Welcome to the crossroad where “clean beauty trends” and “what I personally am crushing on HARD” collide. AKA? The New Knew’s Quarterly Faves.
Essentialist paid a small fee to be featured in this roundup, but we only recommend brands that we truly believe in. Support our editorial work by supporting them!
By: Lisa Fennessy
Quarterly faves are updated each season, along with my big “Best of” post at the end of the year. I thought “Quarterly Faves” would be a nice way to highlight some exceptional products throughout the year.
Be sure to come back each quarter for a refresh on what’s hot + TNK exclusives.
Clean Beauty Trends + TOG’s Faves
Instead of drawing up weekly or even monthly recs, I like to use products for an extended amount of time and let the dust settle before leaning into the hype. I know you come here for the best of the best so that’s what you get. Here’s what we’ve been loving lately.
Essentialist Fresh Faced Exfoliating Peel | $70
We loved Daily Renewal Facial Oil, the Essentialist’s debut product so we were super excited to try their second release, Fresh Faced Exfoliating Peel. This peel is specially formulated for people with sensitive skin and features a unique blend of AHA blend of lactic acid and glycolic acid, with hyaluronic acid and vitamin C.
If you’ve tried peels in the past but they have been too much, I can attest, this peel will NOT sting or burn and Nicollle (TOG’s content manager and sensitive skin representative) concurs!
Nicolle jumping in: “For me, the telltale sign that a product is not compatible with my sensitive skin is not just light redness, but the appearance of small whiteheads or red bumps on my chin, or around my mouth up to 24 hours after I use a product. This active peel gave me none of that, meaning it’s definitely suitable for sensitive skin.”
Use this on dry skin to reduce chances of irritation or add a little water to your fingertips and massage into your skin with the product applied to boost activation.
We get a lot of questions about what to use to decongest and minimize pores and this is specifically designed to do just that as well as smooth, brighten and refine overall skin texture.
Also love that this is a quick treatment. Essentialist recommends using this 1-2 times a week and leaving on for 5-7 minutes.
All the sensitive skin peeps REJOICE!
RELATED: Best face moisturizers for any skin type.
Erin’s Face Fruit Smoothies Lip Gloss | $25
If you haven’t heard of Erin’s Faces, let me introduce you. This is a small but mighty indie beauty cult fave. You won’t find them in third party green beauty retailers or in stores but you will find them direct to consumer on ErinsFaces.com.
The “face” behind this brand is Erin Williams, a professional makeup artist turned makeup and skincare formulator out of her 5 x 10 kitchen in Queens. That was years ago. Now the brand has evolved and grown, and to be honest, turned my head SEVERAL times.
One of those times is with their Fruit Smoothie Lip Glosses. Don’t let their whimsical packaging fool you—these lip glosses transcend age and style, delivering everything you want in a lip gloss. Let me count the ways:
- Lightweight
- Not sticky or goopy
- Gorgeous shades
- A touch of mintiness
- Can wear sheerish or layered for a more opaque look
- Made with a hydrating base of castor, jojoba and shea
- Long lasting hydration
- A focus on organic ingredients
- Gluten free, vegan, cruelty free
- Packaged in recyclable glass
My favorite shade is Sonata. 😍
SAVE: NEWKNEW will save you 10% on a one-time purchase.
Le Prunier Plumscreen SPF | $78
Finally got to try the highly anticipated Le Prunier Plumscreen SPF and I love it.
Plums actually inherently work to protect skin from the sun (more here), so Le Prunier took this upcycled ingredient and combined it with just 4.7% zinc to produce an FDA-approved, broad spectrum 31 SPF. DAAAAAYMN!
Love the reduced amount of zinc, because this formula truly behaves more like a moisturizer than your typical SPF. Doesn’t smell like zinc, isn’t thick, doesn’t make me sweat, isn’t heavy…I mean, it’s basically like you have no SPF on, but you have all the SPF coverage. Sold.
