Why I Decided To Join Beautycounter

I’m so excited to share why I decided to join Beautycounter!  This post has been a long time coming.  If you would have told me 6 months ago that I was going to be joining Beautycounter I would have laughed.  For those of you who have followed me for a long time this may come as a big surprise to you.  That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to share why I decided to join Beautycounter.  To not only share why I changed my mind but also share more about Beautycounter and their mission- because they mission is great and something I had no idea about.  I didn’t care to listen, read, or watch.If you don’t care about reading about why I joined and just want me to share my experience with the product- then scroll to the end! 🙂 I’ve got pics of me wearing the products!  And my thoughts.  Plus, don’t forget to shop right now!  Beautycounter’s Black Friday Sale started today!  They rarely have sales- like hardly ever, so this is pretty big.  Shop 15% off sitewide plus, free shipping on orders of $50 or more!  Shop here!

I want to share first why I used to be against Beautycounter:

• I didn’t like the MLM or direct sales model- whatever you want to call it.  I’ve been pitched to about Beautycounter more than I can count.  Some have been nice and thought out but others to be honest seemed really salsey and impersonal.  It turned me off.
• They had ingredients in their products that I thought were bad.  Specifically talc and phenoxyethanol.  I’ve since done a deep dive into both and I’m no longer fearful of either.  I’ll share more about it this below.
• All other green beauty bloggers around me were against it and so of course so was I.  I guess you could say I followed the pack!  Everyone has their standards and I can only make this decision for myself.  It just feels good to make MY own educated decision though and have researched it. I think it’s easy to get swept up in things, and listen to what bloggers say as Bible.  People think what I say is absolute all the time.  I constantly want to encourage others to do their own research- us bloggers don’t know everything- far from it.  We are all on a journey!

Overall, I didn’t give Beautycounter a chance.  I didn’t read up on them, or even entertain conversations about them.  I simply looked at some of their products on their site and that was it.

Ingredient Deep Dive- Phenoxyethanol and Talc

Phenoxyethanol- This is used as a preservative in products.  If a product contains water or aloe, it needs a preservative otherwise mold, yeast and bacteria can grow.  There is a lot of false statements about phenoxyethanol out there on the internet.  Trust me- I’ve read them!  Beautycounter uses a pure form of phenoxyethanol, which has been tested twice by Tufts University.  They have also had 1,4 dioxane and ethylene oxide tested on their raw form and it came back negative.  Phenoxyethanol is not bioaccumulative so it’s not something that builds up in your body like many chemicals can. Beautycounter only allows products to contain less than 1% of phenoxyethanol in all their products.  They work with formulators to only use what’s absolutely necessary.  I don’t know about you but I’ve had multiple green beauty products have mold in them!  Preservatives have been made to be the villain.  We need them in formulations.  Obviously, there are good ones and bad.  Would I recommend you use any brand that has a product that contains phenoxyethanol-no.  It’s important to know the sourcing.  I trust Beautycounter’s work and efforts to make sure they have a clean source and our third party testing to ensure it stays clean.

It’s also important to understand the studies done and the percentages used.  Many people are citing studies that have used 100% phenoxyethanol!  I don’t care what chemical you use, you’re going to have some negative impacts when used at that high of a dosage.  Some reports also state irritation when using phenoxyethanol.  I would say to check if the source is clean but to also see how much they’re using in a product.

Made Safe and EWG the two most credible third party non-toxic certifications enable phenoxyethanol to be used at less than 1%.

The thing I love and respect about Beautycounter is that they are constantly wanting to improve and find better solutions.  They don’t claim to know it all!  They are working with industry leaders to always find a newer list of preservatives to use.  They have worked to create a Safer Preservative Challenge and Sustainable Chemistry Alliance.  I would also be cautious of new preservatives that have come out on the market that claim to be clean when no research has been done on them.  Let’s always keep asking questions!

Talc- I had thought talc was a big no, no since I went green 8 years ago.  But I’ve quickly learned I was wrong.  Talc isn’t bad, it’s the by product of talc- asbestos and other heavy metals that can be the problem.  Beautycounter works only with a certified company that is asbestos free and they don’t stop there, they then third party test all their talc to ensure there’s no contamination. Once again, Beautycounter always takes their efforts to the next level!

