Let’s face it. Developing a truly non-toxic skin care routine that doesn’t contain harmful ingredients like parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, and preservatives is like getting rid of those nasty blackheads.
Not impossible, but often difficult—especially with all the greenwashing of “natural” products out there. We find it kind of ironic that products marketed to help your skin actually contain ingredients that do far more damage than good.
Thankfully, it’s becoming easier to cut out the toxic chemicals once and for all, thanks to organic and natural skin care brands that will leave you intoxicated (or should we say, non-toxicated?).
And it’s also getting easier to find these brands thanks to our new Brand Rating System. We’ll be rolling this out in coming weeks, reexamining articles per the system’s 22 criteria points ranging from brand diversity considerations to ingredient safety. We break down this new system here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
Our Pimple-Free Picks Of The Best Natural Skin Care Brands
Fat & the Moon makes an All Cream that works as a moisturizer for both the face and body. Due to its multipurpose usage and organic ingredients, it’s easily one of our top natural skin care products.
For natural and zero waste skin care, we highly recommend the homemade natural skin care by Butter Me Up Organics, with unique ingredients designed to nourish your body at its very core.
For a face cream that won’t clog pores, check out EcoRoots’ Rose Facial Cream. It’s lightweight, made with organic ingredients, and works perfectly with our oily complexion.
Index: Natural & Organic Skin Care Brands
- Ethique Jump to brand
- Fat & The Moon Jump to brand
- EcoRoots Jump to brand
- Activist Skincare Jump to brand
- 100% Pure Jump to brand
- Butter Me Up Organics Jump to brand
- Meow Meow Tweet Jump to brand
- etee Jump to brand
- Juice Beauty Jump to brand
Ethique
Ethique’s Facial Skin Care
Price Range: $6–$30
With a name like The Perfector, it’s no surprise that Ethique’s nourishing face cream is one of our personal favorite non-toxic skincare products.
Designed to treat balanced to dry skin, this organic face cream is made with a luxurious blend of hydrating ingredients like kokum butter, jojoba butter, and hyaluronic acid—AKA the ultimate concoction for glowing skin.
The convenient cardboard applicator makes for easy, mess-free application. Simply chuck it in your bag for midday touch-ups or, keep it shelved to use as a night cream like we do, since we love its overnight restorative powers.
About Ethique
If the name Ethique sounds familiar, it’s probably because they’re one of the best non-toxic skin care brands to appear time and time again on our site. This brand checks all of our boxes, from their ethical sourcing policies and carbon-neutral operations to their conscious packaging to charitable giving (2% of all profits).
They’ve got no shortage of natural beauty products to choose from, including cleaners, eco-friendly shampoo, and more—all certified cruelty-free, palm-oil free, and organic.
Fat & The Moon
Fat & The Moon’s Skin Care
Price Range: $6–$42
If you’re wondering, “What is considered natural skincare?”, Fat and The Moon has the answer.
In fact, their All Cream may very well be the definition. With only six ingredients, the multipurpose zero waste lotion deemed “the cream of your dreams” has your eyes, t-zone, hands, body, and feet covered in one-go—meaning you can save money and space by not having to buy different one-off creams.
Sunflower oil, aloe vera, shea butter, rosewater, beeswax, and elderberry extract are all you really need for a killer natural skin care routine.
After testing and loving this lotion, we recommend storing the product in the fridge to extend its shelf life for up to two months.
About Fat & The Moon
Fat and The Moon is all about healing—whether that be your skin or the planet. Deemed “plant potions for your bod garden”, all products are handcrafted from ethically-harvested, organic plant-based ingredients with known medicinal benefits. Among their eco-friendly elixirs you’ll find everything for your hair, bath, and body, like non-toxic deodorant.
All products come shipped in recyclable, reusable, or compostable packaging.
EcoRoots
EcoRoots’ Natural Skin Care
Price Range: $9–$65
Kiss skin aging goodbye, and say hello to the Rosehip Facial Cream from EcoRoots. The ultra-nourishing face cream is designed to moisturize and rejuvenate the skin without clogging pores.
