CLEAN BEAUTY SERIES: Tandia Walsh

A love affair between MOTHER SPF + Clean Beauty....

MOTHER SPF founder, Tandia Walsh explains why she's clean beauty obsessed

How did you get into clean beauty? 

I have always been very health orientated, especially when it comes to food and exercise (My mum owned a dance school throughout my childhood and owned a health food store prior). But in terms of skincare - I never gave it any further thought, if it worked for my chronic acne I had in my teens... well that was good enough for me at the time. It wasn’t until my mother was diagnosed with cancer that I discovered the link between the toxins found in skincare and the impact they an have on our hormones, health and environment. 

At the same time, I was also getting chemical peels to help with my acne. I remember sitting at my desk looking at the flakes of skin that were peeling off my face and dropping onto my desk (gross I know!) and thinking how on earth can this actually be good for my skin! I decided instead to stop all skincare for 1 week ….. and I couldn’t believe how quickly my skin cleared - It was the best it had ever looked! 

How would you define clean beauty? 

In simple terms, I would consider clean beauty to be products made without ingredients suspected to harm human health or mother nature. 

Personally, I think of it serving a greater purpose. It’s about a brand being conscious, transparent and putting the consumers' health and the environment ahead of profits. Not only are the ingredients safe to human health and the environment but greater thought is given to how these ingredients are harvested - are pesticides involved? are there traces of palm oil resulting in deforestation? and how is the formula packaged - is the packaging made locally? Is the packaging minimal or is more emphasis given on looking ‘cool’ in contrast to putting Mother Nature first. 

What have been the benefits/rewards from switching to clean beauty?

As mentioned earlier, 100% would be my skin health. My skin is the best it’s ever looked since moving to clean beauty. My skin barrier is healthy and I feel like my skin can finally breathe! (also my bank account has loved this too! clean beauty is very much a 'less is more' approach) 

What's the biggest myth on clean beauty?

That it doesn’t deliver results :) We forget that synthetic ingredients that are made in labs are based on the principles of natural ingredients or more designed to mimic the natural version. However the synthetic versions just do not have the same antioxidant levels and do not work in harmony with our skin like natural ingredients do. I think by now we have recognised that we simply cannot replicate Mother Nature. 

Has switching to clean beauty impacted other parts of your life? If so, how.

In SO many wonderful ways. Besides the obvious of bringing MOTHER to life. Switching to clean has allowed me to be conscious in all aspects of my life and to admire the beauty in Mother nature on such a deeper level. I am so much more in-tuned with my surroundings now and I feel like I am so much more grateful with the environment we are blessed to grow up with in Australia -i.e blue oceans, national parks etc. 

Any tips on switching to clean beauty? 

To remember that the goal isn’t to throw out everything currently in your bathroom cupboard and buy every clean beauty product on the market. It’s also not an all-or-nothing thing approach! Don’t ditch your synthetic makeup just yet - just replace when needed. 

Consider switching clean with your everyday essentials first - i.e body soap, body moisturiser, toothpaste etc as these also have great natural alternatives available! 

What's your favourite clean beauty product? 

Besides MOTHER SPF (Obvi) I am obsessed with exploring what’s in the kitchen cupboard.  I love to use Coconut Oil as my body moisturiser and mix Matcha Tea Powder/Manuka honey for a brightening face mask. 

Top clean beauty brands you would recommend?

Daily essentials: Moo Goo, Weleda, Grants Toothpaste, No Pong Deodorant

Make Up: Kosas, Ilia, Eye of Horus, Erez Perez, RMS

Skincare: Mukti, Sodashi, Kora Organics, Josh Roosebrooks, Marie Veroqniue, Dermaviduals 

Where do you love to shop for clean beauty? 

In Perth I love going to Heartwood, I love the girls instore and the store always smells incredible. Online I love ONDA Beauty in Sydney for high end skincare and Nourished Life for cheaper everyday clean beauty staples.

What ingredients do you try to stay away from? 

I have had bad hormonal issues over the recent year (after coming off the pill!) so I stay clear from any hormone disrupting chemicals such as chemical sunscreen actives and parabens. 

I also want to respect my skin microbiome as much as possible as I believe that is the key to healthy skin. I therefore only use products that use natural preservatives and I stay away from PEGs/emulsifiers as they can strip your skin barrier and silicones because they clog my pores.  

Just because it's natural, we know it doesn't mean it's safe or skin friendly, are there any natural ingredients you steer clear from?

Essential oils can be problematic for some but I tend to have no issues. However I will stay away from citrus essential oils if I am going to be in the sun as they are phototoxic when applied to the skin and in direct sunlight (this can cause pigmentation issues!). Otherwise my skins very tolerable to most! .. not that I use much skincare these days!