From Well+Good: 9 Pure and Cheap Skincare Products
Those who abide by a monthly beauty budget that’s less than a cellphone bill can find department store counters pretty disappointing. But the solution isn’t necessarily found at Sephora or Duane Reade, especially if you like natural and organic ingredients.
So we’ve pulled together a list of nine natural and organic beauty brands from sources that won’t break the bank. These clean skin-care picks don’t skimp on quality, and cost less than $45 for a moisturizer or serum.
That’s half the cost of a cell-phone bill—and most of these will last you a couple months. Hear your new products calling?
Pangea Organics
A unisex favorite in plantable boxes.
Average cost of a moisturizer: $36
Fave: Moroccan Argan with Willow & Rosemary Facial Cream
Buy it at Whole Foods or www.pangeaorganics.com
Weleda
A 90-year-old line of biodynamic skin-soothers made in Germany.
Moisturizer: $18–$33
Fave: Pomegranate Firming Day Cream
Buy it at C.O. Bigelow or www.usa.weleda.com
John Masters Organics
Skin care from the famed eco-friendly hair stylist.
Moisturizer: $28–$44
Fave: Pomegranate Facial Nourishing Oil
Buy it at Whole Foods or www.johnmasters.com
Keep reading here! And tell us: What’s your favorite natural moisturizer?
I’ve tried the John Masters pomegranate oil – very nice, but it felt a bit light for my personal preference. Of all the oils I’ve tried I am a devoted fan of the Kahina Argan Oil, it is the biz!
Right now I’m having a lot of trouble with my skin – it gets “angry” in the summer, I find the heat and the sun irritate it a lot and sunscreen (no matter which brand I use, although the Eco has been the least irritating) just adds to the problem. So I happened to find a bottle of the Organic Pharmacy Pure Aloe Gel in my stash and it works wonders! It calms, soothes, clears (my heat rash causes rough, pimply, flaky patches) and hydrates like a dream. It absorbs easily and leave no sticky or greasy residue. I still use the Kahina a few nights a week for the intense (and luxurious) hydration, but I seem to have found my summer solution.
Whoa, nelly. I know these aren’t by any means the most expensive products out there, but we seem to have different definitions of “cheap.”
Totally agree with the comment above! Even the items you listed would be luxury items for me. Clean beauty can be even cheaper and affordable.
I use Duchess Marden Face Cream for my daily moisurizer. It works wonderfully, although it is a bit expensive (My face is worth it!).
I’ve also bought Giovanni moisturizer at Target at a lower cost. It’s fine and I like it, but I love how my skin looks/feels with Duchess Marden products so I keep using them.
On days I am going to be outside a good part of the day, I use 100% Pure Moisturizer with sunblocks (one with argan oil, one with pomegranite ingredients)- both of which are wonderful (great moisture, works well under my makeup and does excellent sunblocking).
I also wouldn’t call any of these “cheap.”
Are there any low-end alternatives?
I’ve used Dr organics which has a host of products which are really affordable and I think suited for all the different skin types. They have ranges for sensitive, Dry, Normal, Ageing and its very good to see them being available in stores rather than having to hunt for a particular product.
I’ve personally used the Bio-Active Virgin Olive Oil Balm – Its one of those all in one balms- can be used on lips, skin, elbows-just to banish dryness that is patchy. I’ve also liked the Vitamin E oil which seems to be a lovely blend of 5 different oils and its really does its job. Nothing fancy but works and I’m Happy.
what are you kidding me? These are expensive products for me. I guess i have to keep using the Lubriderm lotion for just $5.99 :(
I was excited to click over here, but I really don’t think $45 is the cutoff for “cheap.” You’ve lost me a bit, here.
@ Elle, you summarized my thoughts exactly: “Woah, Nelly! ” :) Glad to hear I’m not the only one with this reaction.