Perfect for all skin types, but exceptional for delicate skin thanks to its gentle formula featuring plant based ingredients like citric acid, organic coconut oil, and provitamin B5. Naturally high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, these ingredients are exceptional at fighting free radicals and wrinkles. Instead of chemical preservatives, it contains only natural preservatives for skin care, like vitamin E.
About EcoRoots
Colorado’s EcoRoots keeps us grounded to our sustainable lifestyle by supplying all of our sustainable beauty and home essentials. The women-owned small business features over 50 low-waste products—including some of our favorite zero waste lip balm—all which are free from parabens and animal testing.
A portion of annual sales are donated to organizations that give back to the planet, including the Ocean Conservancy.
My Personal Review of EcoRoots’ Rosehip Facial Cream:
“FYI – other than a slightly oily complexion, I don’t have problematic or combination skin I can use most creams without too much of an issue. I love the rosehip scent in this cream. Unlike a lot of conventional moisturizers, this is understated not overpowering. However, some may get irritated and want to steer clear of fragrant creams. I found it light enough as a day cream in the winter, but a little too heavy during the summer when it’s better as a night cream. It’s not greasy at all, very smooth, and absorbs really fast.”
Review by Lyall Mabin, SJ’s Co-founder
Activist Skincare
Activist Skincare’s Non-Toxic Skin Care
Price Range: $5–$124
Figuring out what your skin likes can be tough—not to mention expensive.
Activist Skincare knows you don’t want to spend tons of money figuring it out, so they offer the Trial & Travel affordable organic skin care kit, which includes two cleansing balms, a cleansing oil, several serums, and a toning mist.
We tried it and fell deep in love with the Deep Moisture Cleansing Balm especially. Who wouldn’t love a 100% natural product that leaves skin plump and dewy? Except those with oily skin maybe, since the formula isn’t designed for skin types prone to clogged pores.
The key active ingredients featured in the formula include grape seed oil, shea butter, and fruit and sugar extracts which respectively dissolve makeup, moisturize the skin, and loosen dead skin cells. Free from essential oils, the vanilla-scented dry skin solution has received a whopping 4.9 out of 5-star reviews!
Finally, we’ve met a natural makeup remover worthy of our makeup routine.
About Activist Skincare
When you take active natural ingredient skin care and mix them with advocacy, you get Activist. The clean beauty brand strictly uses ethically-sourced, non-toxic ingredients in their formulations. Which are all vegan, cruelty-free, and artificial fragrance free.
As members of 1% For The Planet, part of every addition to your natural skin care routine supports environmental non-profit organizations like Earth Justice and Outdoor Afro.
100% Pure
100% Pure’s Skin Care Products
Price Range: $7–$68
100% Pure has 100% grown on us—unlike pimples since we started using their range of cleansing oils and gels, face serums, and more.
Of all their 100% natural skin care products we’ve tried, our favorite is the Organic Marula Oil, partially because it contains just one ingredient. You guessed it: cold-pressed certified organic marula oil. Rich in antioxidants, it reduces elastin breakdown, meaning it’s one of the best natural anti-aging skin care remedies.
It’s also non-irritating, making it suitable for all skin types and conditions. We recently started to notice an irritated, horribly itchy patch of skin right at our hairline and after applying this oil every night for four days, it was gone and has never returned.
About 100% Pure
Aiming to be climate positive by 2024, 100% Pure is 100% committed to clean products and manufacturing. Everything is vegan, cruelty-free, and made with certified organic ingredients sourced in adherence to Ethical Trade Initiative principles.
As with their range of plant-pigmented pregnancy safe makeup, you can use any of their natural skin care during pregnancy, too.
For every order, the clean skincare brand donates a bowl of dog food or one tree to their partner organizations.
While some plastic is still used, they’re working on replacing it with post-consumer recycled materials, to match their sustainable, comfortable shipping packaging.
Butter Me Up Organics
Butter Me Up Organic’s Skin Care Products
Price Range: $7–$97
Butter Me Up Organics’ skin-focused range is vast, containing everything you need to protect and polish your skin, individually or in sets.
