Thirteen Non-Toxic Toiletries To Try
People are now becoming more aware of the dangers of putting chemicals in or on our bodies. Just as we once disregarded the adverse effects of smoking, chemicals have been widely used in cosmetics and other beauty products for decades. If you are hoping to create a more eco-friendly and clean personal care routine with non-toxic toiletries, we have some information, tips, and recommendations for you.
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What is clean beauty?
Depending on priorities and ideology, clean or green beauty might mean something different for each individual. Typically, one thinks first of non-toxic, chemical-free, and organic cosmetics, which this article emphasizes. Others might prioritize cruelty-free and vegan beauty created by ethical beauty brands. Thirdly, eco-friendly toiletries in recycled, reusable, or refillable containers might come to mind. The best sustainable cosmetics brands and personal care products will check all these boxes, plus one more – responsible sourcing and ethical production.
Why choose non-toxic toiletries
If being kind to the environment, people, and animal welfare isn’t enough reason to choose sustainable personal care products, perhaps your health is. Many skincare products, makeup, and even beauty tools contain ingredients that can be harmful to human health and environmentally damaging. These include formaldehyde, phthalates, parabens, and PFAS. Some of these common toxic chemicals found in cosmetics are allergens, endocrine disruptors, and even carcinogens, which can cause damage to your genome and affect metabolic processes.
Many of these chemicals are banned in other areas, such as the E.U., Canada, Australia, and others. However, because personal care products companies do not have to register with the FDA, they do not have the authority to regulate the chronic risks of chemicals and contaminants in cosmetics. You can find a complete list with detailed information about these ingredients here.
identifying Chemical-free beauty products
Regardless of your cosmetic background, there are some ways to help you identify clean, non-toxic beauty on the market. First, avoid the ingredients mentioned in the section above. If you need clarification on a particular product component, look it up and skip it if it’s not natural or plant-based. You will also want to keep an eye out for non-GMO ingredients.
Perhaps the easiest way to identify non-toxic toiletries and clean beauty products is the presence of speicific certifications. USDA Organic certification, EWG verified, COSMOS Ecocert, Non-GMO verified, and Natrue certification can assure you that the product is toxin-free. Look for these eco-labels on the item in the drugstore or on the product page if you’re ordering online. You can learn about other beauty product certifications and their symbols and logos here.
recommended non-toxic toiletries and products
Non-Toxic Skincare
Say goodbye to conventional lotions and the look and feel of dry skin, and hello to extra moisture with the best zero-waste lotions and reef-friendly sunscreens! With products from these amazing brands, you can create a sustainable and non-toxic skincare routine.
Body Lotion – Plaine Products
Cruelty-free and vegan, this Certified B Corporation supports 1% for the Planet, offers biodegradable beauty products, and has many other third-party accreditations. Their aluminum bottles are refillable, returnable, or can be recycled infinite times. They provide a plastic-free zero waste moisturizing lotion for all skin types, free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, silicone, and palm oil, and blended with whole essential oils.
You can choose from unscented, rosemary mint vanilla, or citrus lavender. I recently started using this lotion, and it is fantastic for my sensitive, sometimes oily skin! They also offer a toxic-free body wash, shampoo, and hair conditioner.
Body lotion – Plaine Products
- Green skincare
- Vegan and cruelty-free
- Toxin and palm oil-free
- Kid-safe
- Biodegradable formula
- Relieves dry skin without feeling greasy
Reef safe sunscreen – Butter Me Up Organics Sunscreen
As someone with freckly, acne-prone, sensitive skin who uses sunscreen daily, no matter the weather, this seemed to be my Holy Grail. It comes in a reusable glass jar with certified organic ingredients, including coconut oil, shea butter, and non-nano zinc oxide.
I bought the 8-ounce jar, forgetting that it was too big for a carry-on bag. It was taken from me at the airport before I got to try it! Conveniently, it comes in a selection of other sizes, which I will remember for next time.
Natural Organic Sunscreen – butter me up organics
- Cruelty-free and mineral-based
- Phthalates & paraben-free
- Contains organic Shea Butter, Mango Butter, and Coconut Oil
- Available in a 2 oz BPA-free squeeze bottle or a 2, 4, 6, or 8oz. glass sturdy, lidded glass jar
- Made with non-toxic premium ingredients
non-toxic Beauty for Lips, Cheeks, and Eyes
Your makeup shouldn’t contain chemicals harmful to your health or packaging that hurts the planet. Here are some toxic-free, clean-faced cosmetics recommendations!
