5 Best Clean Beauty Products to Try Right Now

What makes a “clean beauty” product? You’ve probably seen the #trending phrase all over the place—it's a widely used but largely unregulated term. In general, clean beauty refers to beauty products made with healthy ingredients and without ingredients that are known to cause harm to humans. ​​​​​​​​

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There’s no legal definition of clean beauty. Many brands may claim to be “clean”, but the term doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing to every company. It’s difficult to define because it’s not just a word—it’s a movement.​​​​​​​​

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At Precycle, we believe clean beauty means simple, sustainable, and transparent products; ethically sourced, no mystery ingredients, no animal testing, and honest + thorough labeling. ​​​​​​​​We realize it can feel daunting to find products that align with your definition of clean beauty so we rounded up our top five picks to help you begin your clean beauty journey. Without further adieu, here are the 5 best clean beauty products you need to try right now:

1. hiBar 

We’ll start big with hiBar. You may or may not have seen them popping up—over 11,000 retailers in the US currently carry the plastic-free brand (Precycle being one of the lucky many).

What makes hiBar so special? For starters, they’re deeply committed to low-waste business practices; all their products are packaged without plastic, compostable, easily recyclable, or both. products are free from soap, sulfates, phthalates, silicones, parabens, and animal cruelty.  

Top pick: Curl Shampoo & Conditioner. It smells great, lasts forever, and keeps my coarse, color-treated curls hydrated without ever feeling oily. Plus, these gorgeous bars are made with salon-grade ingredients so I don’t have to sacrifice quality for sustainability.

2. Fanciful Fox 

Fanciful Fox is a mother & daughter-owned company based in Brooklyn, NY. They craft every single product by hand + everything is all-natural and made without gross chemicals. 

Top pick: Tight End Body Cream. The first major draw for me was the scent—the sweet vanilla and peppermint fragrance are both light & fresh. But then, the application completely sold me. It absorbs quickly, isn’t sticky, and feels fresh. I’m still new to the product so I can’t speak to the “tightening” aspect but I can say it makes my body feel smooth as butter.  

3. Activist Skincare 

The name comes from their mission: “active ingredients + advocating for change = Activist Skincare”. Activist Skincare formulates its products with top-notch ingredients, they’re vegan + cruelty-free, use eco-friendly packaging systems, and the glass containers are refillable! But, the best part? Their products work!

Top pick: Calming Force Clear Skin Serum. It gently hydrates stressed skin, reduces redness, and evens skin tone. The glass container can be refilled + if you aren’t convinced, there are tons and tons of 5-star reviews! 

4. Klei Beauty 

Klei Beauty is a Brooklyn-based company formed in 2017. It was founded upon earth-friendly and low-waste principles. Klei prioritizes sourcing local ingredients and only works with verified cruelty-free suppliers.

Top pick: Relax Lavender & Coconut Body Scrub. Perfect for a little extra self-care, this relaxing scrub is calming, soothing, and grounding + shea butter and safflower oil help hydrate skin.  

5. Oil + Water

All their formulas are handmade in small batches out of their Brooklyn studio. Oil + Water sources the highest quality raw materials and crafts each recipe to include only a few select ingredients. 

The rigorous approach that guides Oil + Water does not stop with sourcing; it extends to all aspects of the business. They use 100% cotton label stock for all of their product labels, and

partner with One Tree Planted. For every order placed, they donate one tree to reforestation efforts in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.

Top pick: Face Mist Daily Toning. Designed to restore skin’s pH balance, calm redness, + renew skin with the use of antioxidants. The brightening toner leaves skin feeling soft, soothed, + fresh.

There you have it! Our top five sustainable beauty brands. Don’t see your favorite clean beauty brand on the list? Let us know about it! We’re always looking to work with the best, brightest, most planet-friendly makers.

We carry hiBar, Fanciful Fox, and Oil + Water in our Bushwick location and online. Stop by our store in Bushwick, Brooklyn to give them a try or head to precycle.shop to get sustainable goodies delivered straight to your door. 

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