These celebrity skincare lines are super popular. But are they non toxic and clean? And are they ethical?
By Lora O’Brien
Are you even a celebrity if you don’t endorse some kind of beauty product?
Whether it’s perfume or skincare, most celebs have lent their faces to a plethora of campaigns for brands. But now, it’s no longer about being an ambassador for a brand – it’s about having a brand of your own.
Since most A listers have awesome skin, many of us trust them when they launch a cosmetics line. We think if they actually use that stuff, we want it, too and that explains a lot regarding beauty trends of 2022.
But how ethical and clean are those celebrity skincare lines?
Which Celeb Skin Care Lines Are Clean & Ethical?
1. Kylie Skin
Once in the shadow of her famous sisters, Kylie Jenner has amassed a loyal following of her own. And many want to know how she gets her skin looking selfie-ready. Today, we need wonder no more! Following on from her popular makeup franchise, she launched her skincare brand, Kylie Skin.
But the brand isn’t as clean and green as it could be.
Firstly, these products come in non-recyclable plastic packaging. There are no pledges on Kylie Skin over whether they’re working to reduce this in the future. And while Kylie herself states that the mica in the products is sourced globally, she doesn’t qualify whether it’s ethically sourced or not.
Clean: No. The brand is free from parabens, sulfates and gluten. Great! But nasties are used in the many of the products. These include the Vanilla Milk Toner, which has ethylene oxide. This is super toxic, even in small doses.
Vegan: Yes, fully. However, it’s worth noting that Kylie Cosmetics is owned by Coty Inc, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.
So How Ethical & Clean Is This Celebrity Skincare Line? It’s great that these products are vegan. But since there are some toxic ingredients in these products, we’re only giving Kylie Skin 6/10.
2. Keys Soulcare
I think we all remember the moment Alicia Keys ditched make-up, right? She looked as radiant as ever with her bare skin. Many praised her for the brave move. So, it makes sense Alicia has since created a beauty brand focusing on making our skin look and feel the best.
More than just a celebrity attaching their name to a brand, Alicia Keys works closely with a board-certified dermatologist to create clean, safe and effective products. The potent ingredients work without the need for toxic chemicals. This nourishes both the skin and soul, hence the name of the range.
Clean: Yes! The brand crafts products that are formulated with ingredients that are food-grade safe to use. Products have a long list of ingredients they DON’T contain. These include parabens, phthalates, sulfates, formaldehyde, nonylphenol ethoxylates, triclosan, triclocarban, toluene, coal tar, lead, mercury, acrylamide and hydroquinone.
Vegan: Some of the products are vegan. However, others include beeswax and manuka honey. The brand never tests on animals, however, and is cruelty-free.
So How Ethical & Clean Is This Celebrity Skincare Line? Oh, we wish we could give this brand a 10/10. But since it’s still not 100% vegan, it gets a 9/10 from us.
3. Fenty Skin
On the surface, it really seems like Fenty Skin cares about the planet. They cite that they’re working on their environmental impact, via the three “R’s” (reduce, reuse, recycle). But it’s kind of disappointing to see that this is where Rihanna’s dedication to the planet ends. There’s little mention on the website as to how this is achieved and it’s not included in the marketing, which it would be if it was pivotal to the brand.
Clean: No. Fenty’s range includes many ingredients that should be ‘used sparingly.’ This is a bad sign. For example? One ingredient used is benzyl salicylate. This can cause allergic reaction and serious irritation.
Vegan: No. Fenty Beauty isn’t a vegan brand, as they use ingredients such as beeswax and carmine in some products. However they do have a ‘vegan’ section.
So How Ethical & Clean Is This Celebrity Skincare Line? Hmm. There are some vegan choices, but not many. And there are lots of harmful ingredients. Fenty also doesn’t give back or do anything positive for the planet. So it’s a low 2/10 from us.
Founded by Hollywood actress Jessica Alba, The Honest Company is pioneer. This was one of the first ever brands to sell clean household products and baby items. Then, in 2015, the brand launched Honest Beauty. This is a clean skincare range that also offers hair care and cosmetics, too. Many are fans of the brand due to the fact they create clean products at a super affordable price, too.
Clean: Yes! Honest Beauty abides by a ‘No List’. This means they steer clear from over 2,500 harmful and toxic ingredients. However, some products do contain fragrance, so we’d advise not using those. We also love that all the packaging is recyclable.
Vegan: Not fully. Though some products are vegan, this is not a 100% vegan brand. Animal ingredients include beeswax.
So How Ethical & Clean Is This Celebrity Skincare Line? This is so close to being a perfect 10! But due to bee ingredients and undisclosed ‘fragrance’ ingredients, it’s an 8/10 from us.
5. Victoria Beckham Beauty
We all wanted to be Posh Spice in our youth, right? Following on from Victoria Beckham’s hugely successful fashion brand, she has also tapped into the world of beauty, launching Victoria Beckham Beauty.
She’s committed to creative a better, brighter future for our planet. That starts with using and sourcing the cleanest ingredients for the range. VB Beauty is all about creating luxurious skincare in a clean way. The brand is dedicated to responsible sourcing and being as sustainably-minded as possible.
