withSimplicity is a small, esthetician- and mom-owned business based out of Harrisonburg, Virgnia. They offer skincare and makeup that is all free from things like synthetic fragrance, artificial colors, animal byproducts (with the exception of ethically-sourced beeswax and honey in a few products), and other concerning chemicals.
But that’s not the thing that really sets withSimplicity apart from other clean beauty brands…
withSimplicity is changing the professional esthetician landscape
They don’t just sell products to consumers; they’re also training a new generation of estheticians who will be able to offer more natural, low-tox professional skin spa services. (And if you’re in the area, you can actually go to their skin spa to get some of those services yourself!)
withSimplicity runs its own DPOR-certified esthetics school out of its Harrisonburg, Virginia headquarters. Students there earn a real esthetics license that meets Virginia state board requirements, but they also get something most programs can’t offer: an inside look at the clean beauty industry and a working education in natural ingredients and formulation. They learn alongside practicing master estheticians and they practice on real clients in a small-class setting.
Most clean beauty brands try to win over consumers one purchase at a time, but withSimplicity is going further upstream. When an esthetician graduates fluent in clean formulation, every client who sits in their chair benefits, even if they’ve never even heard of withSimplicity.
A few other things I personally like about withSimplicity:
- I can tell a difference in my skin after doing my full withSimplicity regimen. It definitely feels softer and just generally more nourished.
- I like how it’s gender- and age-neutral. Their minimalistic branding makes it a good option for anyone who wants to give it a try.
- They have options for a wide variety of skin types: blemish-prone, aging, oily, dry, combo, and hyperpigmented.
- They have a Travel + Trial Skincare Discovery Set so you can try out several of their products without forking over a ton of money.
Here are the products I've tried so far:
This guide contains product recommendations and we may receive compensation if you purchase through certain links. As always, we only make recommendations that are genuine!
My thoughts on withSimplicity’s products
Here are my thoughts on all of the natural skincare products I’ve tried so far. I hope to try more of their makeup in the future, so I’ll add to this review when I do!
BTW, you can get 15% off with code THEFILTERY if you decide you want to try it out for yourself.
Foaming Face Wash
Not gonna lie, I love a foaming face wash! It’s a preference thing; I personally just prefer more of a lather for my face wash, as opposed to oil cleansing.
The ingredient list for this is pretty minimal. It comes with Lactobacillus ferment, which helps to protect the skin’s microbiome, removing dirt but without totally stripping your skin.
In my experience, this face wash is not great at removing makeup. It can be done, but I felt like I had to keep putting more of the cleanser onto my hands to really get all of my mascara off. So I think this cleanser would be better either used in the morning when there’s no makeup to be taken off, or combined with a makeup remover. (I personally tend to like face cleansers that remove my makeup well because I’m lazy and don’t like using multiple products to wash my face.)
It’s also got orange peel oil for brightening and green tea extract for calming inflammation, reducing redness, and serving up some antioxidants for protection from environmental stressors.
I tried the Normal/Combo skin option, but they also have a foaming face wash for acne-prone skin as well.
This is vegan and totally fragrance-free.
The packaging for the travel sized one that I have is plastic. I’m not sure if the full-sized one comes in glass or not.
Would I re-buy it? Yep.
Pro-Age Cleansing Milk
withSimplicity’s Pro-Age Cleansing Milk is a very gentle cleanser that can remove makeup and dirt without stripping the skin. It’s also got several nourishing and anti-aging ingredients, like bakuchiol (a natural retinol alternative), wild yam root (a plant-based snail mucin alternative!), and vitamin E.
This one is definitely a good option for anyone with sensitive skin (even if the ‘anti-aging’ aspects as not as important to you).
It doesn’t lather at all, but rather has a soft, creamy texture. If you double cleanse, you can use it as your first step.
Personally, I’ve been using this as my morning cleanser. (As I alluded to before, I just like something more foamy for the evening when I feel like I need a deeper clean.)
It’s got a very light, kind of floral-y smell to it. I like it!
Would I re-buy it? Hmmm, I’m undecided. I just prefer more lather.
Pro-Age Toner
I definitely like this toner—it’s very refreshing. They have a few different toner options, including one for Normal + Combination Skin and one for Acne-Prone skin.
I tried the Pro-Age one, which comes with a variety of plant-based AHAs (from hibiscus, rose flower, and frankincense, all of which help with skin texture and elasticity), and probiotics (which help support a healthy microbiome and protective layer).
It comes in a glass spray bottle with a plastic lid. I personally really prefer a spray toner. I just don’t like using the reusable cotton makeup rounds for some reason. Probably laziness. 🤷♀️
It’s fragrance-free, but it does have a very slight scent to it (which is really nice). It’s probably a combo of the frankincense oil and the rose flower oil, but it’s not very strong at all. I like it.
