Start where you actually are
Shop by Skin Goal
Clean, non-toxic skincare in Chicago and Naperville
Five shelves, sorted by what your skin is actually doing — not by what a label wants to sell you. Everything here has been through our five-step vetting and worn on real faces for two to three weeks before it earned a spot. Pick the one that sounds like you. If none of them do, that’s a normal place to start too.
Five shelves
Find the one that sounds like you
Blemish Prone
Breakouts that arrive on a schedule, or on no schedule at all. We stock gentle clarifying oils, mud cleansers and spot treatments that work with your skin instead of stripping it down to nothing. Nobody here is going to suggest you did this to yourself.
Brightening
Tone that looks a little flat, or the dark spots left over from something that healed months ago. Our brightening shelf leans on vitamin C, fruit enzymes and phyto-actives that even things out gradually. Gradual is the part most people skip, and it’s the part that works.
Dry Skin
Tight after a shower, flaking by February, and somehow still not solved by the same cream you’ve bought three times. A Chicago winter is a real variable here. We stock richer balms, facial oils and body butters that hold water in rather than sit on top of it.
Healthy Aging
Skin changes. It’s supposed to. This shelf is about keeping yours comfortable and resilient while it does — retinal, vitamin C, peptides and plant oils, chosen because they perform, not because they promise to turn a clock backward.
Sensitive
Skin that reacts to things other people use without thinking about it. Fragrance-free options, short ingredient lists, and lines like Osmia and Province Apothecary that were built for reactive skin from the start. Our team is trained for chemical sensitivities, so you won’t have to explain yourself twice.
Not sure which one you are?
That’s the most normal question we get
Skin rarely picks one lane. Most people are two of these at once, and it changes with the season, the year, and whatever else is going on. You don’t have to solve it alone or guess your way through a cart.
Book a facial and let an esthetician look at your actual face, or just come in and ask. We’ll tell you what we’d reach for, and we won’t say a word about what’s already in your bathroom.
Questions people actually ask
What makes a product non-toxic here?
We use the term to mean a product that has cleared our own ingredient standard before it reaches the shelf. There is no legal definition of “non-toxic” in the United States, so ours is a house standard rather than a certification — which is exactly why we’ll walk you through what’s in something, and why it’s there, any time you ask.
How do products get vetted?
Five steps. We look for like-minded, independently owned makers first. We read the full ingredient list against our standard. A small group of us then uses the product for two to three weeks across different skin types and tones. We favor small brands — we’re the first retail partner a number of them ever had. And we stay in touch with founders afterward, because formulas change and we’d rather hear it from them.
What should I use if my skin is sensitive or reactive?
Start with fragrance-free and a short ingredient list, and change one thing at a time so you know what did what. Our sensitive skin shelf is a good place to begin. Our team is trained for chemical sensitivities, so you can tell us what you react to and we’ll work around it. If your skin is reacting persistently, that’s a conversation for a dermatologist rather than a shelf, and we’ll say so.
Is anything here safe to use during pregnancy?
Plenty of people shop with us while pregnant, and we’re glad to point you toward products that leave out the ingredients commonly avoided in pregnancy — retinoids and certain essential oils among them. What we won’t do is clear a product for you medically. Bring the ingredient list to your OB or midwife; they know your pregnancy and we don’t.
How do I build a routine without buying twelve things?
A cleanser, something hydrating, an oil or moisturizer, and sunscreen. That is a routine. Add one targeted product for the goal you actually care about, give it a couple of months, and then decide whether you want another. The people we see happiest with their skin are usually using fewer products, more consistently.
Do I need to get a facial first?
No. Shop the goal that sounds most like you and you’ll be fine. A facial helps if you’ve been guessing for a while, if your skin has changed and you can’t work out why, or if you’d simply rather have someone look at it in person than read one more list. Both doors are open and neither is the wrong one.
Two front doors
Come see us in Lincoln Square or Naperville
An hour that belongs to you counts — a facial, a manicure, or ten minutes in the shop asking questions with no intention of buying anything. Pick whichever location is easier to get to.