By Lisa Petrison
While it’s easy enough to find “clean beauty” products these days, most of these include one or more ingredients that are known to be irritating to the skin or that may contribute to longer-term issues.
People who are especially sensitive – or who just have especially high standards – may have a hard time sorting through the many products on the market to find ones that might work for them.
I therefore thought that I would try looking only at those products that have really clean ingredient lists, and then would pick out the ones that I have personally enjoyed using and that I think might work out for others.
I’ve looked closely at nearly 500 cleaner skincare products for this project and have tried at least samples of the vast majority of these, and so the products discussed on this page are really (in my opinion) the best of the best.
These products all have been given an Ingredients Rating = 5 on this site and for the most part do not include ingredients that EWG has flagged as yellow or red (3 or higher).
Products that contain ingredients that to my understanding are often contaminated with glyphosate (such as non-organic soybean/cottonseed/canola oils) also have been excluded.
Some of the products listed on this page do include certain ingredients that EWG has given a 3, however. These may include aloe vera, tocopheryl acetate, licorice, acacia senegal gum, rosa canina oil, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and (when used as exfoliators) lactic acid or other hydroxy acids.
The products on this page do not contain anything labeled as unspecified “fragrance” or “flavor” (whether natural or synthetic), processed botanicals used for their scent (such as limonene), or any essential oils or other scented ingredients rated by EWG as yellow or red.
A few of these products do include essential oils rated as green by EWG, including lavender, frankincense, vetiver and myrrh.
Products also may include botanical extracts rated as green by EWG, including natural vanilla extract. (Products containing vanillin have been excluded, however.)
I personally have done well with the large majority of products meeting these criteria, but have encountered a few that have not worked for me either in terms of skin irritation or performance.
A list of all the products given an Ingredients Rating = 5 (including ones that have not worked for me) is on the page The Cleanest Skincare Products.
Note that I have dry/mature skin and have focused on looking mostly at products appropriate for my own skin for this project. Those with oilier skin (especially if prone to breakouts) may find some of my suggestions inappropriate for them.
Note also that since these products do not contain commonly used synthetic preservatives, it may be prudent to buy them only as needed and to use them up in a timely fashion.
While I know that not everyone will tolerate all the products listed on this page, I hope that this summary will serve as a good starting point for many folks who want or need to find options meeting their especially high standards.
I invite you to please share your comments about which of these products (or other products) have or haven’t worked for you in the comments section!
Note: The following section contains affiliate links, which means that Living Clean in a Dirty World may receive a commission if readers click on these links and then purchase products. Living Clean in a Dirty World also may accept product review samples but receives no other compensation from companies mentioned on this website. I hope that you will choose to click on the links and thereby help to further the development of this site.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN CLEANSER
Top Choice: Mad Hippie Cream Cleanser ($16)
Runners Up: Fitglow Calm Cleanser ($39); Evanhealy Simply Basic Cleansing Milk ($37)
Although I have tried many different cleansers (including some really expensive ones), the Mad Hippie Cream Cleanser is my favorite one of all. It does a good job of cleansing my face and leaves my skin feeling really good. The ingredients include jojoba oil, orchid extract, organic macadamia oil, sodium hyaluronate, algae extract, sesame oil, green tea, sodium PCA, and shea butter.
The Fitglow Calm Cleanser has a quite strong fruity-type scent that I have grown to really like, from a fermented ingredient called Leuconostoc/Aloe Barbadensis Leaf/Sorbus Aucuparia Fruit Ferment Filtrate. (Sorbus Aucuparia is also called rowan or mountain ash and produces a fragrant berry.) There are no essential oils or other processed scents. My skin really loves this cleanser, I think in large part because of the fermented component as well as because of the clean quality ingredients.