Would I re-buy it? Si.
Barrier + Beyond Vitamin Water Serum
This a hard-working but lightweight serum. It has a very water-y consistency, so it absorbs really fast and you can put it underneath pretty much any other serum or moisturizer you want.
It’s got hyaluronic acid, a blend of plant peptides, and vitamins A, B3, C, E, and K. All of this together provides protection against UV and environmental pollutants, while also hydrating the skin and soothing sensitivity. It’s also got lactobacillus ferment, which can help to strengthen the skin’s barrier and encourage a healthy microbiome.
It is practically fragrance-free. You can just barely smell is blue tansy in it.
I use this as a morning/daytime serum. I talk all the time about how I don’t like a lot of heavy product on my face during the daytime, so I really like how this serum delivers a lot of benefits but without being oily at all. For that reason, I would definitely re-buy this.
Face Jelly
I honestly did not know what this face jelly was at first. 😅 A cleanser? Makeup remover? Serum? Moisturizer?
Turns out it’s a very lightweight moisturizer. And actually, I don’t know if I’ve ever used a product quite like this before!
While it’s good for all skin types, this is especially good for oily and/or sensitive skin. (It’s oil-free.) I’d also say it’s really good for the summer months or if you live in a warm climate. It absorbs really easily and does not leave my face feeling weighed down at all.
Some of the star ingredients include blueberry fruit extract, which delivers a dose of antioxidants, and Manuka oil, which is anti-inflammatory and can help with redness, and blue tansy.
It is technically fragrance-free, but it does have a nice light smell to it, which comes from the ingredients themselves. I thought it would smell like blue tansy, but it really doesn’t. I can’t really put my finger on what exactly it smells like, but I like it!
I think you could totally combine this with another moisturizer too, if you wanted to. It’s light enough that you could use it as more of a serum, and then layer another mid-weight face cream on top if you wanted even more hydration.
Would I re-buy it? Yes, I likely will. I’m really picky about how thick my daytime moisturizers are and I think I’d especially like to use this one in the summertime.
Face Lotion
This Face Lotion is another really great daytime moisturizer. I have been using the one for Normal + Combination skin, but they also have one for Acne-Prone skin as well.
This one isn’t quite as lightweight as the Face Jelly, but it’s still pretty lightweight and fast-absorbing. Honestly, this would make a really great everyday moisturizer for all kinds of people, regardless of skin type, gender, or age.
It’s got ingredients like shea butter to soften the skin, watermelon seed oil for omegas and antioxidants, wild yam root extract (a snail mucin alternative!), a plant-based hydrolyzed collagen for help with elasticity and wrinkle-prevention, and more.
Like a lot of withSimplicity’s other products, it’s technically ‘fragrance-free’ because it doesn’t contain any added fragrance… But it does have a scent that comes from the natural ingredients. This one has a nice, refreshing, flowery smell to it.
It comes in a glass bottle with a plastic pump lid.
Would I re-buy it? Yes, definitely. I’ll probably re-buy this one for my husband as well.
Blue Dew
This Blue Dew is one of withSimplicity’s most popular products. (And it actually won Think Dirty’s 2022 Moisturizer of the Year.)
It’s relatively lightweight, but it’s still an oil-based moisturizer, so—true to its name—it does leave my skin with a dewy feel.
Moisturizing the skin is only one thing this balm is good for… It can also help calm inflammation, reduce redness, and help with dry or irritation skin. In addition to the blue tansy, a few of the other star ingredients include Camellia oleifera seed oil (which is rich in antioxidants, vitamins A, C and E, and fatty acids) and ucuuba butter (which helps to hydrate, restore, and sooth irritated skin).
This would be good for most skin types, but I would especially recommend it for people who have sensitive or irritated skin, or if you just love all of the blue tansy skincare products.
No surprises on the scent—it smells like blue tansy!
Would I re-buy it? Yes ma’am.
Face Cream
I’m putting all of these face moisturizers in order of weight, so the Face Jelly is the lightest one and this Face Cream is the thickest. (Out of the ones I’ve tried, anyway.)
It does have a whipped texture to it, which is nice. It absorbs pretty nicely for how thick it is. Although it feels a bit greasy at first, that part honestly doesn’t last more than a couple of minutes.
The first ingredient is shea butter, so you can imagine how moisturizing it is. It’s also got things like jojoba oil, rose hip oil, frankincense, castor oil, and more. Basically just a bunch of calming, anti-inflammatory plant ingredients!
And while it’s not technically marketed as an anti-aging product, it does have a lot of ingredients that help with wrinkle prevention and skin texture, including natural vitamin A.
