There’s something about back-to-school that evokes a feeling of newness. This makes it a great time to refresh what’s in your makeup bag. Doing that now will save you time once the hustle and bustle of busy mornings resume.
We’ve done the homework for you and created the following guide to clean beauty and skincare products for the back-to-school season. We chose products made with clean ingredients, so you can rest assured they’ll be kind to your body and the environment. That means you can focus on getting top marks — and look and feel great while doing it.
Have your shopping list ready? Great! Start filling it out by reading the article below.
Must-Have Cleaning Products:
Force of Nature: Force of Nature Year Supply Bundle — $137USD
(Get 40% off with the code THINKDIRTY)
Make your own chemical-free multipurpose cleaner with Force of Nature’s Year Supply Bundle. Blitz 99.9% of bacteria and viruses as you cut through dirt, grime, grease, soap scum, and sticky messes. The result is sparkling clean surfaces that are odour-free. The bundle has everything you need to make 50 bottles of a powerful, multipurpose cleaner that’s also an EPA-registered disinfectant. It contains the same substance our own immune systems makes to fight infection and is gentle enough to use around children and babies. That’s good news, considering the chemicals many schools and daycares rely on can actually make kids sick.
Kind Laundry: Laundry Detergent Sheets (60 loads) — $21.50USD
Keeping your clothes (and the environment) clean is super easy with laundry detergent sheets by Kind Laundry. The small and compact size makes it perfect to keep in dorms, and the sheets are pre-measured and pre-cut for your convenience. Use them in all water temperatures without worry, trusting that a unique blend of potent enzymes and premium plant-based extracts tackle tough stains while protecting your clothes. The ingredients include kaolin, sunflower seed oil, camellia japonica, and sapindus mukurossi.
Skincare Essentials:
Standard Self Care: Hydrating Omega+ Cleansing Balm — $56USD
Start the school year off with a fresh, glowing complexion by incorporating the Hydrating Omega+ Cleansing Balm into your routine. This back-to-school season, embrace clean beauty with a formula that not only dissolves makeup and impurities but also boosts your skin’s hydration. Infused with revitalising Omega 3, 6 & 9, this balm transforms your cleansing ritual into a nourishing experience, leaving your skin silky smooth and radiant.
Standard Self Care: Hyaluronic Daily Moisturizer — $68USD
Gear up for a vibrant new school year with the Hyaluronic Daily Moisturizer, your essential for a radiant, hydrated complexion. Infused with transformative Hyaluronic Acid and Kakadu Plum (Vitamin C), this moisturizer delivers deep hydration while boosting your skin’s natural glow. Perfect for daily use, it not only shields against pollution and blue light but also enhances collagen production for a lifted, youthful appearance.
Standard Self Care: Omega+ Cell Regenerating Eye Cream — $85USD
Brighten your back-to-school look with the Omega+ Cell Regenerating Eye Cream, the ultimate in luxurious eye care. This powerhouse treatment blends the botanical brilliance of Sea Buckthorn Oil, Bilberry, Maple Sugar, and Albizia Julibrissin Bark with hydrating Hyaluronic Acid to deliver deep hydration and a radiant glow. Designed to target fine lines and wrinkles while boosting collagen production, it also protects against pollution and blue light. Enjoy a cooling, revitalizing experience that leaves your eyes looking youthful and refreshed, ready to face whatever the school year brings.
Eyetitude: NoCrowZ Retinol Serum with Hyaluronic Acid — $99CAD
Revitalise the areas around your eyes with a serum that’s packed with retinol, riboflavin, and vitamin E. These ingredients help rejuvenate and brighten skin that’s dry and wrinkled. This serum also gently exfoliates, leaving your skin smooth, and it’s been formulated to give collagen and elastin production a boost. Vegan and cruelty-free, it doesn’t include gluten, silicone, parabens, or sulphates.
VO BEAUTY: Manuka Glow: Exfoliating Bean Mask — $55CAD
Adzuki beans, which are known to offer gentle exfoliation, are the star ingredient in this dual-action treatment. They help remove dead skin cells and promote blood circulation to enhance your skin’s texture and radiance. So, this treatment combines the benefits of that exfoliation and a face mask in one jar. Refresh, detoxify, hydrate and brighten your skin with the Exfoliating Bean Mask. It’s formulated to soothe inflamed and irritated skin that’s normal, dry, oily, sensitive, or a combination. This mask is also made with manuka honey and honey with glycerin. That duo hydrates and brightens, leaving you with smooth, refreshed and glowing skin.
The Golden Secrets: Illuminating Cleansing Oil — $93USD
Simple chemistry includes the “like dissolves like” principle, making Illuminating Cleansing Oil a solution for achieving an A+ complexion. Apply it and let organic oils and botanical extracts tackle acne, inflammation, dryness, sensitivity, clogged pores, and uneven skin tone and texture. Ingredients include nettle, chickweed, willow bark, and olive, castor and palmarosa oils. They work together to remove several things you don’t want left sitting on your skin: dirt, makeup, pollution, sunscreen, and excess sebum. You’ll love this cleansing oil because it does so much with natural ingredients that won’t strip your skin of its own protective oils.
Epilynx: Brightening Under Eye Cream With Active Peptides — $39USD
If you want to brighten your under-eye area after that late-night study session, then consider Epilynx’s cream with active peptides. It’s made with aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, and three powerful peptides. These ingredients join forces to reduce the appearance of dark circles, puffiness, and wrinkles, while adding moisture and boosting collagen. Smooth and lightweight, the cream quickly absorbs into your skin to replenish and awaken your complexion. And it’s vegan, hypoallergenic, and gluten-free to help support your skin’s health.
