Home > Newborn > Health & Safety, Health & Safety, Health & Safety, Product Guides, Health & Daily Care, Health & Nutrition, Health & Safety > Clean Skincare That Actually Works

Clean Skincare That Actually Works

With so many brands green-washing our shelves with claims like, ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ we have dived deep into ingredients lists and third party lab testing results to find truly non-toxic and clean skincare for our families. Lucky for us, Earth Harbor, Doctor Rogers Restore, Gryph + Ivyrose, Evereden and Kate McLeod tick all the right boxes and pass The Tot Test with flying colors!

mom using non-toxic Evereden skincare on toddler

Summer Land Writer & Author

When it comes to finding clean, non-toxic and eco-friendly skincare (that actually works), the struggle can be very real.

While many certifying bodies have banned the use of harmful chemicals, we are still seeing some not-so-great ingredients lurking on labels more often than not. This is extra frustrating because a lot of the brands claim to be ‘natural,’ ‘safe’ and ‘non-toxic.’

We know that it can feel overwhelming to try to avoid this, that and every other chemical under the sun. We know just how clever brands are when they come to greenwashing. We know how frustrating it is when you find a non-toxic product, but it doesn’t work. We also know that truly clean and non-toxic skincare should be accessible.

In this article, we’ll go over:

Chemicals to avoid in skincare
The non-toxic skincare brands we have tried and trust
Our skincare picks for women
Our skincare picks for babies and children

Scroll down to learn more.

These are the chemicals you should 100% be avoiding in skincare.

(Especially if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or using them on your baby or kids!)

Parabens – Often used as a skincare preservative, these are known hormone disrupters, carcinogens, and skin irritants. When reading an ingredients list, make sure there isn’t anything with ‘paraben’ on the end such as methylparaben, ethlyparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben, or isopropylparaben. But beware: sometimes a company will shorten the word to just methyl, ethyl or propyl!
Petrochemicals – The problem with petrochemicals is that they can be contaminated with 1,4 dioxane, which is a volatile organic compound known to cause cancer, irritation and damage to your central nervous system. These include ingredients like parfum, fragrance, parafin wax, butyl alcohol, butylparaben, butylene glycol, mineral oil, toluene, benzene, polyethylene glycol (PEG) as well as ethanolamine and dietanolamine.
Phthalates – Phthalates are used as a plasticizer and are found in nail polish, hair spray, perfumes, lotions, soaps, shampoos and more. As known endocrine disruptors associated with liver and kidney lesions and increasing your risk of certain cancers, they may exacerbate asthma and allergies in children. You will find this on an ingredients list as diethylphthalate (DEP), dibutylphthalates (DBP), diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) or dimethylphthalate (DMP).
Synthetic Dyes + Colorants – Many synthetic dyes and colorants can contain heavy metals that cause skin irritation and organ toxicity. Be sure to avoid FD&C (Food, Drugs and Cosmetics) and D&C (Drugs & Cosmetics) dyes and pigments such as Yellow No 5 and No 6, Red No 3, Blue No 1 and No 2, as well as Green No 3 and S.
SLS, SLES + ALS – These sulfates are commonly found in shampoos and soaps as foaming agents. They can heavily irritate the skin and cause your body to overcompensate by creating an excessive amount of oil. Look out for and avoid sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate and ammonium laurel sulfate.

Non-Toxic Skincare Brands

At The Tot, we have a Green Living Expert review every single product we put on our website. She doesn’t just read ingredients lists, she checks the company’s test results and ensures that the products they’re selling are truly safe to use on our family’s skin.

Recently, we had her look at PAAVANI Ayurveda, Beb Organic, Earth Harbor, Doctor Rogers Restore, Gryph + Ivyrose, Evereden and Kate McLeod. Once they passed The Tot Test, we started using them and are blown away by how wonderful they are. There truly isn’t any sacrifice when it comes to non-toxic personal care thanks to these brands. We’re also still very impressed with our tried and trusted favs: Erbaviva and HATCH.

All made in the USA, these brands share a focus on sustainability and using natural ingredients holistically. From packaging to sourcing non-GMO ingredients, these brands are giving us the options we’ve desperately wanted and needed. Check out our favorite picks below!