JOMO Studio

Tag: clean beauty

  • What does clean beauty actually mean?

    What does clean beauty actually mean?

    The recent years have given rise to a new beauty standard—Clean Beauty. Definitions vary depending on who you ask, also subject to marketing spin. But let us tell you what it means to JOMO.

    To us, clean beauty is simple and honest. It is a movement advocating the use of beauty and personal care products that are mindfully created for you, not containing controversial ingredients that are proven or suspected to harm human health and are transparent in listing all its ingredients.

    Whilst many beauty trends come and go, this one is much more than just a fad. It is a way of life—a step towards a clean and responsible life.

    Hands Up Those of You Who Read Your Beauty Ingredient Labels

    Here’s why clean beauty matters. The skin is the largest organ of the body, and it absorbs a great deal of what goes onto it. Like food, we consume a variety of beauty and personal care products every day. Little by little, the exposure adds up over time.

    There are tons of studies around the harmful effects of chemicals used in beauty products, ranging from plain old skin irritation to cancer, developmental and reproductive harm, and hormone disruption. Yet there are inconsistencies as to how regulations around excluding these chemical ingredients are enforced around the world. For example, the FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has banned only 11 cosmetics ingredients, while in the EU, over 1,300 ingredients are on the prohibited list. The truth is, in between the lines of these regulations, we don’t know what we don’t know, and our daily personal care routine unknowingly becomes a significant contributor to our toxic load.

    Let Science Back Up Your Beauty Choices

    At the end of the day, cosmetics is science, and all conventional products are made of chemicals. Some chemicals are more harmful than others, but do we know what they all are? It is impossible to know the safety or toxicity of every single ingredient. Plus, not all products are transparent about the ingredients they use. Beauty industry jargon can be confusing to decipher, masking a product’s true ingredients and its effectiveness. As such, we suggest that you turn to science to help you make your beauty decisions.

    EWG (Environmental Working Group) Skin Deep database is a great resource for researching your favourite products. It contains information and online hazard assessments for over 74,000 beauty products. Their staff scientists compare ingredients on product labels to information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases, providing a score on a product’s overall toxicity concerns.

    So, be a conscious consumer and start checking your beauty ingredient labels. Be aware of what goes into your products and what you apply to your skin.

    Stay Away from These 10 Toxic Ingredients

    Like many clean beauty advocates, JOMO has a list of ingredients that we avoid, but we do not believe in engaging in fearmongering. In this intelligent age, we believe in putting the information out there and let you, the consumer, make your own choice.

    Here’s our cheat sheet for you, listing the top 10 toxic ingredient culprits we suggest you eliminate from your beauty routine for good:

    1. Parabens like Propylparaben and Iosbutylparaben
    2. Fragrance
    3. Chemical UV filters Octinoxate and Oxybenzone
    4. Diethanolamine (DEA)
    5. Triclosan
    6. Phthalates like Dibutyl phthalate
    7. Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS)
    8. Formaldehyde
    9. Methylisothiazolinone
    10. Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A Palmitate)

    We strive to keep this list current, so check back frequently for updates.

    Why Not Make Your Own Clean Beauty Products?

    Here at JOMO, it took us years of experimenting and learning to switch to clean beauty, even more so when we became mummies and want the best for our little ones and their delicate skin. We discovered that the most empowering way to adopt clean beauty is to make our own products. In this way, we do not have to navigate all the greenwashing, guaranteeing ourselves 100 percent that no known toxic goes into what we make and what we use.

    So, whilst other ladies were whipping up scrumptious meals and delicious cakes in their kitchens, we were concocting recipes for body scrubs, moisturisers, shampoos, conditioners, and lip balms—using only au naturel, plant-based ingredients, trying to make them look as delectable as food.

    Henceforth our clean beauty journey began. As we worked towards perfecting our craft, we desired to share our learnings in a fun and inviting way, hosting our first workshops in 2019, driving home the clean beauty message and other ethical and environmental priorities amongst friends, friends of friends, and strangers-turned-new-friends.

