Cooki Haircare's co-founder Jaimee’s favourite low tox beauty products
Is there anything more maddening than trying to navigate the ‘clean' beauty space, deciphering every ingredient until they blur into one?! My journey into 'clean beauty' started with my stage 4 endometriosis diagnosis in 2021, which gave me a real reason to look more closely at what I was putting on my face and body every day. For those of us with endo, PCOS, going through IVF or chemo or battling a range of inflammatory conditions, reducing the chemical load in our daily beauty and household products can have a dramatic impact on reducing inflammation and symptoms.
But the problem is, I'm also the girl who, after years working in beauty and magazines, wasn't about to give up every product I loved and the hair and beauty routine I had built over the years and swap them all for sad, non-descript ‘health’ swaps. So my quest began to decode and discover what ‘clean’ beauty really meant for me. ‘Clean’ is a completely unregulated marketing term, designed as a useful shorthand for people like us trying to navigate better-for-you choices, so this means you’ll need to work out what’s important to you and what you’re willing to compromise on - and the reality is, it’s a personal thing.
A WORD ON PHTHALATES….
For what it’s worth, the Australian government issues you a fact sheet via your GP when you become pregnant, which specifically instructs pregnant women to avoid phthalates. They’re also meant to be avoided during IVF, egg freezing, chemotherapy and for general hormonal health. Going phthalate-free is therefore where I personally think we should all start our ‘clean’ journey from, and all of my recs below are therefore phthalate-free. In short, if you’re overwhelmed, cut phthalates first!
What the heck is a phthalate??
What you basically need to know is that you’ll find phthalates in many (most!) synthetic fragrances. This means they’re hiding in your candles, skincare, makeup, haircare and cleaning products. Some brands like Cooki are both phthalate-free AND synthetic-fragrance-free, but you can also find ‘clean’ synthetic fragrance which is phthalate-free. I avoid both whenever I can, mostly now out of habit! But many fellow low tox friends happily use phthalate-free synthetic fragrances.
It's safe to say there's been a lot of trial and error to get here. After many hours of pacing the aisles of Sephora, Mecca and the local health shop, rigorously decoding labels and deep-diving into the world of 'clean beauty' online, here are the products that have made the cut for me. These are brands I feel great supporting, formulas I know work, and proof that beauty, wellness and a lighter footprint can all sit pretty in your bathroom vanity, without sacrifice.
FYI: MY SKIN TYPE / HAIR TYPE / SCENT & INGREDIENT STANCE
As a shortcut for anyone reading these product recommendations:
My skin and hair type: Combination skin (oily T-zone), oily, fine hair (but lots of it).
My scent preferences: Since going low tox I’ve stopped enjoying strong scents as much, so my recs will often reflect low scent or fragrance-free options.
My ingredient philosophy: the ingredients I actively try to avoid in my products as someone with endo include: parabens, phthalates, PEGs, silicones (even dimethicone if I can), and phenoxyethanol as much as possible (but sometimes a liquid product simply needs a preservative!). I personally don’t worry as much about synthetic colour in wash-off products like makeup and hair toning products (I still dye my hair as well), although some people prefer to be very strict about this.
Below is what I actually put on my face and body regularly, and I hope they inspire you that not all low tox products have to be bland or ineffective. These actually work!
MY LOW TOX SKINCARE FAVOURITES
BYOMA Foaming Rice Deep Cleanser
Kicking off the list with my daily cleanser - but prepare yourself for many more recommendations from this bizarrely affordable brand ahead. Useful pump, fun to use, removes my stubborn mascara, not stripping. Such a universal cleanser I feel many skin types would adore.
My holy grail for an unscented, non-sticky serum that dries into your skin perfectly and leaves it silky soft. I use this morning and night before moisturising.
My daily moisturiser. Fragrance-free, with ceramides, bakuchiol and shea teaming up to soothe, hydrate and protect your skin barrier. Thick, but never heavy (I have combination skin and am known to break out in La Mer!), and I won't pretend the delightfully aesthetic bottle doesn't help. Especially lovely through the cooler months, or whenever your skin needs a proper hydration boost. If you want a heavier-duty one, I also alternate with the BYOMA Barrier+ Repair Treatment at night time. Still not heavy, just very restorative.
Get BYOMA from: Sephora Australia (online or in store).
Emma Lewisham Supernatural Sleeping Mask
I slather this on before bed and wake up looking like I've had eight hours of sleep and a facial (on nights I've had far from either). It's doing all the hard work overnight - plumping, brightening, firming. It makes my skin feel incredible, and refillable, which I love.
Get it from: MECCA Australia (online or in store).
