I recently got an email from a reader who told me she switched to using 100% Cocokind products on her face after seeing the brand recommended on The Filtery… and her skin cleared up in just 3 weeks!
“The results are blowing my mind,” she said.
Needless to say, I love getting these kinds of messages!
While we want to avoid things like endocrine disruptors in our skincare products for the sake of our longterm health, I also love when we can see immediate, short-term results as well (even if they are just on the more “aesthetic” side of things!).
So, for this guide, I’ve rounded up a bunch of my (and the rest of The Filtery team’s!) favorite non-toxic and natural face wash brands.
The good news is that there are plenty of clean & organic facial cleansers to choose from. We’ve got a wide variety of options, including:
- simple & affordable
- luxurious
- a bar, gel, foaming cleanser, or an oil
I hope this find this guide helpful in cleaning up your skincare routine! If you have any questions or other brands you’re wondering about, let me know in the comments.
This guide contains product recommendations and we may receive compensation if you purchase through certain links. As always, we only make recommendations that are genuine!
These are our favorite brands for natural, organic, & non-toxic facial cleansers (+ reviews):
DIME
Highlights: Affordable luxury, gender-neutral, fragrance-free
Types: Cleansing Balm, Jelly Cleanser, Foam Cleanser
DIME offers 3 different types of cleansers—a melty balm, a foaming wash, and a jelly cleaners. So you can choose depending on your preference.
The Cleansing Balm is a great nighttime cleanser that can remove makeup while giving your skin a layer of nourishing squalane and bisabolol to hydrate through the night.
The Foam Cleanser is more for acne-prone skin, and contains several ingredients like glycolic acid and salicylic acid that help fight and prevent breakouts.
And the Jelly Cleanser is a lightweight face wash that’s good for all skin types.
At the time of this writing, the Jelly Cleanser is the only one that is EWG Verified, but DIME is in the process of getting all of their products verified over the next couple of years (it’s just a long process!).
They’re also all Leaping Bunny Certified Cruelty-Free and come with a lot of positive reviews.
Here’s Lauren A’s take on the Cleansing Balm:
As a former Beautycounter consultant and cleansing balm lover, I was most excited to get my hands on this cleanser.
For those of you who are into the cleansing balm style face wash, this is nice. The balm melts right into your skin as you massage it in, and it feels very moisturizing while it’s breaking down your makeup and grime from the day.
It has a faint to nearly-not-there smell, and it’s a very creamy oil balm. It did a fantastic job getting their mascara off my lashes.
I’ll be recommending this to all my friends looking for a new cleansing balm for sure!
If you decide to go with DIME, you can get use the code THEFILTERY for 20% off.
Check out DIME’s Cleansing Balm | Shop on Amazon
Jackfir
Highlights: Great for men, gentle exfoliation
Types: The Classic Daily Facial Cleanser
Abbie’s take:
I’ve used Jackfir for a while now, and I really like it! The cleanser is a great everyday face wash that is gentle yet has just a little bit of exfoliating power (which comes from jojoba beads).
It’s also got other natural skin-loving ingredients like pineapple and papaya enzymes (to help break down dead skin for a brighter appearance), organic aloe (for its anti-inflammatory properties), organic calendula (for smoothing), and more.
If you want to go for the whole kit, Jackfir offers a very simple clean skincare routine which includes a cleanser, a moisturizer, and a shaving cream. In my opinion, this simple regimen is a great option for any and all skin types because it’s practical and easy to use. No fancy routines—just the basics.
It’s all EWG Verified, which means it’s been third-party verified to be free from toxic ingredients like phthalates, carcinogens, and more. It’s also certified vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, and made with 70% organic ingredients.
Jackfir was actually started when its founder, Charlie, became informed of environmental toxins while undergoing 3.5 years of leukemia treatment. He wanted to provide a healthier and more simple regimen for himself and those around him.
Check out Jackfir’s men’s skincare | Get it on Amazon
Honest
Highlights: Available at big box stores like Target and Walmart, affordable, good for the whole family
Types: Gentle Gel Cleanser, Calm On Foaming Cream, Get Clarity Foaming Action Cleanser, Magic Gel-To-Milk Makeup Melting Cleanser, Makeup Remover Facial Wipes
Honest is a great non-toxic brand that’s affordable and easy to grab in stores like target. They have a lot of different personal care, skincare, and baby products.
Abbie’s take on the Gentle Gel Cleanser:
I like Honest’s Gentle Cleanser! It’s nothing super fancy, but it feels nice, my skin likes it, and it effectively removes all my makeup and everything. It’s good for all skin types. It’s a good simple, minimalistic cleanser that’s good for both morning and evening.
My one complaint with the Gentle Gel Cleanser is that the smell isn’t great. It’s not terrible and I got used to it, but it just has more of a generic ‘soapy’ smell rather than something floral or fruity.
Honest used to have a powdered cleanser that activated when you got it wet and I really liked that one, too. But it looks like they don’t make it anymore!
They do have several other clean face washes to choose from as well, depending on your skin type and preferences. Any of them make a great choice for a non-toxic facial cleanser!
