Every year, we ask readers and our own beauty editors to nominate their favorite new or tried-and-true products in more than twenty categories. This year, we combed through a record-breaking volume of nominations, suggestions and submissions, and our beauty/sustainability writer Emily Barth Isler compiled the best of the best. Everything here is natural, sustainable and truly effective. Don’t believe us? Read on to see what our readers and editors had to say!
TOP AGE DEFIERS
Klur Immersion Serum Concentrate
This product exemplifies the understanding that hydration is essential to age-defying. From the brand’s website: “Formulated to help prevent skin dehydration, each droplet binds to skin delivering beta-glucan and essential vitamins C, B5 and E. These nutrients work in synergy to help support barrier strength, balance and plump skin, while improving moisture retention—without the risk of congestion.” From a reader: “I am obsessed!” That kind of says it all right?
Maya Chia The Advanced Response Complex Rapid Regenerating Firming Face & Neck Moisture Cream
More than just a face cream—this face and neck cream exemplifies the thoughtfulness with which this age-defier is formulated. If there’s one thing our readers and editors all understand, it’s that true age-defying has to include taking care of the delicate skin on the neck. This luxurious cream is soothing and firming and contains the most cutting-edge ingredients in clean beauty today. It’s also packaged sustainably, using post-consumer recyclable material that is refillable, for maximum earth-friendly impact.
Marie Veronique Multi-Retinol Night Emulsion
Created to be a comparable alternative to prescription strength retinol creams, with cleaner, microbiome-safe ingredients, one reader wrote of this emulsion, “I can’t believe how well this works, and with zero irritation!” And we also love it for ease of use; you can apply it over other serums and moisturizers, without waiting for completely dry skin or worrying about interference with other products. A true advance in the field of retinol!
TOP CLEANSERS
Vinter's Daughter Active Renewal Cleanser
As the third product debuted by Vintner’s Daughter this year, the cleanser joins the brand’s cult-following sensations, the yin-and-yang Active Botanical Serum and Active Treatment Essence. To put it mildly, it did not disappoint. At 10 years and counting, the brand has earned its top-notch status because it believes in quality over quantity, and it shows. “I actually look forward to washing my face now!” exclaimed one reader.
Doctor Rogers Face Wash
Dr. Heather Rogers is the real deal, a dermatologist who truly knows what works for
all skin types, and her line of simple formulations with minimal ingredients that pack maximum efficacy, is a big reader favorite and editor favorite, alike. The seven-ingredient Face Wash is a miracle of sorts—it takes off makeup and sunscreen and everything, without stripping the skin or leaving it feeling dry at all.
One Love Organics Easy Does It Foaming Cleanser
We had several votes for each of One Love Organics’ other cleansers, Botanical B Cleansing Oil and Botanical A Facial Cleanser, but ultimately, the top votes were for the brand’s universal and beloved multiuse, family-friendly cleanser, Easy Does It Foaming Cleanser. “If I could buy this by the gallon, I would,” said a reader. We agree (and the family size 32-ounce is a pretty good start)!
TOP FACIAL MASKS
Tate Harper's Resurfacing Mask
A bestseller powerhouse brand for a reason: “You can see results immediately,” as one of our readers wrote. This BHA and Enzyme Brightening Mask can be used for twenty minutes, three times a week, and the instant glow is undeniable. Long- term benefits are evident, too: cell renewal, smaller pores, less redness, reduced inflammation...there’s basically nothing this mask can’t do!
Leahlani Skincare Mermaid Mask
This company is the undisputed queen of facial masks, and so is its superfood smoothie-like Mermaid Mask that is beloved far and wide. Readers appreciate this mask because it “feels good from the moment you apply it” and for the “Hawaiian ingredients that make it extra-special.” Like all Leahlani products, it is “made fresh in small batches from high-performing organic, wildcrafted, and local Hawaiian ingredients. They are 100% cruelty-free, and contain no synthetic dyes or fragrances,” according to the brand’s website.
May Windstorm's The Problem Solver
One of our all-time favorite brands at Organic Spa Magazine; we’ve been fans from the very beginning. The Problem Solver is aptly named. Readers love that it comes in powder-to- mousse form and stays fresh until a scoop is mixed with water for a perfectly decadent, detoxifying effect.
