Conscious Commerce

The Dirty List explained: how Credo Beauty protects consumers

Credo Beauty is well-known in the world of clean beauty. Much of their ethos is informed by two questions: How will this affect human health? What’s the impact on the environment?

BY:
Yashi Shrestha
BY:
Yashi Shrestha
Scientifically reviewed by
The Novi Team
6.13.2022
Illustration by
Super-Conscious
The Dirty List explained: how Credo Beauty protects consumers

Credo Beauty is well-known in the world of clean beauty. Much of their ethos is informed by two questions: How will this affect human health? What’s the impact on the environment?

These questions also shape The Dirty List, the cornerstone of the Credo Clean Standard. Brands embarking on the clean beauty journey often look to this standard as a roadmap as they navigate through the various safety, sourcing, sustainability, and ethics hoops.

The Dirty List is a comprehensive outline of ingredients that are banned, known as a restricted substances list (RSL), because they don’t meet Credo’s standards for human and environmental health.

To better understand Credo’s scope, the European Union has banned over 1,300 ingredients while the United States has banned 30. The Dirty List outlines over 2,700 ingredients that brands agree to formulate without, in addition to controlling for contamination.

Let’s take a closer look into what renders an ingredient “dirty” on The Dirty List.

Cancer

It’s a fast track to The Dirty List when a possible or increased risk of cancer is a listed side effect. The beauty industry continues to debate the safety of many cosmetic ingredients. Few are studied to understand the long-term effects, but we do know that exposure to certain ingredients can have serious impacts our health.

Known carcinogens topping the list include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), ethanolamines, ethoxylated ingredients, and formaldehyde. Something to note about formaldehyde: while it’s not typically listed on ingredient labels, formaldehyde “releasers” and “donors” are. This includes ingredients like DMDM hydantoin and diazolidinyl urea.

Hormone Disruption

We’re constantly absorbing chemicals through the air we breathe, food we eat, water we drink, and  products we apply to our skin. This isn’t a bad thing — chemicals aren’t inherently bad, and certainly aren’t to be feared. Some are beneficial or benign. But some are toxic, and can also mimic or even interfere with the hormones in our body.

So how insidious is hormone disruption?

The endocrine system makes regular, small adjustments in our hormones that can have profound effects on our development and biology. Now, imagine that hormonal dose doubling from your favorite product on your bathroom shelf —it’s a recipe for potentially greater, and damaging, developmental and biological health issues.

Credo explicitly names BHA, chemical sunscreens, parabens, phthalates, resorcinol, triclosan, and triclocarban as hormone disruptors to avoid.

Allergies & Sensitization

When our body detects a foreign substance, our immune system triggers chemical antibodies to combat it. Sometimes, this can cause a chemical overreaction that eventually develops into an allergy. Allergies can develop at any time. They are brought on by sensitization, which is when one is repeatedly exposed to a chemical.

Allergens that top the list include BHA, butylated hydroxytolune (BTA), hydroquinone, methyl cellosolve (or 2-), methoxyethanol, methylchloroisothiazolinone, and resorcinal.

Toxic to Human Body

While it’s important to note that the dose really makes the poison, we’re only beginning to understand the effects that persistent exposure can have on human health. Too often, ingredients are written off as “safe” because the data hasn’t determined it to be “unsafe.” But how can we really label an ingredient as safe or unsafe when we don’t study its long-term impacts on our health?

Credo lists few products as toxic to humans if it contains the likes of methyl cellosolve (or 2-), methoxyethanol, methylchloroisothiazolinone, and toluene.

Toxic to the Environment

Just as the body is like a sponge, the environment is too — consistently absorbing chemicals over time. More and more we’re finding ingredients such as parabens accumulating in our air, water, and soil. While we know some of these chemicals have a negative impact, many of them haven’t been studied for their long-term impacts on the environment.

Chemical sunscreens, cyclic silicones, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) are considered toxic to the environment on Credo’s RSL.

In a market saturated with greenwashing claims, The Dirty List can act as a starting point for customers to delve into the vast clean beauty landscape. Like Sephora's Clean + Planet Aware program, it sets a reliable industry standard that makes clean beauty approachable. Most importantly, it’s a conversation starter for customers to ask themselves, “What am I comfortable with exposing my body to?” and, “What impact do my personal care habits have on the world?"

Credo Sustainable Packaging Guidelines (SPG)

Credo’s SPG is outlined in four phases, of which the first two are actively in progress. As of June 2021, Credo has eliminated the use of single-use packaging for all products by their 130+ brand partners. Phase 2 calls for better materials, and the deadline to meet these requirements is June 1, 2024.

