The 3 most important skin-care swaps to make first if you’re going natural

1. Cleanser

Why: Many cleansers contain harsh detergents like sulfates that can leave your skin dry without really doing much for it.

Sykes says that many familiar drugstore cleansers promise a deep cleanse or acne relief, yet their ingredients don’t live up to their claims. “They tend to contain harsh detergents, sulphates, and synthetic filler ingredients that actively irritate and weaken the skin over time, strip the skin of the natural moisture, and ultimately lead to more or new breakouts or a rashly, bumpy texture that looks like a breakout but is actually a skin reaction,” she says.

She advises you to stay away from “skin ravaging suds” such as sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, diethanolamine, monoethanolamine and triethanolamine, or triclosan as well as artificial fragrances and dyes. “This is one of the first and most important steps you can take towards seriously improving your skin,” says Sykes.

“If you love a drugstore standard like Cetaphil or are just afraid to try anything else for reactive or cranky skin, try Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk ($10) instead,” says Sykes. “This is anti-inflammatory and redness-relieving, has probiotics to help balance and clear, and plant stem cells to add antioxidant, anti-aging benefits.”

“One Love Organics Vitamin B Cleansing Oil ($42) removes makeup effortlessly, helps turn blackheads into distant memories, and smells like a vacation,” she says. “Papaya and pumpkin enzymes break up dirt and debris, soften skin, and help clarify even the most sensitive breakout-prone skin.”

3. Moisturizer

Why: Many are loaded with filler ingredients like emulsifiers and texture enhancers that don’t do anything for your skin, or worse, they may act as hormone disruptors.

“The average moisturizer is very likely to contain fillers like propylene glycol, a skin irritant and potential hormone-disruptor, as well as acrylate plastics or nylon that create a smooth feel but don’t actually provide your skin with real hydration or nourishment,” says Sykes.

In this case, your moisturizer can actually contribute to redness, dry skin woes, breakouts, or a buildup of that plastic-y product residue in the pores, she says.

Which is why she makes the case for moisturizers with a natural base of aloe, plant oils, and butters, which “you’ll find your skin actually drinking in.” This is opposed to “sitting pretty on the surface and tricking your eyes or hands until the product is washed off,” according to Sykes.

“Buckler’s Daily Skin Repair Moisturizer ($42) is a lightweight refreshing moisturizer that soothes and cools the skin with aloe and mint, brightens with vitamin C, and has a touch of lactic acid to help keep combo to oily skin types balanced and clear,” says Sykes.

“I’ll say it, even the La Mer your mother swears by doesn’t hold a candle to Naturopathica Bio-Energy Lift Contouring Cream ($40),” she says. “This is a genuinely effective moisturizer designed to address the hyper-aging effects of city pollution and stress. With firming probiotics, nourishing sea flora like algae, and a remineralizing complex that restores glow to tired, depleted skin, it’s worth every penny and then some.”

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