Top 5 Clean Beauty Brands That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity During a Pandemic

It’s 11:15am on a day of the week that ends in a Y. Give me a break! The days blend together in the age of the Coronavirus. For months, we have been practicing social distancing in public spaces and yet COVID19 is continuing to be a major health issue in the United States. I have a coffee mug in one hand and an iPad tucked under my arm as I head to my bedroom for a Zoom meeting. 

Maybe it’s the cabin fever set on by months of self isolation, or maybe the lack of motivation to attend yet another zoom meeting, but I woke up today thinking about how much I miss getting dressed and wearing makeup. As someone who used to cherish a day spent on the couch in sweats and a messy bun, I unexpectedly find myself longing for an occasion to put on a full face of makeup. If the idea of makeup still brings up painful memories of cakey foundation, clumpy mascara, or the breakouts you get even if you wash the makeup off every night, then this might be the perfect time to upgrade your conventional makeup to skin care products. That’s right! In recent years, clean beauty has taken off.

Clean beauty is the best natural makeup that also doubles as skin care products. Think about it. You spend at least 9 hours a day wearing makeup, shouldn’t that time be spent nourishing your skin instead of harming it? Plus, as consumers increasingly demand eco-friendly products from their clothes and food, the top clean beauty brands strive to minimize their impact on the planet. So if you’re wondering what are the top 5 skincare brands and if they double as the best natural makeup brands, read on to cure your Coronavirus blues and restore your faith in humanity. 

As clean beauty products become increasingly in demand, you might still be wondering….Aren’t all beauty products clean or at least safe? Well the short and shocking answer is no. You may have heard horror stories about lead and arsenic used in makeup once upon a time. But the truth is heavy metals and toxic chemicals are still widely used in traditional makeup that many of us use daily. Isn’t that dangerous? Absolutely! In fact, founder of RMS Beauty, Rose-Marie Swift, found this out the hard way when she started battling health issues related to the toxic ingredients used in conventional makeup. Her own fight for her health inspired her tell-all website called Beauty Truth. It is an amazing resource for taking control and learning the truth about the beauty industry. Rose-Marie’s vision is clear, “eventually the clean beauty industry will just become…the beauty industry.” Your pursuit of beauty shouldn’t come at the expense of your health. RMS is a front runner in innovative clean makeup brands. In 2008, Rose-Marie invented the word ‘luminizer’ and RMS Beauty was the first to create the product. The Luminizer has now become a must have when it comes to the best natural makeup. As it melts into your skin, the Luminizer brings out your natural lumosity and leaves you with a sheer and elegant slow. The Luminizer works wonders, and though we are social distancing, people will notice your glow even from 6ft away. It comes in 6 different shades and has a variety of uses. You can apply it on the cheekbones, nose, or eyelids. You can even apply a little to your collarbones or shoulders for a sexy nighttime look. 

While the Coronavirus has been at the forefront of everyone’s mind, there are other major global issues the younger generations are concerned with. I discuss these same concerns over a Zoom party with my friends. Because social distancing guidelines no longer allow for an outing to the local coffee house, the discussion of global issues, like COVID19, has now become an occasion to throw a Zoom party. We now know that rampant consumerism contributes a great deal to global climate change. How can I square my want for new makeup with my concern for the environment? Yes, makeup is meant to be experimented with and buying new cosmetics can be extremely addicting. So what is clean beauty’s role in this matter? Like a capsule wardrobe, more young people are gravitating towards having a few, quality, versatile cosmetics that do the job. By choosing clean beauty products you can simplify your skincare and beauty routine so that ultimately you are purchasing less products but are achieving the same great results. If this sounds like you, or like something you’d like to try, a great place to start is Kjaer Weis. Their philosophy is that makeup products should be good for the planet as well as your skin. Kjaer Weis’s intelligent refillable system is a great way to minimize the disposable makeup packaging you buy. Not only will you save money, but with the step-by-step refill instructions your Kajaer Weis beauty products will look expensive and brand new every time. The red edition is made 100% compostable, recyclable, or reusable. This means that virtually zero waste is created when you buy a new item from the red edition. Kjaer Weis makes high quality products that are meant to be used over and over. It might surprise you that one of the best clean beauty brands is also a luxury brand. But Kjaer Weis believes that just like you wouldn’t compromise on the ingredients and quality when purchasing food or clothes, the same should be true of luxury clean beauty. The best natural and organic options that perform as well as traditional cosmetics should be found in luxury beauty. This clean makeup brand is committed to demonstrating that sustainability is beautiful.

With a graduating class ready to receive their diplomas during the Coronavirus pandemic, parents had to celebrate their grad’s accomplishments while in self isolation. Plans of graduation blow outs were put on hold and instead people wondered, “How do I plan a Zoom party?” One of many unexpected questions of 2020. As COVID19 forces us to move from bars and clubs into zoom parties, and from boardrooms and cubicles into zoom meetings, I found myself RSVPing to a graduation Zoom party. Finally an excuse to try out that new Tone 3.5 Tinted Face Oil by Kosas. With ingredients that will nourish my skin while I’m wearing it, why not? Kosas is one of the best clean beauty brands. The company, created by Sheena Yaitanes at her kitchen table, believes that the answer to “what is clean beauty?” is creating makeup that doubles as skin care products. Think about how many hours you spend in makeup everyday, and what if that time was spent healing your skin instead of damaging it? If this sounds too good to be true, you need to give Kosas a try. For example, their tinted face oil, which comes in 16 tones and is made of 6 active botanical oils. In fact, all the ingredients are there to help nourish and protect your skin. There are no silicones in it and the product is cruelty free. The tinted face oil works like a foundation to minimize pores and even your skin tone. But unlike traditional foundation, it doesn’t leave a heavy, cakey feeling on your skin. The best natural makeup doesn’t sacrifice feeling good for looking good. Today, when we ask, “What are the top 5 skincare brands?” Clean beauty brands like Kosas would definitely make that list. So easy and simple, Kosas is the clean makeup brand equivalent of wearing sweatpants under the desk during a zoom meeting.

