I’ve been a beauty editor for 13 years, long enough to remember when clean beauty was a vaguely crisp, mostly unglamorous niche category. Even a decade ago, the use of clean beauty products often involved sacrificing performance and aesthetics. (I shudder at the memory of a night cream whose sticky texture is reminiscent of rice pudding.)
Now, however, using clean beauty products no longer means having to settle. Formulas are sleeker, ingredients are more powerful, and high-quality options are easy to find, no matter your budget. And while there is no universal definition of what “clean” beauty means, mine is simple: I avoid parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, talc, triclosan, and suspected endocrine disruptors like DBP. (Also, “clean” does not necessarily mean natural for me, as there are many safe synthetics and some natural ingredients can irritate the skin). I also consider the environmental effects of a product; for example, if the palm oil in a hair mask requires deforestation, or the packaging of a product is likely to end up in a landfill, then step. A product needs to be clean in my body and in my conscience
Over the years, I have tried literally thousands of beauty products. These are some of the clean beauty products that really work as well as their traditional counterparts, and maybe even better.
Skin care
When I used to try all Of the new products for work, my skin was generally swollen and angry. Now, you’re happier with a simpler, streamlined routine.
If you like Biologique Recherche Lotion P50, the legendary exfoliating liquid, you will be in the Moon Juice Acid Potion Rejuvenation Scrub. Moon Juice founder Amanda Chantal Bacon, who, it must be said, has radiant and seemingly poreless skin, sought to create a clean version of the P50. After using her formula for just two weeks, I convinced myself that it was successful. The multi-acid blend, applied every night, lifts dead skin cells to leave skin softer and smoother. (I have noticed that my skin peels off during showers, which is gross but satisfying).
Expensive isn’t always better, but after trying Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Power’s Victoria Beckham Serum, I now want a winning lottery ticket so I can stock up on this luxurious and silent elixir. Although highly concentrated with ingredients that hydrate, repair, renew and strengthen the skin barrier, the lightweight serum feels like … nothing. It’s not one of those that tingles or itches to suggest it’s “working.” But since I incorporated it into my routine a few months ago, my skin has a more even tone and has had a freshness that was not there before. (My husband, who has been fighting irritated and flaky skin for at least three years, also started using this serum. His skin is now calm and smooth. I’m just saying).
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But I don’t even play the lottery, so I’ll probably go back to my trusty Maelove The Glow Maker ($ 28), which reminds me of SkinCeuticals fantastic CE Ferulic serum. It is loaded with vitamins C and E, ferulic acid, and hyaluronic acid, all of which gently highlight its natural shine. Maelove is not a strictly clean brand, by the way, but this fragrance-free formula is. (AND that’s Why do you read the labels!)
For the moisturizer, I have recommended Naturium Marine Hyaluronic Water Cream ($ 20), which has a light gel texture that’s perfect for those hot, sticky summer days. It is deeply hydrating without feeling heavy; If your skin is dry or oily or some combination of these, this is a solid (and reasonably priced!) Choice for summer. If you prefer a cream-cream, Tata Harper Water-Lock Moisturizer ($ 68) is great for dry skin, and it’s also available in refill capsules to reduce packaging waste. Right now, Weleda Skin Food ($ 12) feels too emollient for my summer preferences, but during the winter, it protects against dryness like nothing else.
If you like oils and want to get into CBD, Royal Jones Royal Oil’s hemp-derived CBD ($ 100) is powerful and enjoyable. The mixture of grape seed oil and CBD derived from hemp has many uses. You can massage your face with it, put a few drops in a night bath, or take it orally when you feel stressed. Not that anyone feels stressed in 2020! No way!
