Skincare’s latest fad is here, and it’s ‘cleanical’. Representing the amalgamation of clean beauty and scientifically-proven skincare, this trend is not one to be missed. In this day and age, it’s simply not enough to just be clean.
With influencers preaching clean products and promoting a green lifestyle, brands have to follow suit and adapt to this as well. Thus, the need for cleanical beauty was born. And if you managed to put two and two together (good for you!), you'll notice that ‘cleanical’ is the perfect portmanteau of the terms ‘clean’ and ‘clinical’.
But we digress, let’s dig deeper into the rising trend and what you can expect from it, shall we?
Cleanical Skincare: What is it?
The Need for Cleanical Skincare
Cleanical skincare represents the reinvention of clean beauty, combining clean ingredients and clinical research to create specialized, lab-grown formulas and cleanical solutions for skincare users like you. With skincare enthusiasts growing steadily over the years, we’re sure many already know what ingredients and solutions work best for their skin. Some of them may even have a more immense interest in skincare and already have an existing or growing knowledge of what good skincare consists of.
The rise of social media factors heavily into this, with more and more of us increasing our skin IQ with information off the internet and interacting with strangers on forums such as Reddit (peep r/SkincareAddiction) about our evergrowing list of skin concerns. No longer are we turning to professionals like dermatologists for help unless it’s for exceptional cases such as acne, eczema and psoriasis, for example.
When exposed to such platforms and forums, brands have a reputation to protect. All it takes is for one skincare influencer (or skinfluencer, as they call it) with a large following to diss your products and it’s all downhill from there. Skinfluencers on TikTok especially hold the most power when it comes to this. Ever heard of the saying “birds of a feather flock together?” Yeah, it’s essentially that. Once someone disagrees with your brand, it won't be long before many do as well.
Ergo, beauty brands need to be one step ahead with their advanced knowledge of skincare and develop cleanical products that meet or exceed expectations. By supporting cleanical skincare practices, consumers such as yourself can expect a more controlled and stringent product development process compared to beauty brands that don’t, making products safer and more effective for use.
How has Cleanical Skincare taken over?
You may know of the importance of buying clean beauty products, with the trend becoming more of a normalcy at the moment. But for those of you who don’t, it is merely to make sure that you do not put any toxic ingredients onto your skin and cause detrimental effects to your skin health. But is it enough to just be clean? Now, that’s where science comes in.
Let’s take it back to the start. Picture yourself back in elementary school for your first science class and your teacher telling you that science makes up the world. It is what you observe, what you touch and what you can create. And just like that, skincare has become a part of science, relying on it to give you the results you are promised.
At the moment, more and more brands are hopping onto the cleanical bandwagon (us included, even for a couple of years now). Evident in the NPD Group's study that states—the lines between clinical and clean beauty have blurred and nearly half of the U.S. market for skincare products consists of clinical brands. Such brands also actively educate consumers about clean ingredients and create products that adhere to the strictest standards and abide by what they preach.
Cleanical Skincare: What to look out for?
It’s simple really, all you have to do is take note of the active ingredients used in the products you support. When it comes down to it, cleanical skincare is still a form of clean skincare. Oftentimes, there is a misconception that clean beauty is conscious beauty—but unfortunately, that’s a big no. Just because a product is clean, does not mean that it is sustainably produced.
Clean beauty (or skincare, in this case) is all about avoiding using ingredients that are toxic, allergenic, comedogenic, carcinogenic, or just downright bad for you or your skin. To essentially purge your skin and your skincare collection of the negative. Toxic ingredients you should avoid on your ingredient lists include the famous parabens, phthalates, sulfates, oxybenzone, triclosan, hydroquinone, and artificial fragrance amongst others. If you want to find out more about these harmful ingredients, we’ve written a comprehensive guide (backed by scientific research) for them on our website.
Next up, you need to look out for beauty brands that can back up their claims with factual research, evidence and results. Before a brand can claim that they are cleanical, they need to be able to justify why they have chosen to formulate their products a certain way or use active ingredients that may have a reputation amongst the skincare community. You should be able to trust the cleanical brands you support and be comfortable that they are truly adhering to what they say on their product labels.
How to go Cleanical?
You know what they say—small steps go a long way. All it takes is having a motivated mindset to support cleanical and the rest of the journey will be easy. You don’t have to rid your shelf of all non-cleanical products just yet. Trust us, we know that skincare costs a bomb and that would just be a waste of the formulations you’ve already bought. Instead, start replacing them product by product once you’re finished with them.
It also helps to constantly update your skin IQ with relevant knowledge about the skincare you will be using. Our pro tip? Find yourself a good ingredient dictionary online so that you can check ingredient labels on the go the next time you decide to purchase a product. This database of scientific information is especially useful if you’re 100% sure you want to go cleanical.
Why IREN Shizen is Cleanical
At IREN Shizen, we have produced quite a number of cleanical products, such as our customizable serums for every skin concern, and have been active in cleanical skincare for quite a while now. As we believe that you don’t have to compromise on quality skincare, science has always been at the forefront of our formulations instead of hearsay. We also have a trusted team of scientists who research on active ingredients and formulate cleanical solutions according to what is deemed as safe on skin.
We are also the first Japanese skincare brand to ban 2000 ingredients that are toxic, comedogenic, or allergenic to your skin; the most notable 7 being SLS/SLES, parabens, formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers, phthalates, triclosan, drying alcohols, and artificial fragrances, so be rest assured that you’re in safe hands should you choose to go IREN Shizen.
