Credo is a retailer that specialises in carrying clean products and has its own specific criteria for what brands it chooses to sell. For instance, brands have to show proof of claims that their ingredients are in fact "organic" or "natural." Credo even has a "dirty list" that includes all the ingredients it won't sell, as well as explanations on why it's chosen to do so.
The brand's director of mission, Mia Davis, explained what "clean" means to the retailer: "For Credo, clean beauty is about ingredient safety, sourcing, sustainability, and transparency. The ingredients on our Dirty List are there because there is an issue in one or more of these areas," she said.
Transparency is integral to the retailer, which has started to require brands to reveal more in their ingredients list. While many components have previously been able to hide behind the label "fragrance," Credo is no longer allowing this loophole. "Consumers are usually kept in the dark," Davis said. "We're working with our brand partners to categorize all fragrances — essential oils, natural, or synthetic blends — and we're incentivizing brands to fully disclose fragrance ingredients, which is rare in beauty."