Cognisant of the skeptics, the founders say the Clari procedure is not a cure, but should be viewed as a tool in a wider kit of lifestyle adjustments that can reduce contaminant exposure. “Clari provides a first-of-its-kind, incremental benefit, but it is more of a turbocharging catalyst to lifestyle changes people still have to make,” says David Cohen, chemical engineer and board member at Clarify Clinic. “We advise our patients that there are many ways that do not entail our procedure to lower your exposure, like not drinking out of plastic water bottles, opting for natural fibers instead of things like polyester underwear, and reducing use of products containing PFAS.”
Clean cosmetics — legitimate or language laundering?
Cosmetic brands catering to these lifestyle shifts could see more uptake from the discerning consumer. Some, like 14 Day Mani, have already benefited from building this into their offer at the start. “Hema-free wasn’t a trend for us — it was one of the founding principles,” says founder Susan Cummings, in reference to her choice to omit Hema (a chemical commonly found causing skin irritation in gel polishes) from all 14 Day Mani products.
The brand also stocked TPO-free nail polishes well before the recent ban — following the gel polish ingredient’s correlation with reproductive risk. “I wanted to develop a professional-quality manicure system that delivered exceptional results while taking a more considered approach to ingredients,” Cummins says. “My philosophy has always been that beautiful nails should never come at the expense of health.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by Neal’s Yard Remedies CEO Anabel Kindersley, who in 2016, successfully lobbied UK Parliament to ban the use of microplastic beads in rinse-off cosmetics. “The renewed conversation around PFAs is prompting many people to take a closer look at the ingredients in their beauty products, but we have always taken the precautionary principle: if there is reasonable doubt about an ingredient, we would rather leave it out. That has shaped our formulations.”
Authenticity is the watchword here. While there is demand, the clued-up beauty customer can sniff out virtue signaling from a mile off. Clean language alone no longer cuts it, according to findings from a 2026 WGSN report. Beauty brands positioning around purity must present meaningful results in order to substantiate any claims — and to actually earn sales.
“Consumers are more discerning about ingredient language — ‘natural’ is not a synonym for effective, and ‘synthetic’ is not a synonym for unsafe,” concurs Rita El Khouri, research and innovation SVP at K18. The brand’s Peptide Detox shampoo, which adsorbs hard water deposits to thoroughly clean hair, has amassed 238,000 impressions on TikTok this month and can consistently be found topping the app’s section for popular searches. “Our launches resonate when the consumer can connect the promise to evidence that the intervention creates meaningful improvements,” adds El Khouri.
With the purification industry tracking to reach $35 billion in less than a decade, the brands that capitalize on purification with prescient solutions have opportunity ahead.
