Fact: There’s never been a better time to go green when it comes to your beauty routine. Why? Well, there’s more demand than ever before for beauty products that are actually good for your skin, hair and Earth. So naturally there’s been an explosion of natural and organic options on the market just waiting for you to add them to your virtual cart.
These products all have clean, nontoxic formulas. They also come in recyclable and/or biodegradable packaging. All of them work just as well as their non-green counterparts. That way you don’t have to sacrifice performance when making the switch. Which means saying goodbye to guilt and hello to glowing skin, shiny, soft strands and magnificent makeup looks.
Earth Day (April 22) is a great time to take stock of the products you’re currently using. Then you’ll be able to see if you can make your beauty routine a little more clean and eco-friendly. To help you out, we sifted through everything out there to highlight the best of the best in our 2022 Earth Day Awards.
Keep reading to see certified ways to clean up your beauty routine with these top-notch skin care, hair and makeup stars in the green beauty space.
2022 Earth Day Awards
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Best Face Wash
100% Pure Green Tea Cloud Foam Cleanser, $30 at 100% Pure
This for-all-skin-types facial cleanser is one of the most recent additions to 100% Pure’s line of natural skin care products. All of which are free of potentially harmful chemicals. This face wash has a vegan formula that contains green tea, white tea, aloe and calendula to gently cleanse and get rid of impurities without stripping skin of moisture.
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Best Toner
Farmacy Deep Sweep 2% BHA Pore Cleaning Toner With Moringa and Papaya, $28 at Sephora
This toner is alcohol-, phthalate-, paraben- and mineral oil-free. It works its magic unclogging pores and minimizing shine with salicylic acid and papaya enzymes. What’s more, Farmacy is committed to sustainability and working toward 100 percent waste-free, recyclable packaging in 2022.
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Best Facial Mist
Beia Daily Hydrating & Setting Mist, $48 at Beia
Beia is a new clean beauty and wellness brand. Its first launch is this vegan facial mist, which quickly shot up our list of favorite skin care products. It’s full of refreshing and soothing ingredients like aloe vera, green tea and squalane and free of fragrances and parabens that can irritate skin.
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Best Essence
Sioris My First Essener, $32 at Soko Glam
This best-selling K-beauty essence/toner combo is now available stateside. The brand takes a clean, minimalistic approach to skin care by formulating products with natural and organic ingredients and keeping out filler. This pick preps and moisturizes skin post-cleansing with help from green tea and Damask rose flower water.
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Best Serum
Herbivore Botanicals Nova 15% Vitamin C + Turmeric Brightening Serum, $65.54 at DermStore
Vitamin C is one of the best antioxidants for protection against free radicals. Enter this vitamin C serum. It combines vitamin C and turmeric for antioxidant protection and brightening benefits. Herbivore Botanicals uses natural ingredients, many of which are certified organic, and recyclable and reusable packaging.
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Best Moisturizer
UpCircle Night Cream With Hyaluronic Acid & Niacinamide, $24 at UpCircle
Wake up to glowing skin with this gentle nighttime moisturizer. It’s a recent addition to UpCircle’s line of sustainable skin care products. The moisturizer comes housed in a recyclable glass jar with an aluminum lid and is formulated with natural ingredients. Like repurposed blueberries, a byproduct of the juicing industry that otherwise would become waste.
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Best Face Mask
Alpyn Beauty Wild Huckleberry 8-Acid Polishing Peel Mask, $56 at Sephora
Get glowing with this gentle exfoliating mask. In just five minutes, vitamin C (derived from wild huckleberry), naturally-sourced acids and bamboo powder get rid of gunk in pores and visibly brighten. This brand is the first and only in the skin care space to sustainably harvest wildcrafted ingredients from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Alpyn Beauty also contributes a portion of all sales to 1% for the Planet and has partnered with the Grand Teton National Park Foundation to help restore acres of native sagebrush.
