The following article has been written by Erryn King, the founder of Eco Beauty Style. We were very honoured when Erryn contacted us to work together, and she provided an honest look at the world of children's makeup and beauty products. Erryn has been working in the beauty industry for over 20 years and has dedicated her time to educating the beauty world and it's consumers about the importance of clean, eco-friendly beauty products.
Check out what Erryn has to say about the children's beauty and cosmetic industry. Note, Erryn wrote this in the lead up to Christmas.
As my little girl walks the department store toy isles adding to her Christmas list for Santa, she selects her favourite princesses lip gloss pack & a 3-tier Makeup Set. In our current princess faze she loves to paint her dolls faces with colours on their eyes & lips, while she innocently does the same for herself in the mirror. It’s only natural that she would gravitate towards these products to add to her list for Christmas morning.
Thankfully I’ve been in the beauty industry for 20 years & have been specialising in the ‘clean’ beauty space as an educator for over 10 of those. It is hard to believe that a beauty pack made for children would contain some of the most impacting ingredients on their little bodies, but when I turn these boxes over reading the ingredients, I know they are products I will never, ever let my little girl use.
This day shopping with my little girl upset me. Because so many parents wouldn’t know. Anything applied to your skin only takes about 26 seconds to absorb into the body. I cannot believe it is deemed acceptable to be selling products with the ingredients I was reading on the boxes, to adults let alone targeted to little kids & teenagers. It is a disgrace & it boils my blood. The makeup & skin packs, the bath bombs, the kids & teenager sets - all appealing to our young ones, but containing awful ingredients that research has found & suggested to be VERY HARMFUL.
Here are some main ingredients to avoid. I found these listed from looking at only 6 different Children & Teens products:
- Talc
- Methylparaben
- Propylparaben
- Paraffinum Liquidum
- Butane
- Paraffin
- Fragrance
- Sodium Laurel Sulfate
- Toluene
- Titanium Dioxide
- DBP, DEP, DEHP
From just this list research suggests that side effects include - hormone disruption, skin irritation, developmental problems in children, allergic reactions, respiratory issues & migraines, just to name a few. Thankfully, there are incredible pioneers in Australia that are paving the way for change.
I’m so grateful as a mother & beauty mentor to discover a wonderful beauty brand for kids called Oh Flossy.
Their makeup, face paint, skin & beauty products are powered by natural ingredients, free from preservatives, fillers and harsh ingredients. Their nail polish is plant-based and 10-free which means it is free from many of the harmful ingredients found in traditional adult nail polish. The glitter is also plant-based and certified biodegradable.
Don’t fall into the trap that just because it’s made for kids & teens, you think it’s safe for them. Majority of the time it’s not. Make the smart swap to Oh Flossy. My little girl is going to be one happy princess on Christmas morning.
A loving Mum & Founder of Eco Beauty Style, Erryn
To find out more about the training, events and courses Erryn offers, please visit Eco Beauty Style.
