The Cleanest Skincare Products
Description
Note: This page 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.
November 1, 2022
By Lisa Petrison
While all the products discussed on this website meet a minimum standard in terms of not containing really problematic ingredients, some are considerably less problematic than others.
The products on this page are free of most of the ingredients that EWG has flagged as problematic (though some may include minor irritants such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, aloe vera, licorice extract, lavender oil, frankincense oil, rosa canina oil, tocopheryl acetate, PEG-free and non-cyclic silicones, and/or acacia senegal gum).
These products may be especially appropriate for those who are very chemically sensitive, who are pregnant, or who just want to do as much as possible to eliminate as many potentially harmful synthetic chemicals and natural ingredients from their lives.
The star ratings listed here are my own assessments of how the products have performed for me.
Cleansing Creams
Evanhealy – Cleansing Milk ($37) 
(5 / 5)
Fitglow – Calm Cleansing Milk ($39) (5 / 5)
Honest – Calm On Foaming Cream Cleanser ($18) 
(4 / 5)
Herbivore – Pink Cloud Creamy Jelly Cleanser ($24)
Mad Hippie – Cream Cleanser ($16) (5 / 5)
Vanicream – Gentle Facial Cleanser ($5) 
(3 / 5)
Cleansing Oils & Balms
Drunk Elephant – Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser ($34)
Mad Hippie – Cleansing Oil ($18) (5 / 5)
Marie Veronique – Pure + E.O. Free Oil Cleanser ($45)
Typology – 7-Ingredient Cleansing Oil ($23)
Typology – Makeup Remover Balm ($25)
Read About Cleansing Oils & Balms
Micellar Cleansers
Evolve – Deep Clean Micellar Water ($27)
Exfoliating Scrubs
Honest – Skin Sweep Exfoliating Powder Cleanser ($22) (5 / 5)
Hydroxy Acid Resurfacers
Annmarie – Wild Fruit Serum ($120) (5 / 5)
Cocokind – AHA Jelly Cleanser ($18) (5 / 5)
Mad Hippie – AHA Exfoliating Peel ($35) (5 / 5)
Marie Veronique – Intensive Repair Serum ($95)
Read About Hydroxy Acid Resurfacers
Anti-Aging Serums
Alpyn Beauty – Wild Nettle and Niacinamide Firming Serum ($58) (5 / 5)
Beautycounter – Countertime Tripeptide Radiance Serum ($87) (5 / 5)
Cocokind – Ceramide Barrier Serum ($22) (5 / 5)
Herbivore – Moon Fruit Bakuchiol Serum ($60)
Marie Veronique – Barrier Restore Serum ($115) (5 / 5)
True Botanicals – Chebula Active Serum ($90) (4 / 5)
True Botanicals – Phyto-Retinol Vitamin A Booster ($120) (5 / 5)
Typology – Density & Firming Complex ($58)
Antioxidant Serums
Cocokind – Vitamin C Serum with Sea Grape Caviar ($20)
Herbivore – Nova 15% Vitamin C + Turmeric Brightening Serum ($64)
Honest – Everyday Radiance + C Moisturizer ($28) (5 / 5)
Mad Hippie – Vitamin C Serum ($34) (5 / 5)
Marie Veronique – C-Therapy Serum ($95)
Marie Veronique – Vitamins C+E+Ferulic Serum ($95)
Hydrating Serums
Honest – Stay Hydrated Hyaluronic Acid + NMF Serum ($30) (5 / 5)
Marie Veronique – Soothing B3 Serum ($95)
Hydrating Tonics
Honest – Calm & Go Face Mist ($18)
Mad Hippie – Hydrating Nutrient Mist ($20) (5 / 5)
Hydrosols & Toners
Annmarie – Neroli Toning Mist ($28) (4 / 5)
Cocokind – Glow Essence with Sea Grape Caviar ($18) (5 / 5)
