Apr30
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I first heard about Crunchi back in my hardcore Beautycounter days. The word going around then was that the experience wasn’t great — the packaging was lackluster, and the products didn’t perform super well. I finally tried it when Beautycounter closed up shop, and some of the rumors I had heard about it did hold up. The packaging feels more grassroots startup than an established clean beauty brand, maybe even a step below DIME, and the performance was hit or miss depending on what I tried. (I’ve also tested Crunchi’s makeup line if that’s what brought you here.)
I tested more than a dozen Crunchi skincare products over several months, and I found a pattern with the products that I didn’t expect going in. Some of the products are genuinely great. Some of them are not so great.
Is Crunchi Skincare Worth It? (My Bottom Line)
Crunchi is worth it if clean and third-party tested matter the very most to you. The basic products like the charcoal bar, the facial mist, and the daytime creams all work well. I found the serums and the more expensive products in the line delivered the least, so unless price isn’t a factor for you, I’d skip those and put your money toward the basics instead.
How I Tested Crunchi
I bought every product in this review myself. None of it was gifted or sponsored so I have zero pressure to say anything specific about any single product. I worked through more than twelve products of the line over several months, using each one the way I’d use it at home during my normal routine.
Some of them I liked so much they became part of my regular routine within the first week. Others sat in a drawer after that same week. I go through each product I tested below and give you the good, the bad and all the in between.
Crunchi Skincare I Love
Crunchi Sunlight Tinted SPF 30 ($52)
I love this product so much it earned the #1 spot in my best tinted moisturizers review. It’s my favorite formula because it gives me more coverage than any other tinted moisturizer I’ve tried. I like that it’s also super hydrating and doesn’t dry me out. It has a really pretty natural finish that never feels greasy. If you like to use a tinted moisturizer over a lightweight foundation, or even just for quick coverage during the summer, don’t skip this. I think this might be my favorite Crunchi product.
Crunchi Charcoal Facial Bar Review ($26)
This is probably my second favorite products in the whole line. Most charcoal bars leave my skin tight and stripped, but this one doesn’t. It cleans without that squeaky, dried-out feeling I usually brace for. I use it on my underarms too, to detox a little before my non-toxic deodorant goes on, and it ends up in my cart every time I reorder. For $26, this is the easiest yes in the whole line.
Crunchi 4-in-1 Facial Mist Review ($38)
This is the only facial mist that has ever felt hydrating to me instead of just cold water in a fancy bottle. I have it on my desk, and I use it more times a day than I’d like to admit. The spray pattern is the one thing that bugs me. It doesn’t spritz super evenly, so I end up shaking and pumping more than I should. Still, for $38, this one is a keeper for me.
Crunchi Skincare That’s Good—With Caveats
Crunchi Adaptogen Facial Cream ($48)
The Adaptogen cream is hydrating and feels nice going on — no complaints on performance. My hesitation is the packaging. It feels cheap next to the other clean brands I use. I’ll get into that more below when I speak to the packaging as a whole; obviously, sub-par packaging is not a make-or-break for a facial cream, but if I’m paying $48 for a cream, I want the product as a whole to feel worth it.
Crunchi Daylight Facial Cream Review ($54)
Daylight is Crunchi’s basic daytime moisturizer. It’s hydrating, feels good going on, and is not too thick or too light. The packaging on the Daylight feels better than the Adaptogen, but still somewhat generic.
Where I differ from a lot of the other Crunchi reviews out there is the Advanced version. Everyone else seems to love it. I like the standard Daylight just fine and skip the pricier upgrade to the Advanced, which I’ll get into further down.
Crunchi Sunlight Facial SPF 30 ($48)
I like this one, but it’s heavier than I want an everyday SPF to feel. It also left a slight white cast on me, which I don’t like. That said, I like knowing I’m putting a clean-ingredient sunscreen on my face vs. one loaded with chemicals.
Crunchi I AM Polished Facial Exfoliator ($60)
This is one of the more abrasive exfoliators I’ve tried, which is a plus if you want a real, gritty scrub instead of a light buff. The performance is solid – my skin feels baby-soft after I use it. The color and texture, though, are a little depressing to look at and use. It’s almost like wet sand.
Crunchi Skincare I’d Skip (Didn’t Live Up to the Price)
Crunchi Goldenlight Multi-Peptide Serum Review ($98)
At $98, Goldenlight is the most expensive product in the entire Crunchi line, and it’s also the one that let me down the most. The texture is watery, and I didn’t love the smell either.
A lot of sites are calling this one “Botox in a bottle” and it wasn’t that for me. If you want the real “Botox in a Bottle” I use, it’s one of my all-time favorite products from Oliveda. You can read my full breakdown of everything I love from the Oliveda line.