The first time I used it was skiing, which to be honest, was not a fair trial. Coming off a 4-day ski trip in the Colorado Rockies my face was sunburned, chapped, dry, peeling, flaking—AWFUL. But no SPF would have held up under those conditions. Did you see the Olympic skiers this year? They LITERALLY swapped sports tape for SPF.
Anyway, upon returning, I’ve been using this on the daily and I absolutely love it for everyday wear. It even has zonaria tournefortii extract that Le Prunier says helps protect against future wrinkles. However, if you are at the beach or boating all day, you may need more of a sport SPF than this.
Also, reef safe, vegan, cruelty-free, PETA certified, non-comedogenic, dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic. Holla!
RELATED: The best mineral sunscreen.
Organifi Juice | $40-80
There are some wellness practices I wish I could do on the daily that are just too luxe for my budget, like daily dry needling, daily massage, daily facial, personal trainer, an in-home chef…but even if I had the money, who has the time for all that? I’d finally be ready for the day at like 5pm like HAAAAY, lol.
Anyway! One of those things is fresh, organic green juice. I hit our local juice bar with the kids and I’m second guessing that Paypal loan offer I just got in the mail. RIGHT?!
Well, with Organifi, it’s fresh, organic green juice on the daily. Convenient, easy, organic, whole, real foods—all the good stuff without any crap.
This is a USDA Certified Organic powder blend you add to water and voilà! Green Juice magic. One look at the ingredient list and you will be sold too: wheatgrass, moringa, spirulina, chlorella, matcha, ashwagandha, beet root, turmeric, lemon, coconut water, prebiotics and more.
The Green Juice is good (if you don’t like mint, you won’t like it), but the Red Juice and the Immunity are my faves. Check out my Organifi review for more deets.
SAVE: Code NEWKNEW will save you 20%.
LOVETRUST Patti Short Sleeved White T-Shirt | $52
Size: If between sizes, size down. Wearing a large, but could have gone with a medium for a more tailored fit.
Quite possibly the best white t-shirt I’ve owned. First and foremost, it’s thicker and NOT SEE THROUGH, lol. I also love the shape and style of it: the low v-neck line, the rollable sleeves (that stay rolled if you roll them), the relaxed fit. It just oozes comfort and style without trying too hard. And of course I love that it’s ethically made in small batches too.
- 100% Organic Peruvian Cotton Jersey
- Preshrunk
- Low v-neck
- Rollable sleeves
- Long enough to tuck or side knot, but not too long that it adds bulk
- Relaxed fit—although I did size up to a L
- Ethically manufactured in Peru (more here)
- Timeless / classic style
- A true white color
- NOT SEE THROUGH
If you’ve been on the lookout for the perfect white tee, look no further than LoveTrust!
SAVE: Use code TNKLOVE20 to save 20%
RELATED: The best sustainable white t-shirts.
True Botanicals Chebula Extreme Cream | $110
Chebula is having a moment rn. This breakthrough ingredient is being touted as a bioactive, anti-aging powerhouse antioxidant and if I was a betting woman, I’d put my money on seeing more and more chebula being incorporated into skincare products over the next few years.
True Botanicals was one of the first, if not the first to bring this ingredient to market with their Chebula Active Serum and now we are seeing it being incorporated into more of their line with the recent release of their Chebula Extreme Cream.
On the outside this is a pink, whipped, light textured cream, but applied it feels rich and drives moisture like a boss, leaving skin super smooth and silky.
On the inside, we see chebula, which has higher ORAC scores (a test that measures antioxidant capacity) than acai, and we see acerola cherry, which is also rich in antioxidants and hyaluronic acid.
Great for day or night, this is a good fit for people who are looking to drive moisture and treat skin with antioxidants. Also for people who want super soft skin. Loving it.
SAVE: Code TNK10 will save you 10% off your order.
TNK Seville Candle | $42-64
We’ve teamed up with botanical candlemaker Jessica Waters of Terralite to push all the candle-making envelopes with this luxury candle that is also environmentally responsible.
Made with:
- 100% natural wax, made from coconut oil, biodegradable and free of paraffin.
- Sustainable wood wick that is US grown and sourced Forest Stewardship Council certified mills.
