Clean but Not Toxic: 11 Nontoxic Brands You Can Feel Good About

Not all "clean" brands are clean. Some of the biggest names in nontoxic beauty and wellness are bankrolled by—or deeply embedded in—communities that oppose racial justice, reproductive rights, and basic human dignity. This is your guide to the nontoxic brands that care about human rights as much as they care about what's in the formula.

Recently, there has been a rise in ‘clean’ brands and creators coming out in support of views that devalue people based on their race, nationality, or background.

It’s all too common in the clean beauty and health spaces for the natural aesthetics and wellness language to mask insidious politics—like the woman behind one of the most popular clean skincare brands having close ties with prominent Turning Point USA figures, or the founder of one of the buzziest organic cotton activewear brands posting a heartbroken tribute to Charlie Kirk (as Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote in Vanity Fair, “If you would look away from the words of Charlie Kirk, from what else would you look away?”).

If you want to shop clean without inadvertently putting money in the hands of people who hold regressive ideas, we’ve got you. Here are 11 brands that make nontoxic products, without the toxic ideology.

This list is nonexhaustive and evolving

‍ ‍

Skincare & Beauty

Pholk Beauty

All natural skincare rooted in the African Diaspora’s healing and herbalist traditions. Founded by Niambi Cacchioli, Pholk is committed to sourcing from Black American farmers and creating products grounded in heritage and cultural storytelling.

Hanahana Beauty

Nontoxic body butter and other body care products made with natural, ethically-sourced ingredients. Founded by Abena Boamah-Acheampong, Hanahana is explicitly committed to advancing economic equity, protecting vital shea ecosystems, and closing the living wage gap by paying women producers 2× the market price and investing in long-term community wellbeing in Ghana. They even have a nonprofit arm that’s dedicated to investing in reproductive healthcare education, free community healthcare, clean water systems, and youth mental wellness programs.

Cocokind

Affordable, clean, and effective skincare. Not only are they transparent about ingredients and environmental impact in a way a lot of brands aren't, but they routinely donate to civil rights and environmental causes (most recently to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota).

Klur

Botanical skin and body care. Founded by esthetician Lesley Thornton, their blends are science-backed and truly clean — 100% biodegradable and recyclable ingredients in plastic-free amber glass packaging. Importantly, their ethos is rooted in Thornton’s environmental justice work in post-Katrina Louisiana.

Personal Care

Oyin Naturals

A family-owned, woman- and Black-owned business dedicated to creating body and hair care using food-grade and natural ingredients. If you’re looking for a good nontoxic deoderant, look no further than their funk butter.

Rif Care

Period care essentials made better. They make organic cotton and hemp pads, tampons, and period underwear. They describe themselves as “a 100% BIPOC women owned small business” founded by two best friends who truly care about women’s health. They regularly donate products to women who have experienced homelessness or domestic violence.

Dr. Bronner’s

Truly organic, all-natural soap and personal care products. Fair trade and regenerative organic supply chains, living wage for all workers, publicly advocates for drug policy reform, minimum wage increases, and progressive social change. They source 90% of their olive oil from Palestinian farmers, and have repeatedly called for a ceasefire. Plus their iconic“magic” soap is a minimalist’s dream, as it can be used for everything from body wash to laundry.

Fat & the Moon

All natural, herbal-infused body and skincare products. They use local, organic and fairly traded ingredients, and low-waste packaging. And importantly, they frequently and transparently donate to organizations and causes promoting racial justice, food sovereignty, and women’s health, among others.

Wellness

Golde

An OG superfood brand offering high-quality matcha, hojicha, and wellness latte blends. Founded by Trinity Mouzon Wofford and her husband, who have long been advocating to make wellness more accessible. Our editor Sabrina has repurchased their matcha 40 times—it’s that good.

Eat SIMPLi

Regenerative organic pantry staples — chia seeds, legumes, quinoa, olive oil, spices — sourced directly from farming communities in South America and beyond. Founded by Sarela Herrada, a Peruvian woman who grew up on her family's organic chicken farm and watched her father work alongside Amazonian farming communities cultivating superfoods like camu camu. Every product is Regenerative Organic Certified, which goes beyond organic to require soil health, transparent supply chains, and fair labor practices.

Further Foods

Collagen and other functional foods. Founded by Lillian Zhao, the brand is a self-described "mission-driven social enterprise" run by an all-women team of naturopathic doctors, dietitians, and holistic nutritionists. The products are grass-fed, pasture-raised, third-party tested for heavy metals, enhanced with functional mushrooms like reishi and lion's mane, and free of anything artificial. Now here’s the caveat: Is the brand publicly taking political stances? No. But the collagen space is overwhelmingly dominated by brands embedded in the conservative wellness ecosystem—which Further Foods is not. If you’re in the market, this is the best we’ve found.