By Morgan Sung -
NBC News
Kosas, a makeup brand focused on “clean” beauty, has been widely criticized for a Reddit forum post in which a user reported finding mold in a face concealer.
That post then went viral on TikTok, and now many have questioned the supposed benefits of the so-called "clean beauty" movement in the makeup industry.
Kosas sells its products as "skin-enhancing" items, stating that it uses "minimal ingredients for maximum impact."
Many clean beauty brands, including Kosas, say their products are free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, talc, aluminum, and many chemicals typically used in cosmetic products.
Kosas' popular face concealer has been touted as an essential product for anyone trying to achieve the "clean girl aesthetic," which is a trend in the beauty world that advocates "no makeup" makeup and slicked-back hair. back effortlessly.
Kosas brand face concealer.Kosas Cosmetics
But in recent weeks, some TikTok users have complained that their concealer smells stale and causes skin irritations.
As those videos went viral, a rumor also spread that the product was growing mold, something that led to further criticism of the brand and the clean beauty movement in general.
Other users have also started to question the safety of these products.
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The claim about mold in the concealer appears to stem from an eight-month-old Reddit post appearing on the r/Makeup thread, where one person said they had found "blackheads" in their concealer a year after opening it. for the first time.
He also said it smelled like "blue cheese" and other people claimed it had burned their skin when they used it.
When asked about criticism of its product, a Kosas representative asked NBC News to review the FAQ section of its website, which states that the company uses "safe and effective preservatives and stabilizers." antimicrobials that prevent against mold, yeast and pathogens.
The brand has also directly responded to some criticism in TikTok videos.
For example, it clarified to a user that the discoloration on one of its products was not mold, but rather two white-out substances that had separated inside the packaging.
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Jane Tsui, a cosmetic chemist who oversees product formulas for beauty brands, said that "every brand has setbacks" and that Kosas is likely receiving a lot of criticism "because it's been a fast-growing popular brand."
On the packaging of any cosmetic there is information about the shelf life of a product after opening.
In the case of the Kosas concealer, it can be used for six months after opening.
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Although some TikTok users report that their concealer began to smell bad and irritate their skin before six months.
“She lasted half her lifespan and started giving off a horrible stench,” one user complained.
Several cosmetic chemists on TikTok have raised concerns about the concealer's stability, as it uses alternative preservatives.
Cosmetic chemist Javon Ford told TikTok users that potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate, found in Kosas' concealer, are "better at killing mold and mildew than killing bacteria."
He also noted that
the formula does not contain a chelator, a compound that inhibits bacterial growth.
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Cosmetic chemists test products under a variety of different conditions and typically look for a product to remain stable for three months at 40 degrees Celsius.
In a recent video, Tsui suggested that the product may have passed the tests at the time of production, but questioned whether it would have passed the tests at three and six months.
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A product like Kosas's concealer, which is applied with a sponge that makes direct contact with the skin and then stored in its tube, is "more likely to become contaminated," Tsui said.
Products that are "natural" and products that use synthetic ingredients may pass tests when manufactured, but may change when new bacteria are introduced.
“Kosas would not be the only or the first brand to have that problem,” he added.
"It's something that a lot of brands have come across in the marketplace, and sometimes they have to recall the product for testing."
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The burgeoning clean beauty movement markets products free of 'synthetic' chemicals, instead using 'natural' ingredients like seaweed and caffeine.
Some brands label their products 'clean' because they are vegan and don't test on animals, while others say they aim to lessen environmental impact by using alternative ingredients.
While some research has linked certain chemicals to health effects,
"natural" ingredients are not inherently safer or non-toxic
, Tsui cautioned.
“A lot of times, synthetic materials can work as well or even better than something 'natural,' and there's a lot of perception that synthetic ingredients are more harmful because they're not natural, but that's simply not the case,” Tsui said.
“A lot of research has been done to make sure they are safe.”
Parabens, a commonly used preservative, have been linked to increased estrogen levels, and one study detected the chemical in breast cancer tissue.
Although research on the chemical's long-term effect on health is still inconclusive, the beauty industry has largely avoided the use of parabens.
But substitute preservatives can be harmful or irritating, or not as effective.
In 2019, Glossy reported an increase in alerts for microbial contamination in beauty products, which the Food and Drug Administration posts on its site.