Pai Moisturizer is my one big splurge (and I do mean big!), and is listed on this “cheap” list. It’s $36 for a few ounces. While I do splurge on that, that’s about it and I feel it’s pretty extravagant for me . There are plenty of other options under $10 for just about everything: shampoo and conditioner, body lotion, sunscreen, etc. Let’s focus on some of those next time :)
Cheap is definitely a matter of opinion. I look at my overall expenditure on products. I buy a few expensive things and overall I’d say I spend much less since going all clean. And there are some items that seem pricey but last a long time. I’d say it would take someone 6 months to use up a 100ml bottle of Kahina argan oil, which is less than 50 cents a day if my math skills are serving me at the moment. So although the $82 for the bottle doesn’t sound like it should go on the cheap products list, I’m going to call it my best money saving all-natural option and fave moisturizer. Spend just a few more bucks for active ingredients to mix in and you get your needs met quite inexpensively. I’ll add this too: cutting the salon coloring and switching to henna/indigo is saving me lots of money for going clean with products and food.
Has anyone tried Andalou Naturals? I first saw and fell in love with the brand at Whole Foods. The products first smell amazing! The products are between 70-95% organic. The best part is they are totally affordable! I bought a cleanser for under $13, awesome! Has anyone else tried Andalou?
I have used Acure products from whole foods since January and think they are great products for the money. the ingredient list seem very clean and they donate to cancer research. The prices range from less than 15 for cleanser and toner to around 30 for the age reversal cream. I see a definite positive difference when I use this at night. The argan oil and starflower line eraser is also great and I have seen a definite reduction in lines under my eyes. There is a firming facial serum with safflower, argan and borage oil for under 25. You can also purchase USDA organic for around 30 for an ounce. While these products are not dirt cheap, the quality is very good. There is a great review of them on the fig + sage blog. The products are also at spiritbeautylounge.com.
The argan oil is around $30. Sorry I left that out. This price seems great for USDA organic argan oil.
Not everyone interested in clean living can afford these products, even as “splurges” or luxuries. Hell, I felt extravagant buying the $10 Aubrey Organics conditioner you recommended in the book.
Do you have any ideas for a less expensive facial moisturizer? I’ve been using jojoba oil, but I’m not completely sold on it.
Rebecca, I’m totally with you–it doesn’t just boil down to one sticker price. Since going clean (not that I’m perfect on this front, esp. when it comes to replacing my $2 eyeliner pencil with something that costs 20 times as much), I’ve also learned to minimize the number of products I buy. I mean, I used to use three different concealers every day. Now that is crazy. So even though my new RMS concealer costs about double what each of my old ones did, it’s a better product and I still ultimately save. But a spade’s a spade, and as much as I love these girls and their mission to promote clean beauty and consumer awareness, a moisturizer that costs $40 for a few ounces isn’t “cheap.”
Sorry, meant to say “10 times as much.” Now a $40 eyeliner pencil would be something else!
xo, Elle
Aw c’mon girls, it wasn’t the NMDL team that did the post, it was the NYC ladies from Well+Good. Have you ever spent a day in NYC? It’s not exactly a cheap city to live in. $36 probably IS a steal up there! :)
@Sarah Ha! Thanks for coming to our defense lady… We were actually thinking about changing the title of this post when we put it up–but y’know, we didn’t want to mess with someone else’s work. AND you’re totally right, NY standards are diff. :)
Geography does make a difference in perspective on pricing.
I find issues of food justice incredibly frustrating, and this is similar. Healthy cleaning products, skin products, etc., should be easily accessible to all. It’s one reason why we need better regulation of what can go into our products. More companies will find a way to make healthy, clean products at all price points if they aren’t allowed to put toxic crap in and sell it to the uninformed or the people who can’t afford much.