My biggest piece of advice as I preach all the time as a green blogger is to do your own research and be your own advocate!  Don’t just believe everything you read, hear or see.

Fast Forward several months and now I want to share why I decided to join Beautycounter and why I changed my mind.  I thought about this and it really boiled down to 5 main things.

Third Party Testing-

For those who might not be aware of what third party testing is, let me explain. Third party testing is an independent organization that tests the product to ensure it is what it’s supposed to be.  They make sure it’s safe and has the ingredients it’s supposed to have in it.  For ex. Beautycounter had to recall some of their face cream back in 2017 because of a failed preservative and microbial growth.  I don’t know any green/natural beauty brands that are third party testing their products!  The FDA is so loose on regulations for beauty products.  A company could manufacture a product and list the ingredients on the label but the ingredients could be different then what’s actually in the label- and no one would know.

Beautycounter’s mission is to create laws that would force companies to be accountable. To be honest, I really didn’t fully understand this or think it was a big deal when it came to beauty until my own health journey with hashimotos.  I learned that heavy metals could be a trigger for my thyroid condition!  I also had a doctor share her own journey with heavy metal toxicity and an autoimmune condition.  I’m not sharing this to bring fear but to be aware.  I’ve been in this space for a long time and I wouldn’t have thought about heavy metals in products before.  Beautycounter tests their makeup line three times for 10 heavy metals before they put it out for the consumer.  Since natural makeup contains many minerals from the earth, even though they’re natural, they still can carry a load of heavy metals.  If you’re using these consistently that can produce a heavy metal load.  The fact that Beautycounter third party tests all their products is huge.  I literally know what’s in each product!

They aren’t just third party testing for heavy metals but for common toxic ingredients like phthalates, formaldehyde, 1,4 dioxane, etc.

Counteract Coalition-

This coalition is pretty amazing!  Beautycounter created this alliance of companies that supports the Personal Care Products Safety Act.  If you’re not familiar with the bill it would require manufacturers to post complete label information about products online and force beauty companies to provide the Food and Drug Administration with information about the ingredients used in their products. The last time a bill was passed to regulate personal care products it was 1938!  I think it’s time to start linking arms and make our voices heard.

Companies in the coalition are well known green beauty brands.

• Vapour Organics, Annamarie Skincare, Follain, OSEA, Rahua, Silk Therapeutics, S.W. Basics, Vinter’s Daughter, and TenOverTen to name a few.  Beauty Counter unified everyone and created something so much more impactful than if everyone was on their own. There are power in numbers!  I love that Beauty Counter isn’t trying to bring other companies down but create positive change together. I love the quote from founder Gregg Refrew-

I set out to get safer products in the hands of everyone, not to get Beautycounter products into the hands on everyone.

Beautycounter is creating change and that’s something I want to be a part of!

Wearing Beautycounter’s BC Red Color Intense Lipstick, Satin Powder Blush in Guava and The Classic Eyeshadow Palette in Ivory, Sahara and Copper.

Beautycounter Spreads The Clean Beauty Message-

Isn’t that what it’s all about?  Getting the clean beauty message out!  Beautycounter is pioneering this.  For so long I was against one of the companies making the biggest impacts in the natural beauty industry.  Instead of linking arms to join in the support to raise awareness I was fighting it.  They have the resources and have set it up where people are getting educated and empowered to make better choices for themselves and their families.  I want to be part of a movement that is supporting the clean beauty movement and women in business.

The amount of work they are doing to clean up the industry is amazing.  You can literally get email updates on their advocacy work by signing up here!

We can do more TOGETHER!

Builds Community- 

This is one of my favorite aspects of Beautycounter.  The people you meet.  Women seriously passionate about making a difference and sharing it with their friends and family.  Beautycounter first and foremost wants to educate the consumer and the amount of materials and resources they share is amazing!

