Brand Breakdown: Is Summer Fridays a Clean Beauty Brand?

Discover if Summer Fridays is actually a clean beauty brand and if we would recommend them based on their ingredient breakdown.

Background on Summer Fridays

Summer Fridays is a skincare brand known for its focus on simplicity, efficacy, and luxury. Founded in 2018 by Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Gores Ireland, Summer Fridays has quickly gained popularity for its innovative products and clean beauty approach.

Is Summer Fridays as clean as they claim to be? We reviewed the brand to find out. 

Breaking Down the Ingredients

One of Summer Fridays’ best sellers is the Jet Lag Mask: this product is known for its hydrating and revitalizing properties. It’s a multi-tasking mask that can be used as a leave-on overnight treatment, a moisturizer, or a quick fix for tired, dehydrated skin. Let’s see if their product’s meet our standards!

 Summer Fridays products are formulated without harmful ingredients such as parabens, sulfates, and phthalates which is great, but here is where they could improve. 

Below you will see a snapshot of their Jet Lag Mask.

summer-fridays-mask

Benzyl Alcohol 

Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol that occurs naturally in some essential oils. BA can dry out the skin and cause allergies.

BHT

A toluene – based preservative found in hair, face, body, and cosmetics is linked to skin irritation.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a detergent and surfactant and can cause irritation in some. It is used to reduce static in the formulation and condition the skin & hair while increasing the foaming action.  This chemical earned “Allergen of the Year” in 2004 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society. It’s also a suspected environmental toxin.

Fragrance / Limonene / Linalool

One thing you may see listed on some of their product ingredients is fragrance. However, they state they do not use “undisclosed” fragrance. This seems slightly vague to us.

Fragrance is usually a combination of numerous ingredients, some of which can be allergenic and endocrine disruptive especially those like Citronellol,  Geraniol, or Linalool if they are not derived from pure essential oils. Also, phthalates are likely to be present.  There are several different phthalates and some of them are possible carcinogens and hormone disruptors such as styrene.

Heavy Metals /PFAS

Based on their website, they do not provide any information regarding the testing for heavy metals.

Polyethylene glycols (PEGs)

PEGs are manufactured with carcinogenic ethylene oxide whose traces may remain in the final product.

Phenoxyethanol

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that’s used in skincare products to prevent bacteria growth. It’s considered safe for use in small concentrations, but some people may be sensitive to it as  it can cause irritation to skin, eyes, and lungs.

Going Beyond Beauty

Sustainability

Summer Fridays has a recycling program where you can Send back 5 of your empty Summer Fridays products in exchange for a $25 e-gift card. Other than that they don’t talk about sustainability at all on their site.

Giving Back

Summer Fridays gives back to two organizations:

Breast Cancer Research
Summer Fridays is partnering with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) to donate 100% of net profits from sales on their website, up to $10,000, by September 30, 2024. 
 
Heal the Bay
Summer Fridays partners with Heal the Bay, an environmental nonprofit, to support their mission to protect and restore coastal waterways. This includes hosting community beach cleanups and making monetary donations. 
 

Cruelty- Free/ Vegan 

Summer Fridays products are cruelty-free and vegan. 

Certified Organic

Summer Fridays is not certified organic.

Where is it Manufactured

Summer Friday products are made in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.

Parent Company

Summer Fridays is majority owned by TSG Consumer Partners.

How we Rank the Brand

Green Heart – We approve of this brand’s products and they contain zero known toxins.

Yellow Heart – We approve of most ingredients in this brand’s products, they might contain some toxins or known allergies. 

Red Heart – We suggest you proceed with caution and limit your exposure and use to this brand’s products as there are toxins present.

Final Rating:

Summer Fridays has carved a niche for itself in the skincare industry by being touted all around social media and endorsed by celebrities alike. While they are not the worst thing out there, we wouldn’t recommend them at this time. 

We would not recommend this Brand!

Approved Products:

Rich Cushion Cream

Rich-Cushion-Cream-Main_1200x

Cloud Dew Gel Cream

Mini Cloud Dew Gel Cream

Heavenly Sixteen Face Oil

Want to Read Another Brand Breakdown? Try Reading This One On Osea!

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