Healing Lip Therapy by Blue Heron Botanicals
Made from locally sourced ingredients and skin-healing herbs such as St. John’s wort, Comfrey, and Lemon Balm, this balm will soothe your chapped or sunburned lips. You can’t go wrong with compostable, cute makeup packaging made with 100% Post Consumer Waste either!
Healing Lip Therapy – Blue Heron Botanicals
About this item:
- A healing blend of botanical-infused oils and essential oils
- Speeds the healing of cold sores & severely chapped and cracked lips
- Flavored with organic essential oils
- Packaging is home compostable and made from 100% PCW recycled paper
River Organics Blush Sticks
All of the sustainable makeup made by River Organics comes in paper tubes or jars, and all labels are sugarcane-based and also compostable. The blush tubes come in a variety of colors, such as “Peachy,” “Bloom,” and “Terra Cotta,” and contain certified organic oils. The mica used is conflict-free and lab-made. They also offer non-toxic perfumes, mascara, lip balm, concealer, and more!
Blush Sticks – River Organics
- Certified organic
- 100% vegan certified
- Cruelty-free certified – Leaping Bunny
- Eco-friendly paper packaging
- Conflict-free, lab-made mica
Minimalist Trio Eyeshadow Palette by Principle Beauty
Made with cruelty-free and vegan ingredients, two matte shades and one shimmer can easily take you from day to evening. This non-toxic eyeshadow comes in the first-ever 100% backyard compostable makeup package and is made in small batches in the U.S. Clean eyeshadow made with organic shea butter, jojoba oil and coconut oil to give a blendable, velvety finish.
The essentialist Trio Cork Eyeshadow Palette
About this item
- Chemical-free and non-toxic eyeshadow
- Two matte shades and one shimmer
- Vegan and cruelty-free
- 100% backyard compostable makeup package
- Made in the U.S.
Cheekbone Beauty SUSTAIN Eyes Pencils
This hypoallergenic eyeliner is made from sustainable cedar wood and has seed paper box packaging. You can choose from raven black, cedar brown, and purple amethyst. Cheekbone Beauty makes unique makeup products and is the first Indigenous-owned and founded cosmetics company. In their own words, “What makes us special is that our sustainability journey embodies the strengths of Western Culture and Indigenous Wisdom, also known as Two-Eyed Seeing.”
Sustain Eye Collection – Cheekbone beauty
- Sustainable and high-quality color cosmetics
- Vegan and cruelty-free
- Drawing from Indigenous teachings, strive to ensure products are truly sustainable from ingredients to green packaging
- Non-toxic eye makeup
- Clean and sustainable but not plain and bland
Non-Toxic Bar soap and body Wash
With Leaping Bunny, USDA Organic, and FSC certifications, you can rest assured that your Chagrin Valley products are toxic-free! They ship to every U.S. and over 80 countries worldwide in 99% plastic-free, sustainable packaging.
handmade organic soaps- chagrin valley
- USDA certified organic
- Plastic-free
- Handmade
- Cruelty-free Leaping Bunny certified
- Gluten-free and unscented options
- Non-GMO
Evolve is a Certified B Corporation that offers many COSMOS organic, Vegan Society, and Leaping Bunny-certified products. They also use 100% renewable energy in their eco studio in Hertfordshire and upcycled ingredients like fruits for pigment and natural fragrance from the food industry!
citrus aromatic body wash – evolve
- Organic essential oils
- Bottle made from recycled materials
- Cruelty-free & vegan
- Plastic-free formula
- Organic aloe vera for hydration
- Made in small batches in the U.K.
Non-toxic Hair Care
Public Goods offers organic, non-GMO, paraben, sulfate, and toxic chemical-free products with plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. They use 100% recycled, post-consumer plastic bottles and tree-free paper and plant one tree for every order.
Shampoo bar – public goods
- Organic, all-natural formula
- Plastic-free
- Organic essential oils for subtle fragrance
- Made in the U.S.
- Formaldehyde, phthalate, and synthetic fragrance-free
Rahua’s powerful plant-derived, organic ingredients create high-performance beauty products. Their product packaging is recyclable, reusable, and many are refillable. 10% of the proceeds from the Rahua Enchanted Island Collection help protect and preserve many miles of Galapagos Island coastal areas.
light leave-in treatment – rahua
- Cruelty-free & vegan
- Gluten-free
- Organic sunflower oil and shea butter
- Suitable for all hair types
- Clean, non-toxic formula
Looking for the best non-toxic hairspray? Check out Carina Organics Sweet Pea Fast-Drying Hairspray. It’s paraben, soy, and synthetic-free, vegan, and 100% biodegradable.
