Clean Beauty on a Budget, Check Out These 7 Brands

The clean beauty world is exploding. I see new brands popping up left and right and some are, not only conscious of their ingredients, limited budgets as well. I know we are all starting to feel that pinch a bit as we see the price of almost everything creeping up. Many of us still want to use less toxic, cleaner personal care and beauty products but are just not willing to break our budget to do so. These high end, higher cost brands argue that the time and research spent on finding the most effective and safest ingredients drives the cost up. While I do understand that, there are many people who just cannot afford those high price points and should not be left choosing between breaking their budget or buying products they don’t feel comfortable purchasing because of questionable ingredients. If you choose to live this lifestyle like I do, it’s nice to have options that don’t break the bank. I did some research and found a handful of brands that are making an effort to keep their price points down while also providing an effective product with safe ingredients. Here’s what I put together for you.

Clean Beauty on a Budget, Check Out These 7 Brands


Acure is the first brand that comes to mind because they have been around for a while. Acure is a no-frills brand and features a full line of skin, hair and body products. I’ve been using their body lotions for years and I am always so pleased with the price point and how well they work especially on my dry, itchy winter skin. Prices range from under $10 to under $25 (excluding their kits). SHOP ACURE

Lily Lolo is a cosmetics brand started by Vikki Khan when she couldn’t find mineral makeup in her native UK. The brand has grown and now features a full line of cosmetics. I especially love the eyeshadow palettes. Everything, including brushes and eye shadow palettes, is under $40. SHOP LILY LOLO

Tower 28 is a California inspired brand named after a lifeguard tower in Santa Monica. They create products for sensitive skin and are all dematologist and allergy tested. Everything with the exception of their product bundles is under $40. SHOP TOWER 28

Juice Beauty has been around since 2005 and has grown into a respected and trusted clean beauty brand. They provide a wide range of products including cosmetics, moisturizers, cleansers, serums and treatments. Prices can vary quite a bit too. The serums and treatments are in the $60-$100 range, which is expensive but the cosmetics tend to be priced under $40. It’s worth checking out their product line and seeing if something fits into your budget! SHOP JUICE BEAUTY

Exa Beauty is a relatively new brand that focuses on providing a wide range of color options for all skin tones while also creating formulas that are healthy for the skin and our planet. They have a small line of products that include primers, mascara, foundations and color correctors. I really like their color corrector. Everything aside from one of their bundles is under $40. SHOP EXA BEAUTY

INNBEAUTY PROJECT was started by two beauty industry veterans in an effort to create safe, effective skincare products that are also budget friendly. The line includes cleansers, moisturizers and serums. Prices are under $50 for individual products and bundles are $34 and up. SHOP INNBEAUTY PROJECT

Three Ships was started by two women who were fed up with complicated, greenwashed and high priced skincare. They created a simple, clean and afforable line of products for all skin types that are clearly labeled and provide an ingredient glossary for full product transparency. Aside from their bundles, prices are under $40. SHOP THREE SHIPS

OTHER OPTIONS:

DIY - I actually love a good DIY beauty project. Some things like body moisturizers are really easy to make yourself. Most ingredients can be found at your local health food store or online. Wellness Mama has a ton of DIY beauty recipes on her website.

Payment Apps - Another option would be to use a payment app like Afterpay, Shop Pay or Klarna to spread out the payments over time for your beauty products. These payment apps kind of remind me of old school layaway, except you get the product upfront and the apps automtically charge the payments to your bank account on a set schedule. Most online and even some brick and mortar stores offer this option for consumers. I think it’s especially helpful when you are stocking up on products.




Ten Clean and Sustainable Beauty Brands You Need To Check Out Right Now

The clean, green and sustainable beauty and personal care world is exploding with some amazing brands. You know the clean beauty world is gaining some serious traction and attention when you see larger retailers like Sephora and Anthropologie carrying cleaner options for their customers. If you feel like you have not been able to find the right fit for you, one or several of these brands might just do the trick. If you’re a beauty junkie like myself, perhaps you just want some new brands to try. Some of these have been around for a while and are just lesser known and some have only hit the market in the last few years. Either way, let’s take a look at the brands that are getting me excited!

Ten Clean and Sustainable Beauty Brands You Need To Check Out Right Now

Pyt Beauty - Pyt was started by duo Amy Carr and Mary Schulman in 2018 after being concerned about some of the toxins being used in cosmetics and the effect that the beauty industry was having on our environment. They set out to create a clean and green brand that was also fun and effective. Now they have a collection of cosmetics that is free from over 28 concerning ingredients and uses sustainable plastic options like recyclable plastic, recycled plastic, sugarcane plastic and pre-degraded plastic. I was so excited to see that they have an eye primer because that has been one of the harder products to find with cleaner ingredients. Check out their full line of cosmetics and their mission at Pyt Beauty.