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Best Eye Cream
True Botanicals Resurrection Radiance Eye Cream, $78 at Nordstrom
This luxurious natural eye cream works hard to reduce the look of dark circles and wrinkles thanks to a blend of tree bark, turmeric, coffee and licorice root extracts. All of True Botanicals’ ingredients are ethically sourced and its products carry the Made Safe Seal, which means they meet strict sustainability criteria.
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Best Sunscreen
Everyday Humans Resting Beach Face SPF 30 Sunscreen Serum, $24 at Ulta Beauty
Formulated without oxybenzone and octinoxate (two common allergens), this clean chemical sunscreen serum is a dream for all skin tones because it’s lightweight and virtually invisible. The plant-powered formula is vegan, eco-friendly and reef-friendly. Plus, the tube is made of 35 percent post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) and can be recycled when empty.
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Best Body Wash
MyKirei by KAO Foaming Body Wash, $18 at Amazon
This 99 percent biodegradable body wash smells like uplifting Japanese yuzu and gently cleanses for fresh, clean skin. Even better? The packaging is refillable so you can cut down on plastic waste. Once the bottle is empty, simply order a refill pouch, which is also recyclable through TerraCycle.
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Best Body Scrub
Nativa SPA Madagascar Vanilla Soothing Body Scrub, $21 at Verishop
Scrub your way to smoother skin with this clean body scrub that has a warm, sweet scent. The vegan formula contains Madagascar vanilla and pure quinoa oil to gently exfoliate and comfort skin, while the packaging is made from 100 percent PCR and recyclable via TerraCycle.
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Best Body Lotion
Sk*p Face + Body Moisturizer, $18 at Ulta Beauty
Sk*p is an acronym for "simply be kind to our planet" and that’s exactly what this new player in green beauty strives to do. The brand uses natural, sustainable ingredients, including real honey from its very own farm. Along with recyclable, eco-friendly cartons that won’t break down in the shower. This honey-infused lotion can be used from head to toe to smooth dry skin and support your skin barrier.
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Best Deodorant
Taos Aer Extra Strength Deodorant in Citrus Vetivert, $21 at Nordstrom
Finally, a clean deodorant that stands up to your workouts. This gel-to-powder deodorant has a concentrated formula full of plant actives, mineral powders and heat-activated essential oils that works over time to protect against moisture and odors. Taos Aer’s deodorants are all formulated without water to decrease stress on water supplies.
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Best Lip Balm
Noyah Organic & Natural Lip Balm, $1.99 at Ulta Beauty
Swipe on this organic lip balm that contains only a few simple ingredients you can pronounce, like organic extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil. Choose from cherry, vanilla, spearmint or unscented. Each lip balm is made in the U.S., is USDA certified organic, is USDA certified biobased and comes in eco-friendly packaging made from 70 percent PCR.
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Best Shampoo
Everist Waterless Shampoo Concentrate, $28 at Everist
This shampoo from new zero-waste brand Everist is a game changer. It’s the first ever waterless shampoo concentrate. The paste-like texture is activated by water in your shower. It’s so concentrated that it contains a whole bottle of shampoo in a travel-friendly aluminum tube. The formula boasts a blend of essential oils with hair and scalp benefits, like clary sage and peppermint, and is free of silicones, dyes, fragrances and preservatives. When you’re done, you can recycle the tube and send the cap back to Everist to be upcycled.
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Best Conditioner
Everist Waterless Conditioner Concentrate, $28 at Everist
Pair your waterless shampoo concentrate with this waterless conditioner concentrate. Just like the shampoo, this paste is activated by water, is full of good-for-your-hair essential oils and comes housed in a travel-friendly, recyclable aluminum tube. Each tube has more than 30 washes in it so you’ll be stocked for about three months.
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Best Hair Treatment
Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair Rice Water Protein + Moisture Strengthening Treatment, $42 at Sephora
Bring damaged hair back to life with this clean and effective hair treatment. It’s formulated with rice water, B vitamins and algae extract to hydrate and strengthen hair while also boosting shine. This clean hair care line is vegan, gluten-free and free of sulfates, silicones, parabens, phthalates, dyes and diethanolamine.
