Clean Beauty Safer Swaps Guide

Over the last decade, I have tried hundreds of safer products on my quest to find the best nontoxic options to lower my family’s toxic burden. You can read why that is critically important for prioritizing child development here. Switching to safer skincare and makeup was by far the hardest part of my clean journey. I felt like I always had to sacrifice performance for safety, until I found Beautycounter. They set the standard in safety testing, award-winning performance, ethical sourcing, sustainability, and advocacy work, which I had the honor of being part of. Beautycounter helped change the personal care industry, largely because of Beautycounter’s efforts. Within the last decade, there has been an explosion of “clean” beauty products on the market, some much safer than others (it is still a very unregulated industry). It can be difficult to discern actually safe products from great marketing.

In May 2024, Beautycounter’s founder repurchased the company from investors who “neglected their duty to put people first” and took a very sudden pause to realign the company. Beautycouter hopes to be back in late fall, but many of us (myself included) need replacements in the interim. While no other brand checks all the boxes for me, I have found really great options with similar safety testing standards and performance. I’ve even found a very new favorites that I won’t switch if Beautycounter returns!

I have personally purchased and tested the majority of these product recommendations! You can click on each image below for a direct link and discount where possible. Thank you for using my links.

BEST WAYS TO SAVE ON MY FAVORITE CLEAN BRANDS

CRUNCHI

I was thrilled to find a truly clean skincare + makeup company that third party tests for safety, is EWG verified, prioritizes organic ingredients, and is high performing. Use code ADVOCATE10 to save 10% on your first purchase.

Clearstem

If you have acne-prone skin, this brand has some really impressive products with highly research formulations to deliver impressive results. Use code SUNNYSEEDCO15 to save on your first purchase.

CREDO

This is like Sephora for clean beauty. You can find so many amazing products here, even our favorite Risewell toothpaste. Join their free rewards program to earn free products.

RAKUTEN

A free website (and app) that allows you to earn cash back on online purchases from participating sites. It seems too good to be true, but I’ve been using it for over five years with zero issues.

THRIVE MARKET

This has been a staple in our home since 2016 for all our non-perishable food items. They recently added makeup, SPF, and house goods. Save 40% with my link.

CLEANSERS

Harsh cleansers with surfactans disrupt the skin’s natural lipds and microbiome. Avoid hot water, which can dry the skin. For best results, use a clean, soft, organic washcloth to gently exfoliate and lift extra makeup or impurities.

Tip: massage your cleanser into skin for 30-60 seconds.

TONERS & ESSENCES

These reduce the appearance of pores, remove any residual impurities, deliver nutrients, and help balance the skin's pH (as long as they're gentle!), which makes it less likely your skin will experience redness, dryness, or breakouts. Serums (the next step) are 10x more effective on damp, prepped skin.

Apply your toner or essence to slightly damp skin. If using an essence, pat into damp skin. If using a toner, apply using a soft organic cotton pad.

SERUMS

Most of us have additional skincare concerns that require extra targeting. Serums are the most “potent” and transformative so if you have sensitive skin, ease into this step. Serums are lightweight and absorb deeper into the skin. I use Vitamin C in the morning and Golden Light Multipeptide Serum at night.

Here are some quick points on my favorite ingredients to include:

Vitamin C is a powerful solution for aging gracefully. It protects against sun damange, reduces dark spots, increases collagen synthesis, decreases collagen degradation, and instantly brighten the skin.
Avoid Vitamin C made from ascorbic acid and I-ascorbic acid, which are cheap, damage the skin barrier, and lose effectiveness quickly from oxidation. Instead, look for tetrahexyldexy ascorbate (THD) vitamin C, which is more stable, penetrates deeper into the skin and is fat soluble.
Niacinamide helps improve the appearance of pores, supports lipid production, and repairs DNA damage from the sun. This is found in Crunchi’s Multipeptide Serum.
Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) are safe chemical exfoliants that encourage collagen and elastin production, while resurfacing the skin to reduce dark spots, dull skin, and support cellular turnover for a more youthful appearance. This also helps your products to absorb properly instead of sitting on the top of dull skin. Thesee are very active ingredients so start slow, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Peptides rebuild skin elasticity and fill in fine lines, making skin appear plumper. They also improve your skin barrier.

TREATMENTS

This is a fun step you can play around with, depending on your skin’s needs. I enjoy (and strongly recommend) the Resurfacing Mask once a week.

MOISTURIZERS

This is the most important step. Our skin consists of layers that each require their own balance of water, acid and lipids (fat). The top two layers of the epidermis are particularly susceptible to imbalances and impurities, which lead to skin conditions like inflammation, blemishes, redness, dry patches, wrinkles, and dullness. When our acid mantle is intact, it can actually repel toxicants and environmental damage.

Sadly, around the age of 25, our skin’s moisture barrier begins to age - collagen production and cellular turnover slow down. We must nourish our skin’s moisture barrier to keep the plump structure of our skin’s layers intact in order to minimize fine lines and wrinkles.

Daytime moisturizers are designed to provide moisture and protect against daily environmental stressors. They feel lighter so you can also wear them under makeup. Night time moisturizers are much thicker and designed to repair the skin.

MAKEUP

If you want to geek out on how makeup impacts your health, read this blog post. The important thing to look for is whether or not a company third party tests each batch for heavy metals - if they are not testing, there is truly no way to tell if a product is actually safe. I remember feeling absolutely duped when the FDA revealed the Burt’s Bee’s Natural lipstick I used daily contained lead (a neurotoxin). Thankfully, I found another company besides Beautycotnter that third party tests multiple times — Crunchi! I especially love their foundation (and foundation brush) and concealer. Be sure to use code ADVOCATE10 to save 10% on your first purchase.