Dipping a toe into the world of non-toxic beauty brands can big 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 product picks from each.
Skye Gilkeson
The Mukti range promises beautiful smelling products enriched with botanicals created in Australia. Image © Skye Gilkeson
Our Favourite Non-Toxic Beauty Brands
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Mukti Organics
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. 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.
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. The Balancing Moisturiser 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.
Our Mukti Picks
Dr Hauschka
When it comes to natural beauty, Dr Hauschka really was one of the pioneers and one of the first natural skincare brands that I tried and 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 regeneration cycle of the skin. All you need to know is the products are incredibly high quality and make your skin feel amazing.
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 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 as it sloughs off the dirt and makeup of the day without stripping my skin that 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 has also made natural 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 is the stand out product so far. The colour is a rich red and the texture is smooth and moisturising and stays on for hours, unlike many natural 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), ideal for day time and summer (when heavy, mainstream foundation use often leads to breakouts).
Our Dr Hauschka Picks
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 by a combination of hotel shampoos, harsh water, sun exposure and a brief foray into bleaching I had at a Berlin salon, that 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.
NAK Hair is an Australian owned family company that prides itself on an ethical approach to hair care that works. Image © Skye Gilkeson
NAK Hair is a family-owned and run company and the fastest growing Australian haircare company right now. It was obvious immediately on 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. I particularly love the Aromas range; their vegan range using 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, vegan answer to 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.
Our NAK Picks
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, the ingredients are natural an organic; and most importantly, it works.
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.
I have recently fallen in love with the Eco Tan Face Tan Water as well, after reading a recommendation from Irene Falcone. Like the 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.
Our Eco Tan Picks
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 brand when it comes to natural, organic, ethical and sustainable skincare. Founded by Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s, the brand was crafted by the principles of biodynamic farming, still reflected in the beautiful natural ingredients used in the 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, the 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 on to the scene. 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
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.
Skye created The Fit Traveller as a beautiful online space and community where people feel inspired to escape the desk to move and explore more.
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 insatiable appetite for adventure.