Shop Honest’s face washes | Find it on Amazon | Target | Walmart
Birch Babe
Highlights: Gentle exfoliation (face scrub), good for travel (cleansing bar), all-natural, made in Canada, low plastic, gender-neutral
Types: Gentle Face Scrub, Cleansing Bars, Organic Micellar Water
Abbie’s take on the Gentle Face Scrub:
I definitely recommend Birch Babe’s Gentle Face Scrub. I like an exfoliating cleanser since I tend to have clogged pores, but it fits its name—it really is gentle. Exfoliating, but not too rough on the skin. I love the smell of it too. It has a nice, light citrus scent. I personally use it for both a morning and an evening face wash.
I’ve also tried several of their other products, including the Hydrating Face Cream and the Charcoal Clay mask and I have to say, I haven’t found any products that I don’t like yet.
Their Facial Cleansing Bars are good for travel and for less packaging. They come in both charcoal (for a more “detoxifying” clean) and oatmeal (for a more nourishing wash).
Birch Babe has a bunch of other skincare and personal care products as well, including shampoos, scrubs, face masks, makeup, and body oils. Their products are all-natural and come with several certifications, including CertClean and Leaping Bunny.
I like that their packaging is as sustainable as possible, too. The Face Scrub and Micellar Water come in (mostly) aluminum and the cleansing bars come in a kraft paper box. You can also get your hands on bulk refills of several of their products as well.
Use the code THEFILTERYBB10 for 10% off your order.
Toups & Co
Highlights: All-natural/minimal ingredients, handcrafted in Alabama, low plastic
Types: Facial Bars (Activated Charcoal, French Green Clay, Lavender Tallow, Everything Bar), Seabuckthorn Cleansing Oil
Celia’s take on the French Green Clay Soap:
Toups & Co.’s French Green Clay Soap can be used for the face or the body to achieve a deep clean while hydrating the skin. Made with French green clay, coconut oil, and natural minerals, this cleanser fights blemishes with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties to clarify and detox the skin.
I like that a little goes a long way with this cleanser— I’ve been using it daily for months, and still have so much product left. It also has a gentle floral scent that makes washing my face feel refreshing and luxurious.
What I appreciate most about this soap is that it makes my face feel truly clean. I typically like to double cleanse, but even on nights when I can’t be bothered to do that, my skin still gets that deep clean (without feeling tight or dry).
I have an acne-prone complexion that’s also super dry, and my skin loves this cleanser. You may want to check out Toups & Co’s other natural face soap bars and/or their Cleansing Oil. They have something for every skin type.
I will definitely be re-buying this face wash once I run out (which likely won’t be for a while, even though I use it daily!) Not only are the ingredients non-toxic, but it provides a next-level clean feeling and I think it’s well worth the price.
Use code THEFILTERY for 10% off.
Shop Toups & Co’s cleansing products
Cocokind
Highlights: Affordable, available in big box stores like Target and Walmart, good for teens, thousands of positive reviews
Types: Oil to Milk Cleanser, Organic Facial Cleansing Oil, AHA Jelly Cleanser
Cocokind is a great option because it’s affordable, accessible, great for all skin types. It’s a widely-used brand that has built a reputation for clean skincare that really works.
Their Oil To Milk Cleanser is great for morning & evening, no matter what kind of skin you have. Their AHA Jelly Cleanser has clarifying and anti-aging properties. And if you prefer an Oil Cleanser, they have one of those too—and it’s organic!
They also have a bunch of other skincare products too, like masks, serums, and more.
Check out Cocokind’s non-toxic cleansers | Get it on Amazon | Target | Walmart
Attitude
Highlights: Plastic-free, fragrance-free, gender-neutral
Types: Solid Face Cleanser with Peptides, Solid Face Scrub with Bamboo Powder, Solid Oil-in-Milk for Sensitive Skin, Micellar Foaming Cleanser, Pregnancy Foaming Cleanser
Abbie’s take:
I generally love Attitude for how they offer sooo many different types of non-toxic products. From cleaning supplies to personal-care-everything, you can get so many things in one place.
I’ve tried their Solid Face Cleanser (and some of their other plastic-free skincare products) and for the most part, I really liked it. It’s lightweight and great for traveling (you don’t have to worry about liquid spilling out!). And of course, I love that it’s plastic-free. It feels nice on my skin and it was easily able to remove all of my makeup.
But the major downside is that since the packaging is made from paper, you can’t really leave it in the shower for long periods of time. I ended up keeping the Attitude stick next to the sink for washing my face whenever I wasn’t taking a shower, and then I used something else whenever I was in the shower.
(If I was traveling, I would just take the Attitude cleansing stick in and out of the shower. That wasn’t a big deal since it was a short term thing.)
In addition to their 3 solid cleansers (one for all skin types, one that’s exfoliating, and one for sensitive skin), they also offer foaming cleansers that come in several different scents. These ones are not plastic-free.
They are all EWG Verified and use 96-99% naturally-derived ingredients.
