The average woman applies 168 chemicals to her skin before leaving the house. Most have never been assessed for safety. Here's what I actually use and recommend — and why it matters clinically.
This section exists because the skincare conversation is usually framed as vanity — as a question of which product works best or costs least. In functional medicine, it's a different question: what is your total daily chemical exposure, through every route, and what is its cumulative impact on hormonal signalling, liver detoxification load, and inflammatory burden?
Skin is not an inert barrier. It absorbs. The rate varies by compound, location on the body, temperature, and skin condition — but for many of the concerning compounds in conventional cosmetics (particularly fat-soluble chemicals like phthalates, parabens, and certain UV filters), dermal absorption is significant and well-documented. These compounds don't just sit on the surface.
I'm not asking anyone to live in a hermetic bubble or feel guilty about a lipstick. I am saying: when you're working on hormonal health, thyroid function, gut repair, or liver detoxification, it is worth looking at what's going on the skin every single day — because it's going in, and your liver has to deal with it.
Statistics from Environmental Working Group (EWG) Skin Deep database and Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database rates over 90,000 personal care products on ingredient safety. It's imperfect — some ratings are conservative — but it's the most comprehensive free tool available for ingredient screening. Worth running your current products through before buying anything new.
A note on the recommendations below: these are products I have assessed for ingredient quality and would use or recommend in a clinical context. Where Amazon affiliate links are used, the commission goes towards running this site. I do not recommend products I wouldn't use myself, and I don't take payment for placement here.
Thick, balm-like moisturiser built around chamomile, calendula, and viola extracts in a beeswax-lanolin base. No parabens, no synthetic fragrance, no PEGs. A cult product for good reason — it actually works as a barrier cream and has been clean since 1926.
Why: minimal ingredient list, certified natural, effective for dry and sensitive skin View on AmazonInsert your preferred second recommendation here. Consider: Pai Skincare (UK brand, fragrance-free, certified organic), Sukin (Australian, clean, affordable), or Ilia Beauty for facial coverage.
Why: [insert clinical rationale] View on AmazonZinc oxide-based SPF50 at a completely accessible price point. No oxybenzone, no octinoxate, no chemical UV filters. Created by a consultant dermatologist with the explicit aim of making safe, effective sun protection affordable. The white cast is noticeable — this is the mineral trade-off. Worth it.
Why: zinc oxide only, no endocrine-disrupting UV filters, genuinely affordable View on AmazonAdd second sunscreen recommendation
(tinted mineral option for darker skin tones?)
Scottish-relevant: refillable aluminium case (no single-use plastic), natural active ingredients, no aluminium salts, no parabens, no triclosan. Genuinely effective across a full day for most people. The sustainable packaging angle is a secondary bonus — the formula is the reason it's here.
Why: eliminates aluminium exposure at the lymph-node-adjacent axilla; refillable model reduces plastic load View on AmazonAdd second deodorant pick
(e.g. Salt of the Earth for sensitive skin)
Tinted SPF40 with mineral filters, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide — replaces foundation and sunscreen in one step. Certified clean by EWG. One of the few tinted SPF products that uses only zinc oxide for UV protection rather than a chemical filter blend. Available in a wide shade range.
Why: mineral SPF, clean pigments, no parabens or synthetic fragrance, multi-functional View on AmazonAdd mascara or eye make-up recommendation
(RMS, W3ll People, or your preferred pick)
Hair care is where formaldehyde releasers and synthetic fragrance are most prevalent. Look for: no DMDM hydantoin, no "parfum", no DEA/MEA, sulphate-free where scalp sensitivity is present. Brands worth investigating: Faith in Nature, Avalon Organics, Dr. Bronner's diluted for hair.
Why: UK brand, 99.5% natural origin and free of parabens, SLS and silicones. Made with zero-waste dragon fruit oil, renowned for its hydrating and protecting qualities. View on AmazonAdd conditioner / scalp treatment pick
If you're working on your skin from the inside out — addressing gut health, hormone balance, and toxic load — the outside deserves the same clinical attention. Elizabeth is the Edinburgh facialist I'd refer clients to: professional skincare treatment that complements a functional medicine protocol rather than working against it. Particularly relevant for clients working on hormonal acne, rosacea, or inflammatory skin conditions alongside a TDG programme.
Why: a facialist who understands that skin is an eliminative organ — and works with that rather than just at the surface elizabeth-m.com →Eczema, acne, rosacea, and psoriasis are rarely skin conditions. They're gut and immune conditions expressing through the skin. A GI-MAP stool test consistently shows gut dysbiosis in chronic skin presentations. The DUTCH hormone test reveals oestrogen clearance patterns driving hormonal acne. Addressing the internal drivers alongside professional skincare support produces outcomes that topical-only treatment cannot.
Start with the free quiz to see if your skin symptoms point to a gut or hormone driver Take the Free Quiz →The Test, Don't Guess framework covers endocrine disruptors, total toxic burden, and the role of the liver in processing daily chemical exposure — including what shows up on testing when the system is overloaded. The book covers this in detail, and it's one of the core conversations in the TDG Five-Test Programme.
If you're working on hormonal health, the DUTCH hormone test maps your oestrogen metabolism pathways — and can reveal patterns consistent with ongoing endocrine disruptor exposure.
DUTCH Hormone Guide — £37