4 Underrated Clean Skincare Brands To Try Now
Nothing feels better than throwing away skincare products that are “supposed” to be good for you but actually have artificial ingredients, toxins, and parabens in them. Thank you, next.
This past year, I have been transitioning into clean skincare products. It’s been such an exciting and overwhelming journey so far. I mean, there’s so much to choose from which is a blessing….and curse!
With every brand producing what seems like the same kind of product, it seems impossible to know which skincare products, and brands for that matter, are the right ones to choose.
Today, you and I are going to go down a skincare journey to find the best clean skincare products on the market right now.
To start off this series, I’m going to review some unique products from Nuria Beauty, Indie Lee, Kopari and Kaia Naturals. I discovered these skincare brands recently and wanted to put them to the test.
Do they feel good? Do they smell good? Do they even work?
Let’s spill some tea-zone (ah, that was a bad joke) and get straight to the facts.
*My skin type: ‘Normal’, hormonal acne, occasional dark circles and dry patches
*Notable ingredient descriptions are either directly taken from product website or paraphrased by me for accuracy
*I have a tendency to prefer products with subtle smells
Nuria Beauty
Nuria Beauty is a clean beauty brand that’s cruelty free, vegan, and non-toxic. The word ‘nuria’ means brightness and light which embodies the strength and outstanding possibilities that occur when women work together. On top of that, Nuria Beauty also donates a percentage of their sales to girl’s education.
Skin Shielding Essence
Function: Reduces damage to the skin caused by internal and external stressors
3 Notable Ingredients:
Ginseng Root and Carob target environmental toxins, restore skin’s antioxidant capacity, and improve skin suppleness
Agar and Carrageenan found in the ‘pink pearls’ to to restore skin’s resilience
Gold flecks strengthen and enhance skin’s barrier and elasticity
The Smell: Very subtle, smells a little bit like rose petals to me, a ‘clean’ smell
Pros: A little goes a long way, it’s a very light feeling gel, I can’t feel it on my face after application, makes my skin feel more firm and soft after use, the gold flecks and pink pearls in it make it exciting to use
Cons: Leaves fingers tacky after application
Triple Action Eye Cream
Function: Improves fine lines, removes dark under eye circles, reduces puffiness
3 Notable Ingredients:
Mulberry Root brightens and evens out the appearance of dark circles
Ginseng Root helps eliminate fine wrinkles and balances your skin’s natural oils
Cucumber aids in reducing the appearance of under eye puffiness
The Smell: Very subtle, same scent as above
Pros: Smoothing tip, a little goes a long way, it’s cooling for me immediately after application, satisfying consistency, my under eyes don’t appear puffy the following morning, moisturizing and brightening directly under eyes
Cons: Leaves fingers tacky if you touch it
Overnight Recovery Cream
Function: Helps skin recover overnight from internal and external stressors
3 Notable Ingredients:
Seaweed hydrates and rids the skin of dead skin cells and toxins
Brown Algae moisturizes, maintains bounce, and helps prevent damage to your skin’s amino acids
Aloe Leaf Juice is detoxifying, rejuvenating, and promotes healthy skin
The Smell: Very subtle, same scent as above
Pros: Leaves skin moisturized and soft to the touch, feels hydrated and healthy, the smell seems even more subtle than the above products, satisfying to close the lid
Cons: N/A
Indie Lee
Indie Lee is a clean, cruelty-free skincare brand that focuses on ingredients derived from nature, uses science, and also promotes emotional, physical and spiritual well-being. They aim to use their knowledge to spread awareness and power to their community. What’s neat is that they have a dedicated page of photos and names of the clean ingredients they use in their products as well as a beauty history page.
Brightening Cleanser
Function: Washes away makeup and impurities
3 Notable Ingredients:
Strawberry Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein and Tomato extracts all aid in strengthening, firming and protecting the skin
The Smell: Moderate, smells like strawberry
Pros: Wonderful job of cleansing, smooth and thin feeling foam when cleansing, leaves skin feeling soft and refreshed, skin doesn’t feel tight or dried up after use, a little goes a long way
Cons: Not a big fan of the smell
COQ-10 Toner
Function: Hydrates and rebalances your skin's pH level
3 Notable Ingredients:
CoQ-10 is a natural vitamin-like compound critical for cellular energy production, including collagen and elastin
Sage is used for its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, astringent, and perspiration inhibiting qualities
Aloe has healing and softening properties
The Smell: Subtle, slightly sweet with notes of sage and chamomile
Pros: Alcohol-free, picks up remaining dirt/makeup that was missed during cleansing, doesn’t leave the face feeling tight, non-drying, leaves face feeling cleansed and hydrated
Cons: N/A
Squalane Facial Oil
Function: Improve the appearance of texture, tone, and skin elasticity
Notable Ingredient:
This is 100% olive derived Squalane oil - nothing else - which is hydrating, and helps improve what’s mentioned above in Function
The Smell: To me, this seems odorless
Pros: Hydrating, light on the skin, doesn’t feel greasy like other oils I’ve tried in the past, keeps my face moisturized throughout the day, good for morning or night use
Cons: While I didn’t experience this myself, some people have experienced break outs while using this (as seen in the website reviews.) My advice would be to test a small patch on your face first before applying it all over to see if olive derived squalane is right for your skin.