The Evanhealy Simply Basic Cleansing Milk contains white kaolin clay and feels good to me. There is a slight scent from rose geranium hydrosol but (unlike the other Evanhealy cleansing milks) it contains no essential oils to annoy my skin. Many of the ingredients are organic.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN CLEANSING OIL
Top Choice: Mad Hippie Cleansing Oil ($18)
The Mad Hippie Cleansing Oil is my favorite super-clean product for removing makeup that contains silicones, and it also does a good job on eye makeup and other kinds of makeup. The main ingredients are safflower oil, squalane, rosa canina oil, and pumpkin seed oil. There is a slight scent from extracts of ginger root and key lime, but no essential oils or processed fragrance. I always use cleansing oils as part of a double cleanse (using a regular cleanser afterwards to remove the traces of oil), but this one is clean enough that I think it could be used on its own.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN EXFOLIATING SCRUB
Top Choice: Honest Skin Sweep Exfoliating Powder Cleanser ($22)
The Honest Skin Sweep Exfoliating Powder Cleanser is a fine dry powder that is mixed with water and then used as a scrub for the face. I’ve found it to be gentle and effective (more so than other products that I have tried), and my face always feels better after I use it.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN HYDROXY ACID RESURFACER
Top Choice: Cocokind AHA Jelly Cleanser ($18)
Runners Up: Mad Hippie AHA Exfoliating Peel ($35)
My skin is delicate enough that I feel that I need to be careful with hydroxy acid type products since most of them can be too strong for me.
Cleansers where the skin is exposed to the AHA only for a brief period of time tend to work best for me. The Cocokind AHA Jelly Cleanser is a good one, in my experience.
I also like the Mad Hippie AHA Exfoliating Peel, though I usually dilute it a bit by mixing it with a moisturizer into a “smoothie” before applying it.
Read About Hydroxy Acid Resurfacers
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN ANTI-AGING SERUM
Top Choice: Alpyn Beauty Wild Nettle and Niacinamide Firming Serum ($58)
Runners Up: Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum ($22); Beautycounter Countertime Tripeptide Radiance Serum ($87)
The Alpyn Beauty Wild Nettle and Niacinamide Firming Serum is my favorite product from Alpyn Beauty, a company that uses wildcrafted herbs from the area around Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It contains rambutan (a retinol alternative); nettle, squalane and sodium hyaluronate (hydrators); niacinamide (a skin barrier strengthener); tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (a form of Vitamin C); lactic acid (an exfoliator); and two different fermented ingredients (helpful to the microbiome of the face). My skin really likes this.
Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum is an inexpensive serum that has performed for me as well or better for me than most of the much more expensive products that I have tried. It contains five different ceramides and lipids to improve the strength of the skin barrier. Hydroxy acids (for exfoliation) and squalane (a hydrator) also are included.
The Beautycounter Countertime Tripeptide Radiance Serum contains bakuchiol (a retinol alternative) and Swiss Alpine rose (an antioxidant), as well as peptides and amino acids. This is an expensive serum, but I used up a whole bottle and liked it enough that I am thinking about repurchasing it during the current Beautycounter 20-30% off sale (which I think continues through Black Friday).
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN ANTIOXIDANT PRODUCTS
Top Choice: Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum ($34)
Runner Up: Honest Everyday Radiance + C Moisturizer ($28)
The Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum contains sodium ascorbyl phosphate, which is said to be a more stable form of Vitamin C than ascorbic acid (explaining why this product is being sold in a dropper bottle). Mad Hippie says that the product is equivalent to a 15-20% ascorbic acid serum. I have found that this serum seems pretty strong but has not irritated my skin in the way that most other Vitamin C serums that I have tried have done.
Usually I just use a moisturizer with Vitamin C in it since that gives me some of the antioxidant benefits without being overwhelming to my delicate skin. Honest Everyday Radiance + C Moisturizer has been very good for me as a day moisturizer, either under makeup or on its own.
