Clean Beauty vs. Natural Skincare: What’s the Difference?

The beauty industry is crowded with buzzwords, “clean” and “natural” are often used interchangeably—but they aren’t the same thing. Clean beauty refers to products formulated without potentially harmful or toxic ingredients, that are synthetic or naturally derived. Think of it as a safety standard—parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances are often off-limits. Natural skincare, on the other hand, focuses on using ingredients that are sourced directly from nature—plants, minerals, and animal fats—regardless of whether they meet modern toxicity testing benchmarks. In short: clean is about what’s left out, while natural is about where it comes from.

The Difference Between Clean and Natural Skincare

This distinction matters when choosing skincare products that align with both your health and values. A soap made with petrochemical detergents might be labeled “clean” if it’s free from formaldehyde, but it wouldn’t qualify as “natural.” Conversely, a homemade balm made with beeswax and unrefined tallow is natural—but not necessarily clean unless the ingredients are well-sourced and tested for safety. The sweet spot? Products that are both clean and natural, like tallow-based creams and soaps made from grass-fed suet and cold-pressed oils. These options combine ancestral wisdom with modern ingredient standards—no synthetics, no greenwashing.

Garden Club’s facial collection embodies this intersection. Our tallow creams and soaps are made in small batches with grass-fed beef tallow, wild-harvested botanicals, and no artificial preservatives, delivering potent skin nourishment without compromise. As consumers grow savvier, the question isn’t just “what’s in my skincare?” but “what shouldn’tbe?”—and the answer may lie in going both clean and natural.