- Fragranced with pure essential oils and extracts from plants that were grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
- Housed in a handmade unglazed stoneware container.
This handmade stoneware vessel is crafted by an artist out of southern California. We purposefully left these containers unglazed so they can 100% be returned to the earth.
When you are done with your candle, you can save and use the stoneware as a container to hold things like pencils or makeup brushes OR you can break it up into pieces and put it in your garden where it will biodegrade.
Even better is the scent: Seville is a blend of neroli, orange blossom and petitgrain. It’s inspired by the town of Seville where bitter orange trees grow with abundance. We’ve taken these bitter orange notes and blended them to brighten and bring happiness to your space.
These are limited edition and there are only NINE left!
Activist Honey Mask | $65
You know I’m obsessed with Manuka honey masking. Normally, I’ll just use something off the shelf, BUT—Activist released their “Activist Manuka Honey Mask” (featuring just Manuka) with the strongest MGO I’ve ever seen. MGO represents the concentration of unique active enzymes and health properties found in Manuka. We typically see this number listed between 10-25. But this double-filtered, SUPER RARE Manuka is listed at 850 (!!!).
Why Manuka? Manuka has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help treat skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis as well as reduce redness. It also has antibacterial properties, which can help treat blemishes. Moreover, it’s super hydrating, promotes skin regeneration, repairs cellular damage and can help lessen scarring. It’s even shown to increase and protect the production of collagen in the skin. It’s literally like nature’s Neosporin.
You can use this as a face wash, spot treatment or mask but at $65 a pop, I’m saving it for masking only!
Reprise Activewear Leggings + Sports Bra | $120 + $89
Size: If between sizes, maybe size down. Wearing a large, which works for the leggings, but could have gone with a medium for the top.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t care how sustainable or green something is, if it’s ugly or it doesn’t work, I’m not using it! Reprise hit the nail on the head with super cute activewear that’s also, get this, PLASTIC FREE. In a world where we celebrate recycling plastic, it’s getting harder and harder to keep plastics out of our clothes, off our bodies and out of our water systems.
Reprise’s activewear is made with a blend of Spandex (7%) and TENCEL™, a sustainable fabric sourced from eucalyptus trees. It’s also dyed using GOTS and OKEO-TEX certified organic dyes. Small batch, USA made, fair trade, sustainably packaged…Reprise is the real deal.
Can’t even tell you HOW SOFT this whole situation is.
LIVE BOTANICAL Vibrant Garden Universal Oil | $68
How is this oil so low-key?! This is not a new product, but I can’t get away from it. Everything about this oil is over-the-top SO GOOD.
On the outside there are no added fragrances (including essential oils), but it smells incredible—like if you could take a hundred prairies peppered with fresh herbs, grasses and flowers and bottle them up into a 1.7 fl oz container.
It also has a hardy, viscous texture that feels immediately healing, plumping and soothing to the skin. And it’s this gorge, rich chartreuse color that’s botanically vibrant and feels alive.
So right there, I’m already sold but then on the inside, we see 71% regionally sourced ingredients including biodynamically grown herbs that have been exclusively grown in the Live Botanical micro-garden; double extracted herbal infusions to help regulate inflammation response and even complexion; fruit seed oils to help prevent congestion and rejuvenate the skin; supercritical extracts (the best kind) of schisandra, rhatany and shiitake to limit environmental and UV damage; nutrient-focused cold pressed oils to restore vitality; acai pulp to help improve elasticity and firm the skin; and on and on and on!!!
Specifically designed for dry, dull and sensitive skin but beneficial to most skin types. Live Botanical says, “Each plant works in concert to protect against environmental stressors, limit cellular degradation, calm reactivity, even out tone, improve elasticity, fortify barrier function and reduce congestion.”
I can’t say enough good things about this oil. (Can I say guarantee you will love it too? Probably not, but take that for what it’s worth.😜)
SAVE: Code NEWKNEW will save first-timers 20% at LIVE BOTANICAL.
