Long gone are the days when clean beauty meant compromising on performance. This category has grown up fast โ and the best brands now offer real benefits: barrier-friendly formulas, high-impact pigment, smarter actives, and ingredient lists that feel clear instead of overwhelming.
Still, not all clean claims are created equal, and between greenwashed buzzwords, endless banned lists, and trendy launches, it can be hard to know what’s worth your money. Thatโs where this edit comes in: 10 places to buy clean beauty with confidence โ so you can shop safer formulas and discover truly effective staples.
Read More: 12 Sustainable Fashion Brands You Should Be Wearing
Your Muse Beauty โ Under-the-radar brands to know
Your Muse Beauty is the clean beauty platform to bookmark when youโre over the usual big-name brands and tired of decoding ingredient lists. They spotlight fresh, modern labelsย โ many of them either new to Asia or still relatively hard to find here โ so you can discover standout products before they go mainstream. What we love most is how clearly they define โcleanโ: rather than vague claims, Your Muse Beauty screens every product against strict global safety standards across markets like the EU, Canada, South Korea, Japan, and Australia โ then backs it up with sustainability criteria such as recyclable or FSC-certified packaging, ethical sourcing and low-impact manufacturing. They also make space for values-led routines with a vegan-friendly selection, so building a cleaner, more conscious shelf feels simple โ and genuinely fun to shop.
Friday Club. Promo : Use code NEXTGENBEAUTY for 20% off โ valid until 30 April 2026.
Founders Beauty โ Skincare guided by nature
Founders Beauty is a New Zealand-made clean beauty label founded on a straightforward thesis: nature works better when you understand it. Rooted in the T.E.L.L. ethos โ Transparency, Empowerment, Lasting Results, Love โ the brand prioritises education as much as formulation, pairing skincare and wellness essentials with candid guidance that helps you make smarter choices. Start with the Amethyst Gua Sha, a cool lilac sculpting tool designed to bring intention back to your routine: used regularly, it helps ease facial tension and supports that โjust-woke-upโ clarity.
Kosas โ Skin improving makeup
With a reputation for clean makeup that performs like skincare, Kosas is the name to know. Designed for sensitive skin and comfortable, luminous wear, the brand blends high-pigment glow and all-day staying power with dermatologist-tested, skin-improving formulas. It also maintains a more rigorous clean standard than most: Kosas bans over 2,700 ingredients, steering clear of common irritants, synthetic fillers, and controversial preservatives. The brand backs its commitments with Leaping Bunny cruelty-free certification, responsibly sourced mica, and a growing use of sustainable packaging โ from FSC-certified cartons to biomaterial tubes. Best of all, Kosas has now landed at Sephora, so your next restock is an effortless โadd-to-cart.โ
Schnique โ German developed botanical formulas
Created by Hong Kong entrepreneur Katrina Chan after an ingredient epiphany in Germany, Schnique is a vegan, additive-light skincare line developed with German chemists to meet thorough specifications โ brought home to address the specific needs of Hong Kong complexions. The formulas put plant science to work, pairing purpose-chosen botanicals with nutrient-rich actives to calm redness, support the barrier, and ease dryness-related irritation without resorting to heavy synthetics. Most are even positioned as pregnancy-suitable, making it a logical entry point for anyone craving gentler performance with visible payoff. Available online or in person at SLU Beauty locations when youโre ready to go plant-first.
Haus Labs by Lady Gaga โ Made for every tone and type
Famed for its high-impact pigments and skin-first formulas, Haus Labs is Lady Gagaโs answer to clean makeup with pro-level results. The vegan and cruelty-free line is designed for everyone โ across skin tones, skin types, and skill levels โ delivering luminous colour and lasting wear with a more transparent approach to โclean.โ Haus Labs uses both synthetic and natural ingredients it deems safe and effective, and formulates products without 2,700+ questionable ingredients โ steering clear of common culprits like parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and certain silicones. A feel-good layer sits underneath, too: USD$1 from every purchase supports the Born This Way Foundation, focused on youth mental health.