    So, here we stand today with our philosophy around how playful, clean, and noble beauty will prevail, debunking the stereotype of beauty trends that come and go—because healthy is beautiful.

    We’d be happy to chat more or hear about your experiences with clean beauty. Connect with us on Instagram or drop us a message.

  • A zero-waste bathroom

    A zero-waste bathroom

    Don’t you want the world to be as CLEAN & beautiful as you?

    Body wash, facial cleanser, toothpaste, shampoo, and conditioner—these are some bathroom items that we go through like wildfire, succumbing to advertisements and promotions, buying, trying, and disposing.

    If we were to count the number of personal care products containing the evil plastic (that we all know contributes to pollution and affects human health) and how much of them we have conveniently dumped because they ran out or simply because the commercial stuff is just not working for our delicate skin, “a lot” is an understatement.

    Whilst a zero-waste lifestyle is the goal, we believe in advocating small progressive steps to get there. Let’s start with making little tweaks in the bathroom.

    Brush & Switch

    Replace your plastic toothbrush with a bamboo one. It works just as well and is compostable and biodegradable. You can also consider making your own toothpaste. There are tons of recipes online. It’s experimental and can get a tad messy, but it’s lots of fun! Store your homemade toothpaste in a glass jar, with everyone in the household having their own personal jar to dip into.

    Wipe Away

    Water is the best alternative to toilet paper. For those who see the paper as an absolute essential, use eco-friendly ones, even better if they are made of bamboo pulp or 100% recyclable materials. Look out for brands that package their rolls in cartons instead of the traditional plastic packaging.

    Clean Shave

    As zero-waste advocates, disposable razor blades and shavers are not our friends. Use stainless steel safety razors that are durable. Taking good care of them by rinsing and drying them properly after every use helps extend their shelf-life. Plus, they look good on your bathroom counter.

    Pair them with sustainable shaving oils or bars and ditch those conventional shaving creams or foams packaged in environmentally hazardous aerosol cans.

    All You Need Is a Good Wash

    The old-school bar soap is back. Use handmade soap bars that come without plastic wrap or in just a recyclable paper box.

    For hair wash, if all you can think of is bottles of shampoo and conditioner, it’s time to get to know the solid ones. That’s right, with solid shampoo and conditioner, we eliminate the use of plastic bottles. They are also easy to pocket and great for travelling.

    Best of all, you can make them yourself. Learn how to make your own solid shampoo and conditioner at JOMO’s “Blooming Hairloom” workshop, using only good, clean, and natural ingredients, such as mango butter and jojoba oil. Homemade solid hair products contain no water; hence unlike commercial ones, there’s no need for preservatives or chemical additives that can unnecessarily strip the natural moisture in your hair and scalp.

    Storing solid shower products in the bathroom is easy. Place them on a dish tray or wire rack and keep them out of direct water flow from your shower.

    Nature’s Scrub

    Plastic microbeads tear up the skin and cause some of the most harmful forms of pollution in our oceans and everyday life. Use sugar scrub instead. Sugar is a natural exfoliant. It also helps your skin retain moisture. Brown sugar is the softest and is best for those with sensitive skin.

    JOMO’s solid sugar scrub is a secret recipe, and it comes in a delicious chocolate bar that you can break for single-use pieces. Learn to make them, along with comforting hand and body cream, at JOMO’s “Emperor’s New Clothes” workshop. As we’re all about minimising packaging, bring your own glass jar or bottle to take home your DIY products.

    That Time of the Month

    Pads and tampons are typically made using single-use plastics and conventional cotton. Whilst there are eco-friendly alternatives, the reusable silicone menstrual cup is highly recommended. It is also wallet-friendly and can hold more, with more time between changes. Admittedly this takes a bigger adjustment, but you won’t know if a menstrual cup is right for you until you try one.

    JOMO is here to advocate beauty on the inside and outside. Go for a 100% responsible personal grooming and beauty routine that’s good for your skin and the planet. Making little tweaks in your lifestyle is not hard. It is making that choice that is the biggest hurdle of all. Get started on your transition to a zero-waste bathroom.