TOP FACE OILS
Vinter's Daughter's Active Botanical Serum
This brand celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and we are just as in love with it as ever, still. “The best serum in the world,” one reader wrote. “It smells soooooo good and it actually works!” said another. We at OSM agree all around.
Eminence Organics Facial Recovery Oil
Biodynamic ingredients from Demeter International Certified Biodynamic farms include clary sage oil to calm and balance oil production, and olive oil to soothe skin while deeply hydrating it. Sage leaf extract, an antioxidant, rejuvenates and tones the look of skin, and ylang-ylang rounds out the blend by offering calming and balancing properties.
Osmia Skincare's Balance Facial Serum
It lives up to its name, helping your skin regulate its own sebum production and leads to a less oily appearance and fewer breakouts! We love that it contains black cumin seed oil that really calms the skin.
TOP BALMS
OKOKO Sublime Balm
Based in Vancouver, Canada, OKOKO Cosmetiques is a luxury skincare brand that creates sustainably sourced, high- performance, science-backed products. The Sublime Balm is formulated with exotic oils and butters, including the rare and precious tomato oil which is rich in lycopene and can moisturize, soften and protect the skin. It contains natural phytosterols and bisabolol to restore and protect the skin barrier.
Furtuna Rinascita Dell Olive Replenishing Balm
This gorgeous, blue replenishing balm contains a rich blend of botanicals, including skin-regenerating hawthorn, hydrating dandelion, soothing carrot and reparative
St. John’s Wort, plus the brand’s proprietary Wild-Foraged Replenishing Complex.
Leahlani Bless Beauty Balm
A perennial staff favorite for many reasons, this delicate pink balm is strong and mighty when it comes to soothing. “I want to bathe in this,” wrote one reader. We agree. It’s suitable for all skin types, and we never want to be without it. Pssssst! If you love the orange blossom and blue tansy scent, you might also love the brand’s Bless Aromatherapy Essence.
TOP SERUMS
FāTH The Collagen Serum Ancient Herb Anti-Gravity Treatment
We love how the brand summarizes this miracle-worker: "Ancient herbs meet modern biotech in this collagen-stimulating wonder-blend that rivals injectables"
Ranavat Radiant Rani Brightening Saffron Serum
Ranavat is beloved by industry insiders and celebs alike—fans include Mindy Kaling and Freida Pinto. The brand recently launched into Sephora and Harrods as the first South Asian-founded Ayurvedic skincare brand at both retailers.
Ursa Major Mountain Glow Golden Serum
“This is the best my skin has looked in a long time,” wrote one reader after using the Mountain Glow Golden Serum from Ursa Major for a few weeks.
TOP CBDs
Prima Products
Our readers’ go-to for pain relief. “This is better than taking ibuprofen,” commented one reader. We also love the scent and texture of the lotion, and love the R+R balm for on-the-go application.
OTO
This brand is redefining luxury CBD skincare with the delicate ampules that ensure absolute freshness and purity.
Saint Jane
Saint Jane Beauty’s hero product is their Luxury Beauty Serum, and it’s no mystery why. In addition to Full Spectrum Hemp Oil, the serum includes a blend of oils such as pomegranate, sunflower, grape seed, and jojoba. The powerful nutrients in all those oils provide excellent moisturization and skin-calming magic our readers love. Ninety-nine percent of participants in a blind study found this serum visibly improved redness and reduced irritation.
TOP FACIAL SUNCARE
Le Prunier Plumscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 31
This sunscreen really feels like a decadent moisturizer. It’s so full of potent goodness, you can wear it alone or over a moisturizer, like the brand’s cult-favorite Plum Oil. We love to wear this sunscreen daily under makeup, like Kjaer Weis’ foundation/concealer (It won in our top concealer category!)
Saie Slip Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 35 Tinted Moisturizer
A readers’ favorite by a landslide! They love how it “glides on and is never greasy.” Fans also describe it as the “ultimate time-saver” for busy people who need an all-in-one product for morning application. With tint, moisturizer and SPF, this one does it all.
