Even with so many natural and organic skincare brands existing, it’s tempting to try them all until you finally find the brand that creates the formula you never knew you needed. A few all-natural, safe-ingredient-packed brands dominate the buzz these days, but that doesn’t mean other skincare companies aren’t out there doing just as good, if not better, in crafting the best toxic-free products. The following 7 natural and organic skincare brands are way worth the try and may just be the savior you’ve been looking for when it comes to healthy and radiant skin.

These 7 brands pay respect to natural and organic beauty ingredients and it shows, with products that skimp on the toxins and overload on the natural effectiveness of simple and pure ingredients. For each natural and organic skincare brand, I highlight the one product that really stands out and may inspire you to try something new. Enjoy!

1. Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques

Using natural and certified organic oils and extracts, flower essences and minerals and pigments from the earth, Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques is a cruelty-free brand with a full-range of products, from bronzers and foundations to body glitter and masques. Its Organic Sweet Chai Lip Scrub exfoliates and moisturizes with brown sugar, shea butter and grapeseed oil.

2. Devera Naturals

Devera Naturals was inspired by the company’s founder Linda’s connection with a Mennonite lady named Marilu, who would make her own natural skincare products with ingredients sourced from the garden. Devera’s ingredients are natural and organic and are packaged in recyclable containers and equipped with environmentally-safe ink labels. Devera offers a relatively small range of high-quality products, all of which run under $68. Its Bodacious Lips formula plumps, balms and glosses with the help of licorice root extract, soybean seed extract and castor and jojoba oils.

3. Honey Girl Organics

Crafted in Hawaii, Honey Girl Organics creams, toners and balms are infused with anti-aging ingredients. All of the products are certified organic and made with the beautifying properties inherent in raw honey, beeswax, propolis, pollen and royal jelly. All products are non-GMO, gluten-free and cruelty-free as well. The Facial Toner is made with witch hazel extract, rose fragrance, propolis, lemon oil and neroli oil, which together combat wrinkles and puffiness by stimulating blood flow into the capillaries.

4. Benshen

Natural and organic and made in small batches, Benshen products are a combination of essential oils as well as floral and herbal elements. Each product is carefully crafted based on it ingredients’ healing powers in order to nourish, rejuvenate and heal the body. The products nurture the physical body but uplift the spirit, providing a wholly rounded experience in beauty and overall zen. Founder Desiree offers a Custom Alchemy + Consultation experience, so you can get your hands on a facial elixir formula that is right for your unique and dynamic blueprint.

5. Osmia Organics

Its namesake, osmia, which translate to “sense of smell”, is telling of Osmia Organics attention to the scent and aromatherapeutic benefits of its products. In fact, the company’s products are all about the sensory experience. Using no synthetic colors or fragrances, the company’s products are meant to not only improve the appearance and health of the skin but also engage the senses and lift the spirit. Its Protein Exfoliating Mask is made with organic, hand-milled adzuki beans, quinoa and sandalwood to create an exfoliate mask that tightens, firms, and softens the skin whilst leaving it kissed with a touch of lavender.

6. Frownies

Devoted to reverse the signs of aging, Frownies takes the artificial and toxic ingredients out of the formula. All of its products are free of parabens, polysorbate, disodium EDTA, sodium laureth, lauryl sulfate, phthalates, and fragrances. Its Aroma Therapy Cellulite Cream is packed with essential oils, natural caffeine and plankton to firm, tone and smooth the appearance of cellulite, so you can rock those mini skirts and shorts with a little more confidence.

7. Verefina

Verefina skincare products are free of parabens, petrochemicals, artificial colors and artificial fragrances. Instead, the company uses olive and calendula oil, essential oils, shea and cocoa butters as well as aloe vera to offer your skin natural nutrition. Its Moisturizing Deodorant Cream is made with arrowroot powder, baking soda, coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter and essential oils, keeping your pits smelling good and feeling fresh, without the toxic overload.

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Image of woman applying makeup via Shutterstock

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Dry, winter skin is no match for these five naturally wonderful beauty products that will keep you glowing.

After 15 sun-speckled years of giving directions to the Hollywood sign, I recently moved back to the northeast. This was not the move of a California girl who knows the best beauty products for sun protection like she knows her Sigalerts. In fact, I have a long and storied childhood steeped in ice and snow. Growing up, I scoffed at icy temperatures, baring my face to bone-chilling winds with nary a chapped cheek to be had.

Now, in the middle of a Boston winter, I can’t go outside without instantly looking like a dehydrated fish. The difference? I’m actually sheathed in the skin of an adult woman. Winter didn’t seem to bother my younger-me skin, leaving me to strut around in the cold like an un-moisturized Kardashian on camera. But now, the baby fat of my youth having fled to the cheeks of my nieces, means winter’s cold  winds have the upper hand.

But luckily, for all of us who haven’t seen the sun for several days because it’s hanging out in Florida playing Canasta, the beauty industry has offered up the tools to fight back against winter blues. Here are five of the best beauty products to brighten our skins—and our spirits.

1. Wild Rose Mineral Illuminating Powder by Korres ($18.00)
If you feel like your skin is about as reflective and glowing as that pile of muddy snow with the burrito wrapper frozen into it, this light illuminating powder from Korres is a great solution. With a lovely rose scent, it offers up a universally-flattering brightener for your skin tone, giving your skin a shimmery, natural glow. It’s also free of talc, parabens, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances.

2. Survivor by Spa Ritual ($12.00)
Sometimes, the best beauty products can be something that is just fun to wear—and one that is also doing good in the world. From SpaRitual comes Survivor, this sparkly pink nail polish shade inspired by the “strength and personal power women possess.” With 20 percent of profits going to Fran Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer health-advocacy program, this vegan product is free of harmful DBP, toluene, formaldehyde, and formaldehyde resin.

3. Organic Milk Bath by Osmia Organics ($50.00)
Sometimes, when you’re chilled to the bone, you just want to take advantage of the most awesomely modern conveniences of the modern world—accessible hot water. (The use of which, okay yes, you should be conscious of as a proper eco-person.) So when you’re soaking in a warm, volume-curated bath this winter, consider adding Organic Bath Milk to soothe and moisturize your skin. Made with organic buttermilk powder, organic oats, and baking soda mixed with organic and wild-harvested essential oils, your bath will turn into a warm, milky, skin-conditioning soup.

4. Biodynamic Facial Soufflé by Elemental Herbology ($76.00)
If you’re in the market for an intense moisturizer than doesn’t feel like your shellacking butter onto your chapped cheeks, consider this light moisturizer from Elemental Herbology. With a silky, lightly-floral application, this over-night mask is an excellent solution to dry and dehydrated skin. Using premium-grade botanicals ethically-harvested, it employs SLS-free surfactants that are 100 percent biodegradable.

5. Parsley and Sour Cream Mask by You (Market Price)
Not all of the best beauty products have to drain your bank account. Consider whipping up a homemade beauty solution right from your refrigerator. Beauty expert Narine Nikogosian offers up this skin-brightening solution in her tome, Return to Beauty: Old World Recipes for Great Radiant Skin. For dry skin, take one tablespoon of chopped parsley and one tablespoon of organic sour cream. Mix the ingredients together. Apply to your face for 20 minutes, rinsing with cold water.

Image: glorius/Flickr

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