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The 16 Best Organic Skin Care Products
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If you’ve wondered about the sudden onslaught of skin care products labelled “organic” and their adjacent, equally vague adjectives — like “natural,” “green,” “nontoxic,” and “clean” — the answer is, in part, very simple: The FDA doesn’t define or regulate the term “organic” as it applies to cosmetics labelling. That basically allows cosmetics companies to slap those terms onto whatever product labels they want, even if those products secretly contain ingredients like synthetic fragrances, stabilizers, and preservatives. So you can’t always trust the government or corporations to be transparent with you. (Shocker!) Instead, you can trust the best organic skin care products featured here. They're certified by third-party organizations from around the world that define, monitor, and uphold their own, rigorous standards for organic cosmetics labelling.
All of the products listed ahead bear the seals of one or more of these accredited third-party agencies, like NATRUE, Ecocert, The Soil Association, BDIH, and COSMOS. That said, you’ll occasionally find a cosmetic product that’s certified by the USDA, the governmental agency in the United States that defines and regulates the term “organic” as it applies to agricultural ingredients. (In that case, the product will contain a passing percentage of those organically produced ingredients — this is where it gets more complicated).
Also, know that an ingredient can be natural — i.e., derived from a substance that exists in nature — without being certified organic. For some context, the USDA only certifies produce that’s been grown in soil that’s free of “prohibited substances,” like synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. It's also worth noting that synthetic ingredients aren't necessarily bad (in fact, sometimes they're straight-up necessary), but that's a discussion for another day.
Bottom line? In all the products ahead, what you see is what you get. From a versatile healing balm to a rose water spritz to thirst-quenching sheet masks, here are some of the best organic skin care products you can put on your body, from the best clean beauty brands.
1The Best Cream Cleanser
This Naturopathica Chamomile Cleansing Milk is my holy grail cream cleanser. It has a thinner consistency than most cream cleansers (it really does feel like a milk), so it glides on smoothly and feels more refreshing than other, thicker formulations. Chamomile contributes to those soothing effects and a subtle, woodsy scent, while rose flower water gently tones. This is my go-to whenever I’m contending with waning breakouts, sunburns, or before using harsher exfoliating treatments, like glycolic acid or retinol.
Ecocert certified, Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-freee
2The Best Micellar Water
This INIKA micellar water will definitely take off your makeup, as any good micellar water should. But the plant-powered ingredients in here make this a truly multipurpose product. E.g.: Organic aloe calms redness, organic rosehip oil nourishes and protects dry skin, and citric and lactic acids provide gentle exfoliation, to name just a few. Clean, clear, and super soft skin in one swipe. Doesn’t get much better than that.
Certified organic by the Organic Food Chain Australia, certified vegan, certified cruelty-free
3The Best Toner
Brooklyn-based S.W. Basics is a case study in minimalism: Every product in their limited range uses five (naturally derived) ingredients or less, and all of them are USDA certified organic, farm-sourced, or fair trade. Having tried every single one of these cult-favorites, I can confirm that they all work beautifully, though I’m partial to their toner. Miraculously, it works on all skin types — it'll help balance oily spots, rehydrate dry patches, and zap blemishes. It’s the rare toner that's gentle enough for sensitive skin, too.
USDA certified organic, PETA certified cruelty-free
4The Best Rose Water Spray
Rose water spray is one of my favorite multipurpose beauty products. It works in lieu of a more intensive toner to refresh your makeup, rehydrate dry skin, calm redness or rashes, or give yourself a midday wakeup call (trust me, this works). This Alteya rose water spray is a good, organic choice to keep in your arsenal. It’s harvested and distilled at a family-owned organic rose farm in Bulgaria, and it’s one of the rare cosmetics that’s certified organic by the USDA.
USDA certified organic
5The Best Serum
Another USDA-certified product, Acure's Brightening Glowing Serum is packed with 100% naturally derived, antioxidant-packed oils like argan, safflower, pumpkin seed, and sweet orange peel, which work to soothe, moisturize, and revitalize dull skin. This is designed for your face, but you can also run it over the ends of your hair, cuticles, knuckles, or anywhere else that’s in need of nourishment.
USDA certified organic
6The Best Face & Body Moisturizer
Olivarrier specializes in products that work to repair, rebalance, and protect the skin barrier, which makes the whole line ideal for soothing and healing dry, reaction-prone, or irritated skin. Their All Barrier Relief Cream contains vegan ceramides that mimic the lipids your body naturally produces, so your skin literally drinks it in. That, plus eight of the fattiest, most vitamin-rich oils out there (like avocado, argan, broccoli seed, and sunflower) make this Korean moisturizer a godsend for people with super dry skin.
