Written by OSEA Staff | Published February 28, 2025
It’s 2025, and going clean—both in your skincare routine and your home—makes more sense than ever. Your skin is your largest organ, so of course, you want to be mindful of what you’re putting on it. But with no official regulations on terms like “natural,” “green,” or “clean,” it can be tricky to determine which products truly meet high safety standards. Many companies continue to pack the products we use every day—including moisturizers, mascara and shampoo—with potentially harmful ingredients like endocrine disruptors, irritants and even known carcinogens.
And it’s not just skincare. Harmful chemicals in our homes can be even harder to catch. While beauty products come with ingredient lists (even if they require some decoding), everyday items like mattresses, cookware and linens don’t always disclose their materials. We spend 90% of our life indoors, so detoxing your home is just as important as cleaning up your skincare routine.
For anyone looking to embrace a cleaner lifestyle, these 12 simple swaps will make a big difference—one room at a time!
1. Clean Up Your Kitchen
Upgrade Your Cookware
Skip conventional nonstick—it’s often coated with PFOA and Teflon, synthetic materials that can leach harmful chemicals when overheated or damaged. The Environmental Working Group classifies these as “forever chemicals,” since they take decades to leave the body and never break down in our environment. Instead, choose cookware made with stainless steel, cast-iron, or nontoxic ceramic. Our favorite? Caraway Home’s ceramic-coated cookware. We love that it won’t release harmful chemicals when overheated. And, it’s available in eight gorgeous colorways, including Sage and Perricotta (a blend of pink and terracotta).
Ditch the Plastic
Humans create 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year—enough to circle the earth more than 1,500 times, according to a 2024 study. Plastic bags and water bottles can leach compounds that are linked to serious health issues such as endocrine disruption, decreased reproductive health and even cancer.
When it comes to our health, and the health of our planet, a few simple swaps can make a big impact:
Stasher’s silicone sandwich and snack bags are dishwasher safe and last about 3,000 uses—after which you can return them to the brand, which will repurpose the silicone into playground pebbles. Fun!
We love Yeti’s vacuum-insulated, stainless-steel water bottles and stackable mugs for their durability and for helping us stay hydrated on the go.
Invest in a Water Filter
Chances are there are compounds in your tap water you’d rather not drink. It’s worth investing in a great water purifier that removes microplastics and reduces chemical exposure, like this counter dispenser from LifeStraw, or an under-the-sink option like Aquasana.
Don’t Forget Metal Straws
Whether it’s for morning smoothies or iced matcha on the go, we’re all about Klean Kanteen’s stainless steel straws with the comfy silicone top.
Use Non-Toxic Cleaning Products
Cleaning products are a major source of indoor air pollution. And product labels aren't required to disclose all ingredients and potential health risks. For a DIY solution, try a mix of white vinegar, baking soda, and lemon. Prefer something pre-made? We love the eco-friendly options from Grove Collaborative.
2. Transform Your Bathroom
Switch to Clean Shower Essentials
Consider the fact that anything you shower with goes all over your body. Whether you’re new to clean skincare or already totally into it, these bestselling favorites will leave you feeling fresh, nourished and pampered from head to toe.
Undaria Algae™ Body Wash: This daily body cleanser uses a natural, plant-based surfactant blend to gently cleanse without drying or stripping your skin. And the uplifting citrusy scent transports you to a tropical vacation.
Undaria Cleansing Body Polish: Packed with powerful exfoliating ingredients like kiwi AHA-infused rice microparticles, pumice and Undaria seaweed, this body scrub is the ultimate secret to soft, glowing skin.
For shinier, softer hair, that looks and smells incredible, there’s nothing more luxurious than the clean, vegan and sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners from our friends at Roz.
Trade in Your Shower Liner
In addition to toxic VOCs, PVC shower curtains contain phthalates and chemicals that can irritate skin, eyes and the respiratory tract. Opt for fabric shower curtains instead, like this linen beauty from our friends at Parachute. And don’t forget to crack open a door or window to avoid mold growth!
Clean Skincare Swaps for Your Face
Every routine starts with a great cleanse—why not make it a luxuriously clean one? A community favorite since 1996, Ocean Cleanser is enriched with Undaria seaweed, hydrating glycerin and lactic acid to gently slough away impurities for a radiant, healthy-looking complexion.
Before bed, give your skin a rest with our Dream Night Cream, the first overnight cream clinically shown to reduce the visible effects of stress on skin. In other words, this bio-retinol-powered wonder visibly firms skin in 2 weeks and reduces the appearance of dark circles by up to 80% after just 4.*
*Based on a third-party clinical study conducted over 4 weeks on 29 women ages 33-60.
Try Clean Oral Care
Most conventional toothpastes come in plastic-laminated tubes that end up in landfills. But Davids is made completely of recyclable metal. Bonus: We love how chic it looks on our vanity and the breath-freshening essential oil formula is fantastic. While you’re at it, pick up their Premium Bamboo Toothbrush. The natural bristles derived from plant castor oil get the job done and are completely BPA-free.
3. Make Your Bedroom Sustainable
Upgrade Your Mattress & Linens
Considering how much time we spend in our bed—sleeping, reading and sometimes even working—a mattress made with safe materials is a must. Many conventional options contain petroleum-based foams, flame retardants and other chemicals that can off-gas into your home. Enter Avocado. Crafted with 100% natural materials, including Dunlop latex, sustainably harvested wool, and organic cotton, each mattress is needle-tufted by hand in LA and certified by GOTS, GOLS and USDA to ensure it’s organic. Top it off with the bamboo sheets from our friends at Ettitude. Soft and breathable, their linens are made from organic bamboo, so you can rest easy knowing your bedding is free of harmful substances. Pro tip: before bed, mist your sheets and pillow with our Vagus Nerve Pillow Mist. Designed to soothe body and mind, this dreamy mist features a blend of chamomile, juniper berry, lavender, lemon tea tree and Moroccan rosemary to melt away stress before you drift off to dreamland.
4. The Living Room
Freshen Up Your Air
These tips actually work anywhere in the house. Conventional air fresheners, candles and home diffusers can contain potentially harmful fragrance compounds. Which is why we opt for the clean essential oils and the gorgeous stone diffusers from our friends at Vitruvi. Look for lavender for calm, citrus and mint to energize and uplift, and woodsy scents like cypress and rosemary to help you ground and decompress.
Finally, consider investing in a quality air purifier to reduce dust, fire smoke, pet dander, pollen and germs floating around in the air. Our pick? Air Doctor's UltraHepa purifiers. We love that they’re equipped with whisper-quiet fans, and wipe out 99 percent of airborne pollutants.
5. Rethink Your Laundry Room
Swap out conventional laundry detergents (which may be filled with harmful synthetic fragrance) for those made with safe ingredients. We love Blueland’s laundry tablets for their clean ingredients, as well as their plastic-free packaging. Ditch fabric softeners and dryer sheets which come packed with a powerful combination of chemicals that can harm your health, damage the environment and pollute the air. Instead, add one cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle to soften, and use wool dryer balls to reduce static cling.
