Inside Scoop: Our favourite natural skincare brands swaps that make you feel good about what you’re putting on your face.

Non-toxic beauty, clean beauty brands, and environmentally smart and conscious companies are hitting the market hard right now, and to be honest this is a wellness trend that we hope (and know) is here to stay.

Consumers are starting to request knowing more about what is in the products that they put on their skin.

Just like the food you eat, you consume what you put on your skin. That’s why we’ve rounded up 10 natural skincare brands so you can easily swap some of your essential conventional products to have healthier and glowing skin:

TOP 10 NATURAL SKIN CARE BRANDS SWAPS:

1) NORMAL TO SENSITIVE SKIN CLEANSER

SWAP THIS: Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub

Which contains several types of parabens including methylparaben, propylparaben and ethylparaben as well as ingredients like ‘fragrance’ which have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system, and has an EWG rating of 8!

WITH THIS: Consonant Skincare’s Natural Foaming Wash

Consonant Skincare does their due diligence in providing an affordable line of skincare products using plant derivatives and certified organic oils and extracts. Consonant’s natural foaming wash has won awards as the best cleanser, as well as plenty of 5 star reviews on just how effective it is. This bottle starts at around $12 and uses calming oils like tea tree, grapeseed, green tea and aloe, which are all soothing and have anti-inflammatory properties. And as a bonus, it’s a 3-in-1 product acting as cleanser, makeup remover and toner.

2) HYDRATING TONER

SWAP THIS: Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner 

Another brand that promotes themselves as using natural ingredients, although Fresh does use a lot of botanicals in their formulations, they still use ingredients like fragrance, known to cause allergies and dermatitis, and BHT, phenoxyethanol all linked to skin, eyes and lung irritation.

WITH THIS: Graydon Skincare Face Food Mineral Mist Toner

Graydon Skincare is one of our go to local brands. When we think of Graydon, we think skin food as they combine some great food-based ingredients that are also nourishing for our skin. This toner is formulated with ionic minerals to quickly absorb into your skin for deep and lasting hydration as well soothing properties.

3) YOUTHFUL SERUMS

SWAP THIS: Elizabeth Arden Advanced Ceramide Capsules 

Elizabeth Arden has been rated as a high quality, and rather pricey and luxurious skincare line. But did you know they use ingredients like dimethicone (lubricant and conditioning agent) and cyclopentasiloxane, which have concerns of being expected to be toxic or harmful to non-reproductive organs.

WITH THIS: Eminence Strawberry Rhubarb Hyaluronic Serum 

Eminence is a wonderful skincare line that has biodynamic farming practices and doesn’t use any parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol, or animal testing. This serum uses strawberries, as they contain natural salicylic acid, and they gently exfoliate to remove impurities. They also use a botanical based hyaluronic acid, which is deeply hydrating and helps smooth and replenish the look of skin to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

4) HYDRATING FACE CREAM

SWAP THIS: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel

While this may seem like a great option as it contains hyaluronic acid, this moisturizer has fragrance, phenoxyethaqnol and other possibly irritating ingredients.

WITH THIS: BeautyCounter’s Rejuvenating Day Cream

As a Certified B Corp, Beautycounter has been sort of taking over the health and wellness space. The company has banned over 1,500 questionable or harmful chemicals through “The Never List™”. This day cream helps to soften and soothe skin as well as boost elasticity with a combination of omega-rich natural oils and vitamin-rich fruit extracts. It’s one you’re going to buy over and over again.

5) NOURISHING & PURIFYING FACE MASKS

SWAP THIS: Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores

We hate to burst the Origins bubble, but they definitely aren’t as clean as what they promote themselves to be. While they use plant and earth derived ingredients like charcoal/ bentonite clay, they also use ingredients like propylene glycol, and phenoxyethanol, which are both considered irritants and linked to allergies.

WITH THIS: Tata Harper Purifying Mask

The Queen of clean skincare and natural skincare brands, Tata Harper has a rather luxurious line of skincare products, but if you have ever used any of her products you would know why. This purifying mask is made with white clay, willow bark, arnica, and other nourishing, anti-inflammatory plant based ingredients that are known to nourish the skin. We’ve used this mask and felt the results almost immediately.