Sun care
This category is complicated. I have yet to try a direct mineral sunscreen that feels as watery and weightless as its chemical counterparts. Also, the typical common white plaster doesn’t look good on anyone. Still, there are some solid products that provide physical sun protection. My favorite is Kypris Pot of Shade Heliotropic SPF 30 ($ 75), which melts beautifully into the skin and imparts a moist glow. A sort of skincare / foundation hybrid with SPF 25, Iris & Romeo Best Skin Days ($ 64) is a joy to wear, too. It’s similar to a highly hydrating tinted moisturizer, and it evens out my skin tone very well. And as if it wasn’t enough to be one of the best tennis players in history, Venus Williams has created a mineral-based clear SPF 35 sunscreen, EleVen Unrivaled Sun Serum ($ 50), which disappears into dark and light skin tones alike.
For days outdoors and on the beach, the Raw Elements Face + Body SPF 30 ($ 19) is a winner; It feels a little greasy, but then it settles very well and is highly waterproof. I also keep several bars of BabyBum Mineral SPF 50 Sunscreen Face Stick ($ 10) on hand because it glides on smoothly and has no fragrance. Leave a white cast, but since I use this on my son, I want to see any place I have missed.
Makeup
Again, there are a plethora of options that simply didn’t exist five years ago. As for the complexion, my old backup resource, the Giorgio Armani Maestro Glow base, was discontinued last year, but I found its clean “twin” in the form of the Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint ($ 46). Provides a similar weightless feel and SPF 40, comes in 18 shades and has a remarkably wet finish. To further enhance my complexion, the Tata Harper Anti-Aging Anti-Aging Blush ($ 39) has replaced my old cream blush, while Noto Botanics Hydra Highlighter ($ 26) is a gorgeous creamy highlighter developed by a makeup artist.
Speaking of art, Aether Beauty’s clean, vegan eyeshadow palettes ($ 58) have a great color reward – enough to pop up on an Instagram flex if that’s your thing. Westman Atelier Eye Love You Mascara ($ 62), developed by makeup artist Gucci Westman, is an excellent eyelash enhancer. Volumizes and lengthens, won’t peel off or stain, and build wonderfully. Another solidly clean option is Saie 101 Mascara ($ 24), which creates a smoother, more hectic look.
Do you want lip color? Okay. The Kosas lipstick in Rosewater ($ 28) is just as creamy and gives you that lip look, but better, from the NARS lipstick in Dolce Vita (a shade I’m convinced looks beautiful on everyone) if you like the look Kylie Jenner’s matte lipstick, Honest Beauty Liquid Lipstick ($ 15) offers the same type of finish in a vegan formula. And for chapped lips, Vertly CBD Lip Balm ($ 22) is a waste, but it’s worth it; my eternally dry kisser usually looks like peeling paint on a decades-old barn, but this makes them look like the lips of a newborn.
Hair and body
Look, I’m not going to pretend that the hair category doesn’t have much room for improvement. A lot. Most of the clean formulated hairstyles and cleansers I tried are pretty far-fetched, mainly because hair products are especially difficult to formulate with clean technology. (For now, anyway).
But I’ll say this: Virtually waste-free solid shampoos and conditioners from Ethique last forever, clean and hydrate well, and even keep my reflexes from turning copper. They’re also super inexpensive (did you know that about 80 percent of liquid shampoo is … water?). And while I wish Odele Air Dry Styler ($ 12) came in non-plastic packaging, a quarter-size tablespoon is enough to reduce frizz and serve as my only styling product. Better to have one thing than multiple.
Bodywise, why not change the bath gel for bar soap? Again, much less packaging waste, and when we’re talking about foam that literally goes down the drain, why not be frugal here? Schmidt’s Naturals makes a great Rose + Vanilla Scrub Bar Soap ($ 5) that smells more expensive than it is. No one will mistake it for a Tom Ford fragrance, but you may be surprised that your good-smelling body is due only to … soap.
At the tip of the scent, aluminum-free deodorant is now much more effective than it used to be. The body is elegant in appearance and sophisticated in aroma; Its founder promises that he is looking for an ecological packaging alternative to plastic. Native, meanwhile, has just started offering its deodorant ($ 13) in cardboard tubes. Both options minimize underarm funk well, don’t leave strange marks on your shirts and they smell great. That counts as a great victory in my book, because, as with all of these categories, going clean shouldn’t mean giving up on the good stuff.