Lhamour: Sea Buckthorn Hand Butter — $12USD
Give your fatigued hands the ultimate nourishment, hydration and revitalization: Meet Lhamour’s hand butter, crafted from premium quality ingredients that have been ethically and sustainably sourced from small, family-owned farms. These ingredients include shea butter, and oil from pure organic sea buckthorn that has been grown in Mongolia. Lhamour is Mongolia’s first organic skincare brand, based on a foundation of love. Its purpose is to nurture and encourage the power of love through its hand-made, natural, eco-friendly skincare products.
True It Naturals: Lavender Blend Organic Local Beeswax Salve — Bee Chill — $15USD
Gain a moment of Zen during the back-to-school hustle with a soothing salve. Bee Chill’s beeswax-based formula deeply moisturizes and nourishes your skin, leaving it soft, supple, and protected. Use it to relieve dry cuticles, chapped lips, overworked hands, or post-shave irritation. Infused with organic botanicals, Bee Chill provides a calming and refreshing sensation, suitable for both adults and kids. Experience the pure luxury of nature on your skin.
Voesh: Solemate Heel Repair Balm — $14USD
You may really want to kick up your heels after applying Solemate Heel Repair Balm. This easy-to-use stick balm deeply moisturises to soften, repair and protect heels that are dry, rough or cracked. Notice the difference after just one application! Made with 100% natural origin ingredients that include jojoba oil, macadamia oil, organic virgin olive oil and vegan squalane. They create a protective layer that locks in moisture, leaving your heels smooth and protected from environmental damage.
Clean Shower Picks:
Jackfir: The Classic Shave Cream — $36USD
Top marks to what GQ has deemed “The Best Shave Cream for Sensitive Skin.” The best-selling Classic Shave Cream babies your skin with organic aloe and organic cucumber extract. They work to prep whiskers, create a soothing, protective razor cushion for a comfortable close shave, and ensure natural moisture is locked in before and after you shave. Bisabolol and panthenol help calm skin that’s dry and irritated. Allergy tested and dermatologist tested. The all-natural, proprietary scent has top notes of violet and chamomile, middle notes of amyris and vetiver, and base notes of patchouli and cedarwood.
Healthy Body Investment: Hand & Body Soap Gallon — $50USD
Stay fresh and clean with an all-natural hand and body soap made from castor, coconut, and safflower oils. All these oils moisturize your skin. Castor and safflower oils also provide antioxidant and protective benefits, respectively, while coconut oil has antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties. When you combine these natural oils with hydroxides, you get glycerin and soap. Glycerin draws water (i.e., hydration) to your skin. So, Hand & Body Soap has been formulated to cleanse and disinfect without leaving your skin dry. It won’t strip away your skin’s natural oils, either. And when you buy this soap by the gallon, you can refill your own containers and have enough to last you all semester. Suitable for sensitive skin.
Dermazen: Calming Seborrheic Serum — $39.95USD
If you’ve been struggling to relieve dandruff or acne, then Dermazen’s Calming Seborrheic Serum may be for you. This serum works especially well for people who have tried everything else and still haven’t found relief for dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis or fungal conditions. The all-in-one serum is made with the same formula as Dermazen’s Purifying Facial Cleanser, so it’s safe to use on your skin and scalp. It disrupts the biofilm, clears away fungus, and naturally calms and soothes your skin.
Starling Skincare: Kid’s Aluminum Free Deodorant in Birthday Cake — $16USD
Calling all Moms and Dads: Send your child, tween or teen off to an active day at school with an organic, aluminium-free deodorant that’s been made with younger folks in mind. A top-seller, it features a specially crafted natural fragrance that evokes the aroma of a classic vanilla birthday cake. And it’s all wrapped up in a colourful confetti label that’s bound to delight kids. (Psst … adults can wear it, too!) Perfect for daily wear to keep odours away, it’s also kind to sensitive skin. Free of allergens and synthetic fragrances. Non-irritating and cruelty-free. The perfect clean product for back-to-school!
Rocky Mountain Soap Company: Lemongrass Everything Wash — $17CAD
More than just a hand and body wash, the all-natural Everything Wash can also help clean your home and more! Use it to clean your floors, countertops and makeup brushes or as a shaving cream. This versatile Castile liquid soap in Rocky Mountain Soap Company’s signature citrusy lemongrass scent is made with moisturizing olive, jojoba and coconut oils. The gentle formula preserves your skin’s natural oils as it
Find More Clean Beauty Products for Back-to-School
From balms to salves and dryer sheets to shaving cream, your back-to-school clean beauty shopping list is all set.
Whether you’re a student, a teacher, or a parent, your skin and body will thank you for choosing products made with good ingredients. They reduce the risk of experiencing a negative reaction, such as redness, irritation, or something else, to a harmful ingredient in the product. Let us know if you decide to try any of these clean beauty products in the comments!
The Think Dirty app can help you identify these harmful ingredients. In fact, it does the work for you. All you have to do is scan a product’s barcode or search it up, and the app will tell you the ingredients that are in it. You’ll also find out if the product is rated good or bad for long-term health.
Gain more new knowledge this back-to-school season! Get started by downloading the Think Dirty app now, available from the App Store or Google Play.
Use code ‘BTS1MONTHFREE’ to get 1 month of Premium free!
You can also check out our other blogs posts: The Great Debate: Should You Wash Your Face in the Morning? And 9 Superhero Products for Dry and Damaged Hair.
Disclosure: We are a professional review and product rating website and mobile app that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review and rate. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own interpretations of a trusted source.
This blog post is part of a paid partnership with all brands mentioned. All opinions and information shared in this post is our own interpretation of a trusted source.
Top Clean Beauty Products to Refresh your Back-to-School Routine was originally published in Think Dirty on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.