Clean beauty brands are here for the long haul. Every other day, a new aesthetically pleasing brand comes across our feed alongside a photo of dewy skin or barely-there makeup. To be honest? We aren’t mad. Skincare is self-care in its truest physical form and thanks to innovative brands, it’s just getting more attainable. Give us all the dewy skin!! And hand-in-hand with clean beauty is sustainable skincare. But what does it all mean, really? We’ll get into it. {above photo via Summer Fridays}
What is clean beauty?
Clean beauty products are created without harmful ingredients to humans. That’s the easy definition. However, the truth is that “clean beauty” isn’t a regulated term — so any brand could make a “clean beauty” claim based on their own definition. One thing that is important to know is that “natural” isn’t always better. And synthetic ingredients are not always bad for you! Synthetics can be regulated and produce stable results, just like natural products can be toxic and harmful. If you’re interested in learning more about the topic, here is an excellent deep dive.
What is sustainable skincare?
Sustainable skincare includes products that are taking strides toward earth-friendly practices. These include, but are not limited to, recycling programs, earth-friendly inks, carbon-neutral shipping, using fewer plastics in packaging, etc. From the list below, we’ve vetted every single brand and each is on some journey of sustainability. Again, this isn’t a regulated term so brands are allowed to define how it best serves them. And a lot of the sustainability factor is on you, the customer. If packing is recyclable, it’s up to you to recycle!
What are the best clean beauty products?
Here is where we get to have some fun! Our editorial team gathered our TOP clean beauty brands plus the products we use and love every day. These are the products we stand by and will purchase again and again because the results are real. If you aren’t sure where to start, choose one or two products to add to your routine and stick with them for at least a month. The best way to revamp your skincare routine and/or to add and switch products is to go slow. Give each product time to work so that you know how your skin is reacting when you introduce something new. There’s nothing more exciting in skincare than seeing results and knowing the exact product that got you there!
Without further ado, here are our favorite clean beauty brands and sustainable beauty products we know you’ll love!
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Herbivore — The Best of Botanicals
What’s to love: If you’ve seen Herbivore on the shelf, it’s likely you’ve picked it up because it’s just. so. pretty! But here’s the part that really won us over: Herbivore ethically sources the finest raw natural materials and botanicals with an aim to bring some indulgence into your routine.
Start with: Blue Tansy Invisible Pores Resurfacing Clarity Mask – This mask is great for combination skin and helps with dullness, uneven skin texture, and minimizing pores. A little goes a long way and you’ll see results the next day! It also smells AMAZING and your fave will feel so fresh! The Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Face Mist is also our pick for Best Face Mist!!
Josie Maran — Argan Oil Clean Beauty Products
What’s to love: Josie Maran is on a mission to create luxury products with a conscience. The question they’re continually asking themselves: “Can we find a better way – for people and our planet?” The foundation of the products is in its carefully sourced 100% Pure Argan Oil for total sustainable skincare.
Start with: 100 percent Pure Argan Oil – There’s only one ingredient in this bottle: pure, organic, natural Argan Oil. This multi-tasker nourishes and conditions. Absorbs easily into skin, intensely hydrating and leaving behind a dewy glow.
ILIA — Skincare-Powered Makeup
What’s to love: Wondering how to get that fresh, highlighted, dewy look? ILIA’s clean makeup is where it’s at. They define clean beauty as a sweet spot: “We learned early on that not every natural ingredient is good for the skin, nor is every synthetic bad. Clean beauty is where those two collide—with conscious, carefully selected ingredients, and no compromises.”
And as far as sustainable skincare is concerned, ILIA is committed to helping you recycle your products the right way. “We invite our U.S. customers to mail in up to 5 empty beauty products per month—ours or another brand’s, we don’t discriminate—and TerraCycle will break it down responsibly, so it doesn’t end up in a landfill.”
Start with: Limitless Lash Lengthening Mascara — It’s a cult favorite for a reason! The brush is perfection. They tested several to get it right. And it’s the perfect day-to-day mascara that truly lengthens and does not rub off or flake. However, come nighttime, it washes off like a dream. It’s safe for sensitive eyes, too! You can start with a mini size, but guarantee you’ll love it enough to get the buy get the full.
Tata Harper — For Women Who Refuse to Risk Health for Beauty
What’s to love: This is luxury skincare that’s totally worth it. One product goes a LONG way — both in how it lasts forever and in its effectiveness. The glass packaging leads the way in sustainability and you can trace your bottle with its unique batch number to find out who made it and how fresh the ingredients are. Fans include Hailey Bieber, Hilary Duff, Ellie Goulding, Emma Watson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Lily Aldridge, and us, most importantly.