I also have had very good experiences with Mad Hippie Triple C Night Cream ($33), though technically that does not qualify for my “Best of Super-Clean Beauty” since it contains jasmine oil (EWG rated = 5) as the second-to-last ingredient. I love the smell of jasmine and do not feel that my skin has been bothered by this cream at all though.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN HYDRATING SERUM
Top Choice: Honest Stay Hydrated Hyaluronic Acid + NMF Serum ($30)
Honest Stay Hydrated Hyaluronic Acid + NMF Serum (introduced in 2022) offers three types of hyaluronic acid in an unusually clean formula at a reasonable price. Almost every day, I mix some of this serum with one of my facial oils to make a balanced moisturizer that is much cleaner and also much higher quality than any of the pre-made moisturizers that I have ever tried. Despite having big cardboard boxes full of skincare products that I have yet to use up, I just bought another bottle of this serum because I like it so much.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN HYDRATING TONIC
Top Choice: Mad Hippie Hydrating Nutrient Mist ($20)
I usually think of hydrating tonics as something to be used on the go, such as when traveling or after exercising. Recently I also have been using them in my hair, mixed with argan or other quality oils and then left in as a mask for an hour or more prior to shampooing.
Regardless of how it is used, the Mad Hippie Hydrating Nutrient Mist has been a good one for me. It contains hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C, and a wide variety of botanicals, but without any essential oils or other processed fragrance. The bottle is plastic, which makes it good for use on the go.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN MICROBIOME SUPPORT
Top Choice: Briotech Topical Skin Spray ($15)
Runners Up: PurO3 Ozonated Oils ($20+); Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray ($12)
Especially since working on this project and trying out a lot of different beauty products, my skin periodically has gotten irritated in a way that I think is due to the wrong microbes establishing themselves on my skin. When that happens, I pull out Briotech Topical Skin Spray (a combination of hypochlorous acid and salt) to help to bring things back to baseline.
PureO3 Ozonated Oils often are even more effective for this purpose, with the combination of the two products having worked basically immediately for me every time so far. I usually use the coconut version of the ozonated oil, but I once got a sample box of all the different kinds and found them to be very similar in effectiveness.
The Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray seems to be exactly the same product as the Briotech, but it comes in a cute orange bottle and is sold by a company that is perceived as especially cool in terms of being a part of the beauty industry at the moment.
Using moisturizers with fermented ingredients in them – such as the Honest Everyday Radiance + C Moisturizer or the Fitglow Cloud Comfort Cream – also seems helpful in quickly getting my face back into balance, especially in combination with the other products mentioned above.
These moisturizers are discussed in more detail in the next two sections.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN DAY CREAM
Top Choice: Honest Everyday Radiance + C Moisturizer ($28)
Runners Up: Honest Hydrogel Cream ($20); Cocokind Texture Smoothing Cream ($22)
Who would have guessed that Honest would be a standout company in terms of making great moisturizers? My favorite is the Honest Everyday Radiance + C Moisturizer, which includes a fermented ingredient (Saccharomyces ferment filtrate) in addition to vitamin C (tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate), niacinamide, squalane, and a couple of different kinds of hyaluronic acid. The fact that the vitamin C level is likely not that high is okay with me, since my skin gets irritated if I use too much and since this cream seems to work great for me in general.
I also am really impressed with the Honest Hydrogel Cream, which contains squalane, two kinds of hyaluronic acid, and jojoba, among other moisturizing ingredients. This moisturizer seems especially good at laying down a tacky finish that serves as an excellent basis for makeup (actually much better than most primers that I have tried). Because this cream does not contain much oil, it may be especially appropriate for those with oilier skin. Because my own skin is dry, I usually use this product in combination with facial oil (either mixed in or layered).
The Cocokind Texture Smoothing Cream is based on celery and smells pretty strongly of that vegetable, and so not everyone may like that. It’s an effective day moisturizer that may be especially appropriate for those who do not have very dry skin.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN NIGHT CREAM
Top Choice: Fitglow Cloud Comfort Cream ($84)
Runner Up: Typology 9-Ingredient Face Moisturizer ($27)
The Fitglow Cloud Comfort Cream is an expensive product, but I really enjoy using it and feel that my skin always is in better shape when I do. The magic ingredient seems to be Leuconostoc/Aloe Barbadensis Leaf/Sorbus Aucuparia Fruit Ferment Filtrate, which I think is useful in terms of straightening out the microbiome of my face when it goes awry (as it has a tendency to do when I am trying unfamiliar skincare or makeup products on it). Sorbus Aucuparia – also known as Rowan or Mountain Ash – has a distinctive sweet/fruity smell that I have grown to love but that some people may find to be unappealing. There are no essential oils or processed fragrances of any kind in this cream.