Fitglow Beauty's Vita Shield PLum Hyaluronic SPF 30
This powerhouse environmental-defense product glides onto skin effortlessly for a weightless, zero white cast finish.
TOP EYE PRODUCTS
Herbivore's new Super Nova Eye Cream
Vitamin C and caffeine make eyes look brighter and more awake! This double-duty cream depuffs undereye bags while brightening the appearance of dark circles over time.
Three Ships Beauty's Brighter Days Red Algae and Avocado Biodegradable Eye Masks
Affordable, sustainable (did you see the part about how they are biodegradable?!), and really effective, according to this brand’s website, “hydrogel eye masks help visibly depuff, brighten and hydrate the delicate undereye area in just 10 minutes—without the need for excess plastic waste.” As a reader said, “I initially bought this because it uses upcycled avocado fruit extract and I thought that sounded cool. Then I actually used it and was blown away by the results.” Sounds like a win-win.
True Botanicals' Resurrection Radiance Eye Cream
One reader calls this cream the “...holy grail of eye products, and I’ve tried ‘em all!” We love that the brand did an independent scientific clinical blind study on 31 people over six weeks that showed the cream’s benefits: less fine lines, more hydration, reduction of puffiness. What can we say—we love science and data, and we love True Botanicals!
BEST PACKAGING INNOVATIONS
RMS ReDimension Hydra Powder Blush
If you thought you were done with powdered blush, this one’s for you. “This does not feel like a powder...in the best way,” said a reader. Multidimensional and non-drying, the blush that has made us believe in blush again is also refillable! Plus, each blush is good for—wait for it—three years! And they do last a long time. So between being long-lasting and sustainably packaged, this one is a winner all around.
Eu'Genia Shea
“I’d buy it for the tins,” one reader told us, but what’s inside is amazing, too!” Eu’Genia Shea’s brilliant butters come in packaging so cute you’ll keep using it long after you’ve bought more butter (and you will want to buy more—trust us.).
Axiology
This brand went completely plastic- free in 2022, and has long been one of our favorites. Whether you love the paper-wrapped Balmies or the cardboard-cased Multisticks, they all offer amazing color payoff and great ingredients.
BEST SOLIDS
Nopalera
After making waves on Shark Tank this past year, the clean beauty community noticed! (Technically, the entire world noticed. But we in the clean world are extra proud and excited!). Whether you’re looking to clean or to moisturize, Nopalera makes excellent solids, and packages them in cute, reusable tins that are great for travel.
Kate McLeod Body Stones
Pastry Chef Kate McLeod knows how to craft delicious things, and this one happens to be good for your skin.
Good Juju Shampoo and Conditioner Bars
“I can’t believe this actually works!” exclaimed one reader. We know it seems unusual, but solid shampoos and conditioner bars are becoming more and more common, as they should be! Why pay for water? Plus, this kind of innovation makes real change in the issue of beauty industry waste.
BEST NEW-TO-YOU MAKEUP BRANDS
Lovinah Supernatural Skincare
We can’t get enough of this brand’s rich, vivid colors! They make amazing skincare, too, and the Goddess Glow eyeshadow palette is especially not to be missed.
Cheekbone Beauty
We love this entire brand, and if we had gone deeper into more makeup categories, Cheekbone Beauty would’ve been a winner in many of them, for sure! We particularly love its Unify Multi-Pencil for its sustainability and efficacy. It can be used as a concealer, matte highlighter, contouring, bronzing, sculpting, full-face application, as a priming base for eyeshadow and more.
PYT Beauty
A clean makeup brand that’s bringing on the fun. With clean glitter, sustainable packaging, and all the shiny glosses you could want, readers are raving about all things PYT. “I’m obsessed with the Friends With Benefits Lip Duo—and not just because the name is funny,” shared one reader.
TOP FACIAL MOISTURIZERS
Josh Rosebrook Vital Balm Cream
The best of all worlds: hydrating like a cream, rich like a balm, moisturizing like an oil, potent like a serum, and plus, it smells amazing, for an overall aromatherapeutic experience to boot! It’s great for all skin types and conditions, including dehydrated, sensitive and reactive skin, and is also offered in an unscented (essential oil-free) version. Pair with Josh Rosebrook’s beloved Hydrating Accelerator.