Start with: Vitamin-Infused Cream Blush — The perfectly blendable and buildable cheek tints is honestly the only lip + cheek product you need. I’ve been using mine for 6 months and I’m not even halfway through it. They somehow smell like heaven plus, they’re packed with antioxidants and vitamins to provide anti-aging benefits and minimize the look of wrinkles. I’ve got medium-olive skin and Naughty is the perfect color for me!
Versed — Clean Beauty Products on a Budget
What’s to love: The cleanest drugstore brand is determined to make sustainable skincare simple. Versed is a sustainably-minded brand that’s backing up its claim with post-consumer recycled packaging, net-neutral carbon emissions, and teaching us how to recycle skincare. We love it because it’s at TARGET! Versed is the best clean beauty brand to get you started without breaking the bank.
Start with: Day Dissolve Cleansing Balm — If you’re new to the idea of double cleansing, we love the Day Dissolve for your first cleanse. You put it on dry and it erases all your makeup, making room for your next cleanser to do its best work. This little guy also goes a LONG way and it comes in mini size, too. (Honorable mentions: The Gentle Retinol Serum + Brightening Mask)
Milk Makeup — Live Your Look
What’s to love: Milk Makeup believes in good ingredients + epic payoff. They are cruelty-free, paraben-free, and 100% vegan. All their inspiration comes from their community and culture. They believe that “It’s not just about how you create your look; it’s what you do in it that matters.” With innovative products that are as pretty + fun to use as they are effective, it’s easy to see why so many people love the brand!
Start with: Hydro Grip Primer — Hemp-derived cannabis seed extract helps hydrate for blissed-out skin. This primer works ALL DAY LONG and will make your foundation look flawless! Plus love that the bottle will last you a long time which we love as well!
The INKEY List — Skincare Powered by Knowledge
What’s to love: In a world full of perfectly curated grids, The INKEY List is changing it up. Because there is no such thing as “perfect” skin and it’s time we stop photoshopping out the pores, blackheads, and wrinkles. The INKEY List is committed to guiding, empowering, and delivering knowledge so that in the confusing world of skincare, you know what’s right for you. Another bonus? It’s affordable.
Start with: Peptide Moisturizer — This is a go-to nighttime moisturizer. We all need peptides because they increase collagen in the skin to keep things all bouncy! A little goes a long way, it absorbs quickly, and it’s fragrance-free. Plus, the pump is perfection.
Supergoop — Clean Sunscreen for Now
What’s to love: If you’re not on the Supergoop! train, what’s stopping you? This brand has an origin story that dates way back to a woman who just wanted to provide sunscreen for school-age children and prevent the preventative: skin cancer. Fast forward to now, Holly has built a timely brand from the ground up, and now, the brand has expanded beyond great sunscreen with no white cast into products that literally makes you glow.
Start with: Glowscreen — It’s hard to choose a go-to product because they are all so good, but this one covers so many bases. In addition to giving your face the sun protection it needs, Glowscreen also serves as a great makeup-gripping primer and it gives your skin this perfect pearlescent glow. We love it!
Farmacy Skincare — Farm-to-Face Sustainable Skincare
What’s to love: Farmacy is planting the seeds for a sustainable future with these goals: 100% zero-waste packaging by 2022, at least 80% non-virgin material use by the end of 2021, and 100% conflict-free ingredients. Their formulas are made from farm-sourced ingredients with a true “farm-to-face” approach for sustainable beauty products you can trust.
Start with: Deep Sweep Toner – This 2% BHA toner gently exfoliates, deep cleans pores, and controls oil without over-stripping skin. Ideal for combination, oily or acne-prone skin. I use this every morning before my serums and can tell a difference when I forget to use it. Highly recommend! I also love the Honeymoon Glow. This 3-in-1 night serum resurfaces, hydrates, and clarifies dull skin for a healthy natural glow.
Sunday Riley — Sustainability Focused With Real Results
What’s to love: Sunday Riley makes their brand values known from the get-go: clean, cruelty-free, sustainable beauty products that are formulated to make a noticeable difference in your skin. The brand is B-Corp certified which means they are already offsetting their carbon footprint.
Start with: Good Genes – This lactic-acid, AHA serum is a fan fave for a reason! It targets the look of pores, hyperpigmentation, and dark spots and is clinically shown to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. I started using this one two years ago and it’s one of my Must-Haves! I love using this serum in the evenings and this C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum in the mornings. The combo of both has been great for my skin!
Saie — Clean Beauty Products by Beauty Lovers
What’s to love: Saie believes that high-performance products, sustainable packaging, and products with style are just as important as good, clean ingredients. It shouldn’t be groundbreaking, but here we are! With Saie’s sustainable skincare products, there is no choosing between performance and style.
