Dipping a toe into the world of non-toxic beauty brands can be a bit precarious. The new wave of healthy lifestyle devotees who understand that what you put on your skin has just as big an impact as what you eat means the market has exploded in the last few years. There are now natural beauty products aplenty. So, where do you start when you’re making the switch? Well, there are a few cult brands that have been around for some time and we think they’ve got it right. These are five of our favourites including our non-toxic beauty product picks from each.
The Mukti range promises beautiful-smelling products enriched with botanicals created in Australia. Image © Skye Gilkeson
Our Favourite Non-Toxic Beauty Brands
Mukti Organics
The Mukti Organics Story
Founded in 2000 Mukti Organics has a line of certified organic products to nourish and protect the body. They are created in-house in their Australian headquarters utilising native bioactive ingredients.
The Mukti organics founder, Mukti is truly passionate about the non-toxic beauty industry. She is actively working to make the wider beauty industry more transparent and has even published a book about it, Truth in Beauty.
There’s something really luxurious about the Mukti range, from the beautiful black packaging to the richness of the formulations and the incredible natural fragrance of the products, they feel indulgent without having to worry about any hidden nasties.
Our favourite Mukti Organics products
My favourites from the Mukti range are the Age Defiance Vital C Elixir and the Balancing Moisturiser.
The Age Defiance Vital C Elixir feels like it tightens from the moment it goes on and it is the closest thing I’ve found to a natural alternative to the harsh active products on the market, making your skin appear smoother and hydrated.
Those looking for a non-toxic moisturiser will fall in love with the Balancing Moisturiser. It is a luxurious lightweight moisturiser that smells incredible.
I have been using it throughout the winter and adding a little jojoba oil to it for the days when my skin has been particularly dry.
Age Defiance Day Serum
Balancing Moisturiser
Dr Hauschka
The Dr Hauschka Story
When it comes to non-toxic cosmetics brands, Dr Hauschka really was one of the pioneers. It is also one of the first non-toxic beauty brands that I tried and that really won me over.
Dr Hauschka has been around since the 1960s (with product testing and development beginning as early as 1935). If that type of longevity doesn’t speak to the German brand’s standard of products, I don’t know what would.
The product lines have been designed to work with the natural rhythms of the body and the regeneration cycle of the skin. All you need to know is the products are incredibly high quality and make your skin feel amazing.
Our favourite Dr Hauschka Products
My personal favourites are the Melissa Day Cream which truly is a cult product for Dr Hauschka; it’s been so popular for so many years. It is a true cream, but not too heavy as to overwhelm my combination skin. This is a non-toxic moisturiser I always come back to.
The Cleansing Cream is my other stand-out Dr Hauschka pick. The sweet almond meal makes it a super gentle and moisturising exfoliant which I particularly love while travelling.
It sloughs off the dirt and makeup of the day without stripping my skin which can often be dehydrated from flying.
The iconic Dr Hauschka range of skincare and make-up offers an ethical, top-quality alternative to the mainstream brands on the market. Image © Skye Gilkeson
Dr Hauschka Non Toxic Make up
Dr Hauschka has also made non-toxic make-up products since 1999. I have been testing a few products in the new range and I was pleasantly surprised at how good they were.
The Lipstick in Amaryllis or Caralluma is the standout product so far. The colour is rich and the texture is smooth and moisturising and stays on for hours, unlike many non-toxic lipsticks on the market.
The Colour Correcting Powder is nice and light and something I will often use over a tinted moisturiser during the day to reduce shine in the humidity.
This non-toxic Foundation offers light coverage and is surprisingly hydrating (thanks to ingredients such as macadamia nut oil and coconut oil).
It is ideal for daytime and summer (when heavy, mainstream foundation use often leads to breakouts).
Melissa Day Cream
The Cleansing Cream
NAK Hair
I have been using NAK Hair products for almost a year now and they have without question saved my hair.
After spending a year and a half travelling mostly full-time, my hair had been destroyed.
A combination of hotel shampoos, harsh water, sun exposure and a brief foray into bleaching I had at a Berlin salon completely stripped my hair back to straw.
A friend introduced me to NAK and I was, of course, sceptical because I have run the gauntlet of organic, vegan haircare in the past and had never really been satisfied with the results of any non-toxic hair products previously.
