Clean Beauty Cheat Sheet: The Filthy 14

Clean Beauty Cheat Sheet: The Filthy 14 Latina Woman Looking at Her Compact Powder Mirror Reflection Clean Ingredients Safe Makeup Toxic Beauty Products

This article was made in collaboration with Vamigas Botanicals: a Latina-led, vegan, ethically sourced, cruelty-free skincare brand created from Latin American botanicals from Chile, Peru, Mexico, and more, that’s helping bring clean beauty to Latinas, who have been left out of the clean space until now.

We might assume that if a beauty product is on the store shelves, it’s safe for us to use… right? Well, unfortunately, that might not be the case.

The truth is personal care products are, for the most part, unregulated. In fact, the federal law that regulates these products hasn’t been updated for more than 80 years.


That’s right; a 1938 law is regulating today’s products. Besides color additives, this law does not require that cosmetic products and ingredients receive FDA approval before being put on the market. This has led to issues throughout the years where stores or brands have been found to sell products with problem ingredients in them and it’s been difficult to get them off shelves.

Recent studies have shown that women who frequently use chemical hair straightening treatments may be twice as likely to develop uterine cancer. Phthalates have been linked to uterine fibroids, and many endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been shown to contribute to the development of breast cancer. These are only a few of the countless health concerns affecting women’s bodies. Not to mention the Latine community, along with other WOC, are being disproportionately affected by them, showing larger quantities of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in their bodies.

On the brighter side, there are laws and restrictions that apply to cosmetics sold in interstate commerce, and we are constantly moving towards better regulation. Also, clean beauty brands are on the rise, offering consumers high-quality products made with safe ingredients.

Until the law finally catches up with the times, we are responsible for what we put in and on our hair, face, and body. Luckily, there are many online resources than can help us do so.

We partnered up with Latina-Owned clean beauty brand Vamigas to bring you this clean beauty cheat sheet, listing 14 potentially harmful ingredients to look out for when buying your personal care products. Or, as Vamigas calls them: “Los Cochinos 14,” (The Filthy 14).

  1. Phthalates: Commonly used as a gelling agent. Chronic exposure can disrupt the endocrine system, potentially damaging pregnancy, child growth and development, and women’s reproductive systems.
  2. Parabens: Used as an artificial preservative. It can disrupt hormones, harm fertility, affect birth outcomes, and increase cancer risk.
  3. Chemical Sunscreen: Contain active ingredients that are absorbed into the skin. Instead, opt for products with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.
  4. Formaldehyde: A neurotoxin found in some Keratin hair straightening treatments.
  5. Lead acetate: Another neurotoxin found in some hair dyes.
  6. Sulfates: Used to make shampoos, cleaning, and baby products foamy. It’s harsh on sensitive skin and tied to respiratory or eye irritation.
  7. Triclosan: An endocrine disruptor banned in hand soaps but still used in some body wash and hand sanitizers.
  8. Hydroquinone: A known skin irritant that has also been found to damage DNA. It’s banned in the USA, but we still see it in skin-bleaching products on Amazon that target Black and Latino communities.
  9. Petrolatum: When refined, petrolatum has no known health concerns. However, the US has no requirements for refinement or PAH volume, which means it can be contaminated with toxic byproducts called PAHs, known carcinogens.
  10. Silicones: An endocrine disruptor usually found in hair care products and creams.
  11. PEGs (polyethylene glycols): Petroleum-based compounds used in cosmetics, sometimes contaminated with known carcinogens and human development disruptors.
  12. Talc: Can contain asbestos fibers, meaning risks for respiratory toxicity and cancer. Usually found in baby powder, adult body, facial powders, and some makeup.
  13. Ethanolamines: Banned by the EU for being toxic to the liver. Found in shampoos, conditioners, and moisturizers.
  14. BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole): Used widely in personal care. It has been found to be tumor-forming in animal studies.

These ingredients have all been linked to potential health risks and are listed on multiple “Dirty Lists” from pioneering green brands like Whole Foods, Credo, Thrive Market, American Cancer Society, and consumer safety organizations like Environmental Working Group. For further details on each ingredient, download the clean beauty cheat list PDF.

Save the PDF on your phone or screenshot page 3 or 4, and use it as your cheat sheet to avoid as you’re shopping on your phone or retail aisles for personal care products. Send the Spanish version screenshot to your mamá so that she can make sure she’s choosing healthy products too!

Download your clean beauty cheat list PDF here.

For more information on harmful ingredients in our personal care products and what we, as consumers, can do about it, check out our 3-part video series on Latinas and the Toxic Beauty Problem.

woman surrounded by colorful illustrations
Image by Sayuri Jimenez.

Nathalie Molina Niño has never been one to shy away from breaking barriers, and now, she’s focusing her attention on a new mission: demystifying corporate boardrooms for women, especially Latinas. Molina Niño is the President of Known, an asset management and financial services firm, a veteran tech entrepreneur and builder capitalist, and a board member at the iconic lingerie Brand, Hanky Panky, and others.

Like many corporate boards, Hanky Panky hadn’t publicly disclosed its board composition until recently. After the brand survived the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Molina Niño decided it was time for more women, specifically more Latinas, to know what it means to be on corporate boards.

Coincidentally, the decision to finally be more vocal about this topic aligned with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which served as the perfect kick-off to the work.

