Clean Makeup, Reconsidered

When we started BaeBlu, clean beauty was non-negotiable. Honestly? We were a little obsessive about it.

Our makeup had to be natural. It had to be organic wherever possible. If I looked at a formula that didn't meet the standards I'd created in my head, I wasn't interested.

And I was proud of that.

At a time when “clean beauty” could mean almost anything, BaeBlu was squeaky clean. I was frustrated by brands using the same language while operating under completely different standards.

Nearly a decade later, I still care deeply about what goes into our products. But I've learned a lot—about ingredients, formulation, my own skin, and the danger of becoming so attached to a belief that you stop being willing to question it.

We've grown beyond dogma.

Natural Isn't Automatically Better. Synthetic Isn't Automatically Bad.

That sentence would have been IMPOSSIBLE for me to write when I started BaeBlu.

I used to hear people say, “Just because something is natural doesn't mean it's good for you.” And internally? I'd roll my eyes.

It felt like a cop-out—an excuse for brands to call something “clean” without holding themselves to the standards I thought they should.

But here's the part I eventually had to learn:

They weren't entirely wrong.

Natural ingredients can be incredible. They are the backbone of our products, and we still use them extensively. Organic botanicals, plant oils, waxes, mineral pigments, and naturally derived ingredients remain a the largest part of BaeBlu's DNA.

But natural ingredients can also irritate some people's skin. And synthetic ingredients aren't automatically harsh or inferior simply because they were created or refined in a laboratory. Some can help create formulas that are stable, elegant, comfortable, and incredibly beautiful on the skin.

So today, the first question isn't simply:

“Is it natural?”

It's:

“Why is it here?”

From Our Founder

There was a time when I'd look at a formula and ask, “How organic is it?” before I asked almost anything else.

Today, my first question is different:

Does this deserve to go on our customers' skin?

That shift wasn't theoretical for me.

After years of wearing BaeBlu makeup, my skin and body became increasingly reactive. Eventually products I loved—and had personally brought to market—became products I couldn't comfortably wear anymore.

My eyes would burn. My nose would run. My body was telling me very clearly that something wasn't working for me.

The irony wasn't lost on me.

Here I was, the founder of an incredibly natural, highly organic makeup company...

and I couldn't wear my own makeup.

That experience humbled me.

It taught me that a beautiful ingredient list doesn't guarantee that every person's skin will love every ingredient in it. It taught me that natural doesn't automatically mean gentle. And it forced me to become more open-minded about formulas I once might have dismissed simply because they didn't meet an arbitrary organic percentage.

I haven't stopped loving organic ingredients. I haven't stopped caring about natural origin. And I certainly haven't stopped caring about ingredient safety.

I've stopped believing organic and natural percentages are the only measure of a great formula.

— Mo, Co-Founder of BaeBlu

So, What Does “Clean” Mean to BaeBlu Today?

There is no single, universally accepted definition of “clean beauty.” Rather than hide behind the word, we'd rather tell you exactly what we mean by it.

Clean at BaeBlu means prioritize natural and organic ingredients where they make sense while staying open to thoughtfully selected modern cosmetic ingredients that can improve performance, stability, texture, or the overall experience.

It is about approaching every formula with intention and being transparent about it. 

What matters is whether the complete formula meets our standards and earns a place in the BaeBlu collection.

We aren't interested in purity for purity's sake.

We're interested in purpose.

Clean Without the Fear

We don't want you afraid of your makeup bag.

We don't believe an ingredient should be demonized because its INCI name sounds scientific. And we don't believe an ingredient deserves a free pass simply because it came from a plant.

Context matters. Concentration matters. Formulation matters. And your individual skin matters.

A beautifully formulated product can still not be right for your skin. Something another person swears by may make your eyes water. Something the internet tells you to fear may be something your skin tolerates beautifully.

We've learned that firsthand.

That's why we believe ingredient education should empower you—not scare you.

We'll give you the information. We'll tell you what we know. We'll tell you what a formula contains and why we've chosen it.

Then we'll respect the fact that ultimately:

Your skin gets a vote too.

Growing Beyond Dogma

Changing your mind isn't the same thing as abandoning your values.

Sometimes it's what happens when you take your values seriously enough to keep examining them.

We're still BaeBlu. We're still ingredient nerds. We're still going to ask too many questions, care deeply about what goes into our products, and tell you what we find.

But today, we're comfortable holding two things at once:

Nature is extraordinary. Science is extraordinary.

We don't have to choose a team.

We can learn from both. We can stay curious. We can demand beautiful performance. And we can continue raising our standards—not by becoming more rigid, but by becoming more informed.

Because clean shouldn't mean being afraid of what's in your makeup.

It should mean understanding it.

Our standards haven't gotten lower.

They've gotten smarter.

Welcome to the next chapter of BaeBlu.