The world has been going through a clean beauty revolution over the past few years. As a consumer, it is always best to do your own research before getting into skincare.
However, the market is exhaustive with many different brands and options available which can make things very confusing for a beginner. Moreover, many beauty brands use many toxic chemicals in their products which are not very good for your body or skin.
Don’t fret though! We are right here to help you out with choosing the best non-toxic skincare products.
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Why does non-toxic skincare matter?
As skincare products are absorbed by the pores on the skin and are also capable of entering your bloodstream, the wrong products entering your body can alter body functions.
On the other hand, non-toxic skincare is less likely to cause allergic reactions. As they do not contain harsh chemicals, there are lesser chances of inflammations and infections as well.
Moreover, non-toxic skincare makes your body and mind feel amazing! By manufacturing clean products, companies get to reduce their environmental footprint as well and you get to reduce your individual carbon footprint.
Ingredients to watch out for:
A good rule of thumb is to always look for a short ingredients list. Less ingredients typically means there are less preservatives and harmful chemicals used and it’s easier to identify toxic chemicals.
I also always avoid “fragrance” in ingredient lists as that word can be used to hide over 3,100 chemicals that manufacturers do not have to fully disclose to consumers. These might not all be bad, but don’t you want to know what you are putting on your skin? I do.
There are six ingredients in cosmetics known as the “suspicious six” which are notorious for causing harm to our body according to Drunk Elephant, a US company.
The main two ingredients that feature on this list are parabens and sodium lauryl sulfate. Whilst choosing products, you must be hyper-aware of these ingredients as they irritate the skin and also cause hormone disruptions.
Some other ingredients that you have to check your skincare for are formaldehyde, mineral oils, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, animal oils, coal tar dyes, mercury, and oxybenzone.
Synthetic ingredients aren’t always bad, just like natural ingredients aren’t always good. I personally prefer using whole foods, raw materials, and botanical extracts when possible in my skincare but that’s not always easily accessible!
As a reminder, always double check your labels for lurking ingredients like “fragrance” and “phenoxyethanol.”
Use products for your skin type:
Another thing to remember is that it’s best to use products that are compatible with your skin type!
For the most part, many ingredients in beauty products are not harmful to many of us but for those with skin conditions like eczema or sensitive skin, many ingredients are a strict no-no!
Make sure that most of the ingredients in your beauty product are sustainably sourced and fair trade when possible as well!
The good news is there are many organic skin care brands and organic skincare products from affordable brands that can help you build your your natural skin care routine.
It’s worthwhile to check out these products and get an idea for what you want to put on your skin.
Certifications you can trust:
Luckily, there are a few certification agencies that provide a “clean stamp” to non-toxic products. Here are a few of them:
- A cosmetic, body care product, or personal care product is certified as a USDA organic cosmetic product if it is made up of agricultural ingredients, and can meet the USDA organic production, handling, processing, and labeling standards.
- The COSMOS certification allows your organic or natural cosmetics product to be commercialized worldwide. It guarantees environmentally friendly production and processing processes that also respect human health.
- ECOCERT is an organic certification standard developed in France. For the “natural and organic cosmetic label” from ECOCERT, the product must have a minimum of 95% of ingredients which are plant-based and a minimum of 10% of ingredients by weight must come from organic farming.
Many products have these stamps proudly displayed on their labels!
We’ve done the work for you and rounded up 15 affordable non-toxic skin care brands you can trust:
Affordable prices for personal care products might mean different things to different people, I’ve tried to keep this list to brands that are reasonably priced, for the quality of ingredients and amount of product you get.
We’re taking the stress out of finding high quality organic skincare brands to help improve your natural skincare routine at a reasonable price. Let’s dive in!
Cocokind (Price Range: $13.99-$26.99)
Cocokind is one of my personal favorite clean beauty brands.
They are a sustainable clean beauty brand in which organic ingredients are used in the formulas wherever possible and only eco-responsible ingredient suppliers are chosen.
They have great skincare basics as well as some nice face masks too.
