Clean beauty is complicated. We believe in 100% transparent clean beauty, we work with chemists and look at scientific research to create the cleanest makeup formulas. We don’t want to confuse you, we want to help you understand which makeup ingredients are clean.
You will never find the ingredients below in Avvai’s clean makeup. This list is simplified and definitely not complete, there are thousands of other ingredients that we avoid due to the lack of research done. This list includes ingredients that are commonly found in beauty products – like makeup, skincare and haircare – that are known to be unsafe or are of environmental concern or are not-vegan friendly.
- This list only includes the most common non-vegan ingredients as there are many non-vegan ingredients that can be found in cosmetics. All our clean makeup is 100% vegan.
- It is important to look at dosage when looking at toxicity. Ingredients toxicity can differ depending on the percentage they are used in makeup formulas.
- We avoid ‘fragrance’ in our ingredients as this can mean more than 3000 different chemicals and we want to tell you exactly what is in your clean makeup products.
- We follow Credo’s Clean Standards and our Avvai Avoids List below!
Ingredients
Bee Products
Beeswax, Honey, Pollen, Propolis, Royal Jelly
Not Vegan Friendly
Not Vegan Friendly
Bee products are sadly obtained in a very cruel method. It is not vegan-friendly at all.
Benzalkonium Chloride
Skin Sensitizer
Skin Sensitizer
Benzalkonium chloride is used as a preservative in cosmetics,but it is a known irritant and can cause an allergic response for some people.
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Carcinogenic, Endocrine Disruptor
Carcinogenic
Endocrine Disruptor
BHA is "anticipated to be a human carcinogen" by the National Toxicology Program and is also recognised as an endocrine disrupter by the European Union.
Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
Organ Toxicity, Respiratory Irritant
Organ Toxicity
Respiratory Irritant
BHT research shows that it has toxic effects in lung tissues of rats, while research is not complete, it has been listed as expected to be toxic or harmful by the Environment Canada Domestic Substance List. There is also evidence to show that it is a human respiratory irritant.
Carbon Black
D & C Black No. 2, Acetylene Black, Channel Black, Furnace Black, Lamp Black, Thermal Black
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Carbon black is used as pigment for cosmetics and comes from coal tar. While more research is needed, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in carbon black have been identified as carcinogenic.
Carmine
Cochineal, Cochineal Extract, Crimson Lake, Carmine Lake, Natural Red 4 C.I. 75470
Not Vegan Friendly
Not Vegan Friendly
Carmine is used for red dye in makeup and comes from crushed beetles. Yes, crushed beetles! It is not vegan-friendly at all.
Chemical SPF
Some Chemical SPF Ingredients
Endocrine Disruption, Birth Defects, Environmental Concerns
Endocrine Disruption
Birth Defects
Environmental Concerns
Chemical SPF ingredients have been linked to endocrine disruption, birth defects and also known to cause damage to coral reefs. Oxybenzone is found to be the most troublesome ingredient and is actually banned in some places. While not all chemical SPF ingredients are bad, it is better to use mineral SPF ingredients until more research is done.
Coal Tar
Coal Tar Solution, P-phenylenediamine, Aminophenol, Diaminobenzene
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Coal tar has been linked to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which is identified as a carcinogen. There is still more research to be done, but it is best to avoid as a precaution.
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA)
Disodium EDTA, Calcium Disodium EDTA, Tetrasodium EDTA and HEDTA,Trisodium EDTA
Environmental Concern
Environmental Concern
EDTA is used as a binding agent to hold ingredients together. There are some concerns about its toxicity but more research needs to be done. However, it has shown to be a problem to the environment as EDTA does not break down easily.
Ethanolamines
Diethanolamine(DEA), Cocamide DEA, Cocamide MEA, Triethanolamine(TEA), Monoethanlamine (MEA), Ethanolamine (ETA), Lauramide DEA
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Ethanolamines may be contaminated with nitrosamines – a chemical linked with cancer. The EU has even banned DEA in cosmetics due to this.
Formaldehyde Releasers
DMDM Hydantoin, Diazolidinyl Urea, ImidazolidinylUrea, Quaternium-15, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Tosylamide
Carcinogenic, Skin Irritation
Carcinogenic
Skin Irritation
Formaldehydes are commonly used as preservatives in cosmetics. Research on formaldehydes is controversial, but some studies on it show that it can be toxic at certain doses. Infact, the National Cancer Institute has listed it as a "probable human carcinogen" and as a skin irritation.