Cocokind – Rosewater Facial Toner ($17) (5 / 5)
Eden Botanicals – Hydrosols ($8+) (5 / 5)
Evanhealy – HydroSouls ($30) (5 / 5)
Pageo – Lavender Hydrosol ($12) (5 / 5)
Microbiome Support
Briotech – Topical Skin Spray ($15) (5 / 5)
Marie Veronique – Balancing HypoTonic ($47)
Marie Veronique – Pre + Probiotic Daily Mist ($45) (5 / 5)
PurO3 – Ozonated Oils ($20+) (5 / 5)
Tower 28 – SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray ($12) (5 / 5)
Typology – Unifying & Rebalancing Complex ($39)
Day Creams
Cocokind – Texture Smoothing Cream ($22) (5 / 5)
Honest – Everyday Radiance + C Moisturizer ($28) (5 / 5)
Honest – Hydrogel Cream ($20) (5 / 5)
Night Creams
Evanhealy – Whipped Shea Butter With Olive Leaf ($38) (3 / 5)
Fitglow – Cloud Comfort Cream ($84) (5 / 5)
Typology – 9-Ingredient Face Moisturizer ($27) (5 / 5)
Face & Body Balms
Beekman 1802 Pure Goat Milk Stick of Butter ($20)
Boom Boomstick Glo ($28) (4 / 5)
Cocokind One-For-All Balm ($11)
Dr. Bronner’s Organic Magic Balm ($10) (5 / 5)
Honest Calm + Heal Melting Balm ($33) (5 / 5)
Honest Magic Beauty Balm Compact ($13) (5 / 5)
Honest Magic Beauty Balm Stick ($15) (5 / 5)
Medicine Mama Sweet Bee Magic Healing Skin Cream ($20) (5 / 5)
Tower 28 SuperDew Highlighter Balm ($18) (5 / 5)
Facial Oils
Annmarie – Herbal Facial Oil For Sensitive Skin ($45) (5 / 5)
Birkenstock – Anti-Stress Serum ($65) (5 / 5)
Bybi – 100% Cold Pressed Strawberry Seed Oil Booster ($10) (5 / 5)
Cocokind – Facial Repair Oil ($15) (5 / 5)
Cocokind – Organic Chia Face Oil ($18) (5 / 5)
Drunk Elephant – Virgin Marula Luxury Face Oil ($38) (5 / 5)
Evanhealy – Pomegranate Repair Serum ($49) (5 / 5)
Le Prunier – Plum Beauty Oil ($72) (5 / 5)
Marie Veronique – Barrier Lipid Complex ($95) (5 / 5)
Marie Veronique for Ayla – Dara’s Oil ($77) (5 / 5)
Typology – Lab 1014 3% Q10 + Huile de Macadamia ($45) (5 / 5)
Scented Facial Oils
Annmarie – Anti-Aging Facial Oil ($62) (5 / 5)
RMS – Beauty Oil ($39) (5 / 5)
RMS – Kakadu Evening Elixir ($39) (5 / 5)
SkinOwl – Lavender Drops ($12) (4 / 5)
True Botanicals – Calm Pure Radiance Facial Oil ($110)
Read About Scented Facial Oils
Eye Creams
Annmarie – Anti-Aging Eye Cream ($70)
Beautycounter – Countertime Ultra Renewal Eye Cream ($76) (5 / 5)
Cocokind – Revitalizing Eye Cream ($19) (5 / 5)
Evanhealy – Wild Carrot Nourishing Eye Balm ($27) (4 / 5)
W3LL People – Revitalizing Eye Gel-Cream ($18) (4 / 5)
Eye Creams with Caffeine
100% Pure – Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream ($29) (5 / 5)
Mad Hippie – Eye Cream ($26) (5 / 5)
Read About Eye Creams with Caffeine
Lip Balms
Beekman 1802 – Pure Goat Milk Lip Balm ($9) (4 / 5)
Cocokind – My Matcha Moisture Stick ($9) (5 / 5)
Dr. Bronner’s – Organic Lip Balm ($4) (5 / 5)
Evanhealy – Whipped Shea Butter For Lips ($10) (5 / 5)
Honest – Tinted Lip Balm ($9) (5 / 5)
RMS – Lip Balm ($22) (5 / 5)
Vapour – Organic Lip Conditioner ($22) (5 / 5)
Lip Treatments
Fitglow – Night Lip Serum ($48) (5 / 5)
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 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.
Thanks very much for visiting the Living Clean shopping site!
Links on this page are in orange (no underlining).