Cocokind has always been great for my skin, even when it leans more towards dry skin in the winter. I highly recommend their products!
Cocokind’s bestselling products include the Resurfacing Sleep Mask, Oil to Milk Cleanser, and the Daily SPF.
Corvus Botanicals (Price Range: All under $25)
Corvus Botanicals is a brand that offers a vast range of everyday products handmade in small batches by founder Stacia. This is one of my favorite affordable non-toxic skin care brands.
Not only do they offer skin care but they have a variety of non-toxic lip tints, soap bundles, lotion sticks, candles and shampoo bars as well.
All of their products also come in compostable packaging so they are excellent for the environment too!
They use organic ingredients as much as possible and responsibly sourced ingredients.
Botanics (Price Range: Starting at $5.99)
A 100% vegan brand that uses only certified organic ingredients. All products are “Cruelty-Free Leaping Bunny” certified.
They believe fully in the power of plants for their holistic benefits and their beauty products are formulated with plant extracts, natural and organic ingredients.
They are also widely available at many retailers including Amazon, Walgreens, Target, and Walmart. This makes them accessible at a good price point.
EcoRoots (Price Range: Starting at $12.97)
EcoRoots is a one-stop shop for zero waste skincare products that are both sustainable and affordable. They have everything from facial bars to moisturizers to face masks to lip balms and dry shampoos.
Whatever product you are looking for, they probably have it!
They are a proud member of 1% For The Planet. Many of their products are organic or made with organic ingredients.
Their Mini Complete Skincare Kit lets you try 5 of their best-selling products for just $59 and free shipping.
The Ordinary (Price Range: Starting at $10.80)
The Ordinary is a renowned brand that offers non-toxic products for skincare, makeup, and hair.
They are a group of umbrella brands with pioneering innovations in their core brands Hylamide and NIOD. All products packed in chic and clean packaging are free of nasties like parabens, sulfates, animal oils, formaldehyde, mercury, etc.
You can also build your own skincare regimen on the website of The Ordinary. They also offer free shipping over $25 and carbon neutral shipping on every order.
True Botanicals (Price Range: Starting at $24)
True Botanicals sells skincare products formulated being grounded in research from Carnegie Mellon and Cornell. The ingredients used by True Botanicals are naturally biocompatible, clinically proven, clean, and sustainable.
All of their products also come in glass bottles. True Botanicals is one of the pricier brands on this list but their products are extremely effective and need very little to make an impact, especially if skin aging is your biggest concern.
Their bestselling products include the Renew Repair Serum and the Chebula Active Serum which is a clinically proven anti-aging serum.
Pro-tip: Shop their travel sizes and travel size sets to test out their products for the lowest price!
Good Molecules (Price Range: $5-$26)
Good Molecules offers an affordable range of products that won’t break the bank!
Their best-selling products are the Discoloration Serum, Niacinamide Brightening Toner, Yerba Mate Wake-Up Eye Gel, and Niacinamide Serum. My favorite product is the Pure Cold-Pressed Rosehip Seed Oil.
Customer reviews say that people suffering from dark acne and pimples have it under control after using products from Good Molecules.
They also have several affordable bundles which can ensure that you get a whole set of good and non-toxic skincare products for a great price!
ACURE Organics (Price Range: Starting at $8.99)
With the clean and clinical ingredients delivered by ACURE Organics products, they aim to provide affordable skin and hair care that is better for you and the planet.
A 100% vegan skin and hair wellness brand, ACURE’s products are paraben-free, sulfate-free, mineral oil and formaldehyde-free, and cruelty-free.
They have organic products that feature the USDA Organic label. They focus on natural products and have a great selection of clean skincare.
Meow Meow Tweet (Price Range: Starting at $8.99)
A brand founded in Brooklyn, this brand has quirky packaging that will surely catch your eye. Crafting beautifully scented, healthful, and efficacious final products are the goals of the company.
The ingredients used in their products are certified organic, non-GMO, and made from strong or renewable plant populations.
