After trying everything on Sephora and Target's shelves, I stumbled upon a beauty brand via Instagram that turned my world upside down in the best way. Using cleaner and safer products, mostly from Beautycounter, I’ve slowly transitioned most of my personal care items over the last 2 years and have really gotten into a groove of what’s working for me and my skin. Friend, I know this journey can be overwhelming, so whether you care about cleaner skincare or safer makeup, I’ve gone ahead and removed the guesswork for you. I’ve tried everything and have honed my system down. And while I am always here to make personal recommendations based on your skin, I know it can also just be helpful to see what someone else does. So, here are my MUST HAVE items from Beautycounter. They are things I use every single week and items I never let run out. I spend my very own money on them and feel confident telling you they’d be worth every penny of yours too!
If you’re reading this between November 15th and November 28th, these items are ALL 15% off (and FREE shipping over $50) for Beautycounter’s Black Friday Sale. And if you’ve never shopped before, you can use the code CLEANFORALL20 to save 20% - that code will work through the end of 2021.
Beautycounter's Commitment to Clean Beauty
Beautycounter was founded with a mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone. The brand's ethos is built on a "Never List" of over 2,800 questionable or harmful ingredients that are never used in their products. This commitment extends to all of their offerings, including makeup, ensuring that consumers don't have to sacrifice safety for performance. Color cosmetics, which can often be high in heavy metals due to pigments, are particularly scrutinized by Beautycounter. The brand ensures third-party testing of every single batch of their cosmetics for heavy metal contamination, a crucial step in providing truly safe products.
The brand's dedication to safety is rooted in founder Gregg Renfrew's observations of friends and family experiencing health issues like infertility, cancer, and hormone problems, which she suspected were linked to everyday products. This personal motivation drove her to create a brand that would not only offer high-performing products but also advocate for stricter industry regulations and educate consumers about what they are putting on their bodies. Beautycounter was also a Certified B Corporation, signifying its dedication to using business as a force for good.
Must-Have Skincare Products
The journey into cleaner beauty often starts with skincare, and Beautycounter offers several transformative products.
Cleansing Balm
Lotus Cleansing Balm: If you can only snag one thing from Beautycounter forever, it would be this product. The Cleansing Balm is a thick, vaseline-like balm that melts into skin to remove makeup and cleanse OH SO GENTLY. It has genuinely changed my skin more than anything else, helping with breakouts, blackheads, and dry skin because it doesn't strip natural oils. This tub lasts me 8 months plus and can also be used as a moisturizing mask.
Anti-Aging Serums and Creams
Countertime Radiance Serum: Once I hit 32, I realized that I should probably start investing in my “maturing” skin. Not wanting harsh retinols or Botox, this serum uses a plant-based version of retinol called bakuchiol, and it's amazing. My skin looks instantly revived with just one pump, and over time, it has helped to soften fine lines on my forehead while working to prevent new ones from forming. This can be used day or night, or both.
Countertime Ultra Eye Renewal Cream: Much like the serum, I never used an eye cream before age 32. I have extremely sensitive eyes and wasn't sure about using anti-aging ingredients in that area. But this Countertime Eye Cream works to combat dark circles AND fine lines and wrinkles. It's incredibly hydrating for the delicate skin around the eyes, and I won't be without it now. The small pot has lasted me 14 months, making it a worthwhile investment.
Exfoliation and Treatment
Overnight Resurfacing Peel: This is Beautycounter’s most popular and most loved product ever, and I totally get the hype. This “peel” is a mix of AHA/BHA plant acids that chemically exfoliate the skin overnight to help with texture, tone, and discoloration. There’s no actual peeling involved, and the chemical exfoliator is much gentler than products with abrasive beads. One pump and you wake up to refreshed skin.
Charcoal Mask: This product is such a multitasker in our household. I have larger pores and am easily prone to blackheads, so I love using this mask once a week or so to draw out impurities. I can see a visible difference from before and after. If you struggle with acne, hormonal acne, large pores, or oily skin, this is for you. My husband and I love to dot a small amount on a pesky pimple and let it dry overnight; it totally works as a spot treatment.
