{"id":1000,"date":"2021-06-21T19:15:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T02:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/?p=1000"},"modified":"2025-06-24T12:50:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T19:50:28","slug":"part-3-clinical-skincare-series-5-facts-and-fictions-you-need-to-know-about-clinical-vs-clean-brands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/part-3-clinical-skincare-series-5-facts-and-fictions-you-need-to-know-about-clinical-vs-clean-brands\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 3, Clinical Skincare Series: 5 facts and fictions you need to know about clinical vs. clean brands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Note from the brand: As a clinical skincare brand, we often get the question: \u201cWhat does being \u2018clinical\u2019 actually mean?\u201d We hope this content series is helpful for a better understanding of clinical skincare.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no denying that the skincare<\/a> world can feel like a topsy-turvy place sometimes, particularly with entirely new categories like \u201cclean beauty\u201d gaining prominence in recent years. Are all chemicals harmful? (No.) Can clinical trials<\/a> be conducted on clean brands? (Yes.) Does clean mean natural? (Not necessarily.) Confused yet? (Definitely.) While we\u2019ve broken down what it means to be a clinical-grade brand here<\/a>, below are 5 additional as-straightforward-as-possible facts and fictions to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or fiction: There is no clear definition of clean skincare<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

FACT. \u201cClean skincare is a term that is not regulated, so there is no standard on what exactly constitutes clean,\u201d says Vanessa Thomas, a cosmetic chemist and founder of Freelance Formulations. Fellow chemist\u2014and self-described \u201csustainability geek\u201d\u2014Aubri Thompson adds that brands and retailers are actually free to define \u201cclean beauty\u201d however they\u2019d like. \u201cThat makes it hard to know what it actually means and what benefits it will actually provide,\u201d says Thompson, who is also the founder of sustainable indie beauty brand The Rebrand<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, Sephora describes their Clean at Sephora program as \u201cThe beauty you want, minus the ingredients you might not,\u201d indicated with a seal that means \u201cformulated without parabens<\/a>, sulfates SLS and SLES<\/a>, phthalates<\/a>, mineral oils<\/a>, formaldehyde<\/a> and more.\u201d While Ulta states, \u201cWe know that clean can mean many things. Our goal: to be transparent and keep things simple. We\u2019re focusing on ingredients that products have\u2014and don\u2019t\u2014to help you easily reach for the beauty you want\u201d (a \u201cMade Without List\u201d that evolves as research evolves accompanies this statement).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or fiction: Everything is a chemical<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

FACT. \u201cEven water is a chemical, and even water can be toxic if you drink too much,\u201d Thompson notes. \u201cOverarching claims that sound scary, like \u2018free of harsh chemicals\u2019 or \u2018chemical-free\u2019\u2014this can be inaccurate because technically everything is a chemical.\u201d She adds that consumers should be mindful of \u201cclean-washing,\u201d particularly since toxicity claims can also be open to interpretation: \u201cUse level plays a huge role in the actual hazard of a chemical. At the level it would be used in a formula [that\u2019s been approved by regulatory bodies like the FDA], it wouldn\u2019t be harmful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or fiction: Clean equals natural<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

FICTION. Much like the term \u201cclean,\u201d Thomas says, \u201cThere are no regulations around \u2018all-natural\u2019 and it is used quite loosely. An all-natural product can be made with plant-based ingredients, but it can also have manmade or synthetic ingredients.\u201d Similarly, clean products are not always solely formulated with ingredients produced in nature or plant-based ingredients. Moreover, being labeled clean or natural \u201cdoes not mean that the product has been inspected, tested or certified in any way,\u201d Thomas says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or fiction: Clean always means more sustainable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

FICTION. Perhaps to no one\u2019s surprise at this point, the answer to whether any brand can be classified as \u201cmore sustainable\u201d is it depends<\/em>. Even household products marketed as clean may be packaged entirely in single-use plastics. Another example are the ingredients themselves, since the amount of water and farming involved can also impact sustainability<\/a>. \u201cA synthetic might actually be a lesser strain on natural resources, if otherwise you have to take up a ton of land and water to only get a small amount of an ingredient,\u201d Thompson explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact or fiction: Product safety is up each brand, regardless of whether it is clean or clinical<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

FACT. Of all the above facts and fictions, the question of safety may be the most straightforward. Simply put, it doesn\u2019t matter whether a brand is labeled \u201cclean\u201d or \u201cclinical\u201d to be considered safe\u2014all<\/em> brands are on the line for bringing products safely to market. According to the FDA, \u201ca manufacturer or distributor of a cosmetic is legally responsible for ensuring that a marketed product is safe when consumers use it according to the directions in the labeling.\u201d In other words, their products better be safe, or any brand will risk getting their pants sued off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More about clinical skincare here:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 1, Clinical Skincare Series: To believe or not to believe those amazing skin-benefit claims we see everywhere?<\/a>
Part 2, Clinical Skincare Series: What makes a formula \u2018clinical grade\u2019? 5 things to consider next time you shop<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Note from the brand: As a clinical skincare brand, we often get the question: \u201cWhat does being \u2018clinical\u2019 actually mean?\u201d We hope this content series is helpful for a better understanding of clinical skincare. There\u2019s no denying that the skincare world can feel like a topsy-turvy place sometimes, particularly with entirely new categories like \u201cclean […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":1006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-skin"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1750794628:21"],"_edit_last":["21"],"adobe_analytics_repeatable":["a:1:{i:0;a:2:{s:4:\"name\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"value\";s:0:\"\";}}"],"primary_category":["5"],"_primary_category":["field_608c33bdd26d5"],"show_featured_image":["1"],"_show_featured_image":["field_609ee1cf1ce13"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["4"],"post_views_count":["9061"],"_thumbnail_id":["1006"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["5"],"_wp_old_date":["2021-06-23"],"mobile_image":[""],"_mobile_image":["field_60bf7692abe28"],"_post_views_count":["field_6107dfafd6a27"],"sidebar_products_use_global_default":["0"],"_sidebar_products_use_global_default":["field_63a349a11086a"],"sidebar_products_items":[""],"_sidebar_products_items":["field_63a349a110878"],"sidebar_products":[""],"_sidebar_products":["field_63a349a0dadad"],"sidebar_products_title":["Related Products"],"_sidebar_products_title":["field_6408d62123449"],"_yoast_wpseo_title":["Clinical vs clean skincare brands | Murad Skincare"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["Clinical vs clean skincare: 5 facts and fictions revealed. Expert analysis of beauty marketing claims and product effectiveness."]},"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":{"primary_category":{"term_id":5,"name":"Skin","slug":"skin","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":238,"filter":"raw"},"show_featured_image":true,"post_views_count":"9061","mobile_image":false,"sidebar_products":{"use_global_default":false,"title":"Related Products","items":""}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1000"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5897,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000\/revisions\/5897"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/1006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}