It’s no secret that the products we put on our skin matter. Our skin is the body’s largest organ and it has a direct route to our bloodstream, meaning we absorb the ingredients we put on it. As someone who studied sustainability at university and possesses a lifelong curiosity for trying new beauty products, I’ve become increasingly aware of how many formulas are labeled “natural” or “clean,” and how those labels can be confusing and misleading.
Over the years, as my skin has grown more sensitive, I’ve taken a deeper interest in understanding what those phrases actually mean—and how it connects to sustainability. As it turns out, the best skincare products for our bodies are often also the least harmful to the Earth: These are products made without parabens, preservatives, or artificial fragrances, and instead formulated with intentionally sourced, bio-based ingredients.
It can be difficult to parse through which brands create products that are both good for our skin and have a lighter footprint on the planet, though. Most conventional skincare relies on synthetic compounds, adding toxic ingredients to the skin and into the environment. When it comes to curating a skincare routine with this criteria top of mind, sustainability expert and journalist Alyssa Hardy says this: “Brands should always give you a how and a why—saying it’s made with sustainable ingredients without any mention of supply chain sourcing is a major red flag.”
Hardy, who wrote a book called Worn Out: How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion’s Sins, says skincare is similar to fashion, where beauty has a very complicated and opaque supply chain with very few regulations on it: “Many ingredients, even bio-based ones that appear more natural and sustainable, may not be cultivated ethically, or with low impact on the environment.” It’s true: Many “natural” products are made with ingredients that have negative impacts on the Earth when sourced irresponsibly, raising concerns of habitat destruction and threats to biodiversity.
To help you establish a travel-friendly skincare routine that’s gentle on both you and the Earth, I researched and tapped experts for their guidance on what brands are doing it right. Below, discover seven beauty brands delivering sustainably made skincare without any harmful ingredients. But first, experts lay out what to look for in skincare products and what ingredients to avoid.
FAQ:
What to look for when shopping for clean skincare
This where you do need to put your research hat on, says Hardy. “EWG is a certification and a great resource for looking up individual ingredients and brands.” EWG, or Environmental Working Group, is a nonprofit that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of agricultural subsidies, toxic chemicals, drinking water pollutants, and corporate accountability.
“Generally, consuming with the planet and people in mind is essential to show businesses that we are looking for them to do better,” says Hardy. “Plus, it just feels better personally to do it that way.” She urges consumers to think about what they prioritize most, from recycling or reusable packaging to bio-based or organic ingredients, and shop with that criteria in mind.
“In general, focus on ingredients, rather than the seals themselves,” says Donay Momenian, fashion and beauty associate editor at Teen Vogue. Brands that lean on seals or marketing language that claim they are 100% “toxic, clean, and natural” are not really pointing to official designations. “Those terms all have different meanings, depending on who’s using them,” says Momenian. Instead, “look for brands who pledge not to use certain ingredients, like parabens or formaldehyde.”
Most importantly, always consult a dermatologist if you have any specific skincare concerns and need help deciding if a product is right for you.
What ingredients to avoid
Most skincare products have formulas with ingredients derived from petroleum and other fossil fuels, notorious for their carbon-intensive extraction, production, refining, and disposal processes. Not to mention, mass-produced exfoliants and cleansers often include microbeads, or tiny plastic particles, in their formulas. Since they’re too small to be filtered out by waste water treatment plants, they often end up accumulating in our oceans and waterways—to then be consumed by marine life and subsequently, enter into the food chain. Microbeads only exacerbate the huge issue of microplastics we already have, and pose more risks to aquatic life.
For starters, Hardy recommends travelers invest in some reusable toiletry bottles that can safely carry your skincare products time and time again. “We all need to abide by TSA rules, so getting a bunch of little plastic bottles or one-time use products for your trip is tempting, but you should consider investing in something to hold your liquid product that you can keep for extended use,” Hardy says. “Avoid the quick use-and-toss when possible.”
