My Top 5 Favorite Clean Beauty Products

Admittedly, much of this is new for me. While I’ve felt the tug of better choices for a number of years now, it was not until I became a mom that I became so much more aware of my clean beauty product choices.

It actually started with pregnancy. I didn’t want to share aluminum from my deodorant with my daughter in the womb. There may not be enough studies to connect aluminum with the development of my baby, but there are a number of studies connecting it with so many other things. I began my search for an alternative, something more aligned with clean beauty products. I assure you it was a stinky process.

Then I started thinking more about my shampoos and soaps. The jury is still out on the connection of parabens to certain cancers. The potential connection was enough for me to say no. I found some cleaner options.

When my kids were born, I made the decision to only use mineral-based sunscreens on them. Many of the chemical-based sunscreens are unsafe for the environment because of their effect on ocean life. Those same chemicals are also associated with hormone disruption in humans.

Just in the past year, I’ve decided to completely clean-up my beauty routine. The following are cosmetic ingredients that I try to avoid entirely: parabens, phthalates, sulfates, dyes, mineral oil, petrolatum, talc, and formaldehyde.

When I first began transitioning towards clean beauty products, I tried a number of different options. I visited Whole Foods because they recently added make-ups by Burts Bees and some other “cleaner” labels. I wasn’t particularly impressed. My sister sent some makeup to try from Beauty Counter. Again, I wasn’t really a fan. So, I turned to Sephora and was surprised to find some really good options. They have a label called “Clean at Sephora.” The designation is earned when a product is free of some of the chemicals mentioned above, along with a whole bunch more. You can read more about their designation here.

I did some research, tried a number of products, read a bunch of reviews, and these are what I currently consider to be my favorite clean beauty products:

• • Native Deodorant

    • Until about six months ago, the only way to buy this deodorant was to order it online. I’m happy to say it’s now widely available at Target. I use coconut and vanilla because it’s sensitive and I love the smell. I did try A LOT of aluminum-free deodorants. Some of them didn’t work at all on me, and some caused rashes. Surprisingly, for me, this works better than any aluminum deodorant ever did. It’s more expensive than any other deodorant I’ve purchased, but one stick lasts me about three months. So, it’s actually better for my budget. NOTE: Directions for this deodorant suggest you discontinue your other deodorant a few days before trying to give your skin a chance to detox.

  • Farmacy Green Screen

    • This is a great sunscreen as a base before applying any other makeup. Some mineral-based sunscreens are really hard to rub into the skin without leaving a white tone on your skin. This is much better. I usually try to apply an hour before makeup so that my skin isn’t too moist to properly absorb the makeup that I’m putting on it. On the packaging, it claims to also “helps guard against free radicals emitted from smartphones and computers.” That’s quite the claim, and I’m all about it.

  • Youth to the People Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream

    • This stuff is pricy, but a little goes a long way. The sales website claims it solves “dryness, fine lines and wrinkles, and redness.” I’m not sure about the wrinkles, but it definitely helps with dryness and redness. I try to remember to apply it at night before I go to bed. Sometimes I’m just too tired to do anything more than brush my teeth.

• Acure Brightening Cleansing Gel

  • I found this face wash at Target. I put it in the shower and use it every time I take a shower. It’s great for a complete face rinse before starting my day. It’s fresh and leaves my skin feeling airy.

• Raw Sugar Simply Hand Wash

  • This soap is perfect for my extremely sensitive hands. I have to be sure I’m using the right-hand soap in order to avoid painful drying and cracking of my skin. This soap has been gentle. It boasts on the bottle that it is free of sulfates, parabens, dyes, and phthalates. It also says that it’s not tested on animals. It’s on the pricey side, but it does last a very long time. The one I’m using is Raw Coconut and Mango.

In addition to these clean beauty products, I’ve also created a list of my favorite clean makeup products in this next post.

If there are some clean beauty products that you love, please share them with us in the comments below.