What is Biobased Beauty?
At Youthforia, we’re big on having fun — and big on reducing our environmental impact. That’s why we certify our products USDA BioBased; leaving out the fossil fuels so you can keep playing with your look, while helping out mother nature along the way. Read on to learn what the certification means, and why we love being biobased.
Beauty Loves Fossil Fuels
Why does the beauty industry love fossil fuels? Generally, because they’re cheap and easy to work with: crude oil’s relative abundance makes petroleum-based ingredients cheaper to produce, and petroleum is easy to convert into other chemicals with specific properties. Non-renewable-derived ingredients include everything from liquid plastics to mineral oil, and are in a number of everyday beauty products — even shampoo and toothpaste.
All of these products eventually end up back in the environment, which is why our Down the Drain Impact is constantly on our minds. If the average beauty-lover uses 15 products a day, that’s nearly 500 chemicals that are washed down the drain. Using products that contain fossil fuels or PFAS (aka, toxic compounds like liquid plastic) means that these chemicals, which are notoriously hard to break down, can contaminate water supplies and harm wildlife. While we’re just starting to learn about the effects of these compounds, they’ve been found everywhere from soil to our food supply. As more and more of the damaging effects of nonrenewable resources — on our bodies and on the planet — come to light, the need for a major industry shift has become apparent.
What does biobased mean?
That’s where biobased ingredients come in. Derived from renewable, plant-based sources, these ingredients mimic their petroleum-based counterparts, but leave out the fossil fuels. Our products are certified with USDA BioPreferred, which means that the ingredients are third-party tested and verified as, at minimum, 25% biobased. Not to brag, but all Youthforia products are at least 98% biobased — doing good for you, your skin, and the Earth.
A few reasons we love being biobased:
Safer for you
Biobased production processes, like fermentation, don’t expose ingredients to synthetic contaminants, meaning these compounds are safer than their non-renewable counterparts. While petrochemicals are pervasive in beauty products, there’s a lot we don’t know about how safe they are — some are potentially toxic, so we think it’s better to steer clear. Limiting exposure to these chemicals is important for long-term health, so you can keep on glowing.
Less energy to produce
Biobased ingredients take significantly less energy to produce than their oil-derived counterparts, making them more sustainable from the get go.
Improved product quality
Not taking shortcuts means a major upgrade in formulas. Leaving out filler ingredients, like petroleum-based mineral oil, means the products do what they’re supposed to (and then some!) without the pollutants.
Innovation
Leaving behind petrochemicals means lessening our Down the Drain Impact; but it also means more room for completely new ingredients and innovation in the beauty world.
Being biobased isn’t easy; sometimes it means taking the longer road, rather than relying on industry-standard (but less Earth-friendly) ingredients.
While being biobased might blow minds now, we’re looking forward to helping make it the norm. We’re always looking for ways to be at the front of the pack and striving to create the never-before-seen — ditching fossil fuels is just the start.
