Woman Explains What a "Chemical Girl" Is — "I Don't Want Your Natural Retinal"

If your TikTok is anything like mine, it's full of an eclectic feed of people from seemingly all walks of life. And, while we have all seen plenty of users who share details of living naturally and cleanly, TikToker Rachel (@racheltschirn) shared in a video that she identifies as what she calls a "chemical girl."

It makes you wonder, then, what a chemical girl is versus a clean girl. Neither are any better or worse than the other. But there are some distinct differences that you should probably be aware of before you start claiming one of the titles for yourself. Unless, of course, you find yourself identifying with a little of each, and I may be with you there.

According to Rachel, being a chemical girl is all about embracing chemical-laden cleaning products, hair care, and skin products, just for starters. Clearly, it goes against most of the things that a clean eating, energy efficient, and earth conscious person believes in. But hey, I'm not here to judge.

Although I will say that having the best of both worlds, as some users commented under the video, may be the way to go. You know, have your Diet Coke, but also use all-natural cleaning products.

That's not what being a chemical girl is about, though.

"I like my hair bleached, I like my brows laminated, I like my cleaning products strong," Rachel says in the video. "I want it to smell like that house is disinfected."

She goes on to say that she wants her detergent scented instead of made without any fragrance. And she wants her skincare products to be strong and without "natural retinal."

And as far as all-natural remedies go, you can forget it for chemical girls. Rachel prefers to use her prescribed medication since, she says, "The chemicals are working for me." A clean girl, on the other hand, may prefer more natural means of medicating herself.

And chances are, she would rather trade a Diet Coke for a glass of water with lemon. A clean girl might also eat organic and treat her hair and body with soaps and lotions that are free from dyes and, you guessed it, chemicals.

Neither way of living is inherently wrong, though. And if you choose to use natural products and aerosol-free hairspray, as a clean girl would, then more power to you.

However, if you want all the products you can get your hands on to better your life and none of them are considered to be "clean," as long as you aren't hurting anyone, I don't think it's anyone else's business.

The comments under Rachel's video prove that she is onto something with this chemical girl title. One person commented, "I want Diet Coke and acrylics forever." Another admitted, "I've never related to anyone more in my life."

But there are others who would like to find a happy medium when it comes to chemical and clean living girls.

Someone commented, "What if you're a semi-chemical girly?" Another said, "Like, Diet Coke but Method cleaning products." And someone else shared that they "try hard to be both, but the chemicals always win."

Like I said, I'm not here to draw a definitive line in the sand and declare one type of person better than the other. However, as a Diet Coke stan and someone who feels guilty if I don't recycle a Diet Coke can after use, I understand wanting a middle ground.