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Best Foundation
Kosas Revealer Skin-Improving Foundation SPF 25, $42 at Sephora
Enter a clean foundation with skin care benefits (and sun protection!). The latest addition to Kosas’ clean beauty line features hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to smooth and hydrate. It comes in a whopping 36 shades making finding your perfect match easy and is nonirritating so even sensitive skin types can use it. The packaging is recyclable, too.
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Best Cheek Product
Merit Flush Balm Cream Blush, $28 at Sephora
Get a natural-looking flush with this lightweight cream blush balm. It’s available in five foolproof shades and glides on skin easily for a glowing, not cakey finish. The vegan formula is long-lasting, free of potentially irritating or acne-causing ingredients and can also be used on lips. Plus, the packaging is recyclable.
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Best Eyeshadow
Exa Light Show Color Melt Multi-Use Pigment, $22 at Credo
If you’re looking for a clean eyeshadow that won’t budge, then you’ve officially met your match. This hydrating pigment gel contains the perfect amount of shimmer with no irritating chemicals. Exa donates a portion of proceeds to Women's Voices for the Earth, an organization that aims to amplify women’s voices and eliminate chemicals that harm our health and the environment.
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Best Highlighter
Róen RóGlow Skin Stick, $39 at Róen
Let your skin shine with this clean highlighter. This luminosity-boosting stick comes in pearl and bronze shades plus has skin care benefits. The formula is free of talc, parabens, silicones and glitter, which can be damaging to the environment. Róen is committed to minimizing waste. Its products come in a reusable, biodegradable duster bag and the outer packaging is fully recyclable. Once your highlighter is empty, you can mail the tube to TerraCycle for recycling.
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Best Lipstick
Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Lipstick, $38 at Victoria Beckham Beauty
Who better to launch a clean lipstick must-have than Victoria Beckham? She’s served up a luxe, creamy lipstick that’s packed with nourishing ingredients to soften lips and deliver bold color. Her beauty brand has strict ingredient standards and is transparent about what it puts in its products. Plus, the company uses minimal plastic in its packaging and biodegradable corn foam packing materials instead of bubble wrap.
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Best Mascara
Athr Beauty The Big Bang Volumizing Mascara, $28 at Sephora
A clean mascara that adds volume as it defines and curls? That’s exactly what you get with this one. The vegan, gluten-free formula is infused with natural ingredients, like jasmine plant extract, quinoa and black diamond powder. The tube is made from 100 percent recycled ocean plastic and the wand is biodegradable. Plus, 1 percent of sales goes to the Surfrider Foundation, which works to preserve the world’s oceans and beaches.
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Best Self-Tanner
Australian Glow One Hour Express Self Tan Mousse, $22.50 at Ulta Beauty
This natural self-tanner has a color-matching formula that ensures you won’t end up looking orange. The streak-free, fast-drying mousse is enriched with organic ingredients, like cocoa and aloe vera, and the packaging is made from ocean waste plastic. You can even refill the packaging once it’s empty to cut down on waste.
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Best Fragrance
Good Chemistry Coco Blush Eau de Parfum, $26.99 at Target
Coco Blush is the latest addition to Good Chemistry’s clean scent lineup. With notes of pineapple, coconut water and driftwood, it’ll transport you to summer. The vegan formula contains naturally derived ingredients and is free of parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol, dyes and GMOs. The carton and glass bottle are locally recyclable and you can send the cap, applicator and pump to TerraCycle for recycling.
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Best Nail Polish
Pacifica Plant Magic Polish, $7 at Ulta Beauty
Pacifica rereleased its clean nail polish line. This innovative polish has a vegan formula containing up to 80 percent bio-sourced ingredients from renewable vegetable biomass. Free of 16 potentially harmful chemicals, this nail polish is long-lasting and comes in gorgeous finishes.