"Something that rarely gets talked about and I think almost gets kept opaque by design is boards,” she explains in a recent Instagram announcement. “[This Latinx Heritage Month], that’s what I’ll be talking about.” Her goal? To equip more Latinas with the knowledge they need to navigate onto for-profit boards, where they can thrive and build multi-generational wealth.

For-profit corporate boards often feel like an exclusive club. And in many ways, they are, especially for Latinas, who hold the smallest percentage of board seats in Fortune 500 companies compared to other racial groups. According to the latest report from Latino Board Monitor, while Latinos hold 4.1% of these board seats (compared to 82.5% held by white people), only 1% go to Latinas. Molina Niño, a first-generation American of Ecuadorian and Colombian descent, is part of this boardroom minority.

When asked about her experience as a Latina board member during a recent Zoom interview, she said, “It’s been lonely. There’s not a lot of Latinas on boards.” She went on to explain that even serving on boards of Latina-founded businesses gets lonely because, “A lot of the times, people who serve on their boards represent their investors and, as a result, [...] you still don’t see a lot of Latinas on those boards.”

This lack of representation drives Molina Niño’s determination to increase Latina presence in corporate boardrooms. By sharing her insights, she hopes to give Latinas a roadmap to claim their seats at the table. “If you don’t know where to go, it’s impossible to figure out how to get there,” she says.

The Road to the Boardroom

Getting onto a for-profit corporate board isn’t an overnight achievement, but it’s not an unattainable dream either. People often think you need to be a CEO or have a certain type of background, but that’s one of the biggest myths about boards in Molina Niño’s experience. What they’re really looking for is expertise — whether that’s in finance, marketing, sustainability, or even technology. If you have that expertise, you’re already an asset. It’s simply a matter of which road you should take.

Understanding what boards are and how they operate is key to unlocking opportunities. For-profit boards serve as the governing body for companies, overseeing direction and financial stability, and guiding CEOs and executives in decision-making. But Molina Niño emphasizes that not all for-profit boards are created equal.

“There are two kinds [of for-profit boards] [...]. There’s the publicly traded business board and then, on the privately held side, there are, I would argue, two types of boards [...] the traditional business board and the venture-backed business board,” explains Molina Niño. Traditional businesses are often family-owned or long-established and may only form boards to meet requirements, like securing financing or transitioning through an ESOP. Venture-backed boards, on the other hand, are typically filled by investors who hold major stakes in the company.

According to Molina Niño, understanding the difference between them is how you can create a successful strategy. With publicly traded business boards, the whole world is privy to them, so, “The way that you get in there is a little bit more transparent. Sometimes those publicly traded companies will hire a recruiter to help them find new board members,” explains Molina Niño. For private companies, on the other hand, there’s no legal requirement to make announcements. As a result, most people don’t know anything about them or their inner workings.

“Usually what happens in traditional businesses that don’t have venture-capital investments is that the Founders, Executives, or the board members, if one existed already, they usually go to their friends,” and people they deem experienced to fill board seats. In other words, it’s the founder’s decision, and that’s an entirely different approach than hiring recruiters. When it comes to venture-backed business boards, the seats on the board are filled by whichever investor writes the biggest check.

This is why an understanding of the different types of boards and acknowledgment of their own strengths is what will help Latinas define a sound strategy. Whether that’s working with a recruiter, networking and connecting with founders to build trust, or making the biggest investment.

The Path for Latinas

For Molina Niño, the key to getting more Latinas into corporate boardrooms is education. Knowing what a board looks like and how it functions is how you can position yourself to get on it. In openly talking about this, without the mystique it’s usually shrouded in, Molina Niño is providing women, especially Latinas, with invaluable insights. “If we had Latinas understanding what are the three types of for-profit boards I think that, on their own, they would be able to figure out what their best chance is and adjust their careers to make themselves more competitive,” states Molina Niño.

When asked about the impact of increased Latina representation in boardrooms, Molina Niño flips the narrative. “Boards don’t help Latinas by offering them seats; Latinas help businesses thrive by being on their boards,” she says. “The whole point of sitting on a board is that you have experience and expertise, and as Latinas, you also have some cultural experience that everyone wants. [...] At the end of the day, we [Latinas] have to realize that we have a ton to offer and we have to be selective about where we put that expertise,” she explains.

As demand for access to the Latina consumer rises, Molina Niño predicts that more Latinas will find themselves recruited into boardrooms. But she’s not content to sit back and wait for that moment. By openly sharing her journey and insights, she’s making sure other Latinas know their worth and have the tools to claim their place at the table. “I realized that quietly being on boards that helped me personally is not helping other Latinas. [...] I was lucky enough to have friends who could advise me and share their experiences, so that’s why I’m doing this,” she stated.

With Hispanic Heritage Month as the backdrop, Nathalie Molina Niño’s mission is clear: “My goal is just to give Latinas enough information so they can make a plan for how to eventually get on a board that they’re paid to be on and that will eventually help them build generational wealth.”

flags of latin american countries fly behind performers wearing culturally traditional clothing

Ever noticed how September in Latin America is just one big celebration? As we wave goodbye to summer and avoid winter as long as we can, the streets come alive with parades, music, and festivities. Many Latin American countries celebrate their freedom this month, commemorating their hard-fought battles for independence from colonial domination. Let’s dive into these significant days and understand what makes each unique.

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