The conversation about what “clean beauty” actually means has been running for years. It’s worth being direct about where we stand on it, because the term has become meaningless through overuse.
What ‘Clean Beauty’ Actually Means
“Clean beauty” has no regulatory definition in Australia or anywhere else. Any brand can call their products clean without meeting any specific standard. This is a problem — it means the term can be applied to genuinely well-formulated products and to products that have simply removed one questionable ingredient while keeping everything else the same.
What We Actually Mean When We Use It
When we describe Glow and Flow Health as clean, we mean specific, verifiable things:
No parabens. Parabens are preservatives with endocrine-disrupting potential in high concentrations. We use phenoxyethanol as our primary preservative in water-based formulas instead.
No phthalates. Phthalates are plasticisers used in some fragrance formulations that have documented health concerns. Our fragrances are nature-identical, not phthalate-based.
No mineral oils. Petroleum-derived mineral oils can clog pores and create a barrier effect that prevents skin from breathing. We use plant-derived oils throughout — squalane, jojoba, sunflower, coconut, sweet almond.
No artificial colourants. We use iron oxides (which are mineral-based, naturally occurring pigments) where tint is needed, and no synthetic dyes anywhere in the range.
Alcohol-free face products. All our face formulas are alcohol denat.-free. Alcohol as a primary ingredient is drying and disrupts the skin barrier over time. Our only exception is the Afterglow Body Mist, which uses a small amount of alcohol denat. as part of the mist delivery system — not as a primary ingredient.
What We Don’t Claim
We don’t claim to be 100% natural. Some of our ingredients — like cyclopentasiloxane in the Liquid Glow Drops, or phenoxyethanol as a preservative in water-based formulas — are synthetic. They’re in our formulas because they perform better than the natural alternatives for specific functions.
Synthetic does not mean unsafe. Natural does not mean safe. We evaluate every ingredient on evidence, not on whether it came from a plant.
Full ingredient lists are on every product page. Always. Because transparency isn’t a marketing choice — it’s a basic standard.