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Welcome to Wrinkles Week on the Strategist, where we’re deeply vetting skin-care solutions for anyone who’s looking to smooth fine lines and wrinkles (or prevent them showing up in the first place). For more, head to our Wrinkles Week hub.
We’ve written about clean beauty before and its ambiguous definition. (For a refresher, the classification isn’t regulated by the FDA, making it difficult to really nail down exactly what’s clean and what isn’t.) But since there’s been an uptick in clean brands as of late, we decided to revisit the topic to see if we could get a clearer understanding, consulting experts on their definition along with products they trust and like.
The general consensus is that a truly clean product is formulated without sulfates, parabens, silicones, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances. Esthetician Katie Sobelman and cosmetic chemist Krupa Koestline both said finding brands that follow E.U. standards is a good place to start. Another way to go about it is by shopping at Credo, since the retailer has a clear definition of what clean brands it sells. Still, there’s a lot to sift through, especially if you want products that are both clean and effective. “The challenge is finding clean products that also deliver results, especially as we age,” says Sobelman. “A lot of truly clean lines don’t include effective active ingredients. It’s about finding brands that are clean but also use cosmeceutical-grade actives that actually make changes in the skin.” To that end, I gathered recommendations from Sobelman and Koestline, below.
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Koestline, who has dry skin, likes natural cleansing oils since they help maintain her skin barrier while removing makeup and dirt without drying her out. The COSMO-certified brand One Love Organics makes her favorite one, the Vitamin B Cleansing Oil. It’s formulated with a mix of papaya, pumpkin, and sunflower oils to cleanse and papain and papaya enzymes to gently exfoliate.
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For an oil-free option, the Outset uses micelles to thoroughly cleanse the skin. It’s suitable for all skin types.
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Sobelman says following with a pH-balancing toner makes actives more effective. She recommends Marie Veronique’s HypnoTonic, especially for anyone who has a compromised barrier. It’s made with a combination of humectants and anti-inflammatory ingredients.
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Follain’s mist is excellent for calming and balancing skin. It’s made with soothing rosewater and chamomile, mattifying wild rose-berry extract, gently exfoliating lemon-fruit extract, and barrier-repairing Japanese cedar buds.
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Sobelman says it’s best to apply active ingredients at night when the skin barrier is able to absorb more product. Vitamin C was her No. 1 recommendation for skin brightening and collagen stimulation, and Klur’s serum contains a blend of 20 percent vitamin C. It also contains beta-glucan and vitamins B5 and E for extra hydration and strengthening the skin barrier.
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California-based company Vintner’s Daughter is known for its beloved botanical serum, and Koestline says it’s worth the hype. “It’s beautiful. It smells really good and is full of delicious oils that seep in instantly,” she says, adding that she reserves hers for winter months. The cocktail of moisturizing botanical oils is free of sulfates, phthalates, parabens, petrochemicals, mineral oil, silicone, and talc. Just note that the serum contains a variety of essential oils, which could cause irritation for some.
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These biodegradable under-eye patches from True Botanicals firm, brighten, de-puff, and hydrate the skin. Its main ingredient is Chebula, an antioxidant that’s said to boost skin’s natural collagen levels, as well as green-coffee-seed extract and caffeine.
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This unique balm-to-oil moisturizer from May Lindstrom comes recommended by Koestline. “It just melts on your skin but is never really heavy,” she says. “I used to use it when I was pregnant, and it was particularly helpful on my belly when I was pregnant.” Made with blue tansy oil, camellia oleifera seed oil, and frankincense oil, it’s meant to calm inflammation and soften rough patches.
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Sobelman, who’s tried a variety of clean brands, says Luzern’s best-known product, the Creme Luxe, comes out on top. “I’ve never used a moisturizer that I liked as much as this one,” she says. Formulated with its multi-fermentation complex (“a broth of fermented peptides, enzymes, and antioxidants”) and ceramides, it’s nourishing yet lightweight and non-pore-clogging.
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For extra moisture or facial massage, Sobelman recommends Le Prunier’s cold-pressed plum oil. Made with the brand’s Plum Superfruit Complex, it’s antioxidant-rich, lightweight, and noncomedogenic, and it smells “so delicious,” says Sobelman. “It has a natural marzipan scent. Every client mentions how amazing it smells.”
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A recent favorite among Sobelman’s clients is Le Prunier’s Plumscreen, a non-nano zinc-oxide sunscreen made with the brand’s proprietary plum antioxidant complex. She adds that the lightweight formula has a dewy finish and blends in well, so it’s suitable for all skin tones.
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Sobelman says microcurrent is an excellent way to increase cellular health. “Often, when we think of microcurrent, we focus on its power to reeducate and tone facial muscles, but it does so much more, from minimizing fine lines, oxygenating cells, promoting collagen restoration to brightening and retexturizing the skin,” she says. “It’s a powerful multifunctional anti-aging treatment.” And while some of the conductive gels (like ones sold directly from Ziip and NuFace) needed to use the microcurrent devices aren’t clean, our beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst has surfaced affordable alternatives, like 100 percent aloe-vera gel, which also happens to be clean.
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