Weleda Skin Food Face & Body Moisturiser
Posh Spice uses this and if it's good enough for Vicky B, it's good enough for me. This is kind of the OG natural moisturiser - I discovered it when working in the editorial team at David Jones, and we were all obsessed.
Get it from: David Jones, Go Vita, health shops.
MY LOW TOX MAKEUP FAVOURITES
This tinted gel cream is a bouncier twist on a classic tinted moisturiser and is great for skin that looks glowy rather than "done." You’ll still see your pores: it’s sheer enough to let my actual skin show, but somehow still makes me feel pulled together on days when I've got 30 seconds flat for hair and makeup. Kosas as a brand is just so good - I'd happily use everything they make. They use ZERO preservatives though, so watch the shelf-life, as many are only six months due to this.
Get it from: MECCA Australia (online or in store).
bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30
This one is currently my favourite - I asked a friend why she looked like an angel and she swears it’s this extremely glowy tint, so I got influenced and bought it immediately. An overachieving moisturiser which combines natural-looking coverage with mineral SPF 30 and feels much more like skincare than a traditional foundation.
Like any tinted moisturiser I'd still ALWAYS recommend wearing a dedicated sunscreen underneath, but I just love having that extra layer of protection, and it often does the heavy lifting on no-makeup days.
Get it from: MECCA Australia (online or in store).
NB: This one contains phenoxyethanol, so sense-check this ingredient for yourself if you’re pregnant. I wouldn’t personally ever use a product with phenoxyethanol in it on kids.
A blusher first but a multi-tasker after my own heart. One quick slick and I'm freshly flushed. My cheeks, the bridge of my nose, my eyelids at a push - they've all worn the multi-stick, and with my oily skin it manages to stay in place and not sink into my pores. I also love ILIA's thoughtful, fragrance-free formulas, a really incredible low-tox range.
Get it from: MECCA Australia (online or in store).
The best highlighter on this earth. I buy this for friends for their birthdays, or after they have a baby (as a fun treat to look glowy during the least glowy season of life). Coconut-oil based, and I’ve had people actually ask me ‘is your skin naturally glowy or is that highlighter’ when I wear it. Made with extremely nourishing ingredients including organic coconut oil, castor seed oil and vitamin E, this little pot gives the most beautiful lit-from-within glow and lasts FOREVER.
It's a glorious all-in-one product that can be used on the cheeks, eyes and body. A tiny amount goes such a long way too!
Get it from: MECCA Australia (online or in store).
MY LOW TOX SUNSCREEN FAVOURITES
Babo Botanicals Daily Sheer Mineral Sunscreen Fluid SPF 50
The best natural sunscreen I’ve ever used. No white cast, non-greasy. I was genuinely surprised by how well this sank into my skin almost like a lightweight primer. It’s the one you’ve been looking for!!
The zinc-based formula offers SPF 50 protection while still feeling exceptionally lightweight. Mineral sunscreens can sometimes feel thick or chalky, but this one has a fluid texture that makes it so easy to apply without pilling or leaving you feeling sticky all day.
Get it from: iHerb online. This one is more of a commitment to source, as I can’t find it in Aussie stores yet - but it’s worth the online trek, I promise.
Grown Alchemist Natural Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30
This one is very different to the Babo Botanicals one above. It’s got hyaluronic acid in it, and it’s both stickier on the dry down and leaves more of a white cast. It’s also only SPF 30 versus SPF 50. So why on earth did it make this list?!
Because, I kid you not - after I started using it, it changed the texture of my forehead to the point where MULTIPLE friends asked me if I’d caved and gotten botox. I hadn’t, it’s just so hydrating that it left my skin looking and feeling unbelievable. Fine lines reduced like no other. If you can handle a heavier texture, it’s well worth a go for the skin benefits. Bonus points for the chic plastic-free aluminium tube, and small format size that’s great to travel with.
Get it from: Adore Beauty or Grown Alchemist’s website.
MY LOW TOX DEODORANT AND TOOTHPASTE FAVOURITES
No Pong Fragrance-Free Vegan Deodorant
The. Only. Natural. Deodorant. That. Has. Ever. Worked. For. Me. It’s so effective that I use the fully fragrance-free option - not even an essential oil in sight. No Pong are the best in the biz - vegan, plastic-free formulas that come in a compact recyclable tin.
Get it from: Woolies (yay!), Go Vita, the No Pong website or a range of Aussie natural marketplaces.
Cleo + Coco Dry Shampoo & Body Powder
Found this in Wholefoods on a trip to the US, then went back for four more to take home. I love the Basil Mint and the Grapefruit Bergamot. You know how many deodorants smell yuck and essential oil-y or really fake? These don't, subtle and chic and not overpowering. Phenomenal dry shampoo, and works as an all-over body deo apparently - for me, it's just my dry shampoo.