Clean: Yes! The brand is committed to using clean ingredients that are responsibly sourced, to fuse luxury with clean beauty.
Vegan: No. Though the brand is cruelty-free and never tests on animals and the majority of their products are vegan, they do use some animal by-products.
So How Ethical & Clean Is This Celebrity Skincare Line? Aarggh! It’s another ‘almost’ perfect 10 here! The brand’s ingredients are clean and sourced transparently. But due to the use of animal by-products, and the fact that the packaging isn’t at all eco-friendly, we’re downgrading this skincare line to a 7/10.
6. Kora Organics
Kora Organics is an all-natural, green beauty brand founded my supermodel Miranda Kerr in 2009. The whole ethos behind the brand is to highlight how non-toxic beauty can still be super effective. And luxurious, too!
There are absolutely no nasties in these products. And Miranda’s hero ingredients include the noni fruit among other botanical oils and extracts.
Clean: Yes! The brand uses the most natural ingredients possible and are certified organic. Products are made without GMOs, artificial colours, toxins and synthetic fragrances.
Vegan: Not fully. Though the majority of products are free from animal components and/or by-products and classed as vegan, there are a few products that contain beeswax.
So How Ethical & Clean Is This Celebrity Skincare Line? Given these products are certified organic, mostly vegan, and involve no animal testing, we’d give them a 9/10. Sooo close to a perfect 10!
7. Florence by Mills
Millie Bobby Brown has a huge following thanks to her role as Eleven in the hugely popular series Stranger Things. Her beauty brand, Florence by Mills, has been well received since launching. And no wonder!
Made without any nasties, these products are infused with vitamins, antioxidants and botanicals. Plus, these creams, serums and cleansers feel really good on the skin!
But don’t just think the brand is solely aimed towards the Gen-Z crowd. Millie Bobby Brown herself as states she wants the brand to be all inclusive. For all ages, and genders, too.
Clean: Yes! The brand is free from parabens and sulfates and is free from yucky artificial fragrances.
Vegan: Yes! All of the Florence by mills products are PETA Cruelty-free and Vegan Action certified.
So How Ethical & Clean Is This Celebrity Skincare Line? The brand states: “Clean means saying no to parabens, sulfates, animal testing, and animal byproducts, and saying yes to vitamins, antioxidants, and botanicals.” So we’d give them 10/10! FINALLY!
8. JLo Beauty
For over 20 years, Jenny from the Block was putting her JLo nickname to a host of fragrances. Then, she ventured into the world of skincare.
Today, JLo Beauty is an anti-aging skincare line crafted with luxury formulas that are scientifically proven to work. The self-proclaimed diva divulged that she went over 100 rounds of product development before launching to get everything just right.
Clean: Not really. The products are free of phthalates, mineral oil, SLS, parabens, coal tar, and more. But the brand makes no focus on being a clean brand. For some of the products, users should ‘do a patch test’ to see if irritation occurs. Yipes!
Vegan: No. But they do have some fully vegan options. The brand is, however, cruelty-free with none of their ingredients, formulations or finished products being tested on animals. Nor do they ask others to test on their behalf. JLo Beauty products are also not sold in stores in mainland China or any other country that requires animal testing.
So How Ethical & Clean Is This Celebrity Skincare Line?
9. Meaningful Beauty
Cindy Crawford is a babe. And as a supermodel for many years, I think it’s fair to say she has likely picked up a trick or two when it comes to skincare over the years! Her beauty brand Meaningful Beauty launched way back in 2005, and still has a huge, loyal following today. So, if it’s been loved for this long, it must be pretty good, right? It seems not!
The brand makes no claims about the ingredients they use being clean, and shows no promise of being ethical or even eco-friendly and when it comes down to their ethics. Meaningful Beauty also makes no claims to be vegan. This is one of the most disappointing brands on the list.
Clean: No, the range uses parabens, silicones, synthetic fragrances and dyes. Not to mention low concentrations of key ingredients.
Vegan: It does say somewhere online that the brand doesn’t test on animals, but Meaningful Beauty make no such claims on their official website.
So How Ethical & Clean Is This Celebrity Skincare Line? Not good. 5/10 for Cindy’s range.
10. Humanrace
He’s effortlessly cool, and loves the planet. And now singer Pharrell Williams has launched a skincare range united the world.
Created for all races and genders, the skincare brand is aptly named Humanrace. The minimalist range consists of a skin cleanser, an exfoliator and a moisturiser. The bottles are made from over 51% post-consumer recycled landfill plastic. They’re designed to be refillable, too.
Developed with the help of his own personal dermatologist of 20 years, the trio of products are named the ‘three minute facial’ and are meant to help anyone feel empowered on a daily basis.
Clean: Yes! The brand is fragrance-free and made without 1,300 ingredients that have been deemed unsafe.
Vegan: Yes, the brand is vegan and cruelty-free.
So How Ethical & Clean Is This Celebrity Skincare Line? Another 10/10! Well done, Pharrell!
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