Tammy Fender Intensive Repair Balm
A light cream that works like a super-thick balm, it provides hydration and moisture that last for hours, yet it never feels heavy or greasy. Full of regenerative ingredients like helichrysum, white lily and lotus, it can be used on scars or dark patches to heal damaged skin quickly.
YINA Hydraacloud Cream
The brand’s cofounders’ deep knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine (they are both Licensed Acupuncturists, among their many impressive credentials), is responsible for packing this cream with traditional Chinese herbs including their adaptogenic herb complex, which features Asian Ginseng, American Ginseng, Crown Prince Ginseng, Eleuthero (Siberian Ginseng), and Centella. Per the brand, “These herbs slow the skin’s aging process, boost collagen production, help reduce inflammation, enhance skin elasticity, and protect against oxidative stress and premature aging.”
TOP BODY OILS & MOISTURIZERS
54 Thrones African Beauty Butter
Inspired by West African Shea butter traditions, this waterless product is made with two types of shea butter, and can be used as a rich, all- over body moisturizer, or as a powerful spot treatment for extra-dry spots like elbows and knees. It comes in six scents (including a fragrance- free option) so there’s literally something for everyone!
Beneath Your Mask Heal Whipped Skin Souffle
The name of this product tells you so much of what we (and readers) love about it: It’s whipped (think light and fluffy but also rich and dense and super moisturizing), it helps your body heal (one reader said, “this changed not just my skin but my life!”), and it is as decadent as a souffle!
OSEA's brand new Undaria Collagen Body Lotion
We’ve been in love with OSEA’s Undaria Algae Oil for years, and now the brand has taken that beloved concept and made a body lotion utilizing the same Undaria seaweed that we love from the oil. The Undaria Collagen Body Lotion includes several ingredients we often only see in facial skincare: hyaluronic acid, vegan collagen and peptides, all of which help to replenish the moisture barrier for healthy, revitalized skin. (launches May 16, 2023). The new Collagen Body Lotion is available with a light scent or fragrance-free, and is suitable for all skin types.
TOP BODY CLEANSERS
Lady Suite's Intimate Refreshing Cleanser with Postbiotics
“I didn’t think I needed a separate cleanser for my vulva and most sensitive areas, but guess what, I did! And now I can’t live without it,” said one reader, and we couldn’t agree more.
Bathing Culture's Mind and Body Wash
A multipurpose, for-the-whole- family soap our readers are stocking up on. “I love that it comes in big sizes for refills,” said a reader.
Josh Rosebrook Biome Body Cleanse
This contains vitamin C like you’d want for a facial product, but it’s meant to be used all over! After all, doesn’t your body deserve the same pampering your face does?
TOP DEODORANTS
Necessaire Deodorant Gel
If you’ve been looking for a gel deodorant that is all natural, look no further. Available in two scents and an unscented version, this gel has 5% AHA plus niacinamide.
Routine Superstar Cream Deodorant
One reader claims that “Superstar saved my life,” and we get it. With prebiotics, magnesium and activated charcoal, this deodorant is extra in the best way. It smells great, feels good on armpits, and contains a tiny bit of baking soda—enough to work, but not enough to be irritating to super-sensitive pits.
Ursa Major Hoppin' Fresh Deodorant
“I have the world’s most sensitive underarms,” wrote an Organic Spa reader, “and this is the only deodorant that works really well and isn’t irritating.” That reader wasn’t the only
fan who wrote in. “I gave one of these to my father-in-law, one to my sister, and one to each of my close friends,” said another. With fans like that, it’s no wonder that this is an award winner and a bestseller.
TOP HAIRCARE
Sienna Naturals Dream Curl
“The answer to my curly hair dreams,” said one reader. “Game changing,” wrote another. “I’m obsessed with all their products,” said more than one person. Cofounded by CEO Hannah Diop and cofounder/muse, television and film star Issa Rae (you might have heard of her—we’re superfans), this brand is “on a mission to empower you with the products you need to make your hair and scalp the healthiest it has ever been.” Love! Its new Dream Curl Cream is already a huge hit with Organic Spa Magazine readers.
