This post is one of my Beautycounter reviews to share about the company and why I decided to move to safer skincare. Full disclosure: I am now a Beautycounter consultant.  This post contains affiliate links, which means Food Farmacist RD receives a percentage of the sale if you use the link to make your purchase. This does not change the price of the product for you! These are my own, honest opinions, and I always keep it real ??.

You know the girl who has perfect, glowy skin with no wrinkles or zits ever?

Yeah, I’m not that girl.

In fact, my skin and I have been fighting for a really long time – over 10 years to be exact. I’ve done some crazy things to my skin from DIY oatmeal masks to dermatologist-grade chemical peels and laser treatments. But, I finally made the jump to safer skincare after experiencing a health scare of my own.

I’ve had a 10-year struggle with my skin.

For years, I used harsh skincare products to try to cure my acne and other skin woes. I was also seeing an esthetician in Denver almost monthly. I’m not joking when I say I have spent THOUSANDS of dollars trying to feel comfortable with my skin.

At one point, I was doing professional chemical peels almost every other month. If you haven’t done this before, it basically causes your skin to exfoliate and peel like a snake for 5 days.

I was seeing results, however, I had to keep going back monthly to keep my skin condition at bay. Can you say #EXPENSIVE?

A health scare made me change to safer skincare.

As a registered dietitian who specializes in functional nutrition, I care deeply about putting real, unprocessed food INTO my body.

Surprisingly, it never dawned on me that I should also consider what I was putting ONTO my body.

Over a year ago, I had a check-up with my doctor who just happened to run some labs due to a few unusual symptoms I was experiencing.

She called a few days later with some nerve-wracking results:

“Maria, this is very unusual, but your liver enzymes are extremely high.”

I’ve counseled people with cirrhosis and liver disease before. I’ve seen high levels of liver enzymes.

But my levels were over FIVE times the amount that people with liver disease usually see. Just for some reference, elevated liver enzymes can mean a lot of different things. But, in general, high levels indicate inflammation or damage to the cells in your liver.

After re-testing a few times, it was confirmed that these were my real numbers. Then the investigation began. I was tested for everything from autoimmune disease, to hepatitis, to rare genetic conditions. I underwent an ultrasound of my abdomen to look for tumors or fatty liver (it came back normal, thank God ??) . The next step was a biopsy to ultimately test for cancer.

Talk about scary.

Long story short, my labs eventually normalized.

The doctors still don’t know why my liver enzymes jumped so high. A low-grade virus is the best guess so far.

But, it really made me reassess my health and what I was putting both IN and ON my body.

You see, your liver is responsible for detoxifying everything you come into contact with – including the chemicals you put on your skin.

Now, I’m not some extremist who thinks you will grow a third arm if you use regular skincare products. I just know that I want to support my liver as much as possible, and want to avoid potentially harmful products. Especially as my husband and I think about starting a family. Additionally, I  know that I have a family history of liver disease, so I want to be proactive in protecting myself.

I stopped the harsh chemical peels. I slowly transitioned to safer skincare.

After some research, I decided to try a few Beautycounter products. I started with their Beautycounter acne line and eventually moved into using their charcoal mask, eye cream, and tint skin foundation. (Note: I use way more products now because I’m pretty much obsessed with them ?).

Related post: Holistic Acne Treatment: How I Treated My Acne Naturally

What is Beautycounter?

Beautycounter is the leader in safer skincare. They sell non-toxic skincare, makeup, and some bath & body products. They are a certified B Corporation (a certification that is NOT easy to get – there are less than 2,000 globally). This means they have high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. AKA they have strong company values and care about the health of people and the planet.

What makes Beautycounter different?

Did you know that the U.S. has not passed a major federal law to regulate the safety of personal care ingredients since 1938? This is concerning to someone (like me) who wants and needs to use safer products.

In the meantime, the European Union has banned close to 1,400 chemicals and restricted use of over 250 in the product formulas of personal care products. The U.S. has only partially banned 30.

However, Beautycounter has a “never list” which is a list of 1,500 potentially harmful ingredients that they ban from their products. They choose the best organic, natural, sustainable, and synthetic ingredients that meet their standards. Plus, over 80% of Beautycounter’s ingredients are plant-derived.

The other main factor that sets Beautycounter apart is that they are committed to making the safest, yet most high-performing products possible. They aren’t “all natural”, and they do in fact include some synthetic ingredients. But, synthetic isn’t always harmful just like natural products aren’t always safe. Either way, rest assured you are using safer, high-performing products with Beautycounter (and not just expensive dirt or water).

Best Beautycounter Products

I’m always real with you guys, and my Beautycounter reviews are no different! If I try a product and don’t necessarily like it, then I won’t promote it. It’s as simple as that. But, for the most part, there are a lot of Beautycounter products that I love. Here a few of the best Beautycounter products.

(I use and love the Beautycounter acne line around my period, but since I have a full blog about that already, I’m not going to include it here).

Balancing Charcoal Mask

This clay mask deep-cleans your pores while absorbing excess oil. I use this 1-2 times per week and sometimes as a spot treatment. You may need to use less frequently if you have naturally dry skin.

Beautycounter Facial Oils

Harsh skincare products strip the natural oils from your skin. Beautycounter has amazing facial oils that absorb quickly and are not greasy. There are three different types depending on your individual needs:

No. 1 Brightening Oil

Contains 7 natural oils as well as vitamin C that helps brighten the skin.

No. 2 Plumping Facial Oil

Best for those concerned with dry skin and fine lines. Uses jasmine oil for moisture and argan oil to minimize fine lines.

No. 3 Balancing Facial Oil

Best for those concerned with skin clarity. Restores balance and uses wild chamomile to calm and soothe the skin.

Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Lotion

This lotion is definitely one of the best Beautycounter products because it is so versatile. I live in Colorado, where it is very dry. However, I do tend to get oily acne prone skin 1-2 weeks surrounding my period. So, I need a moisturizer that can provide both hydration yet adapt to my moments of oiliness. The Adaptive Moisture Lotion is super lightweight and hydrates my skin all day.

Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation

Beautycounter’s Tint Skin is definitely one of their best products. While Beautycounter sells skincare, they also sell safe makeup products (since we put both on our face!). The Tint Skin Foundation is a tinted moisturizer that covers up most blemishes and redness, but is very lightweight and literally makes my skin glow (I sound so lame saying that – but it’s true). I use the “Linen” shade.

Beautycounter Reviews: Everyone Has a Story.

This is the first time that I publicly shared my health story.

Honestly, I was embarrassed to share my story beyond close family and friends. As a dietitian and online blogger, I often feel an immense amount of pressure to have perfect meals/pictures/skin/body, you name it. I’m sure many of you can relate, even if don’t work in the health sphere. But, there is power in releasing these pressures and sharing your message.

I know that many people have health struggles that far exceed anything I experienced. I know that there are people that have survived cancer, live with a chronic illness, or struggle to find a definitive diagnosis.

Do I have perfect skin (or any of the above)? No. And that’s ok! I’m not a skincare expert or esthetician, and I’m still learning too. I’m a wife, sister, daughter, and friend who wants to share the message of safer skincare to those who want it to be part of their story, too.

As always, thanks for reading, friends. ❤️