Sustainable & Non-Toxic beauty Tools & Accessories
There are plenty of plastic-free cosmetic alternatives out there! Next time you need a replacement for a plastic or single-use tool, consider one of these sustainable beauty tools.
Safety Razor – cocoon apothecary
A reusable stainless steel, non-toxic razor is an easy swap for those cheap disposable plastic ones! Check out this safety razor from Cocoon Apothecary. The flippable shave plate ensures secure travel in your non toxic luggage, and makes cleaning a breeze.
Safety Razor – Cocoon Apothecary
- Provides a plastic-free shaving experience
- Substantial weight for precise control and a smooth and comfortable shave
- Eco-friendly and plastic-free
- Handle is easily unscrewed for easy blade changes
Menstrual Cup – Diva cup
I can say that I do use this product! A Certified B Corp since 2018, means that they meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. I was skeptical about how well a menstrual cup would work for me as an avid runner, hiker, and cyclist. I can tell you this has not been an issue!
You can find your size and locate a retail store on their website to save transportation emissions if they sell in your city. I used their sales inquiries and support team to help me choose my size, and they were exceptionally helpful.
Diva
- Made of 100% medical-grade silicone
- Ease-of-use and up to 12 hours of continuous period protection
- Reusable
- Environmentally friendly
- No leakage
- Change it just twice a day!
Hair Ties and Headbands – Kooshoo
Kooshoo created the world’s first plastic-free and naturally organic hair ties in 2010. They are made with Fair Trade Certified natural rubber and sustainably sourced organic cotton in Fair Trade production facilities. They ship plastic-free from sustainably-minded warehouse partners worldwide, decreasing shipping emissions.
As someone who constantly changes the length of my hair, I have yet to go through my stash of cheaply made hair ties bought pre-sustainably focused me, but I’ll be giving these a try once I need a restock!
Hair accessories – Kooshoo
- Eco-friendly hair accessories designed for quality, style and performance
- Plastic-free, zero-waste, stylish
- Ethically made using renewable, plant-based materials
Other Sustainable non-toxic toiletries to Try
You should check out these other non-toxic brands that come up clean regarding sustainability when it’s time to replace your products.
Fat and the Moon is on its way to becoming a Certified B Corp, and you can read their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) IMPACT Report on their website. You can order small batches online, or check their stockists map on their website to see if there is a seller near you.
Fat and the moon
- Face, body, and hair care
- 100% biodegradable shipping materials
- Packaging materials are recyclable, reusable, or compostable
- Ingredients sourced from farmers and businesses that align with Earth First ethos and values
Tree Hugger Cloth Pads makes reusable, washable period pads and underwear – each cloth pad can replace about 200 disposable ones! Founded in my hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Tree Hugger is a family-run business. All of their products are proudly made in Canada by a team of local work-at-home individuals.
Tree Hugger Cloth Pads
- Absorbent fabric cores to wick up fluid fast
- The magic ingredient is the non-allergenic fabric “zorb”
- Absorbs ten times its weight in under 2 seconds
- Eco-friendly, antimicrobial, nanoparticle-free, breathable
- Canadian company
How we chose our non-toxic toiletry recommendations
Due to my limited, minimalist beauty routine and nomadic lifestyle, it’s nearly impossible to try all of these chemical-free beauty products myself. Also, purchasing many different products to sample is simply unsustainable (to my wallet and the planet!) However, I will only recommend products I have used, that have been recommended by someone I trust, or that I have extensively researched.
On top of sustainability certifications, some things that we look for are ethical beauty brands that create vegan beauty with plant-based and organic cosmetic ingredients. Natural skincare and other personal health products should also be free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and other chemical ingredients like those mentioned above. Of course, eco-friendly makeup should also come in plastic-free packaging, and some of the best cosmetic brands offer return or refill programs for maximum circularity.
Last but certainly not least, we look for information regarding sustainable ingredient sourcing, responsible manufacturing, and ethical labor practices.
Final Thoughts on non-toxic toiletries
Sustainability and clean beauty are no longer just buzzwords. The realization that we can control what we consume by educating ourselves and making smart decisions about the products we buy is here to stay. The best makeup brands and companies creating personal care products are starting to take notice and cater to those seeking a more sustainable, clean, and green lifestyle. You may find that opting for non-toxic toiletries costs a little more, but is the price you pay for your health not worth the investment?
Remember, every journey must begin with a single step, and choosing non-toxic toiletries and personal care products is the first one on your journey towards a sustainable beauty routine!
All products recommended to you on Successfully Sustainable are independently researched in depth. To avoid waste and lead a minimal lifestyle, we test products only when required. This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you buy something through our links. Learn more about this here.
