We read food labels. We look at supplement ingredients. We think about what’s in our water, what we cook with, and what we bring into our homes.
But when was the last time you turned over your moisturizer, body lotion, face wash, deodorant, serum, or scrub and really looked at the ingredient list?
For many of us, the bathroom cabinet is one of the last places we think to clean up.
And maybe it shouldn’t be.
Your skin is your body’s largest organ and an important protective barrier between you and the outside world. What we put on it can affect the skin itself but it can also impact the body internally. Most of what you put on your skin is absorbed and suddenly it's a problem your liver didn't ask for.
That makes skincare more than a beauty conversation. It belongs in the wellness conversation, too.
The good news? Choosing a more natural skincare routine doesn’t have to mean replacing everything you own overnight, spending a fortune, or giving up products that actually work.
It can start with something much simpler.
Turn the bottle around.
How Many Products Touch Your Skin Every Day?
Think about your morning before you’ve even left the house.
Body wash. Face wash. Serum. Moisturizer. Deodorant. Makeup. Lotion. Hair products. Maybe perfume.
Then there are the weekly products—masks, exfoliators, scrubs, shaving products, treatments, and more.
We become so accustomed to these routines that we may stop thinking about how many different products touch our skin throughout an average day—or what is actually in them.
And here’s something many consumers don’t realize:
Just because a cosmetic or skincare product is sitting on a store shelf does not mean the FDA reviewed and approved its ingredients before it got there.
With the exception of color additives, cosmetic products and ingredients generally do not require FDA approval before they go on the market. Cosmetic companies are responsible for ensuring their products are safe and properly labeled.
That’s a pretty important distinction.
Seeing a product in a major retailer can create the impression that someone has already examined every ingredient and given the finished formula an FDA stamp of approval.
In most cases, that simply isn’t what happened.
Which means becoming an informed consumer matters.
You Have More Choice Than You May Realize
One of the biggest misconceptions about cleaning up a skincare routine is that complicated ingredient lists filled with synthetic ingredients are simply part of modern skincare.
They don’t have to be.
Products made with 100% natural ingredients exist.
Natural oils, plant butters, herbs, clays, botanical extracts, and other naturally derived ingredients can all be used in skincare designed to cleanse, moisturize, exfoliate, soften, and care for the skin.
And choosing natural doesn’t mean giving up products that work.
It also doesn’t mean making your own lotion in the kitchen or spending $100 on a tiny jar of moisturizer.
There are companies creating effective products with ingredient lists that align much more closely with what many of us actually want to put on our bodies.
Natural skincare exists.
It can work.
And it doesn’t automatically have to be expensive.
Fragrance: We’ve Had This Conversation Before
If you’ve been around for a while, this conversation might sound familiar.
Remember when we talked about “natural flavors”?
We learned that those two innocent-looking words on a food label don’t necessarily tell you very much about what is actually in the flavoring mixture.
Well...meet the skincare version.
“Fragrance.”
Or maybe you’ll see “parfum.”
It sounds like one ingredient. It isn’t necessarily one ingredient at all.
Under U.S. labeling rules, fragrance formulas can contain mixtures of ingredients without every individual component being disclosed on the label. The entire mixture may simply appear as “fragrance.”
So you can turn the bottle around, diligently read every ingredient, and still not necessarily know everything that makes up that scent.
That matters to me.
And this is one of the biggest reasons I put products back on the shelf—even products marketed as “natural.”
If I’m specifically trying to choose a product made with natural ingredients and I see “fragrance,” I have questions.
Where is that scent coming from? Is it naturally derived? Is it synthetic? What exactly is in the blend?
If the label or company doesn’t give me enough information to answer those questions, I’m probably putting it back.
Fragrances are also a recognized source of cosmetic allergies and sensitivities, and certain chemicals used in fragrance and personal-care products—including some phthalates—have been studied for endocrine-disrupting effects.
