When you think of spring cleaning, your makeup routine may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but with clean products on the rise, it’s high time you give your go-to skincare and makeup products the refresh they deserve.
In 2023, beauty-savvy consumers are ready to turn to nontoxic “clean” products that are not only good for the environment, but are better for your body, too. From anti-wrinkle serums to pigmented cheek balms and tinted lip oils, clean products are taking over the beauty sphere as we know it — and there’s no better time to clean up your beauty routine than when the weather gets warmer and the sun starts to peek through the clouds (especially since you’ll be dusting off your favourite SPF cream).
So, if you’re ready to give your makeup routine a clean makeover, here are 10 products to try now.
Related: 10 best clean nail polishes to try.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare DermInfusions™ Fill + Repair Serum
Want the effects of filler without having to turn to injectables? Dr. Dennis Gross’ new DermInfusions™ Fill + Repair Serum (Sephora, $99) may be the clean makeup product for you. This clean gel serum instantly fills lines, plumps and repairs, offering up visibly firmer skin in response to anything from fine lines to dehydration. Made up of hyaluronic acid, a complex of peptides, niacinamide and ectoin, this serum has been clinically proven to fill in lines and increase volume within two to four weeks.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare DermInfusions™ Fill + Repair Serum with Hyaluronic Acid, Sephora, $99.
Related: I tried it: I got lip fillers — and it didn’t really hurt.
CoverGirl Colour Correcting Serum
CoverGirl has been at the forefront of affordable clean skincare and makeup for quite some time now, and this colour correcting serum (Amazon, $16) truly came to play. As someone with red undertones in their skin, I turn to the redness neutralizer to not only correct any discoloration, but also to hydrate my skin. Boasting an avocado and ceramide complex with niacinamide, this product is just perfect for my (extremely) sensitive skin. Plus, it doesn’t just colour correct, but it brightens your complexion and enhances your skin’s natural rosy glow.
CoverGirl Clean Fresh Skincare Color Correcting Serum, Amazon, $16.
Related: TikTok viral beauty products to get your hands on now.
Innisfree Retinol Cica Moisture Recovery Serum
Innisfree recently launched their new Retinol Cica Collection, which features this Retinol Cica Moisture Recovery Serum (Sephora, $50). The clean formula is made up of gentle ingredients that are delicate with acne-prone and sensitive skin. The serum is a water-based, lightweight formula that nourishes and hydrates skin, while smoothing away dead skin cells and buildup. It’s the perfect product for first-time retinol users, since it improves rough skin and wrinkles, while still soothing and calming the skin with Cica (AKA Centella Asiatica).
Innisfree Retinol Cica Moisture Recovery Serum, Sephora, $50.
See also: 10 celebrity bob cuts that will inspire you to chop your hair.
Merit Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil
This hydrating lip oil may be clean, but it also serves as a pigmented, colour-infused gloss with rosehip oil and shea butter to hydrate your lips. “If you’re looking for the perfect gloss as a little ‘pick me up, put me together’ to keep in your bag on a night out, this is the one,” Slice content creator Mali R. tells us. “I use the shade Marrakech (Sephora, $31) and it compliments my brown skin tone perfectly, giving me that full, glossy look while providing the hydration I need in a lip product. I love that it’s vegan and cruelty free – I’m more comfortable knowing that I’m using a clean product on my lips. I’ve put so many of my friends on this product and they’re all obsessed!”
Merit Shade Slick Classics Tinted Lip Oil Marrakech, Sephora, $31.
See also: Hailey Bieber brings her Rhode skincare line to Canada.
CoverGirl Clean Fresh Clean Color Quads
We couldn’t have a list of clean products without a handful of affordable products from CoverGirl. These Clean Fresh Colour Quads (Amazon, $12) have to be my personal favourite. Available in a variety of colour palettes, these highly-pigmented eyeshadows just need a swipe or two applied to the lids of your eyes for a perfectly potent hue. The vegan formula was made with plant-based rice extract for an easy, effortless fingertip application, but it still stays all day long without creasing.
Covergirl Clean Fresh Colour Quad — Classic Smokey, Amazon, $12.
Related: I tried Trinny London’s skincare, and I’ve never had better skin.
Graydon Skincare Fullmoon Serum
Toronto-based brand, Graydon Skincare, creates skincare products that are made up of plant-powered, hypoallergenic, vegan and cruelty-free ingredients. Their Fullmoon Serum (Shoppers Drug Mart, $87) is an ultra-lightweight, water-based natural retinol alternative. Made up of superfood ingredients, this serum combats fine lines and wrinkles and makes your skin more radiant — all while shielding your skin from everyday pollutants. As an added bonus, for every 30mL bottle of Fullmoon Serum sold, Graydon Skincare donates $1 to the Ocean Legacy Foundation, which helps clean up plastic waste in the ocean.
Graydon Skincare Fullmoon Serum, Shoppers Drug Mart, $87.
Related: What is ‘skin flooding?’ Everything to know about the new viral TikTok trend.
N°1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm
If you’re feeling a little bougie, Chanel’s N°1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm (Chanel, $61) is the clean product for you. The key ingredient in the balm is the red camellia flower, which Chanel touts as “unlike any other.” The revitalizing ingredient works to correct all five signs of aging in the skin by diminishing wrinkles, refining pores, improving elasticity and more. Not only does the balm nourish the lips and cheeks, but it visibly plumps them and adds a hint of colour.
Chanel’s N°1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm, Chanel, $61.
Related: We tried Clinique’s Black Honey lipstick to see if it really looks good on everyone.
Merit Bronze Balm Sheer Sculpting Bronzer
Add a little shine to your look with this sheer, buildable bronzer. The clean, hydrating, vegan balm adds some natural dimension and warmth to any makeup look, and the stick applicator makes it easy to use. All you have to do is apply the Merit Bronze Sheer Sculpting Bronzer (Sephora, $39) anywhere that the sun naturally hits and blend it out with a tapered brush or your fingers for a natural, seamlessly polished look.
Merit Bronze Balm Sheer Sculpting Bronzer, Sephora, $39.
See also: Here’s what going to a fancy medi-spa actually feels like.
Honest Beauty 2-in-1 Extreme Length Clean Mascara
Jessica Alba’s Honest Beauty is well-known for their award-winning 2-in-1 Mascara and Lash Primer (Amazon, $35). While the mascara alone offers up a smooth black tint and some pretty impressive length, the primer makes all the difference in this formula. It offers up an even base to enhance the mascara’s ability to lengthen and lift.
Honest Beauty 2-in-1 Extreme Length Clean Mascara and Lash Primer, Amazon, $35.
See also: What is TikTok’s hair theory – and what does it say about your personality?
Supergoop! Glowscreen Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 40
We just had to feature the well-loved Supergoop! Glowscreen (Sephora, $49), which not only offers up a subtle shine and glow, but also protects you from the sun with its clean-chemical SPF 40 formula. The vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free and reef safe sunscreen features hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5 to help moisturize and nurture the skin, while the cocoa peptides help protect the skin from blue-light damage.
Supergoop! Glowscreen Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 40, Sephora, $49
You may also like: Everything you need to know about sunscreen but were too shy to ask.
