A sultry new campaign we launched last week raised eyebrows and temperatures. Titled #LICKME, the provocative photo and video series is a literal take on the hashtag and pays homage to LXMI’s Pure Nilotica Melt, an edible butter (Don’t believe us? Check out this recipe for chocolate truffles, whipped up with a few dollops of our silky balm-to-oil) that exemplifies all-natural skincare. Here are four reasons the contents of your makeup bag demand as much scrutiny as the produce in your fridge—if they’re good enough to graze on, consider it a squeaky-clean bonus.

GET REAL

“Transparency…is a rallying cry,” proclaims this recent Billboard essay on female celebs bravely setting new aesthetic ideals. In a nutshell, they’re trading perfection for purity. Your groceries are organic, your closet is void of fast fashion and your favorite restaurants serve up ethically sourced, farm-to-table fare. So why wouldn’t your beauty products also boast a minimal environmental footprint? It’s an authentic and legitimate cause you’re after—even if it means paying a premium, as confirmed by this 2015 Nielsen survey—not necessarily a larger-than-life promise. At LXMI, our products are intertwined with our larger purpose: to engage women to take part in the world in a way that creates lasting beauty. Our harvesters, marginalized Ugandan women, earn a wage that is triple the local average.

SIMPLICITY IS SAFETY

Active ingredients—read: additives with proven pharmacological powers—may guarantee seemingly heroic quick fixes, like wrinkle-blasting and skin-lightening. But even trace amounts have links to carcinogenic and toxic tagalongs, like endocrine disruptors. Ditch the synthetic cocktails and stock up on products that offer potent quantities of a single, natural ingredient (to help you decode product label symbols, we recommend this helpful glossary, courtesy of NBC) instead. It’s a tactic that women in other corners of the world have sworn by, as highlighted in this recent Condé Nast Traveler spotlight on LXMI’s trailblazing founder. But it’s not just an approach touted by local street markets—mammoth retailers, like Nordstrom, are following suite. The luxe department store reported a recent expansion of their “in-store natural beauty outposts” in 46 locations around the country, as this new Forbes report outlines.

ECOLOGY MATTERS

When President Obama & Co. outlawed micro-beads, ubiquitous features in shower gels, exfoliators and toothpastes in 2015 (the United Kingdom announced a similar ban last year), it heightened consumer awareness surrounding beauty products and the ecosystem. Turns out the pinhead-size plastic particles, however “deep cleaning,” were clogging waterways and damaging marine life, thanks to their inability to dissolve. At LXMI, we revere our surroundings instead of disrupting them: we rely on seasonal wild harvesting techniques, gathering East African Shea butter in its most natural habitat—from 20-year-old trees at the source of the Nile River. For a fresh perspective on the evolution of eco skincare, read this Financial Times overview.

LEGISLATION LOOMS

The Senate hasn’t amended cosmetic product regulations for a whopping 75 years—but that might be about to change. If passed, The Personal Care Product Safety Act would impact the beauty industry in a myriad ways, namely, by requiring the FDA to review a minimum of five different chemicals annually (as of now, only 11 substances are actually restricted!). Safety and surveillance could become the new normal in the beauty sphere. But until they do, it’s up to you to investigate. For a careful look at the Act’s other possible effects, check out this Allure magazine analysis.