Following are the nine ingredients in the Typology 9-Ingredient Face Moisturizer: 1) water, 2) coconut oil, 3) glycerin, 4) cetyl alcohol (a waxy moisturizer derived from vegetable oils), 5) pentylene glycol (a synthetic humectant), 6) cetyl phosphate (an emulsifier and surfactant), 7) lye, 8) sodium hyaluronate (a hydrator), and 9) o-cymen-5-Ol (a preservative).
While I think that moisturizer is okay, I prefer the Typology Nourishing Moisturizer ($33), which contains plum kernel oil, squalane, sodium hyaluronate and some other high-quality ingredients. It does not meet the “Best of Super-Clean Beauty” standards being used here because it includes benzyl alcohol (rated by EWG as a 6) as the last ingredient though.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN UNSCENTED FACIAL OIL
Top Choice: Birkenstock Anti-Stress Serum ($65)
Runners Up: Eden Botanicals Organic Carrier Oils ($6+); Typology Lab 1014 3% Q10 + Huile de Macadamia ($45); Marie Veronique Barrier Lipid Complex ($95); Marie Veronique for Ayla Dara’s Oil ($77); Le Prunier Plum Beauty Oil ($72); Annmarie Herbal Facial Oil For Sensitive Skin ($45)
While it may seem odd for Birkenstock to be selling skincare products, the Birkenstock Anti-Stress Serum has been transformative for my skin. It contains cork oil (which is in the academic literature as helping to reduce wrinkles) and other high-quality ingredients (including buriti oil, turmeric and frankincense extract) that moisturize and soothe difficult skin. The product won an Allure Best of Beauty award in 2020. Unfortunately, I fear that LVMH (the French luxury goods company that recently bought Birkenstock) may be planning to discontinue the product, but I really hope that they instead just put some more effort into promoting it.
The Typology Lab 1014 3% Q10 + Huile de Macadamia is intended for the eye area, but I like to use it on my whole face. It is very light and sinks in quickly, leaving my skin feeling better. (This one does list soybean oil as an ingredient, but since it is from France where Roundup Ready crops are rarely or never used, I am thinking that it is probably okay.)
While most of Marie Veronique’s oils contain rose geranium oil (which I do not tolerate), I do like the Marie Veronique Barrier Lipid Complex (a thick oil with black raspberry seed oil and evening primrose oil as the first ingredients) and the Marie Veronique for Ayla Dara’s Oil (a thinner oil containing jojoba oil, elderberry extract, cranberry seed oil, black raspberry seed oil and prickly pear seed oil as the first five ingredients).
Two more oils that I have liked quite a lot are Le Prunier Plum Beauty Oil and Annmarie Herbal Facial Oil For Sensitive Skin.
Unfortunately, most of these oils (especially the Le Prunier and Marie Veronique ones) are quite expensive, meaning prohibitively so for me despite the fact that I care enough about skincare that I am willing to spend a good bit of money on it.
However, recently I have been experimenting with Eden Botanicals Organic Carrier Oils, focusing especially on the more unusual organic ones such as plum kernel, raspberry seed, prickly pear, and marula. The quality seems extremely good to me, and the prices are something like 1/5 of what I would have to pay to get the same oils in products from a prestige beauty brand.
I’m so happy to have found exceptional oils that I can afford that I am going to put some more effort into trying out more of them from other companies as well. Maybe if I look hard enough, I’ll even find some good cork oil.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN SCENTED FACIAL OIL
Top Choice: Annmarie Anti-Aging Facial Oil ($62)
Runners Up: RMS Beauty Kakadu Evening Elixir ($39); RMS Beauty Oil ($39)
Although most essential oils are irritating to my skin, I have done really well with the Annmarie Anti-Aging Facial Oil and really enjoy the fragrance of that. It contains vetiver, frankincense and myrrh oils, as well as a variety of extracts. My skin seems to do better when I use this oil.