Jones Road - After selling her incredibly successful beauty line and leaving the company a few years ago, Bobbi Brown was not ready to leave the beauty industry. She started Jones Road with the mission to create high-performance, streamlined, clean beauty products for all ages and skin types. Bobbi calls it the “makeup equivalent of the Swiss Army Knife” and stays true to her “no makeup, makeup look” philosophy. Jones Road goes above and beyond E.U. standards by banning more than 2,700 concerning ingredients from their cosmetic formulations. I’ve been using the eye liner and loving how easily it glides on and lasts. Check out Jones Road’s full line and read about their story here.

Primally Pure - Started by Bethany McDaniel in 2014 after farm life began to teach her about the power of eating real food, thus opening her eyes to the wellness world in a whole new way. She ditched her conventional beauty and skincare products and decided to start making her own with simple, pure ingredients. The “less is more” philosophy is at the heart of Primally Pure by formulating products only using clean, high quality ingredients sourced from nature and tested for efficacy so you are getting a clean product that actually works. I use their deodorant and it has been the best non-toxic deodorant I have tried to date (and I’ve tried A LOT). Check out the full line of products and their story on the Primally Pure website.

Lily Lolo - Lily Lolo was started in the U.K. by Vikki Khan who fell in love with mineral makeup when she was traveling but wasn’t able to find it in England. She took a chance and launched Lily Lolo to fill that void and has since grown a brand of clean, mineral-based cosmetics for all skin types. The Lili Lolo Laid Bare Eye Shadow Palette is one of my favorites because it’s loaded with soft, neutral easy-to-wear shades that I can wear everyday or layer-up for a more dramatic evening look. Check out their story and their full line of products!

Merit Beauty - I actually discovered Merit Beauty when I was browsing my local Sephora. I was so pleased to see a larger retailer showcasing a clean, up-and-coming brand along with their more high-profile brands. Merit’s philosophy is based on minimalism and sustainability by offering fewer, multi-tasking products with safe, clean ingredients. I decided to grab their tinted lip oil during my Sephora visit. It’s moisturizing with a light wash of high-shine color that you can build for a dramatic look. To shop and get the full scoop on Merit’s products, check out their website!

100% Pure - Oh I am super excited about this brand. Founded by Susie Wang, James Wang and Rick Kostick with the mission of creating incredibly safe and pure beauty and personal care products. The fruit pigmented makeup is what first caught my attention since most color cosmetics use synthetic dyes. All of their products are cruelty free and many are vegan, gluten free and made in the USA. They have a full line of color cosmetics along with skin care and hair and body products. They also focus on sustainability by creating fully biodegradable formulas, eco-conscious packaging and shipping materials. Check out their entire line of products as well as their mission on their website!

Athr Beauty - Started by Tiila Abbitt in 2018 after working as a product developer for Sephora for 7 years. She wanted to create a brand that aligned with her organic lifestyle but was also effective and on-trend. Athr Beauty focuses on sustainability, ethical sourcing, clean, non-toxic and vegan ingredients. Tiila has been meticulous when it comes to product packaging by eliminating mirrors and magnets in her palettes so that the cardboard case can be recycled when it’s empty as well as using post-consumer glass and plastic that can be recycled at Credo Beauty locations or reused at home. With all of this being said, Tiila wanted to make sure her products actually worked so efficacy is also at the top of her priority list. I absolutely love my Rose Quartz Crystal Quad eye shadow palette. I encourage you take a deep dive and learn about the emerging brand and Tiila’s mission on the Athr Beauty website.

FitGlow Beauty - FitGlow was started by, Anna, a health and fitness expert who was looking for solutions to calm and heal her rosacea-prone skin and had trouble with even the clean beauty options available at that time. Anna worked with experts for over a decade to formulate a line of effective plant-based skincare and cosmetics. Made in the USA, small batch, plant-based, woman owned, dermatologist tested and leaping bunny certified, FitGlow is definitely a brand worth a closer look. They are also committed to sustainability by using recyclable aluminum packaging, reducing virgin plastic use by 95% by 2030, using refillable, PCR and sugarcane packaging. Check out FitGlow’s website for the full scoop and their full line of products!

Honeybee Gardens - Honeybee Gardens has actually been around for many years but it’s definitely not as mainstream and well-known as some of the other clean beauty brands and I think it deserves some attention. It was started by Melissa Buckley in 1995 after she realized that the corporate world was not for her. She had been studying and growing herbs for years and used that knowledge to eventually formulate a shaving cream that worked for her husband’s sensitive skin. Melissa used her passion for herbalism to grow her business to what it is today. Honeybee Gardens features a full line of color cosmetics, including nail polish as well as some facial and body products. Check out Melissa’s story, her philanthropy work with animal shelters and her products on the Honeybee Garden website!

Odacite Skincare - Odacite was started by Valerie Grandury in 2009 after a breast cancer diagnosis. The diagnosis changed her perspective on many things including what she was putting on her body. Finding clean beauty that actually worked at that time was incredibly challenging so she started making her own products in her kitchen. Odacite grew and she moved production out of her kitchen and into a lab in Los Angeles in order to take her products to the next level. All products are clean, vegan-friendly, cruelty free and made in California. They offer a gorgeous line of skin, hair and body products. I’m especially excited to try Le Blue Balm which is a multi-purpose hydrating balm. Check out the rest of the Odacite products and the story behind the brand on the website!