You’ve probably heard me say this before: just because a product is part of a “clean” beauty line doesn’t mean it is actually clean. It’s one of the most frustrating parts of shopping for non-toxic, skin-friendly products—you can’t just trust the brand as a whole. You have to look at each product individually, because ingredient standards vary wildly even within a single line.
Take Ilia, for example. It’s often praised as a clean beauty brand, and yes—some of their products absolutely live up to that label. The Face Milk, Fullest Volumizing Mascara, Barrier Build Skin Protectant, and Soft Focus Finishing Powder are solidly non-toxic and clean. But others in the same line? Not so much. The Super Serum Skin Tint, Balmy Tint Hydrating Lip Balm, Lip Wrap Hydrating Mask, and True Skin Serum Concealer don’t make the cut on my clean list.
And it gets even more confusing. Sometimes, one shade of a lipstick is considered clean while another shade in the exact same formula isn’t. I know—it’s mind-boggling.
Bottom line? You have to check every single product. Don’t assume that just because you’re shopping within a clean brand, everything in your cart is safe. The term “clean” is not regulated and often subjective, which leads to a lot of misleading marketing.
A Closer Look: Jones Road Beauty
One brand I’ve really been enjoying lately is Jones Road, founded by makeup artist Bobbi Brown. Their mission sounds promising: “The world doesn’t need more beauty products. It needs better beauty products—clean, strategic, high-grade formulations that work on every skin type and tone, and are as simple to use as they are to master.”
I love that philosophy, and for the most part, I agree. The products perform beautifully, feel luxurious, and are free from major red-flag ingredients like phthalates, sulfates, PEGs, petrolatum, cyclic silicones, EDTA, and BPA. That’s a huge win.
But—yes, there’s a “but”—some ingredients they do use, like Phenoxyethanol, synthetic waxes, and Titanium Dioxide, may raise concerns depending on your personal standards for clean beauty. So again, it comes down to the individual product.
For example, the What The Foundation is a dream: moisturizing, flawless coverage, great finish. But its ingredient list doesn’t meet my stricter clean criteria. Same goes for their Lip Tint Lip Gloss—it performs incredibly well but has a few ingredients I’d rather avoid.
On the flip side, I’m obsessed with their Face Pencil (I own three shades!). It covers blemishes, dark circles, and even contours—plus, it gets a “GOOD” rating on the Yuka app. Even better? Their Cool Gloss in Pink Gold Shimmer scores “EXCELLENT” on Yuka.
So, What’s the Takeaway?
If you’ve ever spent your entire Saturday at Sephora scanning barcodes with the Yuka app and cross-referencing ingredients, I feel you. It’s a lot. But it doesn’t have to be so overwhelming—especially if you check out my other blogs where I’ve already done the deep-dive ingredient sleuthing for specific product types.
Most importantly, think about your goals. Are you trying to build the perfect, totally non-toxic collection from scratch? Or are you just aiming to make better choices, one step at a time? Either path is valid. Finding clean products that actually perform and fit your standards takes time, effort, and often a bit of compromise.
So give yourself grace. You don’t have to be perfect—but you do need to be informed. And remember: just because a brand says “clean,” “non-toxic,” or “natural” doesn’t mean everything in that line really is. Keep reading, keep checking, and keep raising your standards—one product at a time.