By Anna Griffin, Editor in Chief
As the seasons change and we enter the crisp, cool months of fall, keeping our skin nurtured, nourished and glowing is a top priority. I have been a devoted skincare junkie since I was 12 or 13 years old, and while I haven’t always been perfect in my routine, my dedication to looking after my skin has paid off resulting in a more youthful complexion that belies my chronological age. In recent years twice-daily applied face serums have become an essential part of my beauty routine, and I have tried and tested many in search of the most effective, eco-friendly and non-toxic formulas. As I have found, not all are created equal, but the following sustainable, clean beauty serums have all delivered noticeable results in my quest to protect and enhance my complexion without harsh chemicals, and in the process naturally defy the hands of time. For maximum benefits, I use a rose quartz face roller or gua sha on my face and neck after application, for lymphatic drainage and to ensure my thirsty skin receives all the goodness these elixirs promise to deliver. After rigorously testing each of them - and despite life’s current stresses - my skin is radiant, fine lines and wrinkles are less noticeable, and I look at least a good six years younger than I actually am, without harming my health or our environment's. Now that’s what I call aging gracefully.
$68 USD
This light, milky formula is a nourishing tonic for my skin day and/or night, but has quickly become a favorite in my evening skincare routine. Upon application, it rapidly absorbs leaving my skin feeling hydrated and velvety-soft to the touch. Lightweight yet powerful, Total Package Youth Protecting Concentrate is hydrating, anti-aging and calming, bursting with botanically-rich ingredients including lutein, purslane, chlorella, arnica and gotu kola extracts, hyaluronic acid and ceramides, and is consciously formulated without harmful ingredients. Vegan and cruelty-free, this sustainable, clean beauty serum softens, soothes and balances while protecting against blue light rays and free radicals, leaving skin soft, hydrated and luminously youthful.
$68 USD
Instantly absorbed to leave my complexion hydrated, nourished and super soft, this lightweight and multi-correctional oil helps replenish and restore skin’s protective barrier. With squalane derived from sugar cane, it improves skin’s ability to retain moisture, leaving a noticeably youthful radiance. Oil-soluble vitamin C clarifies and brightens skin’s appearance with powerful antioxidant benefits, while groundcherry and probiotics have a calming, soothing, and strengthening effect. CERISE + C is a powerhouse that reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, helping to improve moisture, radiance and balance, while naturally turning back the visible hands of time.
$57 USD
A favorite in my morning beauty routine, Aqua Plumping Bio-Hydrating Serum has a lightweight, watery, quick-absorbing formula that contains Fevillea prebiotic and triple hyaluronic acid, instantly hydrating skin’s layers. Reducing the appearance of soft lines and wrinkles and leaving my face plumper, fortified and nurtured throughout the day, this vegan, cruelty-free serum, which is formulated without parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, and petroleum, also prevents dry skin wrinkles. With continued use skin’s barrier is strengthened and shielded from further dryness, and its microbiome balance is maintained. A natural warrior in the fight against aging, this is like a fountain of youth in a bottle.
$80 USD
Elixir Restorative Facial Oil has a light oil-based consistency that feels luxuriously hydrating upon application, and quickly absorbs as my skin drinks it in. Leaving my complexion unbelievably soft and silky-smooth, it has become an essential in my evening skincare routine. A lightweight and potent combination of 100% plant-based oils that work on a cellular level to promote cell turnover and collagen production, this sustainable, clean beauty serum is vegan, cruelty-free and formulated without talc, parabens, fragrance and nanoparticles. Softening fine lines while hydrating, plumping and firming, my skin is illuminated with a natural glow, and looks replenished, radiant and youthful.
$90 USD
With its rich, oil-based consistency, less is more upon application, but quickly absorbed leaving my skin moisturized, firmer and feeling as soft as satin. With its natural, proprietary blend of 29 active botanicals, this sustainable, clean beauty serum is packed with powerful anti-inflammatory, balancing, hydrating, renewing and nourishing ingredients that help protect and brighten even the tiredest of skin. Produced in small batches without petroleum, lanolin, parabens, phthalates, sulfates and fragrance, and vegan and cruelty-free, it seems with Twenty-Nine Botanical Serum and its eco-friendly packaging, beauty is as beauty does.
$68 USD
During Covid, my skin was the worst it has ever been and suffered frequent outbreaks due to maskne, and extensive dryness and loss of radiance because of stress. Bursting with vitamins A, C, E, D and K, Super Oil rapidly restored my complexion and became an all-time essential skincare savior. A light, creamy, organic, plant-based squalane oil derived from olives, this eco-friendly, cruelty-free, non-toxic serum protects, repairs and improves skin tone, firms, and supplements essential vitamins to deliver radiant, healthy, velvety smooth skin. Created without nasty chemicals, it goes beyond clean beauty and is food-grade, non GMO and vegan, making it healthy for our planet and a miracle worker for our skin.
$56 USD
With its rapidly-absorbed, proprietary formula that uses an advanced, triple-action hyaluronic acid complex turbocharged with bio-fermentation to drive it deeply into mature skin, Theorem Serum Boost is an ultra-thick, daily dose of hydration and nutrition that delivers exceptional results. Developed with hormone-depleted skin in-mind and formulated with red algae, pro-collagen peptides, jasmine and hawthorn to enhance collagen production, my skin looked younger, firmer, lifted and rehydrated. This non-toxic, vegan and cruelty-free serum is aging’s kryptonite and a maturing skin’s best friend.
$52 USD
With its delicate, uplifting rose scent and easily-absorbed, light, gel formula, Pure Rose Hyaluronic Acid Serum left my skin nourished, plump and silky smooth to the touch. Rose hydrosol and hyaluronic acid restored bounce, elasticity and hydration, and botanical infusions of chamomile and calendula calmed and soothed my complexion. Beta glucan and sodium PCA support a toned, youthful appearance by banishing redness and protecting essential epidermis moisture levels, making this deeply-hydrating, vegan, cruelty-free and clean beauty serum the tall drink of water our skin needs.
$68 USD
A long time favorite in my beauty routine, Cell Refresh Face Serum has hydrated and nourished my skin through intense deadlines and their accompanying stressful, sleepless nights, giving my complexion a youthful, supple and healthy glow. A luxurious blend of organic oils and botanical extracts that quickly absorb to a luminous matte finish, skin feels velvet soft, firm and nurtured. Non-GMO, gluten and cruelty-free, this vegan, non-toxic beauty serum refines skin tone and texture, reduces inflammation and stimulates cell tissue regeneration, making me love the skin I am in.
