If it’s not clean beauty is it even beauty? These sustainable and non-toxic beauty products work for all skin types, especially stressed skin.
Stressed skin can look like a lot of things, from dark under-eye circles to breakouts, dry or oily skin, discoloration, and inflammation.
What causes stressed skin?
Pick your poison. Whether you’re working around the clock and losing out on precious sleep, overdoing the sugar, fried foods, caffeine, and even too much exercise can put pressure on your skin. Some of us are just blessed with sensitive skin (thanks, Mom!).
But with clean beauty products in your arsenal, you’re sure to be glowing up before the daily Zooms. No one will be able to tell that you’re sleep-deprived.
What is clean beauty?
If only it were easy to define clean beauty — it’s an unregulated term, which can cause some confusion. Typically, anything categorized as “clean” beauty will be void of synthetic chemicals and ingredients linked to human and environmental issues. This does not mean the product is void of synthetics, just harmful ones. These can include parabens, phthalates, oxybenzone, and synthetic fragrances.
How to protect skin
These days, there are several ways to reduce the signs of stress and skin aging and maintain a youthful appearance.
Make sure you’re using sunscreen
Prolonged exposure to the sun is one of the biggest contributing factors to aging your skin. Those UV rays from the sun can damage the skin’s collagen and elastin fibers. This will lead to you developing wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots. The good news is that the solution isn’t massively complicated. You guessed it: sunscreen.
You need to make sure that you’re putting sunscreen on every day if you’re exposing yourself to a lot of sunshine. Whether you’re hitting the beach or going for a long country walk, you need to apply it!
Sunscreen should be applied to all exposed areas of skin and reapplied every two hours if you’re spending a lot of time outdoors. Look for a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and ensure that it protects against both UVA and UVB rays. And while we’re on the topic of protecting yourself from UV rays, don’t forget your sunglasses either. They’re not just there to help reduce the glare but also protect the delicate skin around the eyes and the eyes themselves.
Ask your doctor about retinoids
Retinoids might not be on your normal list of daily supplements, but they might be worth considering. They’re a class of vitamin A derivatives that have been shown to reduce signs of skin aging. Retinoids work by increasing cell turnover, which helps to improve skin texture, reduce fine lines, and minimize pores. They also stimulate the production of collagen and elastin (yes, there those two are again!). You’ll remember that they promote firmer, more youthful-looking skin.
You can get retinoids as a prescription-strength medication, but you can also buy it in a less intense over-the-counter dose, too. Prescription-strength retinoids are more potent and may produce more dramatic results. However, they can also be more irritating to the skin. Over-the-counter retinoids are milder and may take longer to produce results. However, you’re less likely to see any skin aggravation because of this.
When using retinoids, it is essential to start slowly and gradually increase use to avoid skin irritation. It’s important to note that they can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight so think about using them at night to avoid any excess irritation.
Where to shop for clean beauty products
Demand for nontoxic skincare and clean beauty products has never been higher, and fortunately, that means easy access to a range of brands and products.
You can find clean beauty products at your local drugstore and at big-box stores like Walmart and Target. And many of these brands sell direct to consumer as well.
If you’re new to clean beauty, we recommend checking out Sephora and its clean beauty product picks, which makes it easier to find products that meet clean and nontoxic standards. You can also find clean beauty products at Credo and the Detox Market, among other stores.
The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database is an excellent resource for learning about ingredients and their risks if you’re researching products on your own. It features nearly 90,000 products and rankings for each ingredient’s risks.
Best clean beauty picks for stressed skin
The best weapon against stressed skin is to reduce your stress — but since that’s not always possible, these clean beauty picks can help reduce the appearance of stress without adding any chemicals or ick to your regimen.
1. Instanatural Vitamin C Toner
Toner mist obsessed? This one is a must-have, especially if you live in a climate where heat is an ever-present force. Dry, dusty air can leave skin feeling a little grimy, especially after a long day in front of the computer. Instanatural’s vitamin C toner is your new secret go-to for refreshing skin in a few pumps of the spray. It smells great and packs an antioxidant punch specifically designed to target environmental aggressors. Vitamin C also helps to protect the skin, absorb oils, and moisturize more effectively.
2. Kypris Beauty Ad Astra Nighttime Eye Cream
Sleep is essential and we don’t advocate sacrificing those eight hours for anything, but if you are working later and starting earlier in the day, one of the first places you may notice this is around the eyes. Everything Kypris makes is luxury in a bottle, and this product is essential. Ad Astra is a mix of botanicals and peptides that pack in the moisture for a smoother appearance so you can wake up and go.
3. Herbivore Cloud Jelly Pink Plumping Hydration Serum
This supple non-sticky serum foregoes the ever-present hyaluronic acid and opts instead for tremella mushroom and vegan collagen to plump and hydrate tired skin. It’s a fairly new product but will soon be an old staple in keeping skin happy and hydrated.
4. OSEA Undaria Algae Body Oil
OSEA’s organic seaweed-based body oil is a skin savior — whether from sun damage in the summer, or blustery cold winter weather. The rich sesame and babassu oils leave skin feeling nourished and revitalized. And it smells absolutely divine.
The Southern California company sustainably harvests its bioavailable seaweed locally and responsibly. Recyclable glass jars and a commitment to clean, vegan skincare and body care since 1996.
5. Osmia Rose Clay Facial Soap
A blend of Australian pink clay and white Kaolin clay, this luxe bar soap from Osmia hydrates and heals the skin while healing impurities. Coconut milk gives it a creamy lather, and mango butter and avocado oil deliver intense moisturizing power. Scented with geranium and palmarosa, you’ll want to shower just to boost your mood.
Bar soaps are gentler on the environment because there are no plastic bottles. Osmia’s founder Dr. Sarah Villafranco, says choosing Osmia is an act of “delicious resistance.” The company prioritizes ethical sourcing and high-quality plant ingredients grown organically and sustainably harvested. The company also plants a tree with each purchase.
6. True Botanicals Phyto-Retinol Vitamin A Sleep Mask
Do double de-stress duty while you sleep with this powerful leave-on nighttime mask that helps prevent, protect, and correct visible signs of stress-induced aging from True Botanicals. The mask features primrose oil — an ingredient clinically proven to fight visible signs of stress-induced aging on the skin. True Botanicals says you’ll wake up to more visibly resilient, plump, bouncy, and even-toned skin.
7. Rose Inc., Hydration Replenish Microencapsulated Plumping Gel Moisturizer
For tired, dried skin, Rose Inc.’s Hydration Replenish Microencapsulated Plumping Gel Moisturizer boast an instant hydration average of 183 percent with 96 percent of users saying they experienced softer skin within 14 days and 93 percent experiencing brighter skin in 14 days.
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