Complete Guide To Finding Non-Toxic Skincare at the Drug Store

If you like to shop at the drugstore, Target or Walmart for your skincare products, but are also interested in clean, toxin-free skincare, this blog post is for you.

More and more people are making the switch to a toxin-free lifestyle. With some chemicals in cosmetics potentially causing a range of health conditions, the importance of finding skincare that’s toxin-free cannot be stressed enough.

What's great about non-toxic skincare is that it really is accessible and affordable. If you like to shop at CVS, Wallgreens or RiteAid or are in a pinch to find a product, you can find non-toxic options at these stores.

Below I've outlined some of the best toxin-free skincare products that you can find at your local drug store or big box retailer. I've also outlined harmful ingredients in the cleansers, moisturizers and SPFs of the skincare brands CeraVe, La Roche-Posay, Cetaphil, Neutrogena and Vanicream.

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What are the Best Non-Toxic Skincare Products at The Drug Store?

The three essentials of any skincare routine include a non-stripping cleanser, a nourishing moisturizer, and a protective SPF. The best non-toxic options for these three categories that can be found at a drug store are:

Cleanser: Neutrogena Unscented Hydro Boost Hydrating Gel Cleanser
Moisturizer: La Roche-Posay Double Repair Face Moisturizer (completely toxin-free)
SPF: Vanicream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen (although it does contain PEG-100 stearate, it is the best out of all the drug store options)

Drug Store Skincare Products That Contain Toxic / Harmful Chemicals

Unfortunately most of the skincare products that are sold at the drug store contain harmful and toxic ingredients. I found the following products to contain toxins or potentially toxic compounds in their formulations.

CeraVe

Unfortunately, if you’re looking for toxin free skincare, CeraVe may be a good brand to avoid completely, as many of its products contain a range of potential toxins.

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

While the CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser contains a large number of ingredients, the majority of these are not generally marked as toxins. However, two ingredients, PEG-40 stearate and polysorbate 20, are potentially toxic and may be carcinogens.

CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion

Unfortunately, the CeraVe Daily Moisturizer Lotion is one of the more toxic skincare products on today’s list due to its inclusion of propylparaben, which is recognized as an endocrine disruptor and can have a significant impact on sperm count and prenatal development. Furthermore, the product also contains Ceteareth-20, methylparaben, and polysorbate 20, which can potentially further increase the risk of the product.

CeraVe Hydrating Sheer Sunscreen

While it might help protect your skin from UV rays, the same can’t necessarily be said for the safety of its ingredients. Five are potentially toxic and two are allowed with restrictions, so this may be one to avoid.

(Scanned using the Clearya App)

La Roche-Posay

While its Double Repair Face Moisturizer might have been toxin free, this unfortunately isn’t true for the entire La Roche-Posay range.

La Roche-Posay Hydrating Gentle Cleanser

La Roche-Posay’s gentle cleanser is largely made with non-toxic ingredients. However, it does contain polysorbate 60 which is potentially toxic, so this is worth considering.

La Roche-Posay Double Repair Face Moisturizer with SPF

Don’t get caught out by this one; while the regular moisturizer is fine, this alternative with SPF has been found to contain five potentially toxic chemicals (with the main concern being PEG-100 stearate). Research is ongoing into four of the five potential toxins (Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate, and Octocrylene) to determine their safety.

Cetaphil

Unfortunately, Cetaphil’s range of products tend to include toxins, so this may be a brand to avoid while detoxing your beauty products.

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser

Unfortunately, Cetaphil’s Daily Facial Cleanser contains Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, which has a byproduct 1,4-dioxane and may be carcinogenic. Furthermore, Sodium Benzoate is also included in the formulation, which is a restricted ingredient.

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream

With several potentially concerning ingredients, Cetaphil’s Moisturizing Cream unfortunately can’t pass as a toxin-free skincare product. Not only does it use Benzyl Alcohol, which is a potential allergen, but it also includes PEG-30 Stearate (as we’ve mentioned prior) and Petrolatum (which is banned in the EU for being a known human carcinogen), as well as Phenoxyethanol (the latter being allowed but with restrictions).

Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Sunscreen

With a long ingredient list, it’s perhaps unsurprising that this product includes several possible toxins that are worth noting. With that being said, the fact it uses minerals over chemicals to provide SPF is better than some alternative products.

Neutrogena

Though its gel cleanser is a pretty good option, there are a couple of Neutrogena products you may want to look out for.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Night Pressed Face Serum

It contains several potential toxins, including fragrance (which in itself could be masking thousands of harmful ingredients).

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen

Unfortunately, since this product contains BHT, a known endocrine disrupter, as well as several other potential toxins and allergens, we’d recommend avoiding this one if you’re aiming for clean skincare.

Vanicream

Unfortunately, not all Vanicream products are necessarily safe bets either. As such, we’d recommend checking the toxicity of these products closely before purchasing.

Vanicream Moisturizing Lotion

Since the Vanicream Moisturizing Lotion contains several potentially toxic skincare ingredients, this is one of those products that we unfortunately would avoid. Petrolatum and BHT are two such examples that may cause concern regarding their safety.