I also personally do not consider these products to be what I would necessarily call cheap in price but I have learned to keep in mind that if I want my skin to be clean, healthy and non toxic than I am going to have to bite the bullet and dish out a little more cash I am use to spending on all those dirty products from the drug store (chemicals are cheap). I have been slowly trying to switch all of my dirty products over to clean. First was my makeup, which I am still having a little trouble finding the best fit for me, and next was my facial care. I tried a few cheaper brands for example, Yes To Cucumbers (sorry for naming names, but I think it’s important) which I purchased at my local Walgreens. I tried the facial towelettes ($5.99) and the daily calming moisturizer ($14.99 I believe). I felt good about my purchase, reasonably priced and listed as paraben-free and 98% natural but the big deal breaker for me when I got home was they contained fragrance. I still wanted to give them a try but was not happy with them after the first day of use. I tried to continue using them because I did not want to feel like I had wasted my money. I was not very happy with the way my complexion was looking and finally gave them up and went on a mission to find a better skin care line. I researched different companies (found on Saffron Rouge, Spirit Beauty Lounge & Futurenatural) for about 2 weeks and found some great looking options but in the end the winner for me was Pangea Organics. I really loved everything about the company, from their ingredients to the environmental packaging and the mission and outlook of the founder ( you really have to check out the website it’s inspiring). I only wanted to purchase the basics first to see how I liked them which were a facial cleanser and facial cream. I have been using them for about a week now (along with some samples that are for purchase for only 50 cents) and I am loving the results. The site offers sales frequently, I purchased the French Chamomile & Orange Blossom facial cream which is pictured above and retails for $36 on sale for $12!! (I just checked and the sale is still good). I chose the Australian Wild Plum & Willow cleanser ($28) and a facial scrub and mask sample. They threw in a few samples of their luxurious balancing oil ($50 – a little high for me but a little goes a long way with this stuff and it really is great so I plan on purchasing it next) and I also had a 20% off coupon code so my total ended up being $37 with shipping. I also signed up for their email updates and have already gotten a few more coupon codes to use on my next purchase. I really do believe that we vote with our dollars and I urge everyone to not take the easy way out and pick up the next dirty product at our drugstore that we know in the end is probably not going to work for us. Do your research and find a company that you really support and that offers all the important things you are looking for and works for you. In the end it is a small price to pay, you are worth it!
Try http://www.etsy.com
I’ve found great all natural products for a fraction of the price.
Vitacost has a couple of the brands listed in the article, Acure and a few Pangea as well as well known products like burt’s bees and other relatively well-known moderately priced natural products. I even saw some dr. Hauschka hand cream. All products are discounted and the shipping costs are modest. I know there are other sites that sell natural products for a discount but vitacost seems to have the widest variety.
yea I agree this is not the low end or cheap.. I personally have gone to using water and dont use a cleanser. many people are doing this now..My mom saw someone on rachel ray even talk about this.. I use coconut or almond oil on my skin. I have found many of the problems were internal so once my body is healthy my skin is too…..
I have noticed since switching to clean products, my face is so much happier. This happiness is dependent on the quality of the product, of couse, which I am willing to pay up for, and then need less products, supplements and doctors visits. I have always had problem skin, and I love not having as much trouble with it as I did before (more confidence! :). I have used Pai, which is worth it, and I’m also going to try Hope Gillerman’s skincare line, which is only two or three products that will last a while and that I’ve heard great things about. Are these cheap? Not really, but a good value? Highly likely. Thank you for sharing!
I live in NYC too, and you’d think that due to it’s size and cultural diversity we’d have a larger range of options, add I’m sure we probably do, but I’m not aware of them. The brands listed in this post are very widely known brands, very good products, but stuff you can find across the country.
Bottom line is that anything that is better for you seems to be more expensive whether you’re talking about skincare products, hair products or food. That’s the hard (and sad) fact of it. I always spend at least a third more shopping at Whole Foods than at any other grocery store. Perhaps one day it will not cost what it currently does to produce clean and natural products. We can hope.
I would have titled this more along the lines of, ‘mid-priced skin care products’, but that probably doesn’t get the same attention as using the word ‘cheap’, not that that was the authors intention, ;)
I agree with many of the other posters. This is far from “cheap” for me, however, some of these are a little more affordable than some other green products I’ve come across. As a 23 year old, still trying to find full time work some of these products are still a little steep.
Here are some good skincare products I’ve tried that I THINK are affordable:
CLEANSER: Earth Science A-D-E Creamy Cleanser or Clarifying Facial Wash (can be found online as cheap as $6),
TONER: Silk Naturals 2% BHA toner (gentle but effective, only $6)
MOISTURIZER/SPF: 100% Pure Pomegranate Spf 20 is a decent everyday moisturizer/spf (a little more pricey, around $20 but lasts a long time)
ALL: I love a lot of Garden of Wisdom products. They have an amazing assortment of facial care and raw ingredients to make your own. I especially love their hydrosols and hydrosol gels, which range from $5 to $20.