Beautycounter Makeup Essentials for a Natural Glow
Beautycounter's makeup line is designed to complement natural beauty, offering products that not only enhance features but also provide skincare benefits. Many of their makeup items incorporate skincare elements, allowing you to enjoy skin benefits while wearing them. The emphasis on cream products makes them easy to use and blend, offering a forgiving application that won't accentuate fine lines.
Face Products
Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer: This is one of my all-time favorite Beautycounter products EVER and an essential for any natural, glowy makeup look. I like to call it a real-life IG filter because the glow is real when you apply it. The formula includes Vitamin C, which helps your skin feel firmer and appear more luminous with continued use. Black currant seed oil and peony root extract help boost your skin’s overall radiance and glow. This tinted moisturizer is my go-to for everyday wear because it’s a hybrid between makeup, skincare, and SPF 20. It provides sheer, lightweight coverage that helps to even your skin tone and protects your skin against the sun’s damaging rays with its mineral SPF. It's available in 8 shades.
Skin Twin Foundation: In full transparency, I’m wearing full foundation less and less as my skin continues to improve, but when I reach for one, it’s Skin Twin. This foundation has a really natural, medium (but buildable) coverage and is packed with hyaluronic acid, so it plumps skin rather than drying it like so many foundations. It honestly makes my skin look “finished” and has great staying power for busy days.
Cheeky Clean Cream Blush: Prior to using Beautycounter’s Cheeky Clean Cream Blush, I was a little nervous because the cream blushes I had used in the past were tacky and not super easy to use. When I tried Beautycounter’s, I was BLOWN away by the blend-ability and ease of use. This blush is available in 8 stunning shades and is such a beautiful, versatile, mistake-proof product. The shade Cider, a Soft Peach, is one of my top favorites.
Cheeky Clean Highlighter Balm: This creamy, buildable highlighter balm melts into your skin for an uplifting, lit-from-within glow. It's shimmery, not glittery, thanks to responsibly sourced mica. Formulated with skin-moisturizing ingredients like squalene and jojoba esters, it melts into the high points of your face for a dewy, smooth finish. I love that I can wear them with a full face of makeup as well as on bare skin. The shade Cosmo, a beautiful Rose Bronze Shimmer, is a standout. There are 4 shades available.
Glow First Priming Serum: I never apply my makeup without applying this Glow First Priming Serum FIRST. Think of this product as a hybrid between a skincare serum and a makeup primer. This Priming Serum has a unique gel formula that will give your skin complexion-improving results of a serum with the makeup-staying power of a true primer. Its Microdroplet Technology features encapsulated jojoba ester bubbles that burst upon application, delivering hours of hydration and helping to plump and smooth your complexion. Use this as the very first step in your makeup routine.
Eye and Lip Products
Think Big Mascara: THIS MASCARA. I was so excited when Beautycounter launched a new mascara this year because their old one… well, sucked. This is the best mascara, clean or not, that I’ve ever used. It’s volumizing and lengthening and doesn’t flake off my lashes. It isn’t 100% waterproof (like if you go into water), but I need the cleansing balm to get mine off at night. If you want dramatic lashes or more natural ones, this can do both!
Eye Brow Gel: I don’t know why, but full and styled eyebrows just make me feel so put together. This gel is a 2-minute (or less) step to brush, fill, and set brows. I love that the gel has some color to fill in any sparse spots, and I have 2 back-up tubes in my drawer right now. I LOVE it.
Lid Glow Cream Shadow: Beautycounter nailed these Lid Glow Cream Shadow shades. They deliver an effortless glow with buildable pigment. Whether you want a sheer wash of color or a deeper, smokey look, you can achieve all of the above with this easy-to-use Lid Glow formula. Using Sepia (satin neutral brown) all over the lid, and a lighter shade in the inner corner, creates a pretty and fresh look, making eyes appear brighter and more awake.
