Acure shampoo and skin care is everywhere! But are they really clean and non-toxic? Find out below!
Acure has slowly been making its way onto every shampoo and conditioner shelf you can think of, but what is this company all about?
My Acure review is going to tell you everything you need to know about the good and the bad, so you know which products are right for you!
If you’re new to clean beauty, or simply need some natural shampoo, Acure Organics is one of my favorite brands to recommend to people!
They’re one of the most accessible brands without having to search for them online, which is huge for those that are brand new to nontoxic beauty.
They’re the kind of brand that you can just grab at the grocery store without having to think about it! And I find that to be invaluable for my sanity. But who is Acure, and what are they all about?
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Who Owns Acure?
Acure Organics is a family-owned American-made brand! The founder started the brand in honor of her late grandmother, who passed away from breast cancer.
If you know anything about clean beauty, you know that the toxic ingredients in traditional products can lead to things like cancer later on in life. And that’s usually how someone’s clean beauty journey gets started (mine included).
From what I’ve seen over the years, most people start to become aware of what’s going into their bodies when they or someone they know goes through a health scare.
That’s exactly what happened to me when a close family member was suddenly diagnosed with Leukemia They’re doing great in remission now, thank goodness!
With Acure’s origin story, and the fact that they’re a family-owned company based in the U.S., those things alone make me love them so much more than most brands! Finding a company with clean products that operates locally is like finding a diamond in the rough.
So, let’s vote with our wallets and give as much power as we can to companies like this! But what makes Acure so great in terms of ingredients?
Is Acure a Clean Brand?
Absolutely! But it goes without saying that you shouldn’t blindly trust a company and its practices.
Acure specifically says on the “Our Story” page of their site “No parabens, added sulfates, formaldehyde, paraffin, mineral oil or animal testing allowed!” But what about synthetic fragrance? Or preservatives?
While they cover a good portion of hazardous ingredients, they don’t cover everything. But their ingredient lists still somehow get a passing grade from me.
Until stricter regulations are passed in the cosmetics industry, you have to be your own detective. Just a quick glance at the ingredient list before buying a new bottle is usually all you need.
Are Acure Products Safe? Double-Check the Ingredients!
With most clean beauty companies, they will be advertising that they’re free of toxic chemicals left, right, and center. Acure does this to some degree, but not as much as I would like.
I always double check the ingredient list of any new beauty product I buy, even if I’ve been buying it for years! And Acure is no exception to this rule of mine.
I’ve been buying from Acure since I started my clean beauty journey back in 2012! And they’ve certainly been on a journey too. I’ve noticed at least two different changes with branding before they got to their current look.
I have also noticed that their ingredient lists fluctuate from time to time. For example, their shampoos currently do not contain fragrance at the time of writing this. But I have seen it on in their ingredient lists in the past! (They currently do not have fragrance as of this 2024 update)
Until there are better regulations within the cosmetics industry, this is the reality we have to face! I still think that Acure is a great brand to shop from; just be mindful of the ingredient list every time you buy something new.
That’s why I love apps like Think Dirty and Healthy Living by EWG that will scan and evaluate everything for you.
Now that we’ve got that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get into the good stuff! Here are all of the products I’ve tried for this Acure review with my honest thoughts.
Most links are from either Amazon or The Choosy Chick, one of my favorite online clean beauty marketplaces. You can check out my Choosy Chick review to learn more about them!
Acure Shampoo and Conditioner Review
One of Acure’s most popular products by far is their shampoo and conditioner! It’s also the most accessible product out of everything they sell. I can easily get their entire shampoo and conditioner line at my local grocery store, which is fantastic!
There are several different kinds of shampoos and conditioners to pick from based on your hair type, but the most popular ones that you can get at grocery stores include:
- Vivacious Volume—Made with peppermint and echinacea to rejuvenate and bring life back to your hair
- Curiously Clarifying—Made with lemongrass and argan to get rid of extra gunk left on weighed-down hair.