Learning from one another- that’s what it’s all about.  Not, I know more than you, here’s what to think, but an open dialogue where we are always growing.  People aren’t just detoxing their beauty but their lives.  It opens up the conversation. When you have a community of women who are sharing together- good things happen.  You can lean on one another.

Beautycounter Supports Women Building Businesses-

Ok, this point is one that I strongly believe in and I’m so passionate about.  I love that women can create a business that fits their lifestyle.  A business that can support their family.  If you would have told me I would be in direct sales 6 months ago, I would have thought you were joking.  But now I get it.  When your passion lines up with it, it’s impossible to say no.

Gregg, the founder, set it up as direct sales because she wanted it to be personal and relational.  She wanted to educate the consumer.  She could have set it up to be a retail but she didn’t.  She wanted consumers to know ingredients and to ask questions.  That’s why she chose direct sales.  The stories I’ve heard from women being able to support their families are definitely moving to say the least.

From being able to buy healthier food now for their family because of earning extra income through Beautycounter.  To being able to take their family on a vacation or affording a mom to stay at home with her kids.  Beautycounter has literally changed these women’s lives.

“Earnings as a Beautycounter Consultant in the U.S. may vary significantly and depend on many factors, such as dedication to selling/mentoring. Not all Consultants will earn money. To see more about the earnings and costs of Beautycounter Consultants, please view the 2020 Income Disclosure Statement at www.beautycounter.com/ids”

I recently watched a video where Gregg the founder shared why women need stop apologizing for being in direct sales.  Why are we apologizing?  Because we now can afford to live the lifestyle we want?  To pay for those ballet lessons for our child or educate others about nontoxic products?  It’s silly!  We need to own it and realize the change we’re making!

Those are my 5 reasons why I joined Beautycounter.  These are my why’s.

Beautycounter’s Classic Eyeshadow Palette, Guava Satin Powder Blush and Color Intense Lipstick in BC Red.

I also wanted to share with you some of the product I’ve tried and their bestsellers-

As I mentioned above, don’t forget to grab some product now!  Beautycounter rarely has sales of any kind and their Black Friday sale starts today 12/20!  It’s 15% off sitewide and free shipping over $50!  

The products I’ve tried are their Classic Eyeshadow Palette, Satin Powder Blush in Guava and their Color Intense Lipstick in BC Red(this was a limited edition, but they have one super close to the color called Girl’s Night, it’s your classic red).  I’ve been super impressed with the products!  The performance is amazing.  The eyeshadows are the best I’ve used in green beauty.  They’re highly pigmented, and stay on the whole day!  The blush is also highly pigmented and long lasting.  Guava is the perfect pop of pink to warm up the cheeks.  The lipstick color is 100!  Literally, if you’ve followed me for a while you know I love me a good red lipstick and the BC red does not disappoint.  It also lasts crazy long.  It has a rich feel to it.

I’m going to be sharing my experience with other products too- follow me on Instagram to get the most up to date looks!  Also, don’t forget to shop the Holiday Collection!  From what I’ve been told, it’s a limited edition, and they only bring back a few select items. Shop Holiday here! 

Here are some Best Sellers from Beautycounter:

• Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation
• Dew Skin Moisturizing Coverage
• Color Intense Lipstick
• Sheer Lipstick
• Dew Skin Moisturizing Coverage
• Nourishing Cream Cleanser
• No. 3 Balancing Facial Mask
• No. 1 Facial Brightening Facial Oil
• Overnight Resurfacing Peel
• Countermatch Eye Rescue Cream
• Countermatch Adaptive Facial Lotion
• Cleansing Balm
• Rejuvenating Night Cream
• One Step Makeup Remover Wipes
• Charcoal Cleansing Bar
• Hydrating Body Lotion in Citrus Mimosa

Ok, that’s all my thoughts on why I joined Beautycounter for now!  Thanks for reading.  Don’t forget to head to Beautycounter’s website to shop some product and stock up for the holidays!  I hope you feel informed, and educated.  If you have any questions or want to become a consultant, feel free to email me at suzi@gurlgonegreen.com.  I would love to have you on my team!