Where To Shop For Clean Beauty
Starting your clean beauty journey can be lots of things - exciting, frustrating, confusing, and so much more! One of the first questions I wanted to ask others who went down this road before me was, “Where the heck do you shop for this stuff?!” Were clean products hiding along the shelves of Walmart and I just wasn’t picking them? Were there specialty stores that I didn’t know existed? I wanted to grab someone by the shoulders and ask, “Where do you get the good stuff?! Spill!”
So, today, I’m determined to be that person for you. I’m here to show you a couple of places where you can “get the good stuff” and start to feel excited about the new products in your life! Here we go…!
Online
Honestly, so much of my trialing and testing has come from taking a chance, holding my breath, purchasing online. This speaks volumes on clean beauty’s accessibility and availability, but that’s another topic for another time. I’ve found several sites that allow you to have a curated experience when it comes to shopping for clean beauty favorites! Think of it like shopping at Sephora, online, but allll the products are #clean! Doesn’t that sound amazing? I love sites like the ones below because they carry several product lines (and usually only the best of each product line), I’m supporting small business whenever I’m choosing to shop at one of these retailers versus a big box, and they often run specials and have bundles beyond just what the brand may be offering!
BLK + GRN (All natural products by exclusively black artisans!)
In Person
I get it - sometimes shopping online can feel overwhelming and you just want to be able to touch/feel the product and the packaging in person! Also, who doesn’t love being able to stock up on your clean beauty favorites while also shopping for your other weekly essentials?! Below are some of my favorite in-store places to find clean beauty gems! The pros? Accessibility and affordability! The cons? Limited ranges and potential exposure to more green washing. If you can my first choice is to always recommend trying to find local shops, beauty bars, and green-beauty focused businesses near to you! BUT if you can’t you can always shop one these spots.
Target (Find the “Target Clean” and “Naturals” section)
Walmart (Find the “Naturals” section - usually one or two aisles over from your traditional cosmetics!)
TJMaxx / Marshalls (You’re going to have to hunt, but I’ve had a lot of success finding cleaner personal care products here vs makeup! Be brand-forward and super picky here!)
Sephora (Find the “Clean at Sephora” section! If it’s a smaller store, expect to find only an end cap display)
Ulta (You’re going to have to search by brand here since there is no dedicated “clean” section that I’m aware of, currently!)
Whole Foods (and similar grocers!)
Beauty Boxes
This is hands down one of my favorite ways to try out new lots of new clean beauty products! I love that I’m consistently trialing 3-5 products and getting tons of brand exposure. I have found so many beloved products and brands from being a member of a clean beauty box subscription! I used to be subscribed to an affordable clean beauty box called OuiFresh, but the company has since discontinued their boxes and I am personally on the hunt for where to take my business. I miss having a monthly treat in the mail and nothing beauty new makeup and beauty products! Right now, I’m heavily considering subscribing to #1 or #3 on the list!
Petit Vour Box (Vegan/Cruelty-Free focused)
Brand Websites
There are the rare instances, especially when good deals are to be had or a new launch just dropped, that you’ll want go directly to the source! I love to use brand websites as a way to check ingredients lists, learn more about the product/company, get first dibs on new launches or special bundles, and use brand-specific codes during big sales like Black Friday or Cyber Monday! A great way to use brand websites, also, is to see where that brand is being sold in the world. Check out in-person and online retailers where you can find your favorites from that brand! It’s perfect for finding unexpected places near you that sell that particular brand and for back-up resources if your product of choice sells out in one spot!
Your Own Cabinet
This may be a hot take, but I definitely think you could try shopping your own stash first before diving in headfirst just buying any and everything! If you haven’t, download the ThinkDirty app, and get to scanning your makeup and body products! Is ThinkDirty an end-all-be-all resource, the final word on if a product is good or bad? No, way (p.s. - that person is YOU)! However, I do think it’s a great resource and an eye-opening place to start for most people! Scanning your own products will help you get a feel for how ingredients rate and you may be very pleasantly surprised at how good some of your products may actually score on the app! One of my conventional mascaras scored a 6 on the rating scale, and it helped me feel encouraged when nearly my whole cabinet was scanning 8-10! It’s worth a shot, my friend!