We personally use a lot of their products, but one of our go-to natural skin care remedies is their Organic Magnesium Lotion. The secret is the magnesium chloride, which sounds scary, but isn’t. It’s the most easy-to-absorb form of magnesium, which can help regulate the whole body’s magnesium levels. Not only is magnesium crucial for stress hormone regulation, but too little of it is correlated with deficiencies in fatty acids that maintain skin moisture and elasticity.
One of the best natural skin care products for sensitive skin, it also features nourishing and nonirritating avocado oil, coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, and a tiny bit of lavender essential oils (so minimally we don’t even smell it).
About Butter Me Up Organics
The organic skincare brand specializes in lotions, creams, serums, biodegradable sunscreen, and body butters made only with the highest quality natural ingredients for your skin. That is, ingredients that are mostly organic, and always sourced sustainably and ethically.
All products come housed in glass, tin, or paperboard.
Meow Meow Tweet
Meow Meow Tweet’s Skin Care Line
Price Range: $12–$30
When it comes to the best natural products for skin care, Meow Meow Tweet has long been an SJ favorite for their hard vegan stance and completely clean ingredients used across their range of toners, facial soap, skin repair balm, and more.
The Matcha Lime Face Mask + acne prone skin = a matcha made in heaven. Packed with skin loving ingredients like antioxidant matcha, hydrating marshmallow root, and absorbing green clay, this all-in-one face mask leaves every skin type exfoliated and hydrated. Simply mix a spoonful of powder with water and apply.
Though designed to be a face mask, the powder-to-paste product could also be used as a soapless face wash or spot treatment.
About Meow Meow Tweet
Meow Meow Tweet has a little bit of everything for the skin, from eco-friendly deodorant to natural insect repellent.Not only are all their products vegan and Leaping Bunny certified, but they also come housed in sustainable glass, cardboard, and/or aluminum packaging.
The Certified B Corp is certified climate neutral and plastic negative through a partnership with rePurpose Global.
etee
etee’s Skin Care Brand
Price Range: $29–$99
Sustainable Jungle tried and tested, the Ultra Face Moisturizer by etee has been deemed a skin win (and one of our favorite sustainable moisturizers.)
Featuring hyaluronic acid, squalane, and euglena gracilis, the anti-aging natural skin care formula is quite different from the plant butter and essential oils concoctions we are used to seeing. The potent ingredients effectively penetrate skin to promote collagen production, reduce the appearance of fine lines, and attract moisture to skin cells.
Housed in a chrysalis-themed compostable wax pod, we’d go as far to say this product will transform you.
About etee
The Toronto-based brand oversees its entire supply chain, ensuring no plastic or unfair labor is used in the manufacturing process (which takes place in a factory that utilizes renewable energy). They regularly donate to various organizations, currently focused on those supporting Ukraine.
Juice Beauty
Juice Beauty’s Skin Care Collection
Price Range: $7–$443
Juice Beauty’s got the good juju when it comes to making skin care with natural ingredients.
Specifically, we’re talking those from their Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Skincare line—though all of their organic skin care lines are incredible—like the overnight clean retinol serum, voted Chicago Tribune Best in Class, and for good reason.
Breakthrough technology is used to encapsulate fatty amino acids of Evening Primrose, which makes the product exceptionally effective at reducing dark spots, skin texture, and wrinkles. Some other certified organic ingredients you’ll find include Vitamin C, Jojoba Oil, and Juice Beauty proprietary blend of fruit stem cells.
Though that one’s a standout, the rest of their natural skin care for men and women is just as good, with everything from vegan sunscreen to exfoliating masks.
About Juice Beauty
Juice Beauty: The clean beauty brand that’s juicy, not seedy. All of their plant-based ingredients are sourced transparently from mission driven organic farmers, or grown on their own sustainable farm. As per their business standards, all of their natural skincare products are cruelty-free, vegan, and Environmental Working Group (EWG) verified.
They also donate to the EWG as well as Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP).
While their plastic packaging still leaves a lot to be desired, we appreciate that their additions to our natural skin care routine come from a solar-powered HQ.
