To be honest, I've never really been someone who cared too much about clean beauty. I've always been the type to gravitate towards luxury brand names and pretty packaging — the ingredients were always more of an afterthought, as far as I was concerned.

That all changed when I went to a seminar hosted by Lush Cosmetics: They detailed what harmful ingredients were and what they could actually do to your body. When you hear that some