The two RMS oils – RMS Beauty Kakadu Evening Elixir and RMS Beauty Oil – both have strong ayurevedic scents that remind me of eating curry in an Indian restaurant. The main oils used are jojoba, rosa canina and buriti. No essential oils are included and my skin has done well with these products.
The Evening Elixir also contains kakadu plum extract, and I like that one more. The Beauty Oil instead incorporates real vanilla, which I’m sure that some people like even though I feel that the combination of it with the curry-smelling herbs is especially odd.
Read About Scented Facial Oils
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN EYE CREAM
Top Choice: Beautycounter Countertime Ultra Renewal Eye Cream ($76)
Runner Up: Cocokind Revitalizing Eye Cream ($19)
The Beautycounter Countertime Ultra Renewal Eye Cream contains bakuchiol (a natural anti-wrinkle herb), Swiss Alpine rose (an anti-oxidant) and Persian silk tree essence (to brighten the eye area). It is expensive, but I do feel that my eyes have benefited from it a lot.
The Cocokind Revitalizing Eye Cream is a light, simple eye cream that will give anyone’s eye area a bit of moisture at an affordable price. I like this one enough that I often mix it with high-quality oils and use it all over my face.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN EYE CREAM WITH CAFFEINE
Top Choice: Mad Hippie Eye Cream ($26)
Runner Up: 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream ($29)
Eye creams with caffeine are helpful for those with bags under their eyes.
I have tried a lot of these creams and think that the Mad Hippie Eye Cream is a reliable and affordable choice with a clean ingredient list. In addition to caffeine, the product includes a variety of peptides, ceramides, niacinamide and antioxidants. Although the manufacturer suggests that it could be irritating if it actually got into the eyes, I have not been all that careful with it and have never had a problem with it.
The 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream is one of that company’s most popular products. It smells like a vanilla latte, due to the use of real vanilla and real coffee (and nothing artificial) in the formula. The price is for a full ounce of product, so this one is a bit of a bargain as eye creams go. I often use it over my whole face and feel that it has been really helpful to me for general puffiness issues.
Read About Eye Creams With Caffeine
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN FACE/BODY BALM
Top Choice: Dr. Bronner’s Organic Magic Balm ($10)
Runner Up: Honest Calm + Heal Melting Balm ($33)
The unscented version of Dr. Bronner’s Organic Magic Balm contains just avocado oil, jojoba oil, beeswax, coconut oil, olive oil, hemp seed oil, and tocopherol. This product feels really good to me and makes me realize what low-quality ingredients some of its competitors are using.
Dr. Bronner’s also offers an Arnica-Menthol version (which also includes camphor and peppermint) that I am looking forward to trying soon.
The Honest Calm + Heal Melting Balm has a much longer ingredient list with many synthetic ingredients, but it has felt quite good to me as well. I used most of a jar of it last winter on my hands at bedtime, and it did seem really helpful to me.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN LIP BALM
Top Choice: Vapour Organic Lip Conditioner ($22)
Runner Up: Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm ($4); Evanhealy Whipped Shea Butter For Lips ($10); Cocokind My Matcha Moisture Stick ($9)
Of all the beauty items that I own, I reach for the Vapour Organic Lip Conditioner the most often. I really like the flavor (organic fig/plum/apricot) as well as the oils (organic jojoba/coconut/castor seed), with some beeswax and flower extracts also included. I use this many times a day and am thinking I need to buy another one to prepare for the winter during Vapour’s sitewide 30% off sale (which continues through Black Friday).
Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balms are available for only $4 and offered in plain, orange/ginger, lemon/lime or peppermint flavors. The main ingredients (all organic) are avocado oil, beeswax, jojoba seed oil and hemp seed oil. These are small lip balms and easily overlooked, but I think that arguably they are as good as anything else on the market, even the really expensive products. I worry a little about the avocado oil going rancid, but the ones that I have purchased have always felt fine to me.