Start with: Slip Tint – I discovered this brand last year via a friend and I’ve been a devoted fan since! This product is a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen. Love that it gives a bit of coverage but is not too heavy. This is perfect for everyday wear. I’m also a huge fan of their mascara and use that every day as well.
Tula — Beauty, Redefined
What’s to love: Tula is skincare powered by probiotics and superfoods. Clean, effective formulas that work with sustainability at the forefront. With Tula, you’ll see real faces and real skin — no classic before & afters here. This is a beauty brand that’s truly redefining beauty.
Start with: Cooling & Brightening eye balm – The game-changing, hyaluronic acid eye balm that started it all! This provides a lit-from-within glow while hydrating, cooling plus helping to reduce the look of fine lines & wrinkles around the eyes. Delivers an instant pick-me-up so you look refreshed, feel energized & can glow & get it! Love that you can carry in your purse and apply throughout the day when needed!
Nécessaire — Totally Transparent Sustainable Skincare
What’s to love: When it comes to sustainable skincare products, Nécessaire is leading the pack. You can follow their footprint all the way from the beginning — from clean, fragrance-free formulas to their Carbon Neutral Certification. It’s skincare for the whole body, and we’re big fans.
Start with: The Body Wash – This body wash smells SO GOOD!! Perfect if you have dry skin as it is super gentle.
Summer Fridays — Aesthetics for Your Skin
What’s to love: You’ve likely seen Summer Fridays cross your Instagram feed for two reasons: one, it’s pretty and two, the products are practically life-changing. What began with the award-winning Jet Lag mask, Summer Fridays is now a growing collection full of products aimed to create little stay-cations for your skin every day.
Start with: Jet Lag Mask – Is your skin stressed, tired, and thirsty? This enhanced, fragrance-free formula helps nourish, hydrate and calm with niacinamide, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidants — leaving skin looking renewed, radiant, and ready for anything. Love using this for a weekly mask to refresh skin! Another winner? The CC Me Vitamin C Serum. This super-potent Vitamin C and Niacinamide serum help brighten, improve skin tone and texture, and reduce the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation. One of our fave Vitamin C serums.
100% Pure — A Commitment to producing the purest, healthiest products
What’s to love:100% PURE™ isn’t just their name. Or just their ingredient list. 100% PURE™ is a commitment to producing the purest, healthiest products and educating everyone on why being 100% PURE™ is so important. They strive to live with compassion, kindness, and empathy; to be environmentally sustainable, and to improve the lives of 6 billion people and animals while also being charitable and giving back to our global community.
Start with: Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream – This sustainable beauty cream de-puffs, boosts circulation, and brightens dark circles with caffeine from coffee and green tea. 97% of users saw reduction of puffiness with continued use (after 4 weeks) and 87% saw reduction of dark circles with continued use. This is on our must-try list!!
cocokind — Conscious Beauty For All
What’s to love: We love that this sustainable skincare + beauty line’s motto is “conscious beauty for all.” Cocokind is both women and minority-owned, and its ads are inclusive — from skin type to race to gender. The founder created the sustainable beauty brand when she was struggling with her own skin, specifically acne, and she totally hit it out of the park with an attainable brand that we love. We also love that the company is transparent about what ingredients are used in each product, and that the company claims to be sustainable, vegan, and – big plus – affordable! Most products range from $15 to $25 – bonus, they are also found on the shelves at Target!
Start with: Oil to Milk Cleanser – An oil cleanser that you can actually wash off! This gentle cleanser transforms into milk upon contact with water, leaving skin soft, replenished, and hydrated. The Revitalizing Eye Cream – reduce the look of fine lines, dark circles, puffiness, and sagging with this all-in-one eye cream featuring plant-powered ingredients – also has rave reviews.
Juice Beauty — The Original Clean Beauty Brand
What’s to love: Finally, we come to Juice Beauty, the founders of National Clean Beauty Day and pioneers in the clean beauty space! The goal was to create luxurious organic formulations that performed better than conventional beauty products — and wow, did they succeed.
Start with: Stem Cellular CC Cream – This 12-in-1 multi-tasking color-correcting cream delivers the ultimate in age-defying, skin-perfecting results with zinc SPF 30 sunscreen. It has over 870 5 star reviews and I can share from personal experience that this CC Cream is a winner! The texture is great – not too heavy but provides good coverage with SPF. If you are looking for a moisturizer, we also love this Green Apple Age Defy Moisturizer
Thank you for sharing these clean beauty products! I feel sustainability is something that has been overlooked in the beauty industry, and has finally begun to get some attention. It is so hard to find sustainable and clean cosmetics, and if you are looking to start your own brand, check out http://www.geniesupply.com to see all of the products they private label with all clean ingredients AND sustainable packaging!