Guanine
Not Vegan Friendly
Not Vegan Friendly
Guanine comes from dead fish and is used to make cosmetic products shiny. It is not vegan-friendly at all.
Hydroquinone
DNA Damage, Carcinogenic
DNA Damage
Carcinogenic
Hydroquinone is used as a skin-lightening ingredient to inhibit melanin production. Research on hydroquinone is controversial, but some research shows that it can cause damage to DNA and it has also been linked to cancer.
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Skin Irritation
Skin Irritation
Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate is used as a preservative in cosmetics. However, research shows that it can induce an allergic reaction for some people.
Keratin
Not Vegan Friendly
Not Vegan Friendly
Keratin is derived from hair and horn of animals. It is not vegan-friendly at all.
Lanolin
Not Vegan Friendly
Not Vegan Friendly
Lanolin comes from sheep wool and is used as a moisturizing ingredient. It is not vegan-friendly at all.
2-Methoxyethanol/ MethylCellosolve
Neurotoxin, Reproductive Toxin
Neurotoxin
Reproductive Toxin
2-Methoxyethanol has been identified as a toxic ingredient as it affects the nervous system, the development of a fetus and the male reproductive system. It has been banned by Canada.
Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) /Methylchloroisothiazolinone (CMIT)
Skin Irritation
Skin Irritation
MIT and CMIT are used as preservatives in cosmetics. The mixture of the two has shown to irritate skin and result in an allergic reaction.
Nitromusks/ Polycyclic Musks
Endocrine Disruption, Environmental Concern
Endocrine Disruption
Environmental Concern
Nitromusks are used for fragrance in cosmetics and studies have shown links to tumor formation and endocrine disruption, but more research is still needed. Nitromusks also affect the environment as they are not easily degradable.
Other Ethoxylated Ingredients
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Ethoxylated ingredients are contaminated with 1,4-Dioxane which is a carcinogen.
Phthalates
Reproductive Toxin
Reproductive Toxin
Phthalates is a group of chemicals, some of which have been linked to being a reproductive toxins and are banned by the EU.
Resorcinol
2-Methylresorcinol
Endocrine Disruption, Neurotoxin, Respiratory Irritant, Skin Irritation
Endocrine Disruption
Neurotoxin
Respiratory Irritant
Skin Irritation
Resorcinol disturbs the endocrine system and the nervous system. It can also lead to respiratory issues and skin irritation especially when used close to the eyes. The EU requires a warning label to be used when a product has this ingredient.
Shellac
Not Vegan Friendly
Not Vegan Friendly
Shellac is derived from lac bugs and is not-vegan friendly at all.
Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate
Skin Irritation, Carcinogenic
Skin Irritation
Carcinogenic
Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate can be a skin irritant for some people and lead to an allergic reaction. It can also release formaldehyde, which can be carcinogenic.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
SLES is a sulfate that goes through a process known as ethoxylation. This can result in it being contaminated by 1,4 dioxane, which is a known carcinogen.
Talc
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Talc is a controversial ingredient as some studies show that it can be contaminated with asbestos, which can be carcinogenic. We avoid talc in our makeup as a precaution.
Toluene
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Toluene is an ingredient that is suspected to be toxic as it can be carcinogenic.
Triclosan/ Triclocarban
Endocrine Disruption, Reproductive Toxin
Endocrine Disruption
Reproductive Toxin
Trisclosan and Triclocarban have been shown to negatively affect the endocrine and reproductive system in multiple studies.
Below is a list of additional ingredients we avoid, however this is not because they have been proven to be problematic – we couldn’t find convincing scientific research that showed them to be toxic makeup ingredients. We don’t want you to fear ingredients unnecessarily. The only reason we avoid them is because over the years they have gained a ‘bad reputation’ due to confusion in the clean beauty industry and so most people don’t want them in their makeup.
- Aluminum Powder
- Butoxyethanol / 2-Butoxyethanol
- Parabens
- Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
- Petrolatum/ Paraffin Petrolatum/ Mineral Oil
- Propanol
- Silicones (Cyclic and Linear)
- Sulfates