Shop the Crunchi Goldenlight Multi-Peptide Serum
Crunchi I AM Bright Vitamin C Serum ($98)
This texture is watery too, just like Goldenlight, and it didn’t do much for hydration. For $98, I expected more than a serum that felt like it evaporated on my skin.
Shop the Crunchi I AM Bright Vitamin C Serum
Crunchi Daylight Advanced Facial Cream ($76)
This is the pricier upgrade to the standard Daylight cream I like, and to me, it’s not worth the price jump. I think it has more active ingredients that justify the price jump, but for me the hydration and texture both underwhelmed me compared to the original, so my money felt better spent staying put with the regular version.
Shop the Crunchi Daylight Advanced Facial Cream
Crunchi Nightlight Facial Cream ($60)
Nightlight’s hydration and texture both fell flat for me; it’s not worth the price, in my opinion. My favorite night creams are far superior.
Shop the Crunchi Nightlight Facial Cream
Crunchi Gentle Facial Cleanser ($38)
The texture and smell are clinical, almost like something you’d use in a hospital. Although, it did leave my skin clean without stripping it, so the performance itself wasn’t terrible, but the smell ruined the whole thing for me.
Shop the Crunchi Gentle Facial Cleanser
Crunchi Cleansing Balm ($58)
This one just didn’t make my list of favorite cleansing balms. The texture is stiffer than I like, and the yellow color stained a couple of my washcloths.
Shop the Crunchi Cleansing Balm
I AM Luminous Facial Oil ($68)
This was one of the first products I tried, and clearly it didn’t leave an impression since the only way I knew I tried it was when I double-checked my order history when drafting this post. If you like face oils, I’d point you toward the Oliveda Jasmine Face Oil or the True Botanicals Renew Pure Radiance Oil.
Shop the I AM Luminous Facial Oil
Crunchi I AM Renewed Purifying Mask ($48)
This is on its way to me so stay tuned for my verdict.
Shop the Crunchi I AM Renewed Purifying Mask
A Note on Crunchi’s Packaging and Price
Almost every product above shares the same weak spot: the packaging. Crunchi’s bottles and jars feel more like a grassroots startup than an established, bougie clean beauty brand. I mentioned above that it’s a notch below even DIME. It just feels like a disconnect when you’re paying $70-$90 per product.
Premium clean packaging does exist. True Botanicals is a good example of what this looks like with a weight and finish that match the price tag.
Oliveda is another brand I’d point you toward if packaging and experience matter to you as much as the ingredient list. My Oliveda review covers all my favorite products from daily creams to serums. Crunchi earns its reputation on the testing and ingredient side, but falls flat when it comes to looking and feeling high-end.
Crunchi Skincare I Haven’t Tried Yet
There are a few products in the line I haven’t gotten around to trying yet. I’ll list them below, but will update the post once I get to testing them all.
- Gentle Facial Bar
- Clarilight Facial Essence toner
- Nightlight Advanced Facial Cream
- Powerlight Eye Cream
How Crunchi Skincare Compares to Other Clean Brands
Crunchi isn’t the only clean skincare brand I’ve tested, and it isn’t my top pick either. If you want the full list, I’ve rounded up other clean skincare brands I rate higher on performance and feel.
If dry skin is your main concern, True Botanicals and Oliveda are the two I like best, though Crunchi’s cheaper basics aren’t a bad starting point if budget is the priority.
Crunchi Skincare FAQ
Is Crunchi skincare clean and non-toxic?
Yes. Crunchi is EWG Verified and third-party tested, with no parabens, phthalates, or synthetic fragrance. This is where the brand delivers, even when performance is uneven from product to product.
Is Crunchi skincare good for dry skin?
It’s mixed. The 4-in-1 Mist and the daytime creams, Daylight and Adaptogen, hydrate well. The serums and the “advanced” creams underdelivered for me, so I wouldn’t count on those for dry skin specifically.
What’s the best Crunchi skincare product?
I love the Sunlight Tinted Moisturizer, it’s the best coverage. The Charcoal Bar and the 4-in-1 Mist are some of the cheapest products in the line, and they’re also some of my favorites.
Is Crunchi skincare worth it?
It’s worth it if non-toxic and third-party tested matters to you more than high quality packaging and serum performance. If you want both clean and high performance in the same product, I’d check out Oliveda and True Botanicals.
Is Crunchi skincare sold in stores?
No. Crunchi is sold direct through crunchi.com or through an independent consultant, not in retail stores.
The Bottom Line: Who Crunchi Skincare Is (and Isn’t) For
Crunchi is for the person who wants a squeaky clean skincare line that is EWG certified. If that’s you, start with the basics that worked for me and skip straight past the expensive serums.
If performance and feel matter just as much to you as the ingredient list, this probably won’t be your top brand.
I also tested Crunchi’s makeup line, it has some great clean makeup products if you’re on the hunt for clean makeup to go along with your skincare routine.
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