- Ultra Hydrating—Made with argan and pumpkin to provide moisture to naturally dry hair.
I’ve tried all three and I love all of them! My personal favorite is the Vivacious Volume shampoo and conditioner because I love the smell of peppermint first thing in the morning. It also brings life to my extremely fine hair without it feeling dry or over-washed.
My husband has used the Ultra-Hydrating shampoo and had zero complaints. It doesn’t smell like pumpkin at all but has a more pleasant earthy scent to it instead from the Argan.
I’ve never had instances where I felt like any of the shampoo weighed down or didn’t clean my hair. And the same goes for their conditioners.
Acure’s shampoos and conditioners get my seal of approval! They’ve got the same quality of cleaning power and reliability as traditional shampoo, which is a huge win in my book.
Acure’s Sustainable Shampoo Bar Review
When I found out that Acure came out with a sustainable shampoo bar option, I was so excited to try it out! I’ve been trying to be more sustainable with my beauty products, but my hair normally doesn’t do well with non-conventional shampoo of any kind.
Sigh, I wish this product could have worked for me! Unfortunately, my hair didn’t like it at all.
The bar itself lathered just fine and I was able to work it into my hair with no issues, but when I washed it out, my hair felt stripped. That made me nervous, so I was bracing myself for dry hair when I got out.
Instead of dry hair, I got gunky, weighed-down hair when it dried! The soap was so hard to wash out of my hair that it just lingered on there.
My ends were a bit dry and staticky, but my roots looked like I hadn’t showered in days. No Bueno.
Overall, this shampoo bar behaves more like a traditional bar of soap, which shouldn’t be used on hair in the first place. I felt bad about throwing it away, so I gave it to my husband who has been using it for the past two months or so.
He agreed that his hair doesn’t feel its best, but his hair is so short and thick that it takes a lot of gunk and damage for noticeable change.
I would give Viori Shampoo bars a try instead! They actually worked really well for my hair.
Acure Dry Shampoo Review
On that note, let’s talk about another one of my favorite products from Acure that I’ve been using for years. Their dry shampoo!
When I first started my clean beauty journey, all I could find was either super expensive dry shampoo (like $20+!) or recipes on how to make your own. I’ve since been able to find more dry shampoo options that I love.
Lo and behold, I found Acure’s dry shampoo on the same shelf as their regular shampoos and gave it a try. And it worked!
Plus, this dry shampoo is very inexpensive, coming in at about $7 per bottle. Each bottle usually lasts me a few months, depending on how much you use it, and I use mine about twice a week.
The main ingredients are arrowroot powder with rosemary and peppermint essential oils to help with scalp health. You’ll find their dry shampoo for all hair types with their shampoo in most grocery stores, or you can get their dry shampoo for brunette to dark hair online!
I’ve personally seen people with dark hair use the one for all hair types and be perfectly fine with no residue. So don’t panic if you can only get a hold of the regular one in stores.
Acure Moisturizer Review | Seriously Soothing SPF Day Cream
Moving onto skin care, I’ve been using their Seriously Soothing SPF Day cream for a few months now, and I can safely say that I love it! It got me through the summer months with little to no sunburns on my face, which I’m very thankful for!
Whoever creates the branding for Acure sure loves their adverbs! But their seriously soothing line understood the assignment.
I’ve had zero inflammation from this moisturizer, and I think it even helped even out my skin tone.
It’s formulated with blue tansy oil, which is amazing for calming and nurturing skin. It only takes about a pea-sized amount to cover my face, and it soaks into my skin quickly.
I’ve found that it initially goes on with the same consistency as sunblock, which is to be expected. But after rubbing it in for a few seconds, it melts into my skin without leaving me feeling greasy or dirty.
I have yet to try the rest of Acure’s Seriously Soothing line, but based on this moisturizer, I’m sure it would be great! Any of their pink-colored products are a part of their “soothing” line.