The COVID19 outbreak has forced some creative and out-of-the-box problem solving. But amazingly, with innovation and technology, somehow the world kept moving. Instead of asking, “Will there be a graduation party?” we asked “How do I plan a Zoom party?” Instead of “We won’t be able to celebrate your birthday this year,” we said “We can adhere to social distancing guidelines while having a drive by birthday celebration.”  The best clean beauty brands are doing just that! Clean beauty brands like Ilia are putting innovation at the forefront to make sure they are giving you the best of the best natural and organic options. A customer favorite is their award winning mascara. Made of 25% organic and 99% natural ingredients, the mascara works to strengthen and condition your eyelashes. Not only that, but this cruelty free mascara doesn’t flake or smudge. At the end of the day you can wash it away with just water. Ilia’s high performing mascara is both an Allure and Glamour beauty award winner. The SPF 40 foundation serum is another popular Ilia product. Winning the 2020 Byrdie eco beauty award, among others, this revolutionary serum combines the best of natural makeup with the best of skin care products. Ilia’s foundation serum is a vegan formula that is safe for sensitive skin. It comes in a wide array of tints to match your skin tone. Most importantly, it protects your skin with SPF 40 all day long. When you first apply the serum to your skin, it leaves a slight white hue, but in 30 to 60 seconds the formula adjusts to its true color. Ilia is a clean makeup brand that is ‘skin-centric.’ Their values of sustainability and natural ingredients are evident in their products. However, what sets Ilia aside from other clean beauty brands is their focus on innovation. And what is clean beauty if not a quest for the perfect middle between functionality and sustainability.

The younger generations love supporting companies with values and ethics that are benefitting personal health and the health of the planet. But a concern that even the best clean beauty brands often face is does clean beauty stand up to the quality of conventional makeup brands? Millennials and Gen Zs are happy to switch from paper to online banking and to ditch plastic bags for reusable totes. But makeup aficionados are reluctant to trade in their traditional brands for even the best natural and organic options if their performance and quality is subpar. So what are the top 5 skincare brands and do they live up to their claims and promises? 

Juice Beauty is a front runner in dismantling the myth that clean beauty brands aren’t as good as traditional cosmetics. In 2005, well ahead of the clean beauty movement, Karen Behnke started Juice Beauty. Her mission was to create organic formulas that worked better than conventional makeup. Take their STEM CELLULAR anti-aging collection is a prime example. The results are clinically validated and visible in 6 weeks. Using vitamin C and fruit stem cells, this line outperforms a lot of conventional anti-aging solutions. The STEM CELLULAR CC Cream gives you a glowing complexion and protects your skin with SPF 30. You can also choose from seven shades to best match your skin tone. If you’re wondering “what are the top 5 skincare brands?” then Juice Beauty definitely makes that list. Juice Beauty even put together a ‘never use’ ingredient list, which outlines thousands of ingredients they do not use, as they choose to swap in clean ingredients that are better for your skin. It’s easy to see that skincare is a top priority for this clean makeup brand. 

While some companies will market to eco-conscious consumers and fail to deliver on their promises, Juice Beauty’s values and ethics are not an advertising ploy. The company’s commitment to sustainability and skin health is clear in every aspect of their products from packaging to ingredients to farming practices. That’s right! Juice Beauty purchased its own farm in 2018 and has chosen to farm using only organic practices. Their Farm to Beauty method has literally saved tons of pesticides and petroleum from being used during production. They even go a step above to take action to protect ocean reefs by not using synthetics or dyes that cause harm to reefs. Juice Beauty is a very transparent company and makes every aspect of their clean beauty products available to the consumer. Gwyneth Paltrow, who was a big fan of the ethics of Juice Beauty, became their creative director of makeup. Goop by Gwyneth Paltrow and Juice Beauty have collaborated to expand their line of makeup. By combining their passions of high performing and eco-friendly products, they have created one of the best natural and organic options for makeup.

What is clean beauty? Clean beauty means you don’t have to compromise your ethics or your skin’s health in your pursuit of beauty. It is undeniable that COVID19 is changing the world around us. Self isolation and social distancing are the new normal. With all the changes, we are ever more aware of our power as consumers. As we demand more accountability and transparency from the food we consume and clothes we wear, the same is true of makeup. The clean beauty movement is a response to a consumer demand for something better. When you ask yourself, “what are the best clean beauty brands?” or “what are the top 5 skincare brands?” or maybe you want to find out what are the best natural and organic options, clean beauty that combines skin care products with the best natural makeup is the answer. So while it seems that, at least for the foreseeable future, much of our socialization will happen over Zoom meetings, that doesn’t have to change what you loved about makeup. Clean beauty means you have an excuse to get dolled up even for a Zoom call. Because when your skin care products make you look and feel your best, there’s no reason not to play with makeup, even in self isolation.