It’s been a long time coming. A really long time.

Growing up, I had extremely temperamental skin, and by that I mean, yes I had acne, but I also had everything else–mysterious patches and rashes and bumps of all kinds. It took many years to find a skin routine that made all of that stop, but there was a big flaw in the plan.

The “plan” was to keep my skin stripped down and dry. And it worked. The winning face wash for a stripped down and dry face was Aveeno’s Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily Scrub. Morning and night I’d dry out my skin and use not-very-moisturizing moisturizers like Ponds with SPF.

TEN YEARS LATER I am finally realizing that ingredients on your skin really matter. It’s not just about SPF when you’re in the sun and taking make-up off before bed. It’s about ingredients that are seeping into your body. It’s about replenishing the skin’s surface with natural from-the-earth ingredients. Not only that, but my skin is aging rapidly because it totally lacks moisture and has lacked moisture for TEN YEARS.

But I can’t keep harping on it, I just needed to make some upgrades and not look back.

A colleague introduced me to the brand ACURE. The ingredients are very simple and also check all the non-carcinogenic, non-toxic boxes: no sulfates, no parabens, petrolatum free…

I use (and LOVE) the Seriously Soothing wash, Seriously Soothing day cream, and Radically Rejuvenating night cream. I’ve tried the Radically Rejuvenating wash, though I didn’t like the scent, so I swapped for the Seriously Soothing.

Regarding deodorant, ACURE is my favorite so far, but I’m not 100% on it because on particularly long or physical days, I find I’m suddenly very stinky and need to reapply. Which means if I’m not at home, I’m really self-conscious. Also, it appears to be staining my sweaters. This definitely wasn’t a problem with my junky ingredient deodorant. I’m not going back, but I also haven’t found the “perfect” natural deodorant yet.

What I also love about ACURE — the convenience of buying through my Thrive Market account. I just add whatever I’m running out of to the Thrive Box and on my next checkout, my refills are on the way.

If you’re thinking about cleaning up your skin routine, I can’t recommend this brand enough. I haven’t had any breakouts and I’ve noticed small improvements in my skin evenness and texture and it’s only been about 6 months of using the products.

Any other skin care lines out there with simple, good-for-you ingredients that also won’t break the bank?