Beyond Gloss: These lip jellies are the best thing ever. Remember Carmex? These are like that, but scented with responsibly sourced vanilla and in the most gorgeous sheer colors. They are so moisturizing, sweetened with stevia, and just look beautiful. This gloss, available in 14 beautiful shades, delivers high-impact shine and conditioning lip benefits. Bare Shimmer is a favorite shade, especially to compliment a pretty, glowy summer makeup look. If you’re used to a sticky gloss, this is NOT that; it’s formulated with a blend of waxes to lock in moisture without the stickiness.
Gift Sets and Bundles
Beautycounter often offers curated sets that are perfect for gifting or for trying out multiple popular products.
- BEST FOR YOU: Best in Clean Heroes: If you are new to Beautycounter, this set is for YOU! It contains half sizes of all of Beautycounter’s heavy-hitting products at an affordable price. The set includes the Vitamin C Serum, Radiance Serum, Overnight Resurfacing Peel, Countermatch Moisturizer, and a lip gloss in Magnolia Shimmer. This kit addresses every single skincare concern and will last you 4-6 months.
- BEST FOR YOUR BESTIE OR MOM: Soulmates Exfoliating Duo: If you struggle with dry or cracked feet and love the feeling of a freshly pedicured heel, you need this set. It contains a volcanic lava stone to exfoliate feet in the shower and a peppermint-scented foot balm with plant-based AHA acids to continue resurfacing feet while you sleep.
- BEST FOR YOUR NIECES OR BABYSITTER: Ready Set Trio: This little set contains their favorite mascara, lip jelly, and one of the NEW cream shadows in a beautiful sheer white shade called Moonlit. It’s perfect for a no-makeup makeup look, a gift for a teen, or just to keep in your purse for when you need a refresh.
- TEACHER GIFTS OR STOCKING STUFFER: Beyond Lip Gloss Minis: This set is so practical and affordable, containing 4 mini lip glosses in universally flattering shades. They are luxurious, hydrating, and affordable.
- BEST FOR ANYONE: Mini Must Haves: This little set is like a mini version of the Best in Clean Heroes, containing a 1-month supply of the Overnight Resurfacing Peel, the Vitamin C Serum, and the Countertime Radiance Serum.
The Evolution to Counter
Beautycounter officially closed its doors in April 2024. However, the brand has relaunched as Counter, an entirely new company founded by Gregg Renfrew. Counter carries the legacy of Beautycounter with a renewed mission, an updated product selection, and a fresh approach to clean beauty, starting with 17 products (14 skincare and 3 makeup). The company maintains a strong commitment to ingredient safety and transparency, guided by an extensive Never List, and products are rigorously tested for contaminants like heavy metals. Counter operates under a direct-to-consumer model, with brand affiliates sharing personal affiliate links. While the core formulations of many beloved Beautycounter products have been retained, the brand is positioned as a clean cosmetics brand focused on performance, safety, and transparency.
Counter continues to prioritize ingredient transparency, with easily accessible ingredient lists for each product. They also maintain a strong stance against undisclosed fragrance. While Counter does not prioritize organic ingredients and uses phenoxyethanol (a synthetic preservative), they maintain rigorous third-party testing for heavy metal contamination. The brand emphasizes high-quality, safe, and effective active ingredients and ensures its makeup products are pigmented and long-lasting.
Counter offers a loyalty program where customers earn product credits for purchases, along with special offers and a birthday reward. The company is not an MLM; former Beautycounter consultants can join as brand affiliates, earning a commission on sales. Counter offers free returns on eligible items within 60 days of delivery and provides free shipping on orders of $50 or more. While currently not sold in stores, there are plans for future retail expansion.
Despite some gaps, such as the use of phenoxyethanol and the absence of certified organic ingredients in some products, Counter is considered a step up for consumers prioritizing safety and transparency in cosmetics. The brand has successfully launched core, high-performing products and maintains a focus on its mission. For those who loved Beautycounter, Counter offers a familiar yet evolved clean beauty experience.