Every year we see more and more organic and natural beauty products launching. It not only means there are more fantastic options to choose from, it means that the standards are being raised. So choosing the (organic) crème de la crème can be a challenge. In honor of Earth Day (April 22), we set out to narrow down the very best across skin care, makeup, body and hair. The results are the gold, nay, green standard in beauty.
The best natural and organic beauty products are game changers because of their cleaner formulas, not in spite of them. They show that some of the top ingredients come from Mother Nature and a minimalist formula can still deliver incredible results. Additionally, formulations with fresher pure plant ingredients that don’t have stabilizers and fillers are gentler on skin — so don’t be scared to try a new clean pick.
Whether you’ve considered switching to a greener beauty routine, trying to adhere to one or thinking about small changes you can make for Earth Day, every little bit does make a difference. And incorporating even just one or two of these clean beauty buys can make a difference in your carbon footprint and complexion.
Ahead, shop the best natural and organic beauty products of 2019.
[ Next: CBD Oil Gets the Green Light for Sensitive Skin ]
2019 Earth Day Awards
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Best Toner
Derma E Radiance Toner, $10.47 at Ulta
This vegan, gluten-free natural toner balances skin after cleansing without drying it out. The alcohol-free formula gently exfoliates with glycolic acid for more luminous skin — no highlighter necessary. Skin will feel clean but never tight.
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Best Eye Cream
MyChelle Dermaceuticals Ultra Hyaluronic Eye Gel, $25 at Kohl's
Don't let tired eyes give away your late night out. Revive them with this cooling eye gel. The unscented vegan-friendly formula targets all the signs of exhaustion (puffiness, dark circles, dryness) with a caffeine and hyaluronic acid formula. The product is made without parabens, alcohol, silicone, sulfates, gluten, BPA, phthalates and artificial fragrances and colors.
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Best Face Wash
Burt's Bees Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin, $10.49 at Ulta Beauty
This 98.9 percent natural facial cleanser will become an essential for everyone, especially those sensitive skin. The hypoallergenic, soap-free formula has been awarded the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance and is clinically shown to nourish skin without causing redness and/or irritation.
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Best Mist
Lilah B. Aglow Face Mist, $48 at Lilah B.
This mist should be recognized as a hero in the brand's range along with the chic minimalist makeup. Botanicals hydrate and strengthen skin and leave it looking dewy without ruining makeup. The lightweight formula is vegan and free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, gluten and synthetic fragrances.
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Best Moisturizer
Youth To The People Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream, $58 at Youth To The People
This soothing cream has high green credentials. It's made with 100 percent vegan ingredients in the USA and doesn't have any fragrance, parabens, phthalates or dimethicone. Plus, it focuses on sustainability and conducts no animal testing. On top of that, the cream is packed with trendy adaptogens, like herbs and mushrooms, to protect and calm skin from environmental stressors.
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Best Night Treatment
Farmacy Honeymoon Glow, $58 at Farmacy
It sounds like a lit highlighter, but it's a clean, three-in-one night serum that clarifies, hydrates and resurfaces using a 14 percent blend of AHAs, BHAs and gentle flower acids. Apply a couple of pumps to clean skin, then wake up with a glowing, refreshed complexion. Like all of Farmacy's products, it fits into the "clean commandments" of being free of parabens, synthetic fragrances, mineral oil, phthalates and more.
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Best Face Mask
Summer Fridays Overtime Mask, $44 at Sephora
This mask gained instant cult status as soon as it launched because of how the vegan pumpkin and apricot seed powder formula clarifies congested pores in 10 minutes. The cruelty-free mask is made without fragrance, silicone and gluten and it gets the Clean at Sephora check.
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Best Sheet Mask
Orgaid Greek Yogurt & Nourishing Organic Sheet Mask, $6 at Orgaid
This sheet mask is made with over 70 percent organic ingredients, including Greek yogurt powder, rosehip extract and aloe vera leaf juice to hydrate skin and target the signs of aging. It has the Leaping Bunny seal and is free of alcohols, sulfates, parabens, fragrances and phthalates.
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Best Serum
Vintner's Daughter Active Botanical Serum, $185 at Vintner's Daughter
Practically everyone who tries this pricey plant actives serum raves about it and they have the glowing skin to prove it works. The splurge-worthy product is made with cold-pressed oils and a staggering 22 active botanicals. The result is a multicorrectional serum that's clean, effective and suitable for all skin types.