And on a personal level? Once I cut synthetic fragrance out of my life, I realized just how differently my body responded to it.
I haven’t intentionally used synthetic fragrance in my personal-care products for years. Now I can barely put one foot inside Bath & Body Works without getting a headache. I avoid the perfume section of a department store like the plague because it makes me feel sick.
And for my generation, I can explain the difference in two words:
Sun-Ripened Raspberry.
If you know, YOU KNOW.
That smell was everywhere when I was younger. At the time, it smelled like raspberries to me.
Now?
After years without synthetic fragrance, something like that doesn’t smell like a basket of raspberries to my nose anymore. It smells overwhelmingly artificial.
That’s my personal experience, but it’s also one of the reasons I’m so passionate about encouraging people to pay attention to fragrance.
And here’s the important part:
You don’t need synthetic fragrance to make a product smell amazing.
There are natural ways to scent personal-care products, and there are completely unscented options too.
So when you’re standing in the skincare aisle looking at something marketed as “clean,” “green,” “botanical,” or “natural,” don’t let the front of the bottle make the decision for you.
Turn it around.
Because just like we learned with “natural flavors,” sometimes the most important word on the ingredient list is the one that tells you the least.
What Else Is Worth Turning the Bottle Around For?
Fragrance may be one of my biggest personal dealbreakers, but it isn’t the only ingredient category worth understanding.
Parabens
Parabens are preservatives commonly used in cosmetics and personal-care products to help prevent the growth of bacteria and mold.
You may recognize names like methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, or ethylparaben on an ingredient list.
Why do holistic and functional-medicine practitioners pay so much attention to them?
Because parabens have demonstrated estrogenic activity.
Research has shown that certain parabens can bind to estrogen receptors and activate estrogen-related signaling. Their activity is weaker than the estrogen your body naturally produces, but that still raises questions when we’re talking about repeated exposure from multiple products used day after day.
Research has also investigated parabens for their potential to interfere with steroid-hormone pathways and act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
Your endocrine system relies on very precise signaling. When outside compounds can interact with those same pathways, it makes sense to ask whether you really need that exposure in your routine when paraben-free alternatives are readily available.
For me, the question is simple:
If I can choose an effective product without an ingredient that has demonstrated endocrine activity...why wouldn’t I?
Phthalates
Phthalates are another group of chemicals worth knowing because they show up throughout modern life—from plastics to personal-care products—and certain phthalates have been used in fragrance formulations.
Research into phthalates has repeatedly focused on their ability to interfere with hormone signaling, particularly androgen activity.
Some phthalates have demonstrated anti-androgenic effects, meaning they can interfere with pathways involving hormones such as testosterone.
Human research has also associated exposure to certain phthalates with reproductive outcomes, thyroid signaling, metabolism, insulin resistance, obesity, oxidative stress, and inflammation.
And there’s something especially important about phthalates when we’re talking about skincare:
We can encounter them through food packaging, plastics, household dust, and personal-care products. Many are metabolized and cleared relatively quickly, but exposure can happen again and again throughout the day.
And That’s Not All
Fragrance, parabens, and phthalates are only three of the ingredient categories worth paying attention to.
There are many more chemicals commonly found in cosmetics and personal-care products that you may want to learn about—from certain preservatives and surfactants to ingredients used in sunscreens, antibacterial products, nail products, and more.
We could turn this entire blog into a very long list, but that isn’t really the goal.
The goal is to get you to start asking questions.
Turn your products around. Look up ingredients you don’t recognize. Learn why they’re there, what research says about them, and decide what you’re comfortable using on your body every day.
If you want to keep digging, the National University of Natural Medicine put together a helpful list of personal-care chemicals to research and consider avoiding:
Personal Care Chemicals to Avoid — National University of Natural Medicine
It’s Not Just One Product
This is one of the foundations of functional and holistic wellness.
Your body has systems designed to process and eliminate substances you encounter. The goal isn’t to pretend you can eliminate every exposure from modern life.