6) RENEWING EXFOLIATORS

SWAP THIS: Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser

This brand’s active botanical ingredient is orange extract, and it does contain other plant based ingredients like shea butter, but it also contains ingredients like butylparaben, with scores a #7 on EWG, and is recognized as a potential endocrine disruptor. It also contains fragrance, which is associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system.

WITH THIS: Pai Skincare Kukui & Jojoba Skin Brightening Exfoliator

PAI is an amazing clean, botanical based brand that uses wonderful ingredients like sweet almond oil, kukui oil, and apricot oil, as well as natural anti-inflammatory ingredients, and vitamin E, which cleanses, purifies and brightens the skin. Unlike other exfoliators, whose uneven grains can damage and irritate healthy skin, PAI’s clever micro-sphere system is formulated to protect as it polishes and is great for sensitive skin.

7) HYDRATING SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER

SWAP THIS: Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Shampoo & Conditioner

Marc Anthony Oil Of Morocco has great ratings as one of the best drugstore brands of shampoo and conditioners out there, but it doesn’t mean it’s not loaded with ingredients that can affect your skin. It contains ingredients like methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone (wow that’s a mouthful), which are highly allergic preservatives known for irritating the skin, eyes and lungs. This shampoo also contains gluten and soy for anyone who is sensitive or has allergies to these foods.

WITH THIS: ATTITUDE Shampoo & Conditioner

It’s not easy finding hair care that’s plant derived that doesn’t make your hair feel dry and dull. ATTITUDE has become one of our favourite natural brands that’s EWG verified and also extremely affordable. Their line of Super Leaves shampoos and conditioners use organic, plant-derived ingredients that are known to remove excess dirt, oil and pollution without removing the integrity of the hair, leaving it clean, refreshed, and soft.

They have options for all hair types and are free of parabens, sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)-free, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), silicone, PEG, formaldehyde, and free of synthetic fragrances or perfume…as they say “for your complete peace of mind”.

8) BOLD LIPSTICK

SWAP THIS: Nars Lipstick

Did you know that this lipstick brand has nearly 50 ingredients? Some of them are natural, some of them are mineral based, but then with so many ingredients there are definitely a few sneaky ones.

WITH THIS: Vapour Organic Beauty Siren Lipstick

You know some of the best money we’ve ever spent was on plant-derived lipstick. There are so many nourishing oils that actually hydrate your lips instead of drying them out. With only roughly 15 organic ingredients and a great price tag, Vapour gives you the classic, long-lasting and moisture rich color without all the nasties. It’s also the winner of ALLURE’s 2018 Reader Choice Award for Best Lipstick.

9) LASTING FOUNDATION & COVERAGE

SWAP THIS: Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation

Truth, this is a hard one for us to give up, and we still have our stash (shhh)!

Foundation brands are getting much better with their formulations though, realizing that mineral tints are much more better for your skin than toxic chemical ingredients, and even big brands like are improving their formulations but big brands like Bobbi’s, Lancome or Clarins are still using phenoxyethanol, fragrances and other potentially irritating compounds.

WITH THIS: W3ll People Narcissist Foundation Stick 

Well People do a wonderful job at providing a weightless finish while balancing skin tone and diminishing imperfections. No film or crease, and made with natural plant derived ingredients, such as aloe and camellia, which are known to have soothing qualities. You might have doubts of making the switch to mineral and plant derived products, but this one has great ratings across the board.

10) LONG LASH MASCARA

SWAP THIS: Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

Rated as one of the top drugstore brand mascaras that nearly every woman who wants to enhance the length of her lashes will use. While it definitely works, it also uses ingredients like propylene glycol, and methylparaben and butylparaben, which are possible endocrine disruptors.

WITH THIS: RMS beauty Volumizing Mascara 

This volumizing beauty mascara is formulated with mineral pigments, that adds life to your lashes without flaking, smudging or clumping. It uses plant waxes and raw minerals, which give shape and fullness. With plenty of good reviews it’s a great alternative to conventional mascara for daily wear. You can still use a special waterproof mascara for those special occasions.

Now that you can check out some of our favourite plant derived and natural skincare brands, we hope that this helps make the nudge in the right direction.