So exactly what is clean skincare?
Skincare products are considered “clean” when they don’t include ingredients like known carcinogens, parabens, mineral oil, petroleum, petrolatum jelly, silicones–stuff you don’t need, and which may be harmful. Currently, products considered “clean” are mostly made of plants and things found in nature. I write on skincare for BeautyNewsNYC.com because skin is our largest organ and I think it makes sense to take good care of it. I’m excited to inform you about products that are both efficacious, and also honest in their claims. I think clean skincare can include ingredients found both in nature, and in the lab. Skincare products must be both good and true – ‘cuz truth is beauty, mais non?
Truth Biomimetic Mineral Mist
The ingredient list for this treatment is a lesson in dermatology. The lead ingredient in the Truth Treatment Biometric Mineral Mist is not water, which is often the case with many skincare products, but rather good-for-your-skin fulvic & colloidal minerals. Benjamin Knight Fuchs is a pharmacist, cosmetic chemist, and a nutritionist. He knows that what heals skin also makes it look and feel its best. The hydrating minerals in this mist prepare your skin to deliver your skincare products to a cellular level. Bonus points to Pharmacist Ben for providing recipes for DIY skincare products so you can re-use your violet glass jar.
Available: Truth Treatments
Trilipiderm Protective Day Crème- Broad Spectrum SPF 30
Of course you never go out without at least an SPF 30 on your face, right??? And you do reapply it every few hours that you are outside, yes? Now that we’ve cleared that up, please consider using this lightweight, hydrating Protective Day Crème SPF 30 from Trilipiderm. I love that it’s fragrance free, and absorbs right away so you don’t feel greasy. Ingredients include squalane (which comes from olives) meadowfoam seed oil, and chamomile flower extract. BTW: do wear a mask but don’t use it in place of protection for your face.
Available: Trilipiderm
Leland Francis Melting Cleansing Balm
This cleansing balm from Leland Francis gently cleanses, works effectively as a mask, and as an overnight treatment. Judging from appearance, and the word “balm” I expected a thick, gloppy texture. What I experienced was light, elegant, and refreshing. What I got was a soft, clean face minus the tautness my skin feels with most cleansers. And judging by the ingredients, which include extracts of rosemary leaf, evening primrose oil, rosehip seed oil, bergamot, geranium, rose and sandalwood oil, I expected a strong fragrance. What I experienced was the subtlest of natural scents – what you’d get walking though a summer garden. This balm is made in small batches and that’s entirely for your benefit.
Available: Leland Francis
Viking Beauty Secrets Exfoliating Face Scrub
What’s a girl with dry, sensitive skin doing with a scrub like this? In general, I don’t scrub. When I see sand as an ingredient, I think sandpaper, that’s the last thing I’d use on my face. But: I’ve been binge-watching Nordic Noir, reading Norwegian mysteries, and I was curious about ingredients like Nordic raspberries, rowanberries, and volcanic sand. This Viking Beauty Secrets Exfoliating Face Scrub is oil-based, and surprisingly gentle. I’d thought my face was clean but after a two-minute massage – for extra credit I let it sit for another two minutes – a new face was revealed: deeply cleansed, soft, aglow. Henceforth, I’ll scrub myself clean 3x a week as directed.
Available: Viking Beauty Secrets
Juara Tamarind Tea Hydrating Toner
The key word is hydrating. Juara Tamarind Tea Hydrating Toner is refreshing and calming like a toner (but without that tight/astringent feeling,) and also has serious hydrating and plumping properties like a serum. What it doesn’t have is alcohol. Ingredients include the titular tamarind, rice bran, a triple tea infusion (black, green, and white,) and also hyaluronic acid, a major moisture trapper.
Available: Amazon
Phytomer Resubstance Skin Resilience Rich Cream
This Phytomer Resubstance Skin Resilience Rich Cream is rich in reward but not in feel; it is surprisingly light and readily absorbed. Still, it delivers powerful benefits. Upon application my face felt refreshed and soothed, and looked smoothed. If your face doesn’t need deep hydration and a firm boost of nutrient, trust me, one day it will. This easy-to-wear cream does the heavy lifting grown-up skin needs. Ingredients include brown algae concentrate which works (it does!) to restore collagen. It’s deeply nourishing, and delightfully scented with a subtle aroma of orange, musk and sea. Dry skin feels more comfortable to live in, and looks yup, resilient.
Available: Lovely Skin
Ready, Set – Get clean and oh so gorgeous skin and look forward to those upcoming Zoom calls. You’ll be glowing from within!