In addition to avoiding single-use plastic, always read the label—here are some ingredients Hardy recommends avoiding when shopping for new skincare products.
- Avoid parabens and preservatives: Avoid parabens, which are widely used as preservatives in conventional skincare products. They are increasingly marked as pollutants in much of the Earth’s aquatic environments and further accumulate in marine life. On the label, this includes words like: ethylbaraben and propylbaraben; an alkyl (methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, or heptyl); and benzyl groups.
- Avoid palm oils: Over-produced masses of palm oils leading to deforestation. Hardy says that there’s also a “risk for serious labor violations like child labor and forced labor” when sourcing it.
Retrouvé
Retrouvé is a great example of a skincare brand taking a holistic approach to both its product development and its delivery. The brand offers an array of thoughtfully made products, all of which come from its 40-acre farm in Malibu. “I don’t know of any other skincare brands that are this intentional or are going to such great lengths for ethically made ingredients for their products,” says Judith Anger, Retrouvé’s lead permaculture farmer and developer. “These ingredients are truly made with love, care, and have lasting benefits for both the consumer and the environment itself.”
By growing its ingredients on the brand’s small, family-run farm, the risks associated with mass production and large-scale farming are eliminated. The Malibu-based farm grows various herbs you’ll find in Retrouvé’s skincare products, including rosemary, sage, avocados, and citrus trees—all without the use of pesticides. “Our farm is centered around water management; we built dams and ponds to maintain soil health and prevent erosion,” says Anger. I’m a new fan of the brand—and not just because I’ve been receiving compliments on my skin’s radiance since I’ve started using its conditioning chamomile toner and Skin Brilliance priming pads, but because supporting the B-Corp and vegan-certified brand feels as good as picking up fresh produce at a top-tier farmer’s market.
Luminance Skincare
The entire ethos of Luminance Skincare is the antithesis of products made of synthetic chemicals—in fact, the CEO and owner started Luminance as a result of chemical-induced migraines. Luminance prides itself in being both vegan and cruelty-free; according to the brand’s sustainability statement, it does not take part in any animal testing nor use any animal-derived ingredients. Subsequently, Luminance Skincare’s vegan formulas are less likely to cause irritation or inflammation, making them suitable for those with sensitive skin.
What really makes this brand stand out is its innovative approach to manufacturing. The brand formulates its products using ingredients at almost raw levels, meaning there’s not much heat being used. When you add too much heat to an ingredient in the manufacturing process, it changes its molecular nature, losing its vitamins and nutrients. Instead, the brand’s slow and controlled warming approach keeps the ingredients true to their intended form, and according to their site’s reports, has the added benefit of making Luminance’s products more effective on the skin.
Seaire
As well as being vegan and cruelty-free, Seaire’s Sea Barrier Radiance mask is made without fillers, sulphates, or parabens. Instead of being produced with biochemicals that harm the environment due to their unlikeliness to break down, the mask is made from bio-marine ingredients, carefully sourced from red algae off the coast of Madagascar (to protect your skin from UV radiation and pollution); glacial water from the Swiss Alps (for long-lasting hydration); green microalgae from lakes in the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean (to enhance skin elasticity and prevent inflammation while reducing visible redness); and PFE, a glycoprotein produce sourced from Antarctica’s deep-sea waters (to prevent dryness in cold conditions and reduce wrinkle depth).
Seaire’s consciously made aqua-based products that work with the Earth’s waterways, instead of against it. The brand’s “less is more” approach is something we should all be following—especially travelers who don’t want to pack endless amounts of toiletries. This one mask can be used for moisturizing, reducing redness, and protecting your skin from harmful UVs rays.
