Catherine Lockhart is a clean beauty and low-tox living content creator and the founder of Shelter Skin, a nontoxic body care brand bringing clean beauty to the luxury space. Her content helps women navigate nontoxic living in an easy, approachable way.
Discover how Catherine Lockhart, clean beauty expert and founder of Shelter Skin, is making low-tox living accessible and luxurious. In this interview, she discusses low-tox living, greenwashing, and and how to navigate the clean beauty world like a pro.
What first inspired you to explore clean beauty and low-tox living, and how has it shaped your approach to wellness?
I stumbled upon the world of clean beauty and low-tox living by accident. I was diagnosed with PCOS and started seeking out information from various sources - podcasts, books, holistic health doctors. A lot of the information was new to me and I started hearing the words "endocrine disruptors" when referencing home and beauty products. It truly never crossed my mind that the perfume collection that I loved so much could be impacting my hormones. I realized that from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed, I was rubbing, spraying, applying multiple products that all contained chemicals that were known or potential endocrine disruptors. It completely shifted my understanding and approach to life. I started one by one, checking product ingredients and swapping out the bad for less toxic versions. As I went on this journey, I shared it with my followers and found an amazing community of women who are all trying to do the same.
Can you share what inspired your upcoming skincare line, shelter skin, and what makes it a must-have for those committed to clean beauty?
When I was going through this low-tox journey, I was frustrated by the lack of clean body care products that both performed beautifully and looked beautiful on your counter. I started making my own at home and sharing the recipes with my followers, who all asked me to sell it! The formula wasn't what I would consider "sellable" at the time, but I spent the next year making over 40 variations until I made the perfect one.
No.1 Vanilla Tallow Body Butter checks all the truly clean beauty boxes. It is made with 4 ingredients: 100% grass-fed, regeneratively raised beef tallow, organic golden jojoba oil, organic grade a vanilla bean pods, and non-gmo vitamin E oil. It is free from endocrine disruptors, toxins, fillers, and synthetic fragrances and is handcrafted in Austin, TX in small batches. It deeply nourishes and imparts a soft vanilla scent, with a velvety butter-like texture. I couldn't be more proud of this product and I'm so excited for others to experience it, too!
Many people assume "clean" labels mean a product is safe. What should consumers really look for when choosing clean beauty and wellness products?
There is so much "greenwashing" or "cleanwashing" in the beauty industry. Sephora, Ulta, Target, all have "clean" categories and emblems, but none have standards that I would actually consider clean. All of them allow synthetic fragrance in the products they label "clean" which I think is crazy because the word "fragrance" can include up to 3600 chemicals that are not required to be disclosed, and many of which are allergens and endocrine disruptors.
I prefer my products to have ingredients that I recognize. Similarly to a grocery store, the more natural, whole ingredients, the better. Beauty and home products can have incredibly lengthy ingredients lists, so I often use the Switch Natural App to help me vet products.
Are there any common ingredients in conventional beauty products that you absolutely avoid? What are some clean swaps people can make right away?
These are ingredients that whenever I spot them on a label, it's an automatic no. This usually filters out around 99% of the products.
Absolute No List: fragrance, parfum, flavor, aroma, parabens, phthalates (often not disclosed and hidden under "fragrance"), parabens, phenoxyethanol, BHT, triclosan, polysorbates, PEGs, SLS, siloxanes. The list goes on, but these root out most products immediately on first glance.
The easiest place to start is with synthetic fragrance. You would be surprised when you think about how many things in your life contain synthetic fragrance - floor cleaner, laundry detergent, candles, perfume, dish soap, body lotion, multipurpose spray, even your makeup. Swapping out these items made the largest and most immediate impact for me. It completely cleared my brain fog and my headaches. I always tell people to start with the things that they use the most. Perfume and laundry detergent are two things that are heavily fragranced and stay on your skin all day.
The beauty industry is filled with marketing buzzwords like "natural" and "organic." How can people cut through the noise and truly understand what they’re putting on their skin?
I think it's important for people understand ingredients and take back the power from the big brands. There will always be brands touting 'clean' and 'natural' that are not - these terms aren't regulated and don't require any sort of certification or verification to be used in marketing. You, as the consumer, have the power to understand what these ingredients really are and make better choices for yourself.
Clean beauty is just one part of low-tox living. What other areas of daily life should people be mindful of when reducing their toxic load?
I always say that 8 hours of sleep, filtered water, daily sunlight, daily movement, a good air filter, and a whole foods diet are the most important things you can do for your health. If you can do these things, you're 99% of the way there. What I like to recommend to people that are trying to reduce their toxic load is whenever you run out of something - say you're out of dishwasher pods - that is when you can research better options and make the switch. It lessens the immediate cost burden of switching and makes it a much more approachable process.
For those new to this lifestyle, what’s one simple change they can make today that will have a big impact on their overall well-being?
I sound like a broken record, but removing synthetic fragrance is one of the most impactful things you can do for your health. I don't know anyone who has made the switch and gone back. A great place to start is with body care products, and shelter skin is here to help.
Are there any wellness rituals or products that you swear by for feeling your best?
Red light therapy is one of my favorite tools to incorporate. I recently got the HigherDOSE red light hat and have been loving that for hair growth! I'm also obsessed with my vibration plate - really anything lymphatic drainage-related. Daily gua sha and facial massage are a must for me. Daily meditation with the Open app. And I am obsessed with taking baths with the HigherDOSE Serotonin Soak.
Where do you see the future of clean beauty and low-tox living headed? Are there any trends or innovations you’re excited about?
I'm so excited about the future of clean beauty and low-tox living because it feels like we are just on the cusp of it becoming mainstream! When I started talking about low-tox living, I saw a lot of comments saying that endocrine disruptors aren't real and it isn't science-backed (which is untrue). Now I rarely get those comments and most comments are women telling me about their own health journey and thanking me for helping them find better products. It was quite a significant shift and happened in the last year, so I imagine it will only continue.
I'm excited about the further integration of tech and low-tox living. I think it will bring a lot of increased transparency and company accountability, empowering the consumer to make better choices and understand what they're buying.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who wants to embrace clean beauty but feels overwhelmed by all the options?
I would say follow me :) kidding, but that is my entire goal with my social channels! I try to make clean beauty and low-tox living easy and approachable. I know exactly how overwhelming it can be because I was in the same position! Finding trusted resources and doing your best to educate yourself on whatever you are looking to do! Starting with ingredients - what they are and what they do - is the best place to start.
To learn more about Catherine Lockhart's clean beauty journey and tips, follow her on Instagram: @catherine.lockhart.