Brightening Under Eye Super Greens Hydrogels
I’ve always wanted to try this super-trendy skin care treatment, but never found the excuse until I wanted to write this Acure review.
There are quite a few undereye hydrogel treatments offered by Acure, so I gave their Super Greens Hydrogels a shot to see what would happen.
My undereye circles have always been a bit of an insecurity of mine, so I would be ecstatic if they worked well! Here’s a side-by-side comparison of before and after using the undereye hydrogels after I got out of the shower:
I couldn’t see much of a difference at first, but my under eyes seem a bit brighter and less wrinkly! I wasn’t too impressed with it though. Maybe it’s something that takes several uses to see effects.
I think the point of undereye hydrogels are more for the cooling sensation than anything else, like jade and rose quartz facial rollers, and that won’t instantly fix your undereye circles. They’re great for a spa day though!
The Best Acure Products for Acne
Acure’s most popular line of skin care products has to be their brightening line. It’s the skin care products in the yellow bottles. I love that they color-code all of their different skin care lines!
The top Acure products for acne have to be the Brightening Cleansing Gel and the Incredibly Clear Charcoal Lemonade Facial Scrub.
I haven’t gotten around to trying the Brightening Cleansing Gel yet, but I’ve seen so many people rave about it! It’s your perfect facial cleanser that’s free of any toxic chemicals and actually does what the label says. Not to mention it’s affordable and available everywhere!
Incredibly Clear Charcoal Lemonade Facial Scrub Review
In terms of the Incredibly Clear Facial Scrub, I can offer a more in-depth opinion because I’ve been using it for a few months now!
The last time I had a facial scrub like this, I was a teenager and gave Proactive a shot for a year or so (Really bad idea. My skin eventually became immune to it).
The texture looks like your typical charcoal face mask that I would usually make myself, but with tiny granules for the exfoliation power. It smells amazing too! I personally can’t smell lemonade per say, but it does smell very fresh and clean.
I use it every few days like the directions say with great results. I was pleasantly surprised that my face didn’t feel over washed or stripped at all! The Seriously Soothing SPF moisturizer was all that I needed afterwards.
Where to Buy Acure Products
Now onto one of the biggest questions I get asked when I tell people about Acure. Where can you buy their products?! I recommend this brand so highly because it’s so widely available.
Here’s a list of all the stores that you can buy their products:
- Whole Foods
- Sprouts
- Kroger (Kings Soopers where I’m at)
- Walgreens
- Ulta Beauty
- Target
- Natural Grocer’s
- Walmart
- And I’m sure there’s more!
Basically, anywhere that carries shampoo and conditioner is likely to carry Acure products! However, which products you will find is a completely different story.
From what I’ve found, you’re going to find at least two or three of their hair care products anywhere. As for skin care, it’s a bit more of a coin toss.
The places that I’ve found have the biggest selection of Acure products are Whole Foods, Sprouts, Kroger, and Ulta. In fact, Ulta just partnered with Acure for their new Conscious Beauty Campaign. I’m a little skeptical of greenwashing here, but a little progress is better than no progress!
Since I mainly shop at Kroger and Sprouts, I have a pretty wide selection of Acure products to choose from! And if you don’t live near either of those, there’s a pretty good chance that you live near a store that at least carries their shampoos!
And that’s for sure one of the first things you should switch out on your clean beauty journey. It’s all in the baby steps!
Before You Go!
If all this talk about ingredient lists has you confused and a little overwhelmed, I’ve got the perfect solution for you!
Essential Moves to Clean Beauty is an eBook I wrote that I wish I had when I first started my clean beauty journey. It tells you everything you need to know about ingredient list secrets in bite-sized information.
But it goes into way more detail that just ingredient list education! You’ll learn terminology, mindset shifts, and even get some cheat sheets for on the go!
Click the button below to learn more!