Get it from: The Lab Organics online. Not many places in Aussie yet, but again, worth it.
Natural toothpaste can be so boring, the lovely Kiwis at Solid made it fun. LOVE that it’s plastic-free, and all the flavours are delicious. I think this is the best-tasting natural toothpaste I’ve tried.
The fresh mint formula contains potassium nitrate, fluoride and xylitol to help care for and protect the teeth, but most of all, I love Solid's glass jar packaging. It creates far less waste and looks SO much more elegant beside the sink than a scrunched, plastic tube. So handy for travel too, their little minis.
NB: This toothpaste range contains fluoride, which is important to me, but I know some people have a view on this - so flagging in case.
Get it from: Solid’s website, or a few different Aussie marketplaces.
MY LOW TOX HAIRCARE FAVOURITES
Cooki Rice Water Protein Shampoo Bar
As IF I’d do a low tox edit without featuring my own products! I used to be a total Cooki Ginger Shampoo Bar devotee, but since my greys started coming through and I’ve regularly started deying them dark, I’ve transitioned to our most colour-protective option, which is our Rice Water Protein Shampoo Bar. It’s colour protective, keratin-safe, pregnancy-safe, essential oil-free and sulfate-free, and it’s gentle enough even for kids to use as it won’t sting the eyes. Even as an oilier haired gal this shampoo leaves my hair feeling bouncy and clean. I still think the Ginger bar is more clarifying and left it even bouncier, but the colour-protection here was worth the switch.
I also use either our Ginger Conditioner Bar (lightweight) or our Coconut Conditioner Bar (our heaviest formula), and 2-3 times per week I use our Cooki Protein Hair Mask or Cooki Moisture Mask for a deep hit of hydration. Don’t make me choose between them - they’re both incredible. They’re a collab between Cooki and fellow low tox Aussie brand, SOPHIC, and until now they’ve only been available in salons.
Get it from: Our website, Go Vita, or health stores Aus and NZ-wide.
Hairdressers rave about this for a reason. In the nebulous ‘hair growth’ space where there are a whole lot of wacky claims, I like to say ‘this isn’t a silver bullet, but it’s definitely a natural product that does stuff’. This is a very nourishing oil for giving the hair and scalp some extra love. I massage it into my scalp 20 minutes before a hairwash, or smooth a little through the roots and ends and leave it on overnight to help prevent split ends and stimulate new growth. I swear it helped me regrow a little balding patch on my left temple last year - scout’s honour.
Get it from: Our website!
NB: This one has a pretty fragrant natural scent, so low-scent lovers please avoid, and I also would not automatically recommend this as pregnancy-safe due to some of the more stimulating essential oils involved. Check with your GP or OB if in doubt.
Outdoorish Outdoor Beauty Balm
I have the blood type the mozzies love, and this is the most incredibly effective DEET-free repellent. I take it to the tropics and manage not to get bitten. Love that it’s a balm stick so you can use it with no sticky residue left on your hands, and it even makes for a great hair slick! It hydrates and nourishes the skin with native Australian botanicals while naturally helping to repel bugs. Because it's DEET-free, citronella-free, lightweight and non-greasy, it feels much more like a beautiful body balm than a stinky roll-on bug repellent.
Get it from: The Outdoorish website.
MY LOW TOX LIP BALM FAVOURITES
Wild's refillable lip balm is made with nourishing ingredients including shea butter, olive oil, coconut oil and the brightening Kakadu plum. It’s not sticky or filmy and actually softens the driest lips (another recurring issue of mine).
I love the reusable metal case and plastic-free refills. It's such a simple swap that helps reduce waste without taking any of the enjoyment out of the product. The case has also proven to be sturdy enough to survive the chaos at the bottom of my handbag, bless the little guy.
Get it from: Priceline or Wild’s online store.
Grown Alchemist Hydra Restore Lip Balm
I keep this lip balm on me at all times and in every pocket/handbag/car door. It's got this silky, plant-based formula that's lightweight but still intensely moisturising. I find this balm leaves my lips properly soft, not greasy or waxy. I use it a couple of times throughout the day and my lips stay smooth and conditioned the whole time. There is no need for constant reapplying every twenty minutes with this balm as I find the formula ‘fixes’ my dry lips rather than just temporarily hydrating them.
Get it from: Adore Beauty or Grown Alchemist’s website.
These are some of my current favourite low tox beauty and personal care products, and I'll continue updating this list. All of these feel amazing to use, actually work, and help me make choices that are a little gentler on my body.
Going low tox doesn't mean throwing out your entire beauty routine and starting from scratch. For me, it was simply replacing products gradually as they ran out, trying plenty of alternatives along the way, and holding onto the ones I genuinely love. Hopefully, you'll discover a new favourite here too.
Jaimee x
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