While most of the beauty industry is owned by men, there’s one sector that’s uniquely powered by women. It’s clean beauty. As hormone disruptors and environmental chemicals impact the health of women and children around the world, it’s women who are advocating for change (and it looks good on us).
According to one report, sixty-five percent of the executive positions in the beauty industry are held by men. This means that trendy lip combos and skincare peptides are often not chosen or made by women.
But there’s one part of the beauty industry that is powered by women. It’s clean beauty. From ingredient awareness to cutting-edge science, it’s the minds and pockets of women who are driving companies to do better. And this isn’t a coincidence.
6 Compelling Reasons Why Clean Beauty Is Powered By Women
Hormone disrupting chemicals are all around us. And, as women with unique hormone cycles, we’re the first to experience symptoms of dysfunction. In other words, we’re the canary in the coal mine, alerting the rest of the world to the dangers of chemical products and ingredients.
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Women Bear the Biggest Exposure Load to Toxic Chemicals
It’s estimated that women are exposed to 168 unique chemicals a day, just from basic personal care products (like deodorant, face wash, and perfume). If you’re curious, that’s over 5,000 chemicals a month or over 60,000 every year.
But the exposure doesn’t stop with cosmetics. Women may find chemicals in their food, drinking water, menstrual products, cleaning products, and chemical detergents. They can also be exposed to chemicals used for their babies (like PFAS in disposable diapers or petroleum in diaper rash cream).
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Nearly Half of Women Experience Hormone Imbalance
And no, it doesn’t always show up as infertility. Hormone imbalance can include gut issues, thyroid dysfunction, insulin resistance, and hormonal acne. Other symptoms of dysregulation include fatigue, weight fluctuation, mood swings, anxiety, brain fog, and mystery symptoms that are easily explained away as stress.
Hormone dysfunction isn’t normal. It only feels normal because environmental chemicals have dramatically changed how we interact with our cycle. Just one estrogen-mimicking chemical can throw off our body’s careful balance of progesterone and testosterone.
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Pregnancy and Motherhood Make You Extra Aware of Environmental Chemicals
When you become a mom, you tap into natural instincts to protect your children. This includes being hyper-vigilant about environmental chemicals — especially when your kids suffer from unexplained eczema, allergies, and other skin breakouts.
When you start researching, it’s simply impossible to ignore the onslaught of environmental chemicals and hormone disruptors your kids could be exposed to. So, you naturally settle into the nontoxic world and seek out nature-inspired remedies. This is exactly the reason Toups and Co and many other natural skincare companies were founded.
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Over Half of Cosmetics Contain Hormone Disruptors Called Forever Chemicals
There isn’t a number on exactly how many beauty products contain hormone disruptors. But one study that looks at PFAS (or forever chemicals) sheds light on the topic. Over half of beauty products tested contained forever chemicals, which are known hormone disruptors that can take thousands of years to break down.
This is particularly an issue that impacts women, since women buy more cosmetics. Hormone disruptors typically impact estrogen and androgen levels, throwing off our monthly cycles and leading to inflammation.
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Natural Ingredients Are Often Hormone Protecting and Get Better Results
Once you discover the healing power of botanicals and animal-based skincare, you’ll never look back. These natural resources are our most powerful allies for vibrant skin, especially when they’re minimally processed. For example, tallow contains peptides, minerals, fatty acids, and natural Vitamin A — all ingredients that are made synthetically and pumped into chemically-based skincare.
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Eighty Percent of People Diagnosed with Autoimmune Diseases Are Women
Yes, you read that right. Eighty percent of autoimmune disease sufferers are women. From home life to work life to caregiving, women carry a lot of responsibility. This responsibility causes extra stress, which can wear out the immune system. And environmental chemicals don’t help.
When we see alarming statistics like this one, we need to observe what differences stand out between the male and female lifestyles. One significant factor is the female reproductive system (which is fairly understudied) and its relationship to environmental chemicals.
The Women Behind the Clean Living Movement
From Vani Hari (Food Babe) to Shawna Holman (A Little Less Toxic), these powerful women are spearheading the clean living movement in their own unique ways. Here’s why we’re obsessed with them…
Vani Hari
On her blog, Food Babe, Vani Hari has advocated for natural foods for more than ten years. In recent headlines, she’s drawn attention to artificial food dyes (many of which are banned in the European Union but not the United States).
Vani has also spearheaded research into fast-food restaurants, drawing attention to artificial ingredients and animal foods that are pumped with antibiotics. She’s a big reason awareness is building for processed ingredients, and her advocacy has changed policies for large food chains.
Alongside her work in food research, Vani advocates for clean beauty products, drawing attention to nourishing alternatives to chemical ingredients and preservatives.
Barbara O’Neill
A well-known health speaker and educator, Barbara O’Neill is known for her work in alternative medicine, specifically herbalism and naturopathy. She’s dedicated her life to researching ancestral and natural solutions to modern illnesses. Since 1990, she’s advocated for healthy foods and nutrient-dense skincare made from plants.
Marilee Nelson, Allison Evans, and Kelly Love
Our sweet friends at Branch Basics are building a safe future for women who use everyday cleaning products. After individually suffering through health conditions (avoiding a kidney transplant and getting pregnant despite PCOS), these women turned to natural foods and chemical-free living as a method of healing. Their experiences were so profound, they set out to create a brand of nontoxic cleaning products that are safe and effective.
Shawna Holman
The owner of A Little Less Toxic, Shawna Holman not only educates people on the dangers of chemical products but also helps them make the switch in an intentional way. Her books, community, and resources are based around the idea that you should do what you can. This means, swap out one product or meal at a time. She’s a trustworthy thought leader, educator, and advocate for healthy living.
Emilie Toups
Our very own Emilie Toups founded Toups and Co Organics in 2015, after using homemade tallow balm to relieve her daughter’s eczema. After trying drugstore products and prescription creams, she learned about tallow skincare — which transformed her family’s skin. It was their gateway into nontoxic living, and the reason they overhauled their diet and personal care products. Toups and Co Organics is the leading natural beauty brand that’s focused on both natural ingredients and pure processing. Emilie spends much of her time traveling the country as a natural living educator.
Alisa Vitti
A hormone pro, Alisa is helping women reverse symptoms of PCOS, menopause, and hormone disruption with cycle syncing and nutrition. She’s also an advocate for biohacking and safer cosmetics that don’t contain hormone disrupting chemicals.
You’re the Reason Clean Beauty and Ingredient Transparency Is More Than a Trend
As Vani Hari says, “Vote with your dollar.” Women are the primary household shoppers, accounting for 70–80% of purchases. This means, we hold the power to make changes in the system, through well-researched purchases, united communities, and by supporting natural beauty brands.
In fact, we already have made significant waves in the industry, with 68% of women now reading ingredient labels and more than 50% of Gen Z showing interest in clean products. These wins are thanks to the women listed here and to many others, who have gone above and beyond to advocate for a safer future.