In the last few years, I’ve been slowly swapping old products for clean beauty items as I use them up. With the skin being our largest organ and the beauty industry being largely unregulated, it simply makes sense to begin incorporating more clean beauty products into your routine to ensure no nasty chemicals are entering your body. Or, should I say a lesser amount of nasty chemicals since our bodies are still on the receiving end of chemicals from our clothing, bedding, products, water, the air — you name it!
If you’re looking to incorporate more clean beauty items into your routine, then Sephora’s annual spring sale is a good place to start. The sale is on now until April 24 to everyone who is part of their free loyalty program, Beauty Insider, which allows you to shop the sale with varying levels of discount depending on your status. If you’re not a member of Beauty Insider, you can sign up and receive 10% off during the sale.
The best clean beauty items for a simple routine
I am a creature of habit and have essentially been doing the same makeup routine since I was 16. Albeit, with better makeup products and more sunscreen.
A simple foolproof selection of clean beauty products helps make my mornings stress-free and keeps me feeling confident throughout the day. These are my tested clean beauty items available via Sephora and are all designated “Clean at Sephora” meaning they are formulated without phthalates, formaldehyde or formaldehyde releasers, oxybenzone and octinoxate, and more.
MERIT — The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick
If you purchase one item, let this be it. The Minimalist is a buildable, lightweight complexion stick that can be used as a foundation or a concealer for easy, natural-looking coverage on the go. Throughout the working from home era of the pandemic, this was the only product I used to look professional and well-rested on camera and at the grocery store.
ILIA — Limitless Lash Lengthening Clean Mascara
An award-winning, cult-favourite mascara that lifts, lengthens, holds a curl, and separates with precision. I love the two-sided brush and found it to be one of the few products that truly lengthens and curls my straight lashes. Bonus points it doesn’t smudge at all. If you don’t wear mascara every day, buy the travel size as its shelf life is only 3-6 months once opened.
Supergoop! — Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 PA+++
My everyday sunscreen! Unseen Sunscreen is a gel sunscreen that is invisible, weightless, and scentless with SPF 40. It also acts as a great makeup-gripping daily primer so there’s one less item needed in your routine.
Supergoop! — Glowscreen SPF 40 PA+++
If you want a little bit of a dewy glow then switch up the Unseen Sunscreen for the Glowscreen, which has a pearlescent finish to leave skin luminous. I love to wear this on its own for an instant glow when I don’t feel like applying makeup.
Summer Fridays — Lip Butter Balm
Now that I’m in the super dry office a couple of days a week, I need a balm to hydrate my parched lips. This product is vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free, and comes in recyclable packaging. I love the Vanilla shade for a sheer shine with a hint of natural vanilla flavour.
MERIT — Flush Balm Cream Blush
To complete the look, add Merit’s cream blush. It’s a balm that deposits a creamy, transparent veil of colour to let your skin show through. You can swipe it onto cheeks or lips for a pop of colour. I like Beverly Hills, the soft peach shade.
Recycle your empty clean beauty products
Clean beauty products or otherwise, it can be difficult to recycle the packaging.
So, I was excited to see that Sephora recently announced a partnership with Pact Collective to deliver a recycling program meant to give your finished beauty products a second life. Pact Collective bins are available in select Sephora stores where customers can add their empty beauty and wellness products to a bin, diverting these containers from landfills.
The beauty and wellness industries create more than 120 billion packages annually
According to Pact Collective
All of the below is Pact-accepted packaging, as long as it’s clean and empty:
- Plastic bottles + jars smaller than a fist
- Plastic + aluminium squeezable tubes
- Ceramic + porcelain containers
- Coloured glass bottles and jars
- Caps + closures
- Pumps + dispensers
- Droppers + applicators
- Compacts + palettes
- Lipstick/lip gloss tubes + applicators
- Mascara tubes + wands
- Plastic pencil components for eye/lip liner + brow pencils
- Toothpaste tubes + dental floss containers
- Silicone containers
If you’re in Ontario, Winners and Hudson’s Bay also partner with Pact and have drop-off bins at their locations. Located elsewhere? Check Pact’s location finder to find a drop-off. If you’re outside Ontario but in Canada or the U.S., check out Pact’s location finder or look into Pact’s Mail-Back Collection Program.
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Love this list! Always looking for new clean products to try!