The Evanhealy Whipped Shea Butter for Lips balm stick is also all-organic and tastes really good to me. It uses real vanilla, red raspberry seed oil and almond oil as flavors, with the main ingredients of sunflower seed oil, beeswax, coconut oil and castor seed oil.
I am a matcha fan and also like the Cocokind My Matcha Moisture Stick, which contains just coconut oil, beeswax and green tea powder (all organic). Note, however, that I read in some user reviews that Target is currently selling a version of the Cocokind My Matcha with a totally different ingredient list. I hope that they are not planning to totally replace this version, which is still listed as beiing carried on the Cocokind website as well as the Pharmaca website.
THE BEST SUPER-CLEAN LIP TREATMENT
Top Choice: Fitglow Night Lip Serum ($48)
The Fitglow Night Lip Serum is stated as containing ceramides, plant sterols and collagen, in addition to the usual moisturizing ingredients. Supposedly it is anti-aging and also acts to plump the lips. So far have only tried a small sample of the product. I do think that my lips are in especially good shape when I use it and that it feels great to me, but it is so expensive that it’s feeling hard for me to justify buying a full-size container of it. I like it enough that if I can stumble on a good sale maybe I will, though.
About This Website
The Living Clean in a Dirty World shopping website is designed to provide guidance to those seeking out products that are relatively low in toxicity and that provide generally positive user experiences.
Although the skincare and makeup sections have a particular focus on products appropriate for women who are in their 40’s or beyond, the information provided may be useful for other people as well.
The products are curated by Lisa Petrison, who has been focused on helping people to improve their health by avoiding toxicity since 2008 and who heads the Paradigm Change organization.
Her Living Clean in a Dirty World blog site discusses a variety of topics of relevance to those who are working to pursue a more natural lifestyle with less exposure to harmful toxicity.
Lisa is the author of several books, including A Beginner’s Guide to Mold Avoidance (co-written with Erik Johnson).
She also runs the Paradigm Change website (focusing on issues related to toxic mold illness) and the Mold Avoiders Facebook group (designed for the discussion of all topics of interest to those pursuing the mold avoidance approach described in the “Beginner’s Guide” book).
Lisa was born in August 1964 and has yet to try cosmetic surgery, Botox or other cosmetic treatments requiring interactions with a physician, or beauty products containing retinoids.
In her former life, Lisa worked as a business school professor, as a marketing consultant to a variety of large companies, and as a reporter covering the advertising industry.
She holds a Ph.D. in marketing and social psychology from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University as well as B.S./M.S. degrees from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern.
Lisa would like to extend a special note of appreciation to Ellen Kleiman-Redden for her help in trying out products and discussing issues related to this project.
She also would like to thank the many members of the Mold Avoiders community who have shared suggestions of products to be included here.
A Note From Lisa
Products that I have tried or researched and that I have not found to be acceptable from a toxicity standpoint have been omitted entirely from the discussions on this website.
However, since a goal of this project is to introduce people to a range of options in terms of price and functionality, some products discussed on this site include ingredients that may not be appropriate for everyone.
It’s my hope that all individuals making their way to this site will find at least a few options from each product category that meet all of their own needs and wants from a variety of perspectives.
The vast majority of cosmetics marketers now offer affiliate programs in which Internet content creators may earn commissions if people who are referred to the companies’ sites by clicking on links end up making purchases.
I participate in quite a few individual affiliate programs as well as in the Sovrn/Viglinks program (which automatically converts regular links into revenue-generating links).
Reader comments (positive or negative) about products discussed on this website are very welcome.
Thoughts may be shared either by posting them in the comments section at the bottom of this page or by sending them directly to me at the following email address:
info at paradigmchange dot me
Companies that would like to offer me complimentary products to try out may contact me at this address as well.
Individuals who are seeking out less-toxic products or who are interested in pursuing a cleaner and healthier lifestyle may want to sign up to receive occasional email newsletters from Living Clean in a Dirty World.
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