Certified vegan, EWG verified, COSMOS organic certified, Cert Clean Canada, PETA certified cruelty-free
7The Best Face Oil
This Pai Skincare Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil has garnered a small army of devotees. It contains just one ingredient — cold-pressed rosehip oil — but it's incredibly powerful. I find rosehip’s anti-inflammatory properties to be especially helpful for quelling breakouts, but since rosehip is packed with antioxidants, it’s also known to help fade the appearance of scarring and pigmentation with regular use. Rosehip oil is super lightweight and non-comedogenic, so it’s the perfect choice for people with oily skin (but dry and sensitive skin types will benefit from this stuff, too). You can also mix a drop or two into your favorite moisturizer if you don’t like how pure oils feel on your face.
Soil Association organic, Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free
8The Best Eye Cream
Weleda is best known for their cult classic Skin Food, but don’t sleep on their eye creams. Fair trade wild rose provides antioxidant benefits that your under-eyes could probably use more of, like brightening, firming, depuffing, and keeping your skin protected from the sun, smog, and other environmental agressors. It’s fragrance-free, non-greasy, and lighter weight than most eye creams, so pick this one up if you have sensitive eyes, wear contact lenses, or hate the feeling of rich, heavy creams.
NATRUE certified
9The Best Sheet Masks
These Korean sheet masks are soaked in a blend of plant extracts like aloe, lavender oil, bergamot oil, and lemon peel, which work to calm, brighten, and replenish tired skin. Perfect for achieving a Korean “glass skin” aesthetic or cooling down on a hot day. Store them in the fridge (along with your jade roller) for an extra refreshing sensation.
BDIH - COSMOS certified, certified vegan
10The Best Moisturizing Mask
A lifesaver for dehydrated (or hungover) skin, this Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Mask contains 1,000 molecular weights of hyaluronic acid to restore your skin’s moisture content, while a blend of 13 flower essences work to reduce redness and restore your glow. The creamy gel consistency feels like utter bliss, too. The brand recommends removing this mask with their Hydrating Floral Essence rather than water for even more replenishment, though the Alteya rose water spray would make a lovely, less expensive alternative.
Ecocert certified
11The Best Clarifying Mask
This Dr. Hauschka Clarifying Clay Mask is a dry, loose powder that turns into a paste when it's mixed with water, so it requires a little DIY effort. It’ll also make your bathroom sink look like a tiny construction site exploded inside of it. But the mess is worth it for the results: A potent combo of loess and exfoliating witch hazel helps flatten raised pimples, retexturize bumpy skin, and soak up acne-causing impurities. And it doesn’t leave your skin feeling uncomfortably tight, even if your skin runs on the dry side. Think of it as Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay’s luxe, slightly less hardcore cousin.
NATRUE certified
12The Best Lip Scrub
This vanilla sugar lip scrub smells so good you’ll probably want to eat it. And, technically, you could! (But please, don't.) In here, fair trade sugar works to slough away dead skin cells, organic coconut oil and beeswax nourish your lips and seal in moisture, and organic vanilla makes it taste like actual dessert. Limit your usage to once or twice a week to avoid tearing or irritating your lips.
Non GMO Project verified, USDA organic, Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free
13The Best Lip Balm
Unlike other lip balms out there (we won’t name names), Badger lip balm doesn’t make your lips feel drier the instant it fades. Instead, a combination of beeswax, olive oil, castor oil, and conditioning rosemary oil makes your lips feel smooth and comfortable all day long. It also feels softer and glides on more smoothly than other beeswax lip balms, which tend to be a little hard and dry. Keep in mind that since these balms contain beeswax, they're not vegan.
USDA certified organic, Leaping Bunny cruelty-free, certified gluten-free, certified non-GMO
14The Best Multi-Use Balm
This ultra gentle balm is technically made for babies, but there’s no reason why you can’t use it on your own, adult body, too. It contains just a handful of the world’s most soothing and nourishing ingredients, all of which are plant-derived and 99% of which are organic. Slather it on wherever your skin is feeling dry, cracked, itchy, or generally distressed. You deserve to be coddled like a baby sometimes!
USDA certified organic, USDA certified biobased product
15The Best All-In-One Cleanser
There's a lot to love about this Alaffia black soap body wash. Every ingredient is fair trade, certified organic, responsibly harvested by farmers in Togo, and the recipe closely resembles centuries-old African home remedies. African black soap is an absolute miracle ingredient — it’s renowned for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, balancing, and exfoliating properties — and you can use this product basically however you see fit, whether that’s as a body wash, hand wash, face wash, shampoo (it can help clear up dandruff), shaving cream, or even makeup remover.
Ecocert certified, Non GMO Project certified, certified fair-trade
16The Best Carrier Oil
Speaking of products that can do pretty much whatever you want: This Aura Cacia jojoba oil. There’s literally one ingredient in here — organic jojoba oil — but that one ingredient can be used for so many purposes. Some ideas to get you started: massage oil for your body; makeup remover; cuticle oil; hair serum; a salve for scarring; or, embrace DIY beauty and use it as carrier oil to make your own skin care products.
USDA certified organic, Non GMO Project verified