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Best Face Oil
Biossance Squalane + Tea Tree Balancing Oil, $49 at Biossance
This vegan, cruelty-free follow-up to Biossance's 100% Squalane Oil is just as good as the original. This version has clarifying tea tree oil to tackle zits and enlarged pores while squalane provides plenty of moisture. The tea tree oil is grown in Australia with the highest quality eco-friendly farming practices. Plus, the formula is EWG-verified, nontoxic and free of PEG, parabens and synthetic fragrances.
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Best Sunscreen
Bare Republic Mineral Sport Stick SPF 50, $7.49 at Ulta Beauty
There is no excuse about being too lazy to apply sunscreen thanks to this easy stick formula. The broad spectrum SPF 50 product is great all year, but it's especially good for water-centric summer days because it's water-resistant for up to 80 minutes. The mineral sunscreen is non-GMO and paraben-free and made using natural plant extracts and shea butter. It smells like the tropics thanks to natural vanilla and coconut essential oils.
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Best Face Wipes
Ursa Major Essential Face Wipes, $24 at Ursa Major
These 100 percent naturally derived bamboo wipes cleanse, exfoliate, soothe and hydrate. They are saturated with the brand's vegan 4-in-1 Essential Face Tonic formula, which is free of parabens, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances and colors, silicones, glycols, SLS, SLES and PEGs. The wipes are individually packaged for cleansing on the go.
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Best Makeup Remover
One Love Organics Vitamin B Enzyme Cleansing Oil + Makeup Remover, $42 at One Love Organics
Take everything off with this effective formula, made with cruelty-free organic ingredients. It's strong enough to remove stubborn makeup, but won't strip skin. Use it as part of a double cleanse. Fun fact: The hero product is produced at the brand's ECOCERT-licensed manufacturing facility in the Golden Isles of Georgia.
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Best Eyeshadow
Jane Iredale Eye Shadow Kit, $59 at Jane Iredale
Clean eyeshadows can sometimes lack in pigment and staying power and turn into crumbly messes. That isn't the case with the crease-resistant, wheat-free formulas made with botanical extracts, minerals and silica. The majority of the options are vegan. Each palette features a larger base shadow and coordinating accent colors for a look that slays every time.
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Best Lipstick
Beautycounter Color Intense Lipstick, $28.90 at Beautycounter
When Beautycounter says this lipstick is intense, it means it. No matter the shade, the creamy formula covers lips in one swipe without using any harmful or questionable chemicals. Even the packaging has been carefully selected to avoid potentially harmful ingredients that could leach into the product.
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Best Lip Balm
Henné Organics Luxury Lip Balm V2, $19 at Henné Organics
Henné Organics defines "ecoluxury" with its minimalist, Sweden-inspired, America-made organic products. This is the convenient stick version of its cult lip balm featuring 100 percent non-GMO and 99 percent organic ingredients. Avocado oil, coconut oil, beeswax and shea butter are just some of the nourishing ingredients that keep lips soft.
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Best Cheek Product
Vapour Beauty Aura Multi Use Classic, $36 at Vapour Beauty
This nontoxic slim stick boasts big clean beauty credentials. It's made with 70 percent organic ingredients and 30 percent essential oils. The inner and outer packaging are both recyclable and it's made with renewable energy. The stick delivers a pretty dose of color to cheeks (as well as lips and eyes) and a calming protecting blend from its proprietary Herbal Enlightenment Complex.
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Best Highlighter
RMS Beauty Luminizing Powder, $38 at RMS Beauty
RMS Beauty's iconic nontoxic luminizer has been reimagined in an easy-to-apply powder version. The non-GMO, non-nano powders have the same candlelit glow as the originals without looking cakey. The secret to the creamy, nondrying formula is nourishing buriti oil and the highest-grade minerals that are pressed without heat.
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Best Foundation
Kosås Tinted Face Oil, $42 at Kosås
Oil and foundation? It works. The makeup-meets-skin-care product mixes six active botanical oils with three kinds of pigments for a nongreasy and lightweight skin tint with medium coverage. The brand only sources ingredients for "extreme nourishment and supreme luxury" and it's evident in the vegan, cruelty-free product. It's free of mineral oil, soy, silicones, parabens, phthalates, sulfates and PEG.