Kopari
Kopari products are all based with sustainably sourced organic coconut oil. They believe that everything you put into your body matters and that all-natural is the absolute way to go when it comes to products. With that being said, all their products are sulfate free, paraben free, cruelty free, phthalate free, and vegan.
(BTW: Organic coconut oil is a notable ingredient in all products, so below I will be focusing on the other notable ingredients in each product!)
Coconut Body Glow
Function: Illuminates your face and body with shimmer and moisturizes
3 Notable Ingredients:
Mica is a naturally occurring pearlescent mineral that helps to illuminate skin
Shea Butter helps to deeply moisturize, soothe and smooth
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps to protect and restore skin from free radical damage
The Smell: Subtle, smells like gardenia and coconut
Pros: The shimmer is absolutely gorgeous when used on my body and cheekbones, obsessed with the smell, moisturizing, comes with a dispenser pump
Cons: N/A
Sundaze Mineral Face Sunscreen
Function: Helps shield against damaging environmental and digital aggressors including UVA, UVB, and blue (HEV) light rays
3 Notable Ingredients:
Non-Nano Coated Zinc is technology that enhances UV protection, is anti-pollution, and fights-off free radicals
Watermelon Seed Oil, Hibiscus Seed Oil, Passion Fruit Seed Oil are a blend of plant-based antioxidants that help to fight-off free radicals and nourish the skin
Coconut water provides vitamins, minerals, and hydration
The Smell: Subtle, smells like mineral powder to me
Pros: Doesn’t feel or look greasy, super moisturizing, doesn’t feel heavy on the skin, doesn’t leave a white finish like other sunscreens can, fragrance and oxybenzone-free, reef safe!
Cons: I’m not a huge fan of the smell
Lip Glossy
Function: To hydrate lips and add shine
3 Notable Ingredients:
Shea Butter helps to deeply moisturize, soothe and smooth
Squalane is a plant-derived oil that mimics the skin’s naturally occurring omega fatty acids (3 & 6) to help lock in moisture
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps to protect and restore skin from free radical damage
The Smell: Subtle, smells like coconut and vanilla
Pros: Ultra moisturizing, not sticky, feels like buttercream on my lips, high shine, long lasting, leaves lips feeling soft
Cons: N/A
Kaia Naturals
Mary Futher, founder of Kaia Naturals, was shocked to discover how many toxic ingredients were in the beauty products she owned. From then on, she focused her mission on removing toxins from the everyday beauty routines by developing natural, non-toxic, and cruelty-free beauty products.
The Takesumi Detox Charcoal Deodorant in Cold Pressed Rose
Function: Draws out toxins from your pores and fights odor-causing bacteria
3 Notable Ingredients:
Activated charcoal works to neutralize odor-causing bacteria while acting like a magnet, pulling toxins from your pores
Natural fermentation technology works to kill odor-causing bacteria on your skin
Aloe Vera is an anti-septic properties work to kill odor-causing bacteria
The Smell: Subtle, smells like rose petals
Pros: Cooling upon application, two swipes is enough, I’m impressed with the lack of underarm odor I have after 6 hours in the sun (this is the best natural deodorant I have ever used), lovely smell, product description on the site speaks about the detox phase from transitioning from an antiperspirant to a natural deodorant which is comforting and useful information to know, comes in travel size
Cons: N/A
Juicy Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloths
Function: To cleanse your face, neck, and décolletage from makeup, dirt, and oils
3 Notable Ingredients:
Organic honey hydrates dry skin and it’s medicinal properties helps treat breakouts and imperfections
Jojoba oil is loaded with antioxidants and vitamins, jojoba oil has anti-inflammatory properties which reduces redness and naturally soothes skin
Sunflower oil is rich in Vitamin E, sunflower oil helps hydrate skin and prevents skin damage from free radicals
The Smell: Moderate, smells like citrus
Pros: Easily takes off mascara without any eye burning, refreshing when used after a sunny day of no makeup to clean off sweat or after the gym, can plant the cleansing cloth after use because it’s biodegradable
Cons: I’m not a big fan of the smell (however, the smell subsides immediately after use but still slightly lingers afterward), not the most suitable for taking off heavy coverage makeup
The Takesumi Detox Overnight Dry Shampoo
Function: Absorbs oil, odor and sweat, refreshes hair and enhances volume and texture
3 Notable Ingredients:
Activated charcoal neutralizes bacteria on the scalp that creates hair odor
Rice Starch and Arrowroot Powder works to absorb oil and sweat
Diatomaceous Earth naturally deodorizes and absorbs hair odor
The Smell: Subtle, smells a little bit like flowers and oranges
Pros: No aerosol gases, absorbs oil and reduces the look of greasy morning hair, reduces day old hair smell, comes in travel size
Cons: N/A
Concluding Thoughts
Overall, I’m very pleased with these products! I had no irritations, clogged pores, and wasn’t disappointed in what the products promised. The only thing I was sensitive to was the smell of certain products, but that didn’t take away from the functionality nor did the smell cause any sort of discomfort.
As silly some may think, the look of a product is actually really important to me. Thoughtful design makes me excited to look and use the products I own. As a content creator, it also makes me more willing to photograph the products to share with my audience who also enjoy looking at ~all things aesthetic~.