Making the switch to clean beauty products is simple with a strategy in place. You need to sort through your products, decide what to keep, and make a shopping list. This guide will elaborate on these steps to help you make a seamless transition.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links (at no extra cost to you). I only promote products I’ve tried and love. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Switching to Clean Beauty Requires a Strategy
Below, you will learn the exact steps to take for a successful transition from toxic to clean beauty products. You can use this method for makeup, skin care, and hair products.
To overhaul your beauty routine, you’ll need to get rid of what you don’t use so you have a clearer picture of your beauty cabinet staples. We will talk more about staples and the most important beauty swaps to make in a moment.
Sort Existing Products
After you determine your staple products, sort them into categories. I recommend you write everything down using the free checklist below because this will be a great resource for your shopping list (and budget) later.
This gives you a clear picture of items you might be missing. Just as you need basic things in your closet, there are classic makeup staples you can budget for to create a complete beauty cabinet. It will also show you what you usually splurge on. If you have too many foundations, you can build out a different section of your beauty cabinet.
Determine Your Staple Products
The first step in switching to clean beauty is determining your staple products. This is the simplest but most important (and often overlooked) step: Start by replacing products you really use and love as a part of your everyday routine.
I’m not saying you need to use the KonMarie Method for your products. It can be expensive to throw away all of your products at once and start from scratch. You don’t have to make the switch all at once.
After you replace the staple items you use and love every day, then replace the products you use occasionally. It can be so easy to see a rose gold palette and splurge on these products. Phasing out your products slowly and starting with your staples will keep you on budget and make the process more manageable. It also gives you time to research new products.
{Related Post: Clean Beauty Recommendations Page}
Determine the Safety of Products You Want to Keep
This is the longest step of the process, but it is the most important. Search for your products with a clean beauty database and analyze the ingredients. Clean beauty databases are only a guide. If your product receives a mediocre score, look at the ingredients that resulted in a “dirty” or “moderate” score.
This way you can make an educated decision about whether or not to toss the product. Some products are given low scores for essential oils, so it’s important to dig a little deeper and learn why the product received a low score. Some of you will be happy to discover your products are cleaner than you think they are.
For those of you on the other end of the spectrum, don’t worry. You can easily find replacements and I’ve included plenty of recommendations below to help you get started.
Popular Clean Beauty Databases
The EWG: The Environmental Working Group has a Skin Deep Database for consumers. This database allows consumers to search for a product and receive a clean beauty score. The organization was created to help consumers make choices that have a positive impact on their health. The organization emphasizes consumer advocacy.
CosDNA: CosDNA provides a product analysis for popular cosmetics. Consumers can search for a product and receive a clean beauty score with a breakdown of the ingredients inside each product.
Think Dirty: Think Dirty is a mobile application and clean beauty website (you can shop for safe products in the app). The site also provides a score for clean products and is a perfect solution if you’re on the go. Just pull up the app the next time you’re in Target before you add any items to your shopping cart.
Shop
Now that you know what your staple products are, you can start there and build out your collection with time. This is a great time to think about your personal style, color palettes, and skin type.
There are so many clean brands out there, it just takes some time to sort through the marketing. If you don’t love it, don’t buy it.
Below are some recommendations about clean beauty swaps to make to help you get started. I personally use all of these products and have created a clean beauty starter kit list below to help you get started.
Makeup Product Starter Shopping List
Keep scrolling for recommended clean beauty swaps. If you want to start with clean beauty right away, you can get free shipping and two-day delivery with 30 days of Amazon Prime for free here. This is a life saver and you’ll be able to make the switch faster.
If you love lipstick…
Try 100% Pure Lipstick in the shade Sahara or Pink Canyon
100% Pure Lipstick in the shade Sahara is a natural rosy color that is universally flattering. It is a creamy formula that is very long lasting and adds a hint of color. This is a rosy nude lipstick that is perfect for using as a clean beauty staple. It creates a matte look, but the formula has cocoa butter to keep your lips moisturized throughout the day. I personally love the shades Sahara and Pink Canyon.
If you love eye shadow…
Try Mineral Fusion’s Eye Shadow Trio
The Mineral Fusion Eye Shadow Trio pallet in the shade “stunning” is the perfect nude eye shadow staple product because the brand offers shimmery natural pigments that enhance natural features.
If you love eye liner…
Try Mineral Fusion’s Liquid Eyeliner in Ebony
The clean lines you can make with liquid are beautiful, the pencil formula won’t smear or leak in your bag if you’re traveling. For me, that’s a win-win.
Try 100% Pure Long Lasting Eyeliner Pencil
The pencil formula is perfect for a smudged look and won’t smear or leak in your bag if you’re traveling.