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Best Mascara
ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara, $28 at Sephora
ILIA proves that mascara lovers don't need to sacrifice long, flirty lashes for a clean product with its 99 percent natural mascara. One coat of the flake-free, buildable mascara delivers long-lasting length and intensity. Thank the formula, which is made with 25 percent organic ingredients, including nourishing beeswax, shea butter and a natural dye. Did we mention the mascara is easy to remove?
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Best Multitasking Product
Kopari Organic Coconut Melt, $28 at Kopari
This versatile product covers almost every beauty concern. It's everything from a body moisturizer to a nourishing hair mask. It can be used as a makeup remover and it works as a dry shave oil. And the formula is nothing but 100 percent organic, GMO-free, unrefined coconut oil.
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Best Deodorant
Megababe Rosy Pits Daily Deodorant, $18 at Megababe
Finding a good natural deodorant can be, well, the pits, but Megababe makes the transition easy and rash-less with its aluminium-free deodorant. Unlike a lot of natural deodorants, it's formulated without baking soda, which can be irritating to sensitive skin. It uses green tea, coconut, sage and vitamin E to keep underarms fresh.
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Best Body Wash
Seed Phytonutrients Body Cleanser, $22 at Seed Phytonutrients
We tend to think of cleansers for faces, but this gentle vegan product is for everywhere else. It is 93 percent natural origin and contains no sulfates, gluten or harsh chemicals so it cleanses without stripping skin. It has a natural fragrance and still produces a satisfying foam. The outer packaging is 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper and the inside has 60 percent less plastic than a traditional bottle.
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Best Body Lotion
Lush Sleepy Body Lotion, $9.95 at Lush
Drift off with moisturized limbs with help from this multifunctional vegan body lotion. The pretty pale purple formula has lavender and tonka bean to calm stressed minds. Almond oil, cocoa butter and glycerin plus other fresh ingredients keep skin soft and silky. FYI: Users are still able to apply the moisturizer in the morning without fear they will drift into dreamland.
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Best Body Scrub
Herbivore Botanicals Amethyst Exfoliating Body Polish, $44 at Herbivore Botanicals
Crystal lovers will be charmed that the natural, cruelty-free body scrub contains actual crushed amethyst gemstones. They have been very finely ground and mixed with organic virgin coconut oil so the formula exfoliates dead skin without being abrasive. The body polish earns a green star for being formulated without synthetic preservatives, dyes and fragrances.
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Best Self-Tanner
Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Water, $24.76 at Isle of Paradise
This is not the average self-tanner. It's a water formula with color-correcting actives plus nourishing avocado, chia seed and coconut oils for a natural glow and no streaks or stains. Hurrah. Choose from three shades: peach (light), green (medium) or violet (dark). They are all 100 percent vegan, cruelty-free and made using certified organic ingredients.
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Best Shampoo
100% Pure Kelp & Mint Volumizing Shampoo, $22 at 100% Pure
Finding a natural shampoo that removes grease without leaving a funky residue can be a challenge, but this popular vegan shampoo delivers. In fact, it boosts body and shine and makes hair look thicker thanks to kelp and seaweed. The formula does not have sulfates, chemical preservatives, synthetic chemicals, artificial fragrances or harsh ingredients. The brand says it's OK for color-treated hair.
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Best Conditioner
Rahua Classic Conditioner, $36 at Rahua
Beauty junkies who love the brand's popular shampoo need to try its award-winning conditioner. It's suitable for all hair types and delivers potent nourishment, but doesn't leave locks looking limp. The secret is organic, natural and plant-derived ingredients from virgin rainforest environments picked by indigenous experts.
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Best Hair Treatment
John Masters Organics Hair Milk With Rose & Apricot, $29 at John Masters Organics
This leave-in treatment boosts shine and moisture without using silicones. The hero ingredients are organic rosewater, apricot kernel oil and cupauçu butter. (The formula is 70 percent or more organic content.) The ingredients tame frizz and provide lightweight hold without weighing hair down or making it feel greasy.
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Best Fragrance
Clean Reserve Rain Eau de Parfum, $98 at Clean Beauty Collective
Don't forget about fragrance when looking for greener, cleaner beauty products. Clean Reserve offers sustainable "farm-to-fragrance" products that contain ingredients that smell good and help support communities and green manufacturing. The brand is concerned about synthetic and natural ingredient safety. Furthermore, the packaging is eco-friendly.
