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Walmart bans over 1,200 harmful ingredients from new 'clean beauty' list: 'We can do better for our customers'

"We expect the platform to continue to grow each year."

Walmart's Clean Beauty

Photo Credit: iStock

If you're on social media, you've probably seen a fair share of #cleanbeauty videos. Well, that clean girl makeup routine you've been dreaming about may have just gotten a little bit easier to achieve. 

In an effort to reach shoppers where they're at, Walmart has announced Clean Beauty, an online shop featuring more than 900 products aimed at environmentally conscious shoppers.

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The retail giant has compiled a list of more than 900 products that are free of potentially harmful ingredients listed on the organization's Made Without List (MWL). According to a release by Walmart, the list was developed by reviewing state and federal regulations and expert input from the Environmental Defense Fund. The list includes chemicals such as formaldehyde and PFAs

"We have been working to make our clean beauty standards best in class," Creighton Kiper, Vice President of Beauty for Walmart, said. "That's how we ended up with over 1,200 ingredients on the MWL."

Walmart claims that the launch comes as a direct response to consumer demand. The hashtag #cleanbeauty currently has 5.9 million views on Instagram and 1.4 billion views on TikTok. And while there isn't one single way to define clean beauty, it generally refers to beauty products free of harsh chemicals that could be detrimental to the people using them. 

Currently, in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration bans only 11 cosmetic ingredients. For comparison, the European Union bans more than 1,300 ingredients

The Safer Beauty Bill Package was introduced to Congress in 2022. If passed, it will codify legal definitions for terms like "natural" and "naturally derived" and ban ingredients like the ones on Walmart's Made Without List. 

But more natural ingredients aren't the only thing Walmart aims to bring with this launch — the company is also working to make the products an affordable option for all. The organization reports that 80% of the items sold under Clean Beauty at Walmart are under $10. 

"We expect the platform to continue to grow each year as we work closely with suppliers," Kiper said. "How we define 'clean' will evolve as we evaluate the MWL periodically. The more we learn, the more we can do better for our customers."

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