You can’t.
But think about the total picture.
Your face wash. Moisturizer. Lotion. Deodorant. Makeup. Perfume. Hair products. Household cleaners. Plastic packaging. Food containers.
One exposure may be small.
But modern life can mean repeated exposure to many different substances from many different sources, every single day.
This is sometimes described as the “toxic bucket” or total-body-load concept.
The goal isn’t perfection.
It’s reducing the exposures you actually have control over.
If changing your lotion, perfume, skincare, or other personal-care products removes one repeated source, that is a choice you can make.
Not perfection.
Reducing the exposures you can control.
Natural Doesn’t Mean Ineffective
Choosing natural skincare doesn’t mean blindly buying anything with a leaf on the package—and it definitely doesn’t mean settling for products that don’t work.
Nature gives skincare formulators a pretty incredible toolbox.
Plant oils and butters can moisturize and soften. Botanical ingredients can provide antioxidant compounds. Clays can cleanse and exfoliate. And thoughtfully chosen natural ingredients can be combined to target very specific skincare needs.
A product doesn’t need an ingredient list that takes up the entire side of the bottle to DO something.
And we have some pretty great examples.
Natural Beauty, the No Crap In It Way
If you’ve made it this far thinking, “Okay, but where do I actually FIND these products?”—this is the fun part.
We talk a LOT about supplements and wellness products around here, but No Crap In It has an entire beauty and skincare side that deserves some attention.
And these aren’t natural products that simply smell nice and moisturize your skin.
Some of them do some pretty incredible things.
Tallow All Purpose Balm: The Head-to-Toe Multitasker
If you’re going to start replacing products in your bathroom cabinet, this one can potentially replace more than one.
Our Tallow All Purpose Balm is a true head-to-toe product made with grass-fed tallow, cold-pressed olive oil, jojoba oil, and beeswax.
Tallow naturally contains vitamins A, D, E, and K along with essential fatty acids, and its uses go far beyond everyday hydration.
Think dry, cracked hands and heels. Face and neck. Lips and cuticles. Sensitive or irritated skin. Redness. Rashes. Minor cuts and burns. Scars and stretch marks. The appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Even skin concerns such as eczema.
It deeply moisturizes while supporting the skin barrier, elasticity, and firmness—and you can use it anywhere you would normally reach for moisturizer, face cream, lotion, or lip balm.
In a third-party two-week study of 130 participants, 94% said their skin felt more nourished and moisturized, 93% said it felt calmer, soothed, and balanced, and 90% reported faster healing and significantly reduced irritation or itchiness for the skin concerns included in the study.
And if you’ve only seen our classic Tallow, keep looking. We have some new seasonsal scents joining the lineup for fall!
Goddess Face Cream: Your Nighttime Skin Treat
Goddess is the one to reach for when your skin is begging for a little extra love.
Made with just six natural ingredients—including organic coconut oil, emu oil, evening primrose oil, and vitamin E—Goddess deeply moisturizes while supporting elasticity, firmness, and the skin barrier. It can help soften the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, soothe redness, and leave dry or aging skin feeling soft and hydrated.
We love thinking of Goddess as a nighttime treat for your face, but don’t stop at your jawline.
It was also designed with thinning, aging skin in mind, which is why so many women love using it on their hands as they age too.
And at $25 for 2 ounces, this one is a pretty good reminder that natural skincare does not automatically mean buying a $100 face cream.
Holy Glow: When Beauty Meets Holistic Wellness
We just spent quite a bit of time talking about why we pay attention to ingredients that may interfere with hormone signaling—so Holy Glow feels like the perfect product to bring that conversation full circle.
Holy Glow is an all-natural face and body serum made with sweet almond oil, jojoba, evening primrose, vitamin E, rose hips, and a botanical blend of lemon, clary sage, ylang ylang, rosemary, and frankincense.