Shop Attitude’s face washes | Find it on Amazon
Dream Oil Cleanser
Highlights: Good for oil cleansing, luxurious, all-natural, made in England, gender-neutral, good for your nervous system!
Types: Dream Oil Cleanser
First of all, if you’re new to oil cleansing, here’s a primer. Basically, by using oil instead of soap, you can remove the grime on your face without stripping your skin of it’s natural oils and drying your face out.
Abbie’s take:
I really like this Oil Cleanser. It’s meant to be used at night (hence the name Dream), so it’s made with ‘sleepy’ oils like rose, frankincense and spikenard, all of which help to induce relaxation.
It’s also got camellia and castor oil, which not only help to cleanse the skin, but also support a balanced skin microbiome.
I have a whole review on Desavery here. Although it’s on the pricer side, I feel like the price matches how luxurious it feels.
In addition to the Dream Oil Cleanser, they carry serums, hyaluronic acid, body oils, and more.
I talk about this in my review, but Desavery’s founder actually formulated these products using plants that have specifically been found to impact mood and enhance brain chemistry. And I can tell you from my personal experience that they really do have an instant impact on my nervous system. When I use them, it’s like I instantly feel a little less stressed.
Use the code THEFILTERY for 15% off your order.
Primally Pure
Highlights: Good for oil cleansing, all-natural, gender-neutral, low plastic
Types: Cleansing Oils (for Acne-Prone, Normal, or Dry skin) and Cleansing Bars (Plumping, Soothing, or Clarifying)
If you like a cleansing oil (or want to try it for the first time!) but want something more affordable than Desavery, Primally Pure is another great option. (It’s still a bit expensive, but super high quality.)
Primally Pure’s cleansing oil is formulated for oily and acne-prone skin using ingredients like castor oil, tamanu oil, baobab oil, and orange essential oil. It can dissolves buildup and dirt without overdrying the skin for a healthier, calmer complexion.
(They also have options for dry and normal skin types!)
Celia’s take on the Cleansing Oil for Acne-Prone Skin:
As far as cleansing oils go, this formula thoroughly removes makeup and dirt, and I feel like it really gets in there for a good clean.
It also provides deep hydration while cleansing, which is perfect for thirsty skin like mine. (Even though this formula is technically for oily skin, I do have acne-prone skin, so I opted for this one over the dry skin formula.)
This cleansing oil leaves my skin feeling soft and clean, and I love the subtle, calming scent of lavender. If you crave the extra deep-clean feeling and are looking to add double-cleansing to your routine, this oil is a great option.
I personally prefer cleansing balms, but if you like liquid oil cleansers best, then this definitely product is worth the money.
If you’d prefer to use a Cleansing Bar (or both), they have 3 options for those as well: Plumping, Soothing, and Clarifying.
These and all of the rest of Primally Pure’s products are made with minimal, natural ingredients that protect and nourish your skin’s natural microbiome.
Check out Primally Pure’s cleanser collection
Ursa Major
Highlights: Smells good, gender-neutral, good for teens
Types: Fantastic Face Wash, Making Moves Milky Cleanser, Essential Face Wipes
Abbie’s take:
My husband has been using the Fantastic Face Wash for a while now. We both really like it! It’s nothing super “special”—it’s a pretty basic, practical face wash that has a gentle texture and is good for both morning and evening cleansing.
The Fantastic Face Wash to be a great fit for most skin types, and then the Milky Cleanser is better for extra sensitive skin. (Even though, my husband’s skin is pretty sensitive and he hasn’t had any issues with the Fantastic Face Wash.)
Although I don’t love the idea of single-use face wipes because of the excess waste, I get that they can be very useful for some folks (especially teens!). So Ursa Major does have that option as well.
They also carry plenty of other personal care products, including serums, body wash & shampoo, deodorant, and more. I have used many of their products over the years and I haven’t found one I don’t like yet!
Shop Ursa Major’s facial cleansers | Shop on Amazon
Even more non-toxic face washes & cleansers
There is no shortage of natural, clean, and non-toxic face washes on the market these days! Here are even more brands that I would feel more than comfortable using.
This is by no means an exhaustive list either, so if you see your favorite non-toxic face wash is missing from this list, let me know in the comments and I’ll consider adding it!
Acure (I really like both like the Brightening Scrub and the Cleansing Gel)
Blueland (Fragrance-free & refillable gel cleanser. You can see my review here. It’s not bad, but isn’t anything special either.)
Clara & Fritz (Code: THEFILTERY for 10% off.)
Sun & Moo (Code: THEFILTERY)
withSimplicity (Code: THEFILTERY for 10% off.)
Toxic ingredients to watch out for in facial cleansers
We have a whole guide about what ingredients to avoid in conventional skincare, so I won’t go into depth about that here.
But what you basically need to know is that there are a lot of potentially problematic ingredients in a lot of the face wash brands that are found on store shelves today. I’m talking about things like endocrine-disruptors, skin sensitizers, ingredients that could be contaminated with carcinogens, and more.
Here are some of the main ingredients you’ll want to try and avoid when possible: