how they have banned over 1,500 chemicals that are questionable or harmful. (They call it “the Never List” and you can read more about it here.) They’ve banned synthetic flavors and fragrances because they can be hormone disruptors and contain allergens. They’ve banned hydroquinone because it’s linked to cancer, organ-toxicity and skin irritation. They’ve managed to make incredible anti-aging products without the use of retinols, which may damage DNA and speed the growth of skin tumors when used topically. The list goes on and on. They hold themselves to such a high standard, yet have figured out how to make it work! They also lobby for stricter regulations in skincare and cosmetics because the US has not passed a major federal law to regulate the safety of personal care products since 1938. And think of how much more we know now than we did in 1938!
Learning all of this really got me thinking about what I was applying to the largest organ on my body on a daily basis. I appreciate that Beautycounter is transparent and that they share every ingredient that they use. They also screen every potential ingredient rigorously, just to make sure they don’t contain specific hazards like cancer, developmental toxicity, hormone disruption and infertility. The product I chose to help with my skin discoloration and fine lines is Beautycounter’s Overnight Resurfacing Peel, and I have been blown away by the results. My skin looks brighter, my discoloration has lessened, my acne scarring on my cheeks has improved…and best of all it’s pregnancy and nursing friendly!
Over the past few months I’ve swapped out most of my old skincare and makeup products for Beautycounter’s safer offerings. Honestly, I wouldn’t make the swap to safer products if they didn’t work, but with every new product I try I’m consistently blown away by how effective and high quality they are. The Rejuvenating Night Cream and Rejuvenating Eye Cream have totally transformed my nighttime routine, while the Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer and the Volumizing Mascara have quickly become the only things I wear on my face most days. The only two products I haven’t completely loved are the concealer pen (an issue with the application process, I actually like the coverage) and the cream blusher (the color I received isn’t perfect for me…so I’m still using Glossier cloud paint in beam and puff). Everything else has been fantastic though. And one of the best parts is that Beautycounter has a 60 day money back guarantee, and they even include a return label with every order to make it easy for you should something not work out. I’ve also tried their kids body wash, shampoo and baby protective balm on my kiddos, and have been very impressed with those products as well.
I have fallen in love with Beautycounter and have thoroughly enjoyed my 3 months as a consultant. It’s fun to educate other women and help them choose safer products for themselves and their families, and I love hearing the testimonials, especially from former skeptics like me.
So, if you’re ready to make the switch I would love be your consultant! I have a few other blog posts about Beautycounter products listed below, in case you’re interested. As always, if you have any questions or are interested in joining my team please let me know! This company is incredible and I know that if you give it a shot you’ll love it as much as I do! All of the links here will take you to my Beautycounter site.
