Trilogy's Bianca Talaic gives us an inside scoop on clean beauty: its benefits, its importance, and what to avoid when starting a new regimen
The reality of skin is that it can be fickle; and truth be told, no one knows this better than I, who have lived for over twenty years on rollercoaster of skincare ups and downs. Some months are good, others not so much but I've never been one receive too many compliments on the state of my skin. Speaking now to Bianca Talaic, the global communications and strategic projects manager of New Zealand skincare brand, Trilogy, is like a breath of fresh air. Despite her glowing complexion, she understands the struggle that many men and women go through.
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"If you ever have skin that's not that great, [it affects] your whole self-esteem," she notes. "You pull away, you start to wear more makeup, you just can't feel great about yourself." And in a world that seems to become have become more obsessed with beauty, this can pose a problem.
These days, skincare is a vital part of everyone's daily routine. But behind each tempting skincare package comes the baffling chemistry of beauty. "As a consumer, you're not a scientist. You're not a formulation expert," Talaic reminds me. "There's a lot of smoke and mirrors within the beauty industry." So now I ask: "what is clean beauty and how does one find it?"
Look for Certification
"[Clean beauty} is not just about ingredients," Talaic explains. "Clean is a holistic approach to producing beauty. It's the way that we do business, it's the way that we source. It's the mindful creation of powerfully natural skincare that also doesn't harm the environment or your skin."
Because the words "organic", "vegan", and "all-natural" seem to have gained traction in the past couple of years plenty of brands have also jumped in on the race to be as friendly and approachable to conscious buyers. "A lot of those big brands have now bought clean beauty brands because they understand—business-wise—that they have to clean up their brand and choose to not use phthalates, fillers, silicone oils, petrochemicals, and all the stuff that people aren't going to use [anymore]."
So how can we distinguish between marketing and meaningful beauty? For Talaic, the answer is simple: certification. "There's a lot of pseudo-clean skincare brands and so if [you want to invest in] a clean beauty brand, look for [one] that's got third party accreditation." For Trilogy, they've been accredited by NATRUE, a globally recognised certification that's also the world's leading certification in the natural sector. "To first get that certification, it takes two years of paperwork to certify one product," she explains. "It's very labour intensive and very, very strict."
