Indie Lee Skincare Review: Your Guide to the Brand and the 13 Best Products to Try Now

Indie Lee is all about skincare products that are “grounded in nature, supported through science, and inspired by life.”

Background

The first thing you need to know is that Indie Lee is not just a brand but a person—and she set out to create her own natural skincare products after being diagnosed with a rare brain tumour in 2008. Doctors said she might have as little as six months to live, and that the trigger was likely environmental. To her alarm, they said it could include the conventional beauty products that (up until then) she had been using on her skin.

Against the odds, she survived the surgery to remove the tumour, and then embarked on a new mission: to launch Indie Lee (the brand). She vowed to educate others that what you put on your body is just as important as what you put in it. 

You can read more about Indie’s story in our interview here.

Philosophy

So how does Indie Lee define “clean”?

“To us, clean beauty means products that are mindfully and honestly created, produced and offered without the use of any ingredients that are proven or suspected of causing harm. When in doubt, formulate out. In addition, those products should be made from ethically sourced ingredients with the health of the user and the preservation of the environment in mind.”

Formulas

Indie Lee is Prop 65- and EU-compliant, which means it won’t use over 1,300 banned ingredients. These include: 

• Parabens
• Mineral oil
• Sulfate-based detergents
• Synthetic fragrance
• Petroleum-based ingredients
• Phthalates
• Phenoxyethanol
• Formaldehyde

The brand is also cruelty-free, and recently introduced its first refillable packaging solution (with plans to offer more refillable options in the future).

The Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser is not just my favourite cleanser in this line—it’s also one of my favourite cleansers of all time. I love it because it can be used by all skin types, even dry and sensitive skin.

It has a gel texture, but it’s not harsh or drying, and it’s free of sulfates and synthetic fragrance. (The delicious strawberry scent is all-natural and comes from strawberry seed oil.) It’s remarkably effective at both removing makeup and cleaning your skin, so if you don’t have time to double cleanse, this product can do it all in one step. You can also leave it on for 5-10 minutes as an exfoliating mask.

How does it compare to the other two cleansers in the line? The Soothing Cleanser is a gel-cream cleanser for normal to dry and sensitive skin, so it’s more hydrating. However, I find it’s not quite as good at getting off every trace of makeup, and it contains essential oils, which can be irritating. The Purifying Face Wash is a foaming gel cleanser for normal to oily skin. While it doesn’t strip, it can be more drying. 

Personally, I think most people will be happy with the Brightening Cleanser because you get the best of both worlds—a gel texture but without any dryness!

With the Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner, you get two products in one: it’s both a hydrating toner and a face mist. This has long been one of the brand’s bestsellers because it’s just so versatile. You can apply it on a cotton pad after cleansing to tone and balance your skin. It can also be used to add an extra layer of moisture underneath your serum or cream. Or, you can simply spray it on throughout the day to instantly refresh your skin.

Unlike many toners, it’s alcohol-free and fragrance-free, and high in plumping, soothing humectants like aloe and hyaluronic acid. You also get the antioxidant benefits of coenzyme Q (ubiquinone), which defends against UV-induced free radical damage.¹ The only downside is that it doesn’t play well with acid exfoliants, so I don’t recommend using them at the same time in your routine.

It’s no secret that squalane is my favourite type of face oil, and out of all the brands out there, Indie Lee Squalane Facial Oil is the one I love most. This product is a light, non-greasy face oil composed of 100% olive-derived squalane and nothing else. (According to Indie herself: “I found the highest grade you could get”). 

Squalane is unique because it’s effective at hydrating and preventing moisture loss, but it can also balance excess oil production, without clogging your pores. I find this one in particular has an elegant texture that readily absorbs, so it doesn’t even feel like anything is on your skin. You can wear it alone, mixed into another skincare product as a booster, or layered on top of a serum or cream. A little goes a long way—all you need are a few drops!

The Indie Lee Stem Cell Serum is not your average serum. First of all, it’s only available at certain times of year, when the star ingredient—echinacea stem cells—can be harvested. They’re what gives this its anti-aging benefits, since they’ve been shown to improve elasticity, firmness and texture.²

It’s also an incredible hydrating treatment, since it’s high in humectants, including glycerin and hyaluronic acid. The texture is light, fast-absorbing and non-sticky, and it won’t clog pores (it’s oil-free). I find this pairs beautifully with the Squalane Facial Oil, but you could also layer it underneath any moisturizer.