For your skin, there is a LOT happening in that little bottle.
It deeply nourishes and hydrates, helps restore moisture balance, supports softer and more supple skin, helps even the appearance of skin tone, and targets the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
But I also love the intentionality behind the essential-oil blend.
Clary sage and ylang ylang have long histories of use in aromatherapy and holistic women’s wellness—specifically their abilities to help balance hormones. Instead of hiding the scent behind the word “fragrance,” you can turn the bottle around and see exactly which botanical oils are creating it.
That’s ingredient transparency.
Holy Glow can be used on both the face and body, making it another great multitasker.
No Puff & Stuff: Four Ingredients. One Very Delicate Area.
The skin around your eyes is delicate—and if there’s anywhere you might want to rethink a complicated ingredient list, this is a pretty good place to start.
No Puff & Stuff Eye Serum is made with just four ingredients: organic coconut oil, vitamin E, aloe vera, and lemon.
That simple formula is designed to reduce under-eye puffiness, deeply moisturize, brighten dull-looking skin, improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and promote the appearance of firmer, smoother skin.
Four ingredients. No mile-long label. Targeted skincare with a purpose
Want a Whole Routine? Meet Amalfi.
If replacing your skincare one product at a time eventually has you ready for a simple natural facial routine, our Amalfi collection makes that incredibly easy.
Start with the Amalfi Oily Face Cleanser, which uses a blend of oils including sweet almond, jojoba, castor, sunflower, argan, and rosehip to cleanse without stripping away your skin’s natural moisture.
Follow with Amalfi Face Refining Toner to refresh, gently exfoliate, and support a smoother, clearer, and more even-looking complexion.
Finish with a few drops of Amalfi Age-Defying Face Oil to deeply nourish and soften while targeting the appearance of fine lines, uneven tone, and dullness.
Cleanse. Tone. Nourish.
A complete skincare routine doesn’t have to require ten products—or an ingredient list you need a chemistry degree to decipher.
Hair Reduction Oil: Natural Skincare Can Be Targeted, Too
Natural skincare isn’t limited to cleansing and moisturizing. Sometimes you want a product to do something very specific.
Our Hair Reduction Oil is made with just three ingredients: Cyperus rotundus oil, sweet almond oil, and jojoba oil.
It’s designed to help slow and reduce the appearance of unwanted hair regrowth over time while keeping the skin soft and hydrated.
Use it after shaving, waxing, plucking, or another form of hair removal and continue applying consistently. With regular use, hair may begin to appear slower-growing and finer, with most people beginning to notice results within 4–8 weeks.
Three ingredients. One very specific job.
And another example of why choosing natural doesn’t mean choosing products that don’t DO anything.
Don’t Throw Away Your Bathroom. Start Replacing It.
If you’re mentally inventorying your bathroom right now thinking, “Well, great. Now I need to replace everything”...
Nope.
Please don’t walk into your bathroom with a garbage bag.
Creating a more natural personal-care routine doesn’t have to happen overnight, and it doesn’t need to become an expensive project.
Start with the next empty bottle.
When your moisturizer runs out, don’t automatically repurchase the same one. Turn it around. Read the ingredients. See what else is available.
Then do the same with your lotion. Your face wash. Your deodorant. Your serum. Your shampoo.
One product at a time.
You’re already going to spend money replacing those products when they’re empty. The difference is that now you’re making an intentional decision about what replaces them.
Imagine what your bathroom cabinet could look like six months or a year from now if every time you finished something, you simply made a more informed choice about what came next.
You don’t have to eliminate every questionable ingredient from your life. You don’t have to live in a bubble. And you certainly don’t have to be perfect.
Just start paying attention.
Turn the bottle around.
Ask questions.
Decide what you do—and don’t—want on your skin.
Then make a different choice when you can.
Because if you’ve already learned to read the labels on what goes IN your body, it’s time to start reading the labels on what goes ON it, too.