My Favorite Websites for Clean Beauty & Living
By: Esther
Over the past few years I’ve started making a concentrated effort to learn more about common toxins that are used in beauty, skincare and cleaning products. It’s been an interesting journey and I’ve become passionate about sharing what I’ve learned with others.
These days, there’s no shortage of bloggers, podcasts, and influencers to use as a resource, but it can be overwhelming to sort through the noise, and unclear if they’re truly experts or getting paid for their recommendations. Through some trial and error I’ve come to lean on a few key websites, apps, and Instagram Creators to help me make informed purchase decisions when looking for cleaner but effective products.
1. EWG.com’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database: The Environmental Working Group, or EWG, is THE go-to for researching and understanding toxic ingredients lurking in our household and personal care products. They often share lists of product recommendations, like this guide to sunscreens. As an added plus, they’re also starting to provide a EWG-Verified label for products that meet their standards, which should make shopping a whole lot easier. Finally, they have an app called “EWG’s Healthy Living” that allows you to scan products and quickly look up their rating, with 0 being the least concerning and 10 being the most toxic. The popular Think Dirty app has a similar premise.
2. The Detox Market: A close friend turned me on to this website, which is like a Sephora for clean beauty, bath, skincare, and hair products. There is a long list of ingredients they do not allow in products sold in their storefront, and they even offer a curated subscription box that I’m dying to try. I love to use the site to read reviews from people who’ve tried products before making the plunge myself. Credo Beauty is a similar website worth exploring.
3. The Organic Bunny Instagram: The Organic Bunny is all about proving that clean beauty can still be glam. She meticulously researches all products she recommends and sells through her storefront. An interesting differentiator is that she bans any product that uses phenoxyethanol, a preservative that is still used by many ‘clean’ beauty brands with differing opinions on its harmful effects. I love her beauty and makeup tutorials that she shares on Instagram Stories.
4. Thrive Market: I have a deep love affair with Thrive, which is like Whole Foods meets Costco meets Instacart. Thrive not only sells pantry items, wine, meat and seafood, but they also have a great selection of personal care products and cleaning products, too, that are delivered right to your doorstep. Product ingredients are readily available, so that you can purchase with confidence. Some of my favorite products purchased include:
Molly’s Suds laundry powder
Schmidt’s toothpaste
Hello Activated Charcoal Extra Freshening Mouthwash
Badger Organic Zinc Oxide Sunscreen
Seaweed Bath Co. Balancing Argan Shampoo and Conditione
Aunt Fannie's Eucalyptus Cleaning Vinegar
Better Life Unscented Dish Soap
Transitioning to a cleaner and greener lifestyle doesn’t have to be an all or nothing process. I’ve been slowly transitioning items out of my routine and replacing them with non-toxic alternatives and still have a way to go. If you’re interested in learning more about various ingredients in your products and safer alternatives that might exist, these websites and apps are a great place to start.