Thanks for the tip, Jenna, on Garden of Wisdom! I could spend some time poking around that site… I’d also like to alert everyone to Mountain Rose Herbs. Everything they sell is certified organic, mostly raw ingredients for mixing yourself but some very pure and pretty affordable finished products too. Pretty much any essential oil you could want, tons of herbal extracts, herbs and herb powders, bulk clay, hydrosols, etc. Take Evan Healy, for example… You could pay $22 for a 4 oz lavender hydrosol or you could pay $5.25 for one that is the exact same thing. Then there’s 2.4 oz of green tea clay, which is just green clay and green tea powder, for $25. You can get a pound of green clay on mountain rose herbs for $10.75, and organic matcha green tea powder for $15.00 for 2 oz. Evan Healy does have some good products that you can’t make yourself, but branding on natural products can be a little out of control, and this brand isn’t even the worst offender. Chemicals are cheap, yes, but dirt is cheap too, and thats what powdered clay is.
Oh, and for moisturizers I like Terressentials flower therapy lotion, It’s light and absorbs quickly, and its USDA organic. (I’m not a stickler for organic, but its definitely a plus, and I do try not to use anything that I couldn’t safely eat) Its about $20 which I wouldn’t consider cheap, but also wouldn’t consider outrageous, and it does last a long time.
@Jane: I’m right there with you. Mountain Rose Herbs has an enormous supply of the simpler ingredients.. I’ve been a very happy, very loyal customer for at least ten years so if anyone checks them out and is intrigued with creating your own skincare, they’d be a great place to start. I can’t vouch for my Argan oil from them versus other suppliers, but they do carry organic and it’s very very reasonable.
@Kathryn, way to work those deals! I’m totally with you on finding not only great products but great companies – who we choose to support with our $$ matters. It does take some time, energy and money to get on the right track with this stuff, but so worth it. As I’ve climbed onto the clean products train, my kid in puberty is getting the benefit of my new knowledge on skin care. He is worth all the effort/money (and so am I).
Where’s Alaffia? amazing moisturizers!
There are some products at Trader Joes really cheap, like jojoba oils, vitamin E oils and face wash.
I agree these aren’t my opinion of cheap, but I know there are a lot more expensive things out there. I’m only 15 so the non-toxic stuff I buy has to be reasonably-priced and at my local co-op or Target (we don’t have a Whole Foods here *cry*). Nature’s Gate, Burt’s Bees, and Alba are my faves so far. I really want to try Shea Moisture, Yes to Carrots/Cucumbers/Tomatoes, Allafia, Everyday Shea, and Beautiful Curls. I believe the last two are owned by Allafia.
@ Kathryn – LOVE the whole Pangea package, I wanted to get a job with them when I read about the company! Unfortunately I’ve found other lines which are better for my skin, but I really push people towards Pangea when they show any interest at all in the clean scene, because I want Pangea to be a huge success. Especially if they can thrive and work on a few products that may be perfect for me. ;)
@ Jane – thanks for the tip on Mountain Rose Herbs. I looooooooove hydrasols but if I can play Mad Scientist and make my own for less I will save a small fortune – can’t wait to give it a shot!
Love, love Weleda. Good choice. It’s on the lower price end of the all-natural products. My favourite is the almond line. The oil especially (although you can probably buy a no-name brand that’s cheaper) since it is super nourishing. I find putting it on over night adds the perfect amount of moisture.
Great blog! I’m devouring every page of it! So happy I found it!
Just FYI, Weleda is a Swiss company, not German. I just had to point it out because it’s the pride and joy of Swiss organic cosmetics :-) I’m a big fan of the Almond line and of their toothpastes myself.
These skin care products are most definitely NOT cheap. Here’s a list of cheap, clean and natural skin care products that I use…
Cleanser: Dudu Osun Black Soap ($2.50, African grocery store)
Toner: DIY Green Tea & Tea Tree Facial Toner [green tea & tea tree essential oil]
Moisturizer: Aubrey Organics Vegecol with Aloe Moisturizing Cream ($10.87, Amazon.com)
Overnight Acne Spot Treatment: Now Solutions Tea Tree Essential Oil ($7, Amazon.com)