Maya Chia Mane Agent, Advanced Molecular Bond Repair
This brand rocked the new trend of bond strengthening in clean beauty this year when it released this lightweight spray, which instantly makes hair feel thicker and stronger, and over time, reduces damage and breakage. Apply on towel-dried hair and blow dry or air dry—either way, you will see the difference in your hair!
Innersense Organic Beauty I Create Shine
A perennial favorite for Organic Spa readers, and this past year it launched so many good additions to its endless catalog of haircare necessities. Favorite shout-outs went to the new I Create Shine glossing serum which came out in summer 2022. More than one reader has mentioned asking the brand to use this scent in a perfume.
Honorable Mentions
We have to include two “honorable mentions” in this category—because it’s such a huge category—which are Briogeo and Evolvh, two brands we love. Evolvh has just announced that it’s working on Shampoo and Conditioner “Slips” that are little strips of product, with no water and no plastic and limited packaging...stay tuned, because we think this is going to revolutionize the hair care space!
TOP CONCEALERS
Kjaer Weis Cream Foundation
Technically a foundation, this multipurpose, buildable cream is perfect as an all-in-one magic- worker for whatever you need. Want just concealer? Great, it’s a concealer. Want full coverage all over your face? Perfect, it does that, too. Need it sheer and dewy? No problem, just layer it over the brand’s nourishing Face Oil. Everything you need, all in a beautiful, sustainable package.
Illia Concealer
Not just a concealer, it’s also skincare that, over time, helps improve the issues that lead you to want to use concealer in the first place! With ingredients like vitamin C and Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, this medium-coverage concealer will leave your skin better than it found it.
Jillian Dempsy Spot Stick
“The easiest concealer I’ve ever used,” said one reader who wrote to recommend this super-portable product. It’s tiny enough to fit in a purse or pocket, but packs a punch with soothing, skin-supporting ingredients like vitamin E and sunflower seed wax.
TOP MASCARAS
TOK Beauty's Eyes That TOK Lash Enhancing Mascara
An all-around winner, it checks all the boxes: It’s water-resistant, conditions lashes, reduces breakage, and promotes growth. “Buy two,” said one reader. “You don’t want to be without this.”
Fitglow Beauty Vegan Good Lash + Mascara
“It’s the two-sided brush that gets me,” wrote one reader. Another one said, “the formula is unmatched!” Verdict from the OSM team? Both of them are correct! Plus, this mascara is “semi- waterproof,” which means less smudging and flaking, especially in the warmer months.
RMS new Straight Up Volumizing Peptide Mascara
Queen of innovation Rose-Marie Swift never stops creating new things we can’t live without, and RMS’s recent reformulation of its bestselling mascara is no exception. This gives the “perfect, fluffy lashes” our readers can’t stop talking about.
TOP LIP GLOSSES
RMS Liplights Cream Lip Gloss
Personal favorite of our beauty writer and Top Beauty Picks video journalist Emily Barth Isler, this balm-like gloss is a game-changer. Never sticky, super-moisturizing, these color- rich balms come in a super sustainable artist’s metal tube which is great for dispensing the perfect amount and for recycling.
Illa Balmy Tint Hydrating Lip Balm
This creamy lip product has the color of a lipstick and the moisture of a balm. It has a subtle gloss but isn’t too shiny—one reader called shade Faded the “brown tint of my ‘90s dreams,” and we’ll take one in every color, thanks!
Fitglow Beauty Lip Colour Serum
The ultimate clean beauty lip gloss, this one does triple duty. In addition to the perfect colors, with options for glitter or gloss, Fitglow’s lip serums are true to their name, with all the ingredients you’d want for a serum to help ease fine lines and dryness on and around the delicate skin of the lips. Also, it contains subtle plumping ingredients, but is never tingly or uncomfortable.
TOP FRAGRANCE
By Rosie Jane's Rosie
“The first perfume that doesn’t give me a headache,” one reader wrote. We concur; the endocrine-safe, phthalate-free perfumes blended with an organic sugar cane alcohol last 4-5 hours on skin and the brand is 100% transparent with ingredients.
