3 Clean Skincare Brands You Can Feel Great About Using

Just because a product has “natural” ingredients doesn’t mean it’s clean and safe to put on your skin.

Technically arsenic and cyanide and canola oil are natural ingredients, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe for your body. The same goes with many of the ingredients that are in conventional skincare- they may be “natural” but that doesn’t mean they’re “clean”.

What we put on our skin is so important because it’s those ingredients that get absorbed directly into our bloodstream. They can affect our hormones, for better or worse, and therefore every other function in our body can be impacted by them!

I will be the first one to tell you that diet should be our primary skincare routine, because our skin reflects what’s happening in our body, and if we want to clean that up, diet is key.

But it’s important too to cleanse and nourish skin from the outside with ingredients that are safe and high quality and won’t cause any damage from external sources (you can read more about that in this blog post).

Today I’m discussing three brands of clean skincare that I have tried myself and feel are worth sharing with you. Trying to differentiate between all the options available can be overwhelming, but hopefully this will help get you off to a good start!

Ambersea Apothecary | $$ |

This brand is simply lovely. It is the first truly clean skincare business I purchased from after coming to understand the importance of what products I’m putting on my skin.

I was drawn to them for a few reasons:

• They are family owned and operated out of Grants Pass, Oregon. In addition to the fact that this is where my grandparents lived, and so a piece of my heart still lingers there, I always love when brands are based in the U.S. This is an increasing priority for me.
• They prioritize small-batch production using ingredients that are: wild-harvested and/or sustainably sourced from local businesses, carefully fair-trade selected, and “soon to be biodynamically grown on our little herb farm”. They don’t use preservatives or dilute their products with water. They gather their ingredients at the optimal time in their growth cycle to “ensure the most nutrient-dense, vitamin and mineral-rich products as a result”.
• They use as little plastic as possible in their packaging and shipping materials.

Ambersea Apothecary products do lean on the more expensive side, but I believe that can be justified by the quality of ingredients used and knowing that money is supporting a real family working to offer wholesome products. The products I used lasted me a solid year, as you don’t need to use as much because they aren’t diluted with water and other ingredients; the shelf life is 6 months-1 year, and you can tell by the smell when it’s time to stop using the product anymore.

Shop Ambersea Apothecary here. Find them here on Instagram.

Treat Yourself | $$ |

Treat Yourself products are ones that I will be repurchasing again and again. I have tried several of their skincare items, their deodorant, and their lip balm, and love all of them. What makes their brand worth supporting?

• They are owned and operated in the U.S. (in Los Angeles, I believe) by best friends who want to change the dynamics of the skincare industry and offer safe and healthy products for your skin.
• They use simple, wholesome, clean ingredients. There are minimal PUFAs or harmful oils used in Treat Yourself products, so you don’t have to worry about any sort of light/heat exposure and oxidation that can come with that when those ingredients are used (you can read more about this in a previous blog post here). For the select couple of PUFAs that are utilized, they are actually CO2 extracts and so are more stable and significantly less prone to oxidize the skin. Their ingredients are seriously some of the best I’ve found, and they don’t feel the need to include excessive ingredients in any of their products.
• Minimal use of plastic packaging.
• Reasonable Pricing

While I’m not a fan of the whole “go me!” attitude that undergirds this brand, and many others, I do appreciate that personal health and wellness is prioritized and encouraged and that these products can help people lead healthier lives.

Shop Treat Yourself here. Find them here on Instagram.

True Botanicals | $$$ |

True Botanicals is described on their site as “a luxurious, consciously crafted skincare brand on a mission to deliver clean and sustainable products that are clinically proven to work at the highest standards.”

While I have tried only one of their products so far, it is evident that quality is a priority that is not skimped on. The serum I have been using (see picture above; this was sent to me as I am an affiliate for the brand) is lovely to use, and feels so good on my skin; it’s light and refreshing and makes me feel fancy. I can’t give specific thoughts on other products, but it’s obvious that you get what you pay for when it come to True Botanicals.

Some other qualities I like about their brand:

• They too are a U.S. based company, founded as a response to a cancer diagnosis and realization that conventional beauty products are full of toxins and harmful chemicals.
• All products are MADE SAFE certified, cruelty free, and non-GMO
• Ingredients are sustainably sourced and biocompatability is prioritized because “everything from the molecule size of an ingredient to the way that ingredient reacts to the sun and water needs to be considered”. This is important because there are certain companies that use ingredients in their products that may produce a certain positive result in the skin initially, but that can be damaging if incorrectly combined with other product or exposed to sunlight and whatnot- which is a tad bit sketchy.

True Botanicals products are on the pricey side of skincare. If you can afford using their products for all your skincare needs, that’s fantastic. Personally, I would probably only repurchase as a treat to myself for a special occasion- and this is only because of pricing, not because I’m not impressed with their products.

Shop True Botanicals here. Find them here on Instagram.

All three of these brands are ones that I have tried myself, and would purchase from again.

And I would recommend all of these as good options for you if you’re looking for clean skincare. Depending on what your priorities and concerns are for your lifestyle and skincare, each brand offers something unique- you have to decide which one fits your ideal.

There are a whole lot of other awesome clean skincare brands out there, and when I’ve had a chance to try them I will be glad to share them with you! Maybe I’ll do a post sharing about brands I’ve discovered but haven’t tried yet, like a round-up that can help you narrow your options a bit.

Have you ever tried any of these brands before? If so, what were your thoughts? What other clean skincare have you tried and feel is worth sharing? I’d love to hear about them and try them for myself!

Please know that I never promote products or brands that I haven’t used myself or researched thoroughly to ensure they’re of trustworthy quality. I am very particular in regard to what products I will put on my face and skin, and wouldn’t recommend anything I felt to be harmful. This post is not a thorough review of these brands, but a simple overview of options to consider for clean skincare.