Only raw and unrefined plant oils and butters, steam-distilled and cold essential oils, and house-made extractions are used in their products.
They are all palm-oil free and use glass bottles, recycled plastic pumps, and recyclable paper.
Ethique (Price Range: Starting at $12.99)
Featured in the Business Insider, Time magazine, The Huffington Post, and Forbes, Ethique has a few solid beauty bars you could add to your wishlist!
You may think that all these beauty bars from Ethique are soap bars, but their bestselling shampoo bars and solid face cleanser bars are 100% soap-free!
They offer a variety of plastic-free skin care. You’ll find cleansers, scrubs, moisturizers, and lip balms on their website! Shop Ethique here.
The most popular products include Heali Kiwi for itchy scalp, Ethique Hair sampler, Professor curl, and Curliosity.
Three Ships (Price Range: Starts at $15)
Frustrated with the state of the beauty industry, Three ships started as a brand that would provide transparent and affordable natural skincare.
Providing 100% plant-derived ingredients, Three Ships is Leaping bunny certified and free of over 2500 toxic ingredients.
They offer toners, lip care, masks, cleanser, serums, and creams. Some of their top sellers include the Detox Green Tea Antioxidant Clay Mask, Rosehip Oil Serum, and the Purify Aloe + Amino Acid Cleanser.
You could also take a 1-minute quiz on their website to build your personalized routine. Moreover, they have an ingredient glossary that explains why each ingredient is used and how it is sourced!
BYBI
With the motto to increase the health of your skin whilst shrinking your carbon footprint, BYBI provides plant-powered natural skincare that is clean, yet high performing. The ingredients used in the products have won sustainability ingredient awards.
Their bestselling products include the Bakuchiol Booster Everyday Vegan Facial Oil and Mega Mist Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spray.
Another highly rated product is the Babe Balm which is a multipurpose vegan balm that can be used all over to soften and hydrate skin.
Alba Botanica
A colorful brand that is very tropical in terms of the ingredients used as well as the packaging it comes in, Alba Botanica products contain only botanical ingredients.
Especially for those who love indulging in water sports, keep in mind that Alba Botanica has reef-friendly mineral sunscreens which are free of oxybenzone and octinoxate.
Follain (Price Range: Starting at $8)
Founded by Tara Foley as part of her own clean beauty journey, in her own words…
Follain Skincare was born from one-on-one consultations with thousands of people seeking to make the switch to clean beauty. The result? High-performance, indulgent, uncompromisingly clean products that work as amazing as they feel.
Their products are high-performance, indulgent, and committed to providing clean and safe products.
They are EWG Verified, Cruelty-Free Leaping Bunny Certified, Synthetic Fragrance-Free, and Dermatologist-Tested.
They have many sets available to try!
They were acquired by Credo Beauty and are now available exclusively on their website!
RMS Beauty (Price Range: Starting at $34)
The brand, RMS or Rose-Marie Secret is a beauty brand that offers everything from beauty oils, foundations, concealers, and beauty supplements.
RMS beauty products are formulated using raw, food-grade, organic, wildcrafted, and natural ingredients that are as close to their natural states as possible.
Their Radiance Locking Primer is raved about highly as it grips makeup all day and has a 24-hour hydration boost that locks in your skincare.
Their Beauty Oil is great for boosting radiance and clearing acne. Their Coconut Cream is a multi-tasking product that works as a cleanser and a moisturizer!
Remember…
Not every product from every clean brand is truly clean. It’s always a good idea to double check your product ingredients list just to be sure! Check the inactive ingredients as well as the active ingredients.
Clean beauty products in the United States are often filled with unregulated ingredients and it is up to us as consumers to care about what we are putting on our skin! Happy skin-caring!
About the Author
Nicole Booz is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of GenTwenty, GenThirty, and The Capsule Collab. She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and is the author of The Kidult Handbook (Simon & Schuster May 2018). She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s probably hiking, eating brunch, or planning her next great adventure.
Website: genthirty.com