Does Kylie Cosmetics Use Clean Ingredients?
I love all things clean beauty, and I recently heard Kylie Cosmetics is revamping their product line promoting their ingredients as clean. I’ve never had much interest in their products because of the ingredients being used, so now I wanted to do a little investigating to find out if Kylie Cosmetics ranks low on the EWG hazard scores.
What is Clean Beauty?
Clean beauty does not have a standard definition, and there aren’t regulations on how companies can use the terms. Kylie cosmetics calls out clean as “Our formulas are designed with ingredients to ensure the right balance between efficiency, safety and responsibility, producing formulations that are more restrictive that regulations in the US, Canada and Beyond.” Their website also states they are vegan, gluten free, cruelty free, and paraben free.
Here are some definitions of clean beauty:
To us, Clean Beauty is defined by products that are mindfully created and produced without any proven or suspected toxic ingredients. Clean Beauty products include ingredients ethically sourced and are made with the health of our bodies and the environment in mind.
Clean beauty products are made without ingredients shown or suspected to harm human health. At goop, clean beauty also has to be luxurious, high-performance, and all-out enchanting
To us, a clean beauty product must satisfy these two main criteria:
1. Clean ingredients
At its core, clean beauty means that you can use a product without risking your own health. The ingredients list must contain only safe, clean ingredients.
2. Transparent labels
When a beauty brand makes an effort to list all of its ingredients and label accordingly, it is on the right path to clean beauty.
Does Kylie Cosmetics Use Clean Ingredients?
Since the new product line just launched, my normal apps like EWG and Think Dirty don’t have the products listed where you can easily analyze the ingredients. So I’m going to research ingredients for some of the best sellers and see what EWG ranks the ingredient. 1 is low hazard, 10 is high hazard. I’m interested in seeing if the ingredients are safe with low hazard score rankings.
Product 1: Kylie Matte Lip Kit
Ingredients:
- Isododecane = 1
- Mica = 2
- Octyldodecanol = 1
- Hydrogenated Styrene/Isoprene Copolymer = 1
- Stearalkonium Hectorite = 1
- Alcohol = 1
- Flavor (Aroma) = 4
- Water (Aqua) = 1
- Dicalcium Phosphate = 1
- Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate = 1
- Tin Oxide = 2
- Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850) = 2? (ewg lists as 1-6 depending on usage, higher ranking if used around eyes)
- Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499) = 2
- Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090) = 6? (ewg lists as 1 – 7 depending on usage, This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products intended for use on lips due to increased risk of ingestion and absorption)
- Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891) = 1
- Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140) = 4 (ewg lists as 4 – 6 depending on usage however it doesn’t have a disclaimer on what type of usage ranks higher)
Product 2: Winter Kissed Pressed Blush Powder
Ingredients:
- Mica = 2
- Zinc Stearate = 2
- Squalane = 1
- Perlite = 1
- Caprylyl Glycol = 1
- Ethylhexylglycerin = 2
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride = 1
- Rosa Hybrid Flower Extract = 1
- Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891) = 1
- Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499) = 2
- Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163) = 1
- Ultramarines (Ci 77007) = 1 (ewg lists as 1-3 depending on usage)
- Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850) = 1? (ewg lists as 1-6 depending on usage, higher ranking if used around eyes)
- Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410) = 5
- Red 30 Lake (Ci 73360) = 4
- Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140) = 4 (ewg lists as 4-6 depending on usage)
Product 3: Matte Dark Brown Gel Eyeliner Pencil
Ingredients:
- Trimethylsiloxysilicate = 1
- Hydrogenated Polyisobutene = 1
- Synthetic Wax = 1
- Isododecane = 1
- Polybutene = 1
- Ethylene/Propylene Copolymer = 1
- Mica = 2
- Silica Silylate = 1
- Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate = 1
- Copernicia Cerifera Cera/Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/Cire De Carnauba = 1
- May Contain/Peut Contenir/+/-:Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Ultramarines (Ci 77007)] = 1 – 3 range
Final Verdict:
Most of the product ingredients are low ranking on the hazard score which is exciting to see. I wish they were more transparent with the aroma (flavor) ingredient, and there are a handful of moderate hazard scores, and nothing listed as a high hazard. I would definitely say they are using mostly clean ingredients.
I would feel comfortable purchasing from them for special occasion wear without doing a lot of research since I wouldn’t use the product much. If I was wanting to use as every day wear, I would research the ingredients first before buying. For example the eyeliner only had low hazard rankings so I would be comfortable using that product frequently, however I wouldn’t purchase the matte lip kit for every day wear because of the moderate hazard score rankings.
I hope we continue to see large, powerful companies making the switch to clean beauty. This means more people will be using safer products. I always have in the back of my mind though, if people weren’t demanding and paying for clean beauty products, would companies even care to make the change and use healthier ingredients? Who knows, but this is a win since this product line is used by many so I’m happy customers will be using better ingredients. Maybe this will even inspire people to seek out other clean beauty brands if they have a positive experience with Kylie Cosmetics.
Cheers to making an impact!
-Brekke
