5 Clean Beauty Products That Actually Get the Job Done

Versed Skin Clean Beauty

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Versed

Google “clean skincare” and you’ll quickly see that the term gets thrown around a lot. Some define it as “natural products,” or “items made without parabens, sulfates, or mineral oils,” or even “DIY.” Technically, all of the above is accurate, but since there’s still a lot of confusion surrounding the topic, we’re going to break it down for you: Clean skincare consists of products made without questionable ingredients.

Think of ’em as an insurance policy for your skin. You’d rather be safe than sorry, right? Insurance policies usually come with hefty price tags, but our sister brand Versed is making moves to change all that. How? Well, for starters, they bypass the hype when it comes to ingredients and packaging, and they don’t mess around with traditional markups. Instead, they focus on what’s actually going to change your skin—the formulas. While everything in the line is clean, Versed doesn’t want to be labeled as a “natural” brand.

Here’s why: Not all natural ingredients are good (would you really want to slather poison ivy on your face?), and not all synthetic ingredients are bad (hyaluronic acid is created in a lab, people!). Using a combination of both is really what yields the best results. Here are five products to show you what we mean…

 

This mask uses a plant-based collagen that smooths and plumps uneven texture, while the hyrdrating benefits come from plant sources like rosehip-seed oil and aloe-leaf juice. We also want to mention that you can use this mask two ways: as a traditional rinse-off or as an overnight treatment.

We’ve all been there: You go to bed with clear skin, only to wake up to a big blemish. Your first thought probably isn’t to treat the sucker with oil, but that’s why this product is so unique. It’s a non-stripping, invisible spot treatment (yes, that means you can use it anytime, anywhere) that kills bacteria and clears pores without drying out skin.

It uses a soothing blend of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory oils with natural astringents that work to balance skin. Tea tree helps control oil, soothe redness, fight bacteria, and prevent blemishes from forming. Rosemary and lemon essential oils are a powerful detoxifying duo—they’re known to reduce oil, balance skin, and calm inflammation. Salicylic acid exfoliates dead skin cells and refines stretched-out pores too.

Making a clean, affordable cleansing balm is no easy feat (oils are expensive to work with!), but this is proof that it can be done. This one is a super-soothing oil-based balm that melts into skin, removing makeup while simultaneously cleansing the skin. It’s formulated with clove leaf oil, vitamin E, and a safe level of eucalyptus oil (which gives off the most zen-like scent), so you’re able to use it around your eyes without irritation.

You might not know it, but lips actually show the first signs of aging. Most facial skin has up to 16 cellular layers, but the lips only have three to five layers. And if you think about it, the only source of moisture to the lips is saliva, which dries out natural oils from the skin around the lips, causing them to dry out really easily. Not just that, but it’s a lot easier to ingest lip formulas, so you should really only be using ones that are clean—like this one.

It doesn’t have petroleum or mineral oil, two ingredients that are commonly seen in other conditioning lip products. Petroleum is definitely an ingredient you want to stay away from, as it’s an oil byproduct that may contain carcinogens. It’s also water repellant and seals your pores so moisture can’t get in or out. Yikes. Stick to this lip-soothing oil packed with all the good stuff, like jojoba and camellia oil, and vitamin E, all of which absorb better and are longer-lasting.

This mask utilizes the natural healing and exfoliating properties of kaolin clay, while turmeric energizes skin. Turmeric is an ingredient long used in Ayurveda for its many benefits: It’s a natural antiseptic that can help keep bacteria from spreading, and it also can help reduce redness and irritation from blemishes or skin conditions like eczema. Oh, there’s also witch hazel, which has toning and pore-tightening benefits, too. It’s a real keeper.