Phase 1
  • No single-use items (masks, wipes, sample packettes, etc.)
  • No PVC (#3 plastic), BPA/BPS, or PFAs
Phase 2
  • Petroleum-derived plastic must contain 50% or greater recycled content, OR be replaced by a more sustainable material
  • All plastics must be identified by an RIC (#1, 2, 4, 5, 6, or 7)  or abbreviation (e.g. PET, PP, Mixed).
  • All paper products must be at least one of the following: Ancient Forest Friendly; FSC certified paper; 75%+ recycled paper (by weight); Tree free, or non-wood fiber grown and harvested in a sustainable manner
Grove Collaborative Packaging Standards

Grove Collaborative applies their packaging standards to all products on their site, and they strive to utilize the best available packaging solutions at the time.

Requirements
  • No single use plastic
  • About 80% or more of the packaging weight is not plastic (a percentage which will rise over time)
Prioritizations/Preferences
  • Refillable over recyclable
  • Monomaterial components
  • #1, #2, and #5 plastics, if plastic is absolutely necessary
  • Lightweight candidates
  • The highest percentage of PCR possible for components of any material

Additionally, Grove Co. is currently working on a pilot initiative, Beyond Plastic, which aims to be 100% plastic-free by 2025. Here are its definitions, which incorporate some of the general standards listed above:

  • Primary packaging is not plastic (excluding coatings, lacquers and liners)
  • No single use external plastic packaging or wrap
  • ~ 80%+ of the product and packaging weight is not plastic
  • For the remaining ~20% plastic, there should be no readily available alternatives or the remaining volume should be in the process of being phased out within a year, maximum.
  • 20% plastic is not in perpetuity, just as a starting point. The goal remains to be effectively plastic free by the end of 2025.
  • Use of plastic cannot negatively impact recyclability

Lastly, Grove also offers a mail-back collection service for plastic packaging, pouches, and tubes. See more details in their FAQ.

Target Zero (Target Forward)

Target’s sustainability strategy, Target Forward, incorporates packaging requirements that can be best summarized in three major points: eliminate/reduce where possible, drive a circular market, and encourage good habits. By 2025, Target intends to have 100% of their owned brand plastic packaging be recyclable, compostable or reusable. On March 2022, Target announced their Target Zero program, which designates products that feature packaging under the specific guidelines.

Requirements
  • No PVC (#3), PVDC, or PS (#6)
  • Products must be curbside recyclable (#1 and #2 plastics)
Prioritizations/Preferences
  • Petroleum-derived plastic must contain 50% or greater recycled content, OR be30% or more of packaging must be made from PCR materials replaced by a more sustainable material
  • Refillable
  • Reusable
  • Certified compostable elements
  • Certified compostable elements
Ulta Beauty’s Conscious Beauty

Ulta Beauty’s Conscious Beauty policy provides guidelines for product formulations as well as packaging.

By 2025, all packaging must be:
  • Made from 50% PCR or PIR materials, or
  • Made from 50% bio-based materials, or
  • Be recyclable, or
  • Be refillable.

Certifying bodies and other available resources

Many retailers incorporate other third-party certifications in their own packaging standards; brands and suppliers may pursue these certifications as well, depending on the policy. While they can be costly, third-party policies can provide further credibility for any environmental claims made.

In addition to policies, there are numerous resources available for sourcing, disposal, and further education on packaging.

Ancient Forest Friendly™

The Ancient Forest Friendly™ designation by Canopy represents “the highest ecological qualities in the paper industry.” Ancient Forest Friendly pulp and paper is free of ancient or endangered forest fiber, made with 100% recycled or straw paper, and is whitened without chlorine.

Biodegradable Products Institute

BPI is a science-driven organization that supports a shift to the circular economy by promoting the production, use, and appropriate end of lives for materials and products that are designed to fully biodegrade in specific biologically active environments.

Their certification mark indicates third-party verification of compostability for manufacturers and brands to use on products and packaging.

Ecocert USA

Ecocert provides certification for 150+ standards in numerous industries, including cosmetics. Some of their most popular certifications include USDA Organic, Fair Trade (FFL), and Cosmos Organic.

See Ecocert’s full list of certifications.

Forest Stewardship Council

FSC certification ensures that products (usually paper, cardboard, wood, etc.) come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits. They own three registered trademarks:
The initials FSC®
The name Forest Stewardship Council®
The checkmark-and-tree logo figure

How2Recycle

How2Recycle (H2R) is a standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public.

Novi’s packaging solutions

Sourcing new components can be difficult, especially when it comes to verifying numerous claims. At Novi, our packaging experts will help you source, sample, and order verified components– whether you’re looking for something that’s compostable, curbside recyclable, 75% PCR, or more.

Pact Collective

Pact is a nonprofit collective committed to action and education surrounding beauty recycling. They offer in-store drop-off and mail back collection programs for hard-to-recycle beauty packaging, and share other information on packaging production, material claims, recycling rates, and more.