Sustainable and ethical Beautycounter Alternatives for Skincare + Makeup: My top picks!

If you’re landing on this page you probably know that Beautycounter recently announced a temporary shut down until late 2024. This brought a lot of questions which I tried to help with in THIS video, but it also left a lot of people not knowing what brands to choose as Beautycounter alternatives now they’re gone. Many people chose Beautycounter over the last 13 years for it’s “unicorn” like balance of safe formulation, ethical sourcing, sustainability, B corp certification, advocacy heavy metal testing and effective products… which means it’s really hard to replace!

JUMP STRAIGHT TO BEAUTYCOUNTER ALTERNATIVES PRODUCT BY PRODUCT!

But on this journey of being more mindful about what comes into our homes I’m a huge believer in taking the next best step at each point, and the one that’s not overwhelming.

For me personally, I need to see skin products with formulations that are careful and safe for me and my family. But I also need to see sustainability, and ethics. Brands can have varying levels of those things and it can feel confusing – my advice is to not let overwhelm creep in and just make your next best choice. To try and keep things simple, I’m giving you the brands that I’ll personally be moving to and also some other options you might like. Because the better choice you’ll actually make is the best real life option.

Beautycounter alternatives that I think are great but I’m NOT choosing:

Beautycounter was a direct sales company and it was a source of income for many people who worked with them as affiliates and ‘brand advocates.’ For this reason, a lot of people are moving from Beautycounter to work with another direct sales company. I’m not moving to work with any direct sales company and I make no money off any sales through any of them. But from that place I do think there are a few that replace some of the aspects of Beautycounter. I wanted to note those in case you see people representing those brands. They’re not going to me my personal choice going forward but I wanted to give an overview. My way forward is not the only way – and you get to find the option that works for YOU.

CRUNCHI: Firstly, Crunchi has a makeup line and skincare too that bans a lot of what Beautycounter did, tests for heavy metals, and rates really well on EWG. A long time Beautycounter consultant and clean makeup artist I’ve worked for for years and trust hugely has gone there. So if you want recommendations or swaps from that brand and that’s what feels simple you can shop HERE or email Sarafaithatwood@gmail.com for recommendations and colour matching.

ARBONNE: Secondly, I’m a huge believer in the B Corporation movement. I didn’t know that Arbonne has been working towards a higher and higher score and making massive sustainability strides in the last few years (see them on the B corp directory HERE). Their products don’t feature hugely on EWG, but they do have a massive list of ingredients they don’t use in formulation, and they test for heavy metals and other contaminants which is a big plus.

Better Beautycounter alternatives that I AM choosing: Places to Shop + Specific swaps

4 places to shop if you want to search yourself:

1. CREDO: Credo isn’t a makeup brand, but a helpful clean beauty store with stringent parameters on what they stock. They’ve long been one of my top resources for easy skincare and makeup shopping in the US. They’re like a clean and sustainability focused Sephora who stock hundreds of better, brands. I think it takes the hard work out of shopping by putting better brands in one place. At the very least you know everything stocked there has to be “Credo Clean” and is far better than what you’d find at the mall. You can read their parameters for the brands Credo stock HERE and I’ve put my best alternatives for Beautycounter products with options from Credo below. This option is what I imagine most prior Beautycounter customers will do and I highly recommend it!

Link for the US HERE

2. ILIA: If you want to go with one single brand I think one of the top brands out there (that bonus, it also ships to the US, Canada and the UK!) is Ilia. They’re an OG brand in the clean beauty world and formulate really well, test for heavy metals and contaminants, source ethically, score well on EWG, and are really focused on true sustainability. They have a good makeup range and a streamlined skincare range, and because of all they are they’re more pricey. I think for the prior Beautycounter customers who were most stringent about having ALL of heavy metal testing, formulation, sustainability and ethics, this brand may be the best choice! You might have to adjust your skincare routine to fit their products if you go solely Ilia, and I’m happy to help if you want that.

Link for the US direct from Ilia HERE
Link for the UK + Europe HERE and on Content Beauty HERE

4. DIME: I included Dime Beauty because they have an EWG verified skincare line and fragrance, and they’re in the US but also ship to the UK so it’s actually an option for me. And DIME is simple. They’re more affordable than some options which is another reason I included it. Their best selling skincare routine with 6 products is $131 with code KEZIA. And they have some of the sustainability and ethics I need to see. Ideally I’d like more on both of those and I’m waiting from some answers back from the brand so stay tuned. I’ve included swaps below in case you want to try them and that’s the simple move you need. I think for a group of prior Beautycounter customers this may be the best option for the lower price point and simplicity – to help you further I got a discount code so you can save even more using KEZIA for 20% off.

Link for the UK HERE and use code KEZIA for 20% off
Link for the US HERE and use code KEZIA for 20% off
Link for the Canada HERE and use code KEZIA for 20% off

3. EVOLVE: Evolve is a female founded B Corp like Beautycounter that I’ve used for years and highly recommend. Evolve is great on all fronts with incredible transparency on impact. (Note: they use fragrance but it’s all naturally derived, from essential oils.) They’re based in England and have a selection on Credo which is extra easy but you can also shop direct from the brand with free shipping and duties paid over $150. So if you want a bigger skincare order, I’ve included those links but pay attention to shipping and make sure you’re in the threshold for where you live. Honestly I don’t see many prior Beautycounter customers choosing this (unless through Credo) as it’s shipping from the UK but I wanted to include it as one I genuinely use all the time and it’s a fantastic option. I’d recommend shopping it through Credo though.

Link for the UK HERE (with global shipping)
Link for the US HERE via Credo

Remember, the best option is the one you’ll actually take and use and that feels manageable. So do what feels best to YOU!

Swap this for that: BEAUTYCOUNTER ALTERNATIVES!

These won’t make sense if you didn’t shop Beautycounter products – but my goal here is to make the switches the easiest possible. My top recommendation is either shopping everything on Credo (best for covering every base), everything from Ilia (best for stringent values on makeup and simple skincare), or everything from DIME (best for price and ease on skincare).

Countertime Cleansing Oil:

Credo Option: Evolve Kalahari Cleansing Oil
Evolve Option: Kalahari Cleansing Oil
DIME Option: Cleansing Balm (Use KEZIA for 20% off) (not an oil cleanser but the most hydrating cleanser they do and what I’d use in place.)

Soft Cream/Essence:

Credo Option: Evolve Peptide 360 Cream and you could add my favourite Bio-Retinol Booster for the bakuchiol that the soft cream had.
Direct from Evolve Option: Peptide 360 Cream
Ilia Option: Ilia Base Face Milk This is Ilia’s essence and only light moisturizer. So it’s not a “dupe” for the soft cream but it’s what I’d use if you want only Ilia!
DIME option: If you have more dry skin I’d use this in the day and night TBT Cream (Use Kezia for 20% off)