You can technically use this as a daytime or nighttime cream, but I personally only use it in the evening because of how thick it is. They do not recommend it for acne-prone skin.
Would I re-buy it? Yep, I’d continue using this as a night cream.
Vita-Eye Gel
I’ve definitely gotten more into eye gels and creams now that I’m in my mid-thirties. 😅
This Eye Gel is great for making me look and feel a little more awake and alert in the morning. It’s a clear gel texture that absorbs quickly, so you can use it under makeup.
It’s got coffee bean powder in it, which does what you’d expect it to—reduces puffiness and dark circles by improving circulation and delivering antioxidants. It also uses cucumber extract to calm redness and boost hydration, and wild yam root extract as a plant-based snail mucin alternative for plumpness and elasticity.
It comes in a glass bottle with a plastic pump lid. You only need one pump for both eyes, so it should last you a while.
Would I re-buy it? Yes.
Pro-Age Serum
This is an oil-based nighttime serum.
As the name indicates, it’s got several anti-aging ingredients, including:
- Bakuchiol seed oil, which is one of the best plant-based alternatives to retinol
- Rosehip seed oil, which is another natural source of vitamin A
- Pomegranate seed oil, which is rich in Omega 5 and antioxidants
It also has some other plant oils in it which not only deliver some more skin benefits but also give it a nice scent. It’s kind of floral-y and bright.
You can use this in combination with the Barrier + Beyond Serum if you want. The Barrier + Beyond is more lightweight, so you can put that one on first and then layer the Pro-Age one on top.
It comes in a glass bottle with a glass/plastic dropper lid.
Would I re-buy it? Yes, I like this serum! It definitely leaves my skin feeling much softer afterward.
Cream Exfoliator
This exfoliator combines AHA acid exfoliation with a gentle physical exfoliation in the form of rice particles. (The rice kind of feels like those microbeads they used to put in our cleansers in the 2000s—gentle yet still helps to get rid of dead skin.)
This also contains violet oil, a natural source of salicylic acid, which just further helps to exfoliate the skin and unclog pores.
Even though this exfoliator definitely leaves my skin feeling softer, after I use it, it’s does not feel super harsh on my skin at all. Some other exfoliators leave my skin feeling a bit red and tingly afterward, but I don’t really get that with this one. So maybe if you have more sensitive skin and are looking for a new facial exfoliator, then this might be a good one to try!
It does contain several different skin-soothing ingredients, including jojoba oil, shea butter, and blue tansy, so maybe that helps counteract the acids!
Would I re-buy it? Yeah, probably!
Fizz-C Purifying Clay Mask
This clay mask comes in a powder that you mix with water to create a fizzy, mildly energizing experience.
This is similar to your typical clay mask, which works to clarify and unclog pores. Except they also combine lava clay with a dose of vitamin C to give the skin’s barrier a boost.
It has a tiny bit of grit to it as well, so you can get exfoliation as you put it on and take it off.
It smells good, too! The combination of rose, myrrh, and pine gives it a nature-y vibe. My skin is noticeably softer right after using it and I think this mask is a great addition to my weekly routine. I have always struggled with blackheads, so I like a good pore-cleanser that won’t dry out my skin.
The directions say to use 1 part powder and 1 part water. But in my experience, this leads to a thinner mask. If you want to thicken it up a little bit, you could add a little more powder. The thinner mask works just fine; I think it’s just a little messier.
Would I re-buy it? Yes.
Vanilla Bean Body Scrub
First of all, you’re going to love the smell of this. It takes me back to junior high school, before I knew Bath & Body Works’ Warm Vanilla Sugar was not good. 😬
It’s sugar free (they use sea salt instead), so it doesn’t leave you feeling sticky. They combine it with witch hazel to help to remove dead skin cells and clean the skin. Overall, I think this scrub finds the perfect balance between being exfoliating while not being too harsh. My skin definitely feels noticeably softer after using it!
I tried the Vanilla Bean one, but they also have Lavender Lemon, Cedarwood Mint, and Coffee Scrub.
Would I re-buy it? Yes. I’ll probably buy this one as a gift for someone.
Tri-Stick Cheek/Eye/Lip Tint
This one is for all of the minimalist makeup lovers. We love a good multitasking product!
You can just swipe this stick onto your cheeks, lips, or eyes, blend in with your fingers, and go. It’s a good size to throw in your purse, too.
It’s not just makeup either; it’s got ingredients that nourish the skin as well: oregano extract for antioxidants, rosemary extract and goldenseal to help calm inflammation and acne, and castor seed oil to hydrate and protect the skin barrier.
Would I re-buy it? Yes.
As I mentioned, I want to try more of withSimplicity’s makeup too (a lot of people really like their foundation), so I plan to add more reviews to this article in the future!