Aesop โ Sustainable design, inside and out
Founded in 1987 in Melbourne, Aesop has cultivated its standing on clean care thatโs as much about formulation as it is about the sensory experience of application. The brand casts a wide net โ drawing from both plant-based and laboratory-made ingredients โ then narrows it with stringent criteria: only components with a proven record of safety and performance make the cut. Aesopโs outposts feature well-trained consultants who walk you through the range and help you choose based on skin needs. Design is never a secondary concern either: those amber bottles reflect Aesopโs long-running focus on sustainable, functional packagingย โ a retail philosophy that works with the character of each neighbourhood, instead of copy-pasting the same store template everywhere. If youโre new to the brand, start with the Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm: a citrus-forward signature thatโs become a natural entry point for many.
RMS Beauty โ Multitasking skin loving makeup
When a veteran runway make-up artist decides to venture into clean cosmetics, itโs worth paying attention โ and RMS Beauty, created by Rose-Marie Swift, is one of the original trailblazing names. Launched in 2009 from decades of New York fashion-week experience, the range centres on multitasking, skin-nourishing formulas crafted from living, organic ingredients. Its mineral-based colour and coconut-oil foundation are designed to hydrate, soften, and leave your skin with a naturally radiant finish. The best part? Performance is never forgotten: these are products made to hold up on shoots, runways, and real life โ still looking like you, just better.
Westman Atelier โ Luxury glow by a celebrity makeup artist
Born from makeup artist Gucci Westmanโs pursuit of barely-there radiance, Westman Atelier is clean beauty with an elegance that reads expensive and wears like skincare. Creamy, blendable formulas are built upon skin-loving ingredients like coconut and jojoba oils, with a firm stance on what stays out (no phthalates, parabens, PEGs, mineral oils, or animal testing), and a focus on high-performance pigments that still feel extra-soothing on sensitive days.
Skin Need โ Personalised mix and match system
Skin Need is what happens when a cosmetic chemist formulates clean beauty for everyday realities in Asia โ hot, humid, high-stress skin days included. Originally created to nurture sensitive, procedure-prone complexions (especially Fitzpatrick types 3-4), the range has evolved into a function-first system for daily defence against environmental and internal stressorsย โ with formulas designed to soothe, balance, and stabilise the skin barrier. Itโs vegan and intentionally stripped-back โ free from fragrance, denatured alcohol, parabens, and phthalates โ while focusing on USP-grade molecular ingredients at purposeful percentages, backed by enhanced delivery tech for results that endure past the first application. Add GMP-manufactured standards, sustainability-minded packaging, and the brandโs mix-and-match approach across 40 formulations โ you get a personalised, climate-smart routine that prioritises healthy skin behaviour over quick cosmetic effects.
Tilt Beauty โ Patented ergonomic refillable design
Not every clean beauty brand is designed with real bodies in mind โ which is exactly why Tilt stands out. Founded by Aerin after growing up with psoriatic arthritis, this line rethinks makeup from the outside in โ with patented ergonomic, refillable packaging engineered to be easy to open, hold, and use (it’s the first beauty brand to earn the Arthritis Foundation Ease of Use Certification). Formulas are dermatologist-approved and backed by the National Psoriasis Foundation Seal of Recognition, skipping synthetic fragrance and common irritants while incorporating a calming complex โ colloidal oatmeal, ceramides, and vitamin E among them โ for extra-sensitive skin. Bonus points for the refill system, which the brand says cuts plastic use significantly over repurchasing new components.
Catherine Pun
A Hong Kong native with Filipino-Chinese roots, Catherine infuses every part of her life with zest, whether sheโs belting out karaoke tunes or exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations. Her downtime often includes unwinding with Netflix and indulging in a 10-step skincare routine. As the Editorial Director of Friday Club., Catherine brings her wealth of experience from major publishing houses, where she refined her craft and even authored a book. Her sharp editorial insight makes her a dynamic force, always on the lookout for the next compelling narrative.
