91: The "Clean" Brand You're Using Might Not Be So Clean | Melanie Petschke

Ever Be

Shop Crunchi My Clean Beauty Guide: Your complete guide to choosing non-tox personal products. Non-Tox Swaps Ingredient List Freebie EWG Verified Website Mari talks with Melanie Petschke, co-founder of Crunchi, about how she built a clean cosmetics brand, after not finding products that met both safety and performance standards. Melanie explains that “clean” has no legal definition, making greenwashing common, and describes Crunchi’s evidence-based ingredient screening approach. They discuss weak U.S. cosmetics regulation compared with the EU, how harmful ingredients can contribute to body burden, cancer risk, and endocrine disruption, and why “fragrance” can hide thousands of undisclosed ingredients, often involving phthalates. Melanie recommends using EWG Verified as a helpful tool, offers beginner skincare steps, and advises making gradual product swaps without overwhelm. 00:22 Melanie’s Background and Mission 07:39 Why Clean Beauty Matters 07:54 Defining Clean and Greenwashing 11:06 US Regulation and Consumer Burden 13:03 Health and Hormone Impacts 17:15 Label Reading and Fragrance Red Flags 20:42 Greenwashing Reality Check 21:28 EWG Ratings Explained 25:03 Verification Caveats 25:36 DIY Ingredient Checking 28:01 Skincare Starter Routine 30:59 How Long To Test 32:26 Purging And Acne ------ Episode Sponsors Shop the new shade range of Crunchi Foundations! Check out our new Spring issue of Heaven & Home! Ave Maria Press: Shop Into the Heart of Middle-earth ------ Follow Along: Ever Be Podcast Instagram Mari Wagner Instagram West Coast Catholic Instagram

About Podcast

The Ever Be Podcast is a faith and lifestyle podcast filled with meaningful conversations and practical tips that will inspire and empower you to live a Christ centered life in today’s modern world. Through her own experience of surrendering completely to God and finding true fullness of life, your host Mari Wagner, has committed to having God’s praise “ever be” on her lips and sharing that message with the world. Listen in for insightful, real life conversations and actionable steps on how to claim the full life God created you for.

With over 100K followers and counting, Instagram content creator and founder of the popular Catholic lifestyle brand, West Coast Catholic, Mari Wagner is showing the world how to live a bold, attractive, and fulfilling Catholic life by being in the world but not of it. On the podcast you’ll get a combination of heartfelt solo episodes with Mari, interviews with exciting guests, and up-close and personal time with both the Wagner’s—Mari and Trey. What more could you ask for?!

Finally! Answers to questions you’ve been asking like:
How do I infuse prayer into my daily life? How do I live out my Catholic faith? What is the best dating and marriage advice? What does a good Catholic marriage look like? How do I grow in homemaking skills and build a domestic church? How do I create a beautiful and welcoming home? What does a healthy and balanced lifestyle look like? Is it possible to find a solid community of like minded women?

Host Mari Wagner covers topics that you actually care about from faith life, to relationships and marriage, to homemaking, to healthy living. Each episode is crafted to resonate with your challenges and aspirations as a modern Christian woman seeking purpose, balance, and joy.

Tune into the Ever Be Podcast for valuable advice, relatable stories, expert insights and just some fun girl chats with someone who really gets you. Hit play to get out of the rut you constantly feel yourself in, and subscribe to join the community and experience the fullness of life Jesus has in store for you.