If you’re like me, you’re dealing with a lot of disappointment about Beautycounter products not being available any longer. The company expected to be back online after a brief closing, but now they’re sadly gone at least until fall.
I’ll continue working on finding even more good clean non-toxic Beautycounter alternatives, but for now, here’s a list of products that are great place to start. I’ve actually have been pleasantly surprised with some of what I’ve found so far, and I think you will be too!
When all of this Beautycounter stuff happened, I really didn’t know what I was going to do. I’ve leaned almost completely on Beautycounter for my skincare and makeup for a long time and making a huge change from something you know and love is hard.
I counted on Beautycounter’s attention to detail with testing for heavy metals, endocrine disruption, and more, and I really most of their products.
True, not everything from their brand worked for me (I wouldn’t expect that from any brand), but I worked with Beautycounter for 11 years and some of their products were like comfort food for my face.
But life and skincare must go on.
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Where You Can Still Get Beautycounter Products
The plan is apparently for Beautycounter to be back in the fall, but there’s no guarantee. It’s hard to find new skincare and beauty. I get it. So if you really really can’t live without something right now, try Ulta.
A lot of products are selling out but they might get restocked.
I have some stash left so you can reach out and let me know what you’re in need of. It’s possible that I have it.
Beautycounter vs. Crunchi
I truly didn’t plan on jumping into another brand quickly, but something happened.
Many “clean beauty brands” simply don’t have the same standards that Beautycounter does, and some are lacking in ethics in other ways. Ask me how I know.
However, this past week I took another look at one particular company and got a very pleasant surprise. It truly seems to be a new and very good home for most of my skincare and beauty needs (and hopefully yours as well.)
Whether Beautycounter comes back or not, I think you’ll love what you see here.
Crunchi is a smaller name in the clean beauty scene, but they are something special. While this isn’t an exhaustive comparison of the two brands, I’ll be sharing a lot of Crunchi alternatives below, so I wanted to explain why.
If you loved Beautycounter, there’s a lot to love about Crunchi. In fact, compared to Beautycounter, Crunchi is….
- Cleaner – Beautycounter was for sure the Leader in Clean, but it turns out that Crunchi’s standards are even cleaner. Crunchi doesn’t use phenoxyethanol or FD&C colors (like Red No. 40, and more). They also avoid a few other ingredients that aren’t as controversial, such as bismuth oxychloride, which is a 1 on EWG Skin Deep but is known for causing allergic reactions. Also, Crunchi makes more of an effort to use organic ingredients than Beautycounter did.
- Less Expensive – while not a inexpensive drug store brand, Crunchi is a bit more affordable than Beautycounter.
- More Sustainable – while Beautycounter was making a lot of strides in this arena, Crunchi has it nailed down. Almost all of their containers are glass and metal, and any plastic that they use is offset by their partnership with 4Ocean. When you get your order, you’ll notice that their packaging materials are notably “green.”
- Debt Free – this is huge considering that Beautycounter’s debt was a big part of what led to Beautycounter closing. They were literally in foreclosure.
Crunchi doesn’t have as many products or as many colors as Beautycounter, but they have a decent offering and are developing more products fairly quickly.
Beautycounter Alternatives
Here’s my current list of options to use in place of some Beautycounter favorites.
Again, I’m sharing a lot of Crunchi options now because I really trust them after everything I’ve learned so far. And my trust is hard earned.
In my search for clean personal care and other healthy living products over the years, I’ve been:
- lied to
- gaslit
- blocked on Facebook
- had commissions stolen from me
- threatened with lawsuits
Not pretty.
So when a company earns my trust, that’s a big deal.
I’m including some other products that I think seem trustworthy, but I need to learn more about them and of course want to try them before really standing behind them.
Full disclaimer: I’m not a makeup or skincare junkie like other bloggers, so forgive me for not sharing some of the gazillion products I’ve tried over the years. I’ve tried various lines like Pure Haven, NYR Organic, Oliveda, 100% Pure, Miessence (super trustworthy brand), Clinique, and a few more but it’s not an endless list. Also, when I find something I like, I tend to keep using it.