Lake and Skye Apaaray
Lake and Skye Apaaray is brand new and completely exceptional. With notes of fig, lemon, orris, violet, sandalwood and amber, this scent’s name, Apaaray, means “infinite” and “was inspired by a meditation mantra that uses this word and is meant to break through obstacles and amplify magnetism,” according to the brand’s website.
Tocca
Four recently released dry body oil scents are clean, and boy, do we love them, as well as the packaging! Florence and Stella are reader favorites, but all four scents of this dry oil fragrance are vegan, phthalate-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, mineral oil-free, silicone-free, formaldehyde-free and gluten-free.
TOP TOOLS
Lanshin Gua Sha Tools
Brand founder Sandra Lanshin Chiu L.Ac., MSTCM, is a true expert: acupuncturist, herbalist, and TCM practitioner. We love her Gua Sha tools and the videos and tutorials she shares online for how to use them!
MoMi Beauty's Gua Sha Comb
MoMi Beauty’s Gua Sha Comb is beautiful, effective, and “made with a cooling natural metal to calm any scalp irritation or itching,” (according to the brand’s website). We love to zone out in front of the TV in the evening and use this comb to wind down and promote a healthy scalp and hair.
Jenny Patinkin Mister Assister Facial Hydration Tool
Jenny Patinkin Mister Assister Facial Hydration Tool is the first tech tool from the eco-luxe brand that uses ultrasonic vibration to break water down into nanoparticles. When this happens, you’re able to penetrate the uppermost layer of the skin, bind with water inside the cells, prepping for ultra-hydration in 30 seconds. And just like that your face is instantly ready to soak up all the yummy skincare to follow, enhancing the performance!
TOP NAIL POLISHES
Liberation Nails
According to our readers, the polishes “actually smell good,” “has the best colors,” and “lasts so long.”
Olive and June
This brand has absolutely changed the way we do our own nails, with its tools, tutorials, and “patented universal polish bottle handle [that] makes painting your own nails easier, faster, and better than ever.” We don’t (or can’t) do our nails without it.
Jin Soon
These nail spas are located in New York City, but if you can’t go in person, you’re still in luck—the brand sells all the things you’d get in the spa, minus the actual application! Gorgeous colors of its 21-free polishes, hand and cuticle care, and on-trend nail art appliques are all available no matter where you live!
TOP HOLISTIC BRANDS USING UNIQUE/NEW/TRADITIONAL INGREDIENTS
N8iV Beauty Starlight Regenerative Acorn Oil Serum
It was “love at first use” for one reader who tried N8iV, and the staff at Organic Spa Magazine couldn’t agree more. “It makes my skin feel plump and bouncy,” one editor added. The brand’s website explains that acorn oil has been used in native/indigenous skincare dating back over 14,000 years.“ As the First People of the Western continent, Luiseño/Payómkawichum people speak the language of our Plant Ancestors,” the site states. “We understand that acorn (kwíila) oil is the blood (life-force) of the mighty oak. We use this potent ingredient as a source of power for our skin, which infuses our spirit making us shine like stars.” Acorn oil is a source of essential fatty acids (oleic, linoleic, α-linolenic and palmitic acids) allowing for a renewal of cell turnover.
Redmint Pearl Facial Cleanser
All Redmint skincare rituals are inspired by the ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine and formulated with plant-based, results-driven natural ingredients. The Pearl Facial Cleanser is unique and luxurious, removing makeup and impurities to reveal brighter, luminous skin. From the brand’s website: “Pearl powder is one of the most powerful anti-aging and brightening agents from the ancient herb books.”
Naturopathica Chill Chocolate Vine Stress Mask
We’ve long loved this holistic brand for its spa-quality, healing-centered herbal apothecary products and the Chill Chocolate Vine Stress Mask is no exception! Chocolate Vine is a smoothing, lifting and moisturizing botanical, named for its delicate chocolate scent, and is widely used in Korean Traditional Medicine to fight the visible signs of accelerated aging caused by stress.