I am so excited to introduce you all to my friend Dawn! She is a non-toxic beauty specialist…how amazing! I love that so many people are educating themselves on the importance of non-toxic skincare, and I’m obsessed that you actually get to do this for a living. Incredible!

Dawn and I have spent a lot of time talking about the importance of living a non-toxic life and the growing movement we are seeing in our country. As a Holistic Nutrition Specialist it is so important for me to not only live a non-toxic life but also use non-toxic products. I always tell my clients that our skin is our largest organ and what we put on our skin in absorbed and carried into our bloodstream and can have a big impact on our body and our organs.

I can not wait to “introduce” you all to Dawn and have you learn more about this topic!

Hi Dawn! Can you tell us about yourself?

Hi!! I am a Naples resident, a wife, and a crazy busy mom of two teens. Two years ago at the age of 48, I decided to become an independent business owner with Beautycounter. I love sharing how to get glowing skin with a holistic approach on my Live Clean Eat Well Instagram account. I do this through educating on living clean, eating well, keeping a positive mindset, and beauty tips.

How did you get started in the clean beauty movement?

I have a family history of cancer, and my aunt and mom both died from cancer. I was absolutely crushed when I lost my mom 4 years ago. Frankly my own health was not in the best place, at that time. I had been diagnosed with several autoimmune issues, I wasn’t active, and I was scared. I knew I needed to dig deep, and take control of my own health. So I became an certified coach for an online wellness and fitness company. I was on the right path with eating and fitness. I hadn’t really thought much about my beauty products, until my daughter had an almost anaphylactic reaction to drugstore make-up. I began a desperate search for safer products and with 100% ingredient transparency. As I hunted for non-reactive personal care and beauty products, I stumbled upon Beautycounter.

Beautycounter is a brand that not only lists every single ingredient, but also a company creating safer products by banning over 1800 chemicals of concern, and leading industry change. I loved the peace of mind that came with the brand, I loved the company mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone, but most of all I loved the results I saw with my own skin.

Why are clean beauty products so important?

Your skin is your largest organ, and the chemicals in products we apply topically are absorbed. Why is this important? Because decades of studies indicate that serious health issues (including but not limited to asthma, cancer, and infertility) are on the rise and are due in some part to our ongoing exposure to toxic chemicals. The issue is that there are more than 80,000 chemicals on the market today, many without safety data. The U.S. has not passed a major federal law governing the cosmetics industry since 1938, the FDA has no authority to remove harmful ingredients from products. Right now in the U.S., it is completely legal for companies to use toxic chemicals in the products that we put on our bodies every day, even if the ingredients are known to cause cancer or other health problems. Due to major loopholes in federal law, cosmetics can use terms like “natural”, “green”, “non-toxic”, and nearly any other word that comes to mind without containing ingredients that accurately meet those descriptions. Even products certified as organic can have as little as 10% organic ingredients, depending on the certifier. This means that we need to be our own health advocates, by becoming label readers and ingredient detectives.

What is your favorite brand and why?

I am a fan of Jane Iredale and Celtic Complexion. But Beautycounter is my favorite brand of course!!! There are a lot of “clean beauty” brands out there. Some who do it well, some who don’t. Not only does Beautycounter do it very well, but with total ingredient transparency, and with a mission that goes well beyond selling face cream and lipstick. First we focus on performance, safety and innovation. We create market-leading, clean, high-performing products, proving you don’t have to compromise one to get the other. Second, we educate the public about how to avoid harmful ingredients. Finally we advocate tirelessly for more health protective laws and we take that fight all the way to Capitol Hill. A highlight for me was when I met with Senator Rubio’s aide early last year, to ask for the Senators support on the Cosmetic Reform Safety Act. The goal is to get safer beauty into the hands of everyone, and no other company is doing this right now.

Anything else we should know about clean beauty products?

Clean Beauty isn’t just for the ladies, it should be a family affair. According to a teen study conducted by the Environmental Working Group, participants reported using an average of 17 products each day. Furthermore teens may be particularly sensitive to hormone disrupting chemicals, given the complex role they play during puberty; this is a time when girls begin to start experimenting with cosmetics, perfume, and body care products. In the 1960’s the ratio of breast cancer was 1 in 20 in women, now it’s 1 in 8 women. I worry what the rates will be when the current generation of teen girls, are adults. And don’t forget about the men in your life, young and old, because they deserve products with safe ingredients as well.

If people have questions how can they in contact with you??

People can find me on Instagram or I have beauty focused Private Facebook Group

But I also love working one on one with clients, so if anyone would like a personal consultation I can be contacted at dkconder@gmail.com

Lastly, my favorite resource for learning more about a particular product’s safety, is the Environmental Working Group. The EWG is a nonprofit, American activist group that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of agricultural subsidies, toxic chemicals, drinking water pollutants, and corporate accountability. Their Healthy Living app has a catalog of products and scores them on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most toxic. The app also has a barcode scan option, which is super useful when shopping in stores!