If you love concealer…
Try W3LL People Natural Bio Correct Multi-Action Concealer
The W3LL People Natural Bio Correct Multi-Action Concealer creates such a natural finish, you can’t even tell you’re wearing makeup. It truly does look like skin and is perfect for that no makeup look or for brightening the under eye area. The formula contains caffeine to reduce puffiness around the eyes as well.
Try RMS Beauty Un-Cover Up
RMS Beauty Un-Cover Up is an organic cover up that blends well and the mineral formula adjusts to your skin tone. There are several shades for different under tones. If you have oily skin, you will need to use a setting powder. This formula contains coconut oil to nourish the skin, but if your skin is already oily this can create a shiny finish.
If you love highlighter…
Try RMS Beauty Living Luminizer
The RMS Beauty Living Living Luminizer is a highly concentrated highlighter that creates a naturally glowy look. This doesn’t contain sparkles or glitter so people will only notice your glowing skin. They’ll never guess you’re wearing highlighter. You can add some to the inside corner of the eye to brighten your eyes or your cheek bones for a dewy natural “just woke up like this” look.
Skin Care Product Starter Shopping List
For a makeup remover…
Try Beauty by Earth Makeup Remover with Aloe Vera and Witch Hazel
The Beauty by Earth Makeup Remover with Aloe Vera and Witch Hazel has a refreshing citrus smell and a little goes a long way when removing your makeup. It contains witch hazel which naturally purifies and cleanses the skin. It is a gentle formula and I use daily. I don’t experience any irritation (this is major since I have very sensitive skin, eczema and rosacea). However, this product isn’t for you if you don’t like citrus or if you don’t like essential oils.
For a eye cream…
Try Beauty by Earth Caffeine Under Eye Cream
The Beauty by Earth eye cream is vegan, natural, cruelty free, gluten free, and soy free. I absolutely love this eye cream and I highly recommend.
Try 100% Pure Coffee Bean Eye Cream
The 100% Pure eye cream smells like a sugar cookie. It is also vegan and certified organic. Choosing between the eye creams above really comes down to ingredients. If you’re sensitive to essential oils then the 100% Pure eye cream is the best option.
For a face wash….try Eminence Stone Crop Cleansing Oil
The Eminence Stone Crop Cleansing Oil is a gentle cleanser for all skin types that purifies and moisturizes the skin. You can add water after applying the oil to your face to emulsify the oil and convert it into a foaming cleanser.
Hair Care Product Starter Shopping List
For a light-weight styling product try…
Innersense – Organic I Create Lift Hair Volumizing Foam
This is an extremely light weight foam that will define your curls without leaving a crunchy cast or any white residue. It is a surprisingly powerful formula. I use it to refresh my hair between washes or as part of my wash day styling routine.
For a light-weight hair oil try…Innersense Harmonic Healing Oil
Almond oil, jojoba oil, and macadamia oil are light-weight moisturizers that are perfect for incorporating into your styling and hair care routine. If you use the LCO method and want to try a light oil, I find that almond oil works really well.
More Essentials
The Best Part: Shop and Phase Out Your Products
Making clean beauty swaps is one of the most fulfilling part of the whole process. When you get to this point, you’ve done a lot of work. You’ve taken an inventory of your products, decided what to keep, sorted your cosmetics, and determined your staples. You get to enjoy the process.
How to Shop
When you are just starting out, you can shop for products on clean beauty websites if you agree with the way clean beauty products are rated. For example, id you agree with the way Think Dirty rates products then use the shop section of the app to find products. I’ve created an entire guide called Where To Find Clean Beauty Products to help you get started. You can also download the Clean Beauty Code Cracker below to help you decipher beauty labels and ingredients.
Some clean beauty databases also have stores where customers can buy certified products. For example, Think Dirty, a popular mobile app has a clean beauty store built into the database. Next, let’s look at buzzwords and misleading marketing. The Clean Beauty Code Cracker also covers this in depth. Below is a brief overview to help you keep yourself safe as a consumer.
Beauty on a Budget
Switching to clean beauty doesn’t have to be costly if you are strategic. This is why it is so important to go through the steps above before adding items to your shopping cart. If you are looking for ways to cut costs, try multipurpose products. These are lifesavers when it comes to cutting costs. For example, you might try a moisturizing makeup primer or a moisturizing cleanser like the Eminence Stone Crop Cleansing Oil
Buying samples is also a great way to test a product before committing to buying an entire bottle. Ordering a clean beauty box is a good way to try multiple products. Just remember to obtain a beauty box from a reliable clean beauty source to ensure the products inside are clean.