NAK Hair is an Australian-owned family company that prides itself on an ethical approach to hair care that works. Image © Skye Gilkeson
The NAK Hair Story
NAK Hair is a family-owned and run company and the fastest-growing Australian haircare company right now. It was obvious immediately after talking to the NAK family that the company truly cares about the quality of the product they put out and the impact of the ingredients and methods they use.
All products are sulphate and paraben-free and not tested on animals. There are a number of different ranges depending on your needs.
Our favourite NAK Hair products
I particularly love the Aromas range; their vegan range uses botanicals and oils to hydrate and nourish colour-treated hair.
The Structure Complex from their Signature Range has also worked miracles on revitalising my very damaged hair and I now absolutely couldn’t live without it.
The Aromas Hydra Therapy is a mask that I use at least once a week in the shower and leaves my hair shiny, smooth and soft without any nasties.
NAK’s non-toxic dry shampoo, the Aromas Style Therapy is a go-to end-of-the-week or travel product for me. It gives my hair body, texture and a little hold and an extra day without needing to wash my hair, which is really valuable when travelling.
NAK Aromas Hydra Therapy vegan hair mask
Non-toxic Dry Shampoo the Aromas Style Therapy
Eco Tan
The Eco Tan Organic Invisible Tan has been in my bathroom cabinet for years now.
It’s one of those too-good-to-be-true organic beauty products for a number of reasons. It isn’t super expensive, it is really easy to use, it doesn’t smell terrible and toxic, and the ingredients are natural and organic. Most importantly, it works.
The Eco Tan Story
Eco Tan has been around for almost a decade. Created by an Australian single mother, Sonya Driver with a very powerful personal story, the brand made Australian history in 2011 by becoming the first tanning manufacturer to be certified organic.
The tanning products are all organic, vegan, ethical and cruelty-free.
Our favourite Eco Tan products
I have recently fallen in love with the Eco Tan Face Tan Water as well, after reading a recommendation from Irene Falcone.
Like the Invisible Tan, the face water just adds some subtle colour to the face to take that winter edge off. It looks natural, smells great and as it’s natural won’t clog pores and lead to breakouts.
Eco Tan Organic Invisible Tan
Eco Tan Face Tan Water
Weleda
Weleda is another brand that has been in my shower for years. Like Dr Haushka, Weleda is really another pioneer when it comes to non-toxic beauty brands.
The Weleda Story
Founded by Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s, the brand was crafted by the principles of biodynamic farming. Those principles are still reflected in the beautiful natural ingredients used in Weleda products today.
Weleda does careful research on where their organic ingredients come from, beginning right at the grower and their farm soil quality.
The Weleda range is vast these days. However, their body products have long been my favourites. The price point remains very reasonable too in an industry with many, more expensive bespoke brands now coming onto the scene.
Our favourite Weleda Products
Skin Food is an incredible cult product from Weleda. The formula has been around since 1926 and is the perfect travel product as it is really a multitasking cream. Very thick and hydrating (owing to the sunflower, lanolin and sweet almond oils used in it), it is always packed in my carry-on beauty bag to use on the face, hands, elbows and even lips on a long-haul flight.
Plant oils and extracts make the body wash range delicious and non-drying. I particularly love the Citrus Creamy Body Wash as it smells amazing.
Our Weleda Picks
Skin Food
Citrus Creamy Body Wash
Products were gifted to The Fit Traveller for review. However, we simply don’t write about brands we don’t love.
Skye is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Fit Traveller.
She is a journalist, writer, photographer, intrepid traveller and a former personal trainer with a passion for helping others reach optimal health.
As a TV journalist and producer, Skye has worked for household names such as 60 Minutes, Sunrise, TODAY and Nine News. She has also written for Women’s Health, Fodor’s Travel and Yahoo7 Travel, among many others.
Equally comfortable in a 5-star resort or hiking a far-off mountain, Skye loves the unexpected and enriching life experiences that each trip brings and can often be found in a backstreet chatting to locals with her camera in hand.
Skye is based in Sydney, working to master the balance between motherhood and her appetite for adventure.
Read more about Skye’s story here.