Prose
Prose is the only skincare brand out there with a commitment to offset 100% of its carbon footprint. And what the brand isn’t able to cut internally through production and manufacturing, it matches through investing in carbon offset projects that promote renewable energy, reforestation, and more. Not to mention, Prose’s formulas are cruelty-free and made without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, alcohol, or GMOs. I also appreciate how transparent the brand is about its ingredients, even including EWG-approved scores of each product and a key that informs customers of its safety measures. (Pro tip: This ingredient index is a good reference when crosschecking other brands’ products, too.) Plus, to help minimize the use of plastic, customers have the option to opt out of receiving pumps after their first order.
Ursa Major
Ursa Major takes a well-rounded approach to being mindful of the environment. In collaboration with rePurpose Global, the brand removes two plastic bottles from the environment for every bottle it sells. This year, Ursa Major is working toward moving over all of its products from plastic bottles into 100% glass or aluminum bottles. The Vermont-based team also dedicates over 600 hours of volunteering annually to local farms and communities, as well as partnering with organizations working to protect outdoor spaces including groups like Rokeby Farm, Zeno Farm, Outdoor Afro, Vermont Land Trust, One Tree Planted, and Outward Bound for Veterans.
As for Ursa Major’s wide array of products, from face and body to hair care, the brand uses effective and safe synthetic ingredients when there isn’t a viable natural alternative. All of its ingredients meet The Credo Clean Standard, meaning its products never contain harmful chemicals like parabens, synthetic fragrances, dyes, silicones, or PEGs. In 2022, the brand joined the B Beauty Coalition of B Corp-certified personal care and beauty brands for collaborating on creative solutions to improve the skincare entire industry.
True Botanicals
True Botanicals was created by Hillary Peterson after a cancer diagnosis jumpstarted her mission to create products that prioritize health on all fronts. The brand donates 1% of its total annual sales to nonprofit organizations that are committed to regenerative farming, fighting plastic pollution, and championing women, too.
True Botanical’s commitment to glass packaging significantly cuts down on plastic waste each year and it’s working toward making all of its packaging 100% recyclable within the next five years. And in terms of biodegradability, its chemists work consciously on its formulas and reusable products to help eliminate waste. The Chebula Multi-Corrective eye patches are soft and safe on the skin, as well as fully biodegradable; Condé Nast Traveler‘s associate commerce director Madison Flager is a fan of the brand’s EWG-verified Phyto-Retinol Sleep Serum.
To top it all off, all of True Botanicals’ ingredients are cruelty-free and MadeSafe-approved (meaning they are EWG certified, microbiome friendly, hypoallergenic, pregnancy-safe, and sustainably sourced).
Monastery
Traveler’s global digital director Arati Menon is a recent convert to Monastery—a San Francisco–based small-batch organic skincare brand with a devoted following. Monastery was born out of genuine frustrations as esthetician Athena Hewett saw firsthand that many skincare brands were causing or worsening the skin conditions her clients were trying to heal. Menon was sold after meeting Hewett herself (who has more A-list clients than we can count)—the expert drew up a routine for Menon that has been “invaluable.”
All of Monastery’s products are made with sweet and fresh ingredients, including sage, damask rose, grapefruit, and jasmine grandliflorum. Each and every formula avoids alcohols, parabens, petroleum-derivatives, chemical preservatives, salicylic acid, sulfates, tea tree oil, and other toxic ingredients. And rather than mass-extraction of these natural sources, the brand researches the climate and key ingredients of an area in particular regions of the world. They tend to look for obscure ingredients, produced on a much smaller scale, then work directly with small farms, including one in Grasse, France, to source floral repair remedies and concentrates.
Some of Menon’s favorite products include this rose cleansing oil that she uses just before bed and allows it to soak in as she sleeps. She also recommends this gentle retinol cream, which she uses two to three times a week. “It helps with brightening my skin and boosting collagen; I find most retinol products too intense; with this one, you don’t need a “break-in” period,” says Menon. “But my favorite product—that I carry everywhere I go—is the Aloe serum that doubles up as a moisturizer. It’s like a cool drink for the skin.”
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