Spend Money on Products That Meet Your Clean Beauty Standards
One of the biggest budget mistakes is investing in products that are promoted to be cleaner than they are. Clean beauty products cannot contain any ingredients that are harmful to one’s health. However, this doesn’t mean the ingredients are natural; clean beauty products often contain synthetic materials unless you specifically look for natural products.
Spend on Products That are Actually Clean
The clean beauty movement is a conscious effort by consumers to advocate for consumer health. The US currently bans only 11 chemicals in the beauty industry, whereas the EU bans 1,328. There are a few trigger words that marketers place on labels to incentivize consumers to buy. It’s important to approach the terms “clean,” “green,” and “natural” with skepticism.
Many companies mix buzzwords together to make sales. Also, clean and natural are not the same thing. Natural beauty is free of synthetics, but clean beauty allows safe synthetics. Pay attention to ingredient lists and check your products through a clean beauty database. The EWG, CosDNA, and Think Dirty are all great places to start. The database will tell you if your products have any harmful chemicals.
Clean Beauty Boxes
Clean beauty starter kits are a great option. It’s best to buy these from stores that have a banned ingredient list that meets your standards so you know everything in the box is up to par with what you’re looking for. Below is an example of a starter kit from Credo Beauty, one of the largest clean beauty stores that bans over 2,700 ingredients.
A monthly subscription to a clean beauty box is a good way to save money and try many products at once. However, knowing which clean beauty brands to invest in is key to fine tuning your shopping list. Remember, not all products created by clean beauty brands are equally clean. As a best practice, use clean beauty databases to check each product before you buy. For a list of 542 clean beauty brands, see Where To Find Clean Beauty Products.
Ingredients to Avoid
There are several carcinogens and irritants to avoid at all costs. As long as you are utilizing clean beauty databases to check your products, you don’t need to worry about running into these. However, it’s good to be aware of the ingredients that can cause serious health implications. Here are a few resources for you:
Grove Beauty No Way Ingredients
Beauty Counter Never List
The EWG Shoppers Guide to Safe Cosmetics
Credo dirty list
Think Dirty List Eco Discoveries Dirty Dozen
Overcoming Clean Beauty Obstacles
There are a few things to consider when switching to clean beauty.
- Budget
- Understanding clean beauty databases
- Ingredient lists
- Shade ranges
- Adjustments to a new routine
Sometimes the excitement of starting a new routine or changing something in our lives can be undercut by the stress of getting it all done. If it takes you more time, don’t worry about it. Budgeting, finding products with a shade range that works for you, and the chaos of making a life change will likely be the most difficult hurdles you will encounter as you make the switch to clean beauty. Although we covered budget above, here are a few brands to look into if you’re having trouble finding a shade that works for you. Underrepresentation in the clean beauty industry has lead to unequal access to clean beauty options. Explore these shades below for wider shade ranges.
Clean Beauty Swap Quick Q & A
Q: How do I switch to all natural beauty products?
Natural and clean are not the same. For advice on switching to natural beauty products and what to look for as you shop, see How To Tell if Your Beauty Products Are Clean and review the Natural Beauty section of the article. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at gabriellamarie@justcleanstyle and I will be happy to answer any questions you have.
Q: Is clean beauty better? Why choose clean beauty?
Clean beauty is an investment in your health and is the best option when it comes to making healthy decisions. The United States only bans 11 chemicals in cosmetics products compared to eh 1358 banned by the European Union. Clean beauty is all about consumer safety.
Q: How do you transition to clean beauty?
Little by little. Follow the strategy above and take time to think about what kinds of products you value in your life. Although we often overlook everyday routines, they play a huge role in our health. Every product swap brings you closer to a healthier lifestyle.
Recap: Switch to Clean Beauty
Switching to clean beauty is easy if you are strategic. With a strategy in place, you’ll have the products you need for your new clean beauty routine in no time.
- Toss the products you don’t use
- Sort the products you have
- Determine your staples
- Assess your personal style
- Evaluate the safety of products you want to keep
- Make a shopping list
- Start shopping
Tips For Finding Products That Are Actually Clean
The lack of regulation and transparency can make it difficult for consumers to determine what is actually clean and what isn’t. If you’re spending more time than you’d like to admit reading labels and trying to figure out if your products are healthy, you can learn how to understand difficult labels by downloading the free guide below.
Thank you for reading. Friends don’t let friends use toxic makeup products so don’t forget to save to Pinterest for later.
Free Pinterest templates with hand-lettered words in different styles to help you promote your new products. Easily swap out the images with your own product mockups and start promoting!