Wildling Lumin Face Cupping Set | $35
Well, hello super cute skincare set! Love this for myself, but also love this for gifting opps too like Mother’s Day, baby showers and birthdays.
Lymphatic work is one of the most instant gratification practices for refreshing the skin. It basically moves / drains any stagnation under the skin making room for new lymphatic fluid, which in turn feeds the skin from the inside out.
One way to do lymphatic work is facial cupping. I was so intimidated by this concept when I first heard about it. I mean, we’ve all seen those back cupping hickey images (hi, Michael Phelps in 2021), so hearing the words “facial cupping” had my mind firing off flashbacks of middle school hickies, which led to Mad Dog 20/20s and the homemade MC Hammer parachute pants my mom made me. It was a moment. But let’s not get carried away—facial cupping is super easy and mega effective and legit, anyone can do it.
The Lumin Collection comes with two different size facial cups (one for the large areas of the face and one for the more delicate areas like lips and brow bones), a 3-in-1 face oil for both cleansing and moisturizing, a cloth and a stone Lumin Mushroom to help depuff and penetrate oil—all of which work in tandem to clarify, detoxify, de-puff, and brighten.
Wildling blew through the first run of this set and are currently taking pre-orders if you want in on the next go around.
Mukti Botanique Deodorant | $30
I decided I hate talking about deodorants—what works for some doesn’t work for others and it’s a never ending conversation with no resolute outcome. BUT (!!!) I’ve been using MUKTI’s Botanique Deodorant for two months now and to me, it’s revolutionizing what deodorant means to me, so I’m creating some space for it here because perhaps it will do the same for you.
Here’s what I love:
- It’s a spray
- Easy to apply
- Non-irritating
- Focus on organic ingredients
- Works
- Smells good
- Gender neutral
- Vegan, nut, gluten free
- Doesn’t transfer to shirts
- Doesn’t leave deodorant marks on clothes
- Seems to last A LONG time (I’ve been using this for 2 months and it still feels full!)
- Packaged in post-consumer recycled plastic
If you are someone who has been trying to use a natural deodorant, but gets baking soda irritation—this could be a great option for you.
What clean beauty trends are you loving right now?
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Lauren
April 20, 2020It’s nice that there are mentioned all the trendy products with exact prices. Really useful!
Lisa
April 20, 2020Absolutely – thanks for reading Lauren!
Janet Allen
April 10, 2021I would like to know if you’ve ever tried Leahlani body oil and if so did it work?
Thanks in advance.
Lisa
April 12, 2021Hi Janet! I actually haven’t – but I’ve always wanted to try their Coco Infusion – I imagine it smells like that coconut tanning oil from the 80s #NostalgiaEnsues ; ) Lisa
Janet Allen
April 30, 2021I get to purchase really good skin care twice a year based on my budget and I’ve used two bottles of the maya chia super couple last year and beginning of this year, Love it but I was wondering if you could share with me two of the greatest serum and moisturizer as I have ran out and need something. I love your recommendations and realize as a blogger you try quite a lot of products, I appreciate all your recommendations especially the blue schampo I get from you! Thanks in advance.
Rae
April 2, 2022Always so helpful! Really enjoy the way you break things down in such an organized way but also can still read it in your voice which is hilarious. Thanks for what you do!
KB
April 28, 2022Great and interesting list, all I have not heard of before. Heading to the cupping site with your info and hoping this is a go for Canada.
Lisa Fennessy
May 8, 2022Sweet! Did it ship to Canada??
Jessica
May 9, 2022Lisa, another deodorant that I think is amazing is Simply Divine Botanicals, Keeping Abreast of It Deodorant Spray. It is formulated with mineral salts and essential oils that stimulate lymphatic drainage. It has a light herbal scent that is pleasant and not overpowering and it keeps the stench away all day!
https://www.simplydivinebotanicals.com/product-page/keeping-abreast-of-it-deodorant
On another note… have you used fifty7kind products any further? I had read your review on the serum and was very curious about that line, but other than the company’s product page I haven’t been able to find any other independent reviews or information online.
Thanks!
Jessica