February 2024

Because the notion of “clean” has solidified its place in mainstream beauty marketing — July 15 is officially “National Clean Beauty Day” — the backlash against it's becoming louder, too. For one, content creators — influencers, young brand owners and skincare experts with a loyal following online — have been questioning the meaning of the term. “‘Clean’ means absolutely nothing,” said Dr. Shereene Idriss in a press release to WWD. (The Latest York City-based dermatologist — who is commonly dismantling misinformation in beauty on social media through her conversational #Pillowtalkderm sessions — had lost her voice, mockingly, and was unable to speak on the phone.) “In case you ever tried to take a step back to seek out a regulated, uniform, data-backed and...