Yes, I’m that person who buys several of the same tops or pants because I like them. And I pretty much wear the same earrings all the time. Ain’t got no time for trying out lip glosses from twenty different companies to see which one has the perfect feel. Purity is paramount to me, and I try to find a balance between purity and efficacy.
Beautycounter Skin Twin Alternative
Crunchi’s Beautifully Flawless Foundation – This foundation can be either light / sheer or a full coverage option (that was hard to get with Beautycounter).
For the best perfect sheer coverage, use their Smart Primer first (I really like this product), put a small dot of the foundation on the palm of your hand and use the Flat Top Brush to feather the foundation on your face. I’ve also mixed a bit of their moisturizer with the foundation to thin it out before applying.
Beyond Gloss Alternative
Crunchi’s Hydrogloss Lip Oil – this is a lovely alternative to Beautycounter’s Beyond Gloss and it’s a frugal alternative too. It’s literally the largest lip gloss I’ve ever seen!
Ilia Balmy Gloss Lip Oil – I haven’t tried this, but it seems like a good option as well.
Beautycounter Mascara Alternatives
Mascara is a tough product to find a quality option for that’s clean and if you have sensitive eyes, it’s even harder.
Crunchi’s Shattered Mascara – Beautycounter’s mascara was lovely, but it stung my eyes for awhile after applying. It also tended to run fairly easily. Crunchi’s mascara doesn’t sting (yay!) but it is thicker than Beautycounter’s.
To get longer lashes with this mascara, dust your lashes first with their Translucent FInishing Powder (which I love), and then use their Eyelash Curler and wiggle the mascara gently up your lashes. I don’t have the curler yet, but I’m definitely going to try it after reading the reviews! Even without the curler, I can make this mascara work if I carefully wiggle the wand.
It’s difficult to find a company that is as stringent as Beautycounter and Crunchi, but here are some possibilities.
Thrive Causmetics – they apparently do test for heavy metals, but I haven’t dug into any more details. Some love their mascara, but it’s a tube mascara and some say that’s really hard to remove and/or that they just don’t like it.
Ilia Mascara – Ilia is an option for a clean mascara, but there are a number of complaints about it running and flaking easily, and causing reactions. Worth trying but you might end up with the same stinging situation that I’ve had with most clean mascaras.
Side note: I personally don’t recommend 100% Pure’s mascara due to unusual answers about fragrances when I inquired years ago, and it stung my eyes as well.
Bottom line: For me, safe and non-stinging when it comes to mascara is key. I’ll go the extra step to put Crunchi’s mascara on carefully and will likely use the curler for maximum results.
Beautycounter Eye Pencil Alternative
Beautycounter stopped making their eye pencils awhile ago, but they were apparently reformulating them. I loved what a great value they were, but they were hard to apply and in cooler months you needed to warm the pencil before applying.
Crunchi Highliner Pencil Eyeliner – So far I really like this eye pencil. It goes on well even in cooler weather, has a nice point, and doesn’t sting my eyes. Even better, it’s a fabulous value compared to most clean eye pencils.
Jane Iredale – I used this pencil on and off over the years. It goes on well, but it does sting and to my knowledge, they don’t test for heavy metals.
Ilia Clean Line Liner– Ilia doesn’t have an eye pencil, but they have a liquid eye liner. I personally don’t like liquid liners, but if you do this might be a good option for you.
Beautycounter Lotus Cleansing Balm Alternative
This is one of the products that I will miss the most from the BC lineup. I didn’t use this as a cleanser, however. I used it on top of moisturizer day and night and it really sealed everything in.
Crunchi’s I Am the Balm – definitely try this if you want another balm option for cleaning. I prefer an oil or gel cleanser, and the Crunchi Facial Bar works well for me too after removing my eye makeup.
Crunchi’s I Am Luminous Facial Oil – I haven’t tried this yet but it’s in my cart and I’ll report back later. I
Evolve Cleansing Melt – this looks like a good clean option, but it’s more like a petroleum jelly base. Some people say it doesn’t remove their makeup well enough, but it might work for you. I plan to try it out and report back.
Beautycounter Deodorant Alternatives
Finding a substitute for Beautycounter’s Clean Deo is hard. Our youngest REALLY loved it. He’s an active young man in the trades, and loved their Sequoia scent. I liked Beautycounter’s Clean Deo for awhile, but recently it stopped working well for me, which can happen for some reason with more natural deodorants.
Here are some that I’m going to be trying based on the recommendations of others.
Native Deodorant – Native is a very popular brand but some say it’s too strong and causes a rash.
Little Seed Farm – this is a deodorant cream, so it’s very unlike Beautycounter’s Clean Deo. However, a number of people have mentioned how great it is, so I’m definitely going to try it. It’s magnesium based which can work great for some but can lead to pimples for others based on the pH of the product.
Lume – Lume is another clean brand that’s often recommended. Like other deodorants, however, it’s a personal thing. It works for some and not for others.
Beautycounter’s All Bright C Serum Alternative
There are a lot of things to consider with a C serum; potent ingredients, opacity of the bottle, and having an air tight dispenser is crucial too.
Crunchi’s I Am Bright Vitamin C Facial Serum is a great alternative. I love the scent of the actives in this product. While many loved the action of Beautycounter’s serum, they didn’t like the scent. I’m seeing more results from Crunchi’s product, however, I am pairing it with their GoldenLight Peptide Serum so that is likely giving it an extra punch. But the serum also has niacinamide which is a well-known skin powerhouse as well.
Evolve C Skin Booster – This is a combination C serum with bakuchiol. Evolve is a well respected brand, and this does get overall good reviews, so it’s worth trying, but note that it’s not in an opaque container, which isn’t optimal as it will
Mad Hippie – For several reasons, this product isn’t comparable, but I thought I’d share that one of my Beautycounter customers tried it and reported that it didn’t work well and caused her skin to break out.
Beautycounter Sunscreen Alternative
Beautycounter had a face, body, and spray sunscreen, as well as tinted sunscreens, so they had a lot of great options for safer sun care. Over the years, we’ve tried a few sunscreens, but most of them aren’t available any longer. Here are some options to try.
Crunchi – Crunchi has a facial moisturizer with SPF as well as a body sunscreen. Reviews say that their sunscreens don’t produce a white cast (due to special nano minerals) and squalene. They are talking about introducing tinted sunscreen and possibly a tinted moisturizer with SPF as well. I’ll report back once I try this.
The following brands seem clean, but I don’t know about their quality control including heavy metal testing.
Babo Botanicals Sunscreen – I haven’t tried this brand, but it does have ethoxylated ingredients in at least some of their sunscreen products, which is a no go for me.
Badger – This also looks like a clean option, but I haven’t tried it yet and haven’t dug into the details.
These posts about Spray Sunscreen Dangers and Sunscreen Safety Tips have some helpful safety information that I recommend reading as well.
For the following products I don’t have more than one alternative yet, but I’m working on it.
Brightening Face Oil Alternative
Crunchi’s I Am Luminous Oil – this should be a fantastic alternative. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m going to soon.
Countertime Essence Alternative
Crunchi’s Facial Essence – Many people raved about Beautycounter’s Essence and I suspect they’ll like this product as well.
Countertime Supreme Cream Alternative
Crunchi’s Nightlight Advanced – this is a great option. I personally find it to be a little more tightening than moisturizing so you could mix it with their Nightlight Cream or add the Facial Oil on top.
Countertime Soft Cream Alternative
Crunchi’s Daylight Advanced – this is a great alternative to the Soft Cream. True “youth activating” benefits.
Countertime Serum Alternative
Crunchi Goldenlight Peptide Serum – this serum is a true powerhouse. I loved Beautycounter’s serum, but it did cause some breakouts for me at first. This one did not.
Beautycounter’s AHA Mask Alternative
Crunchi’s I Am Polished Exfoliator – This face scrub has both physical and chemical exfoliators in it, just like the AHA Mask did, so it’s a fairly comparable product.
How to Save With Crunchi
There are a few great ways to save with Crunchi.
- New customers get 10% off any order over $50 with code ADVOCATE10
- Get Free Shipping at $175
- Join the Insider program for $29 annually. Get a Free Welcome Gift, 10% Crunchi Cash on all purchases, and Free Shipping at $125.
I hope to add more to this list later, but I hope that this gives you some solid options to try out for your clean beauty routine. I also hope that you’ll enjoy trying out at least some of the Crunchi options that I’ve shared. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
