Allure is a beauty magazine that has developed its own definition of "clean" for a seal they award to certain Best of Beauty Award winners that are free of 14 specific ingredient classes. The seal indicates that a product is free of 15 ingredient categories, including silicones, parabens, and talc. Allure editors consulted with experts including toxicologists, dermatologists, and chemists to establish the ingredient-based criteria for the award. The clean beauty standard is a "living, breathing document" that will be updated accordingly as more research rolls out providing proof of potentially harmful ingredients.
Allure has also taken steps to curtail its use of sustainability buzzwords, such as "recyclable" and "earth-friendly". Instead, they encourage brands to use direct-impact messaging such as "removing packaging" or "eliminating boxes" to be more impactful in consumers minds and better for the environment.
In terms of specific ingredients, aluminum is used as an antiperspirant to plug sweat ducts so they cant release fluid to the skins surface. However, some studies have found that high levels of aluminum exposure might lead to Alzheimers disease, although others found no association. Manufacturers are also using new techniques to create "natural" beauty products, such as freeze-drying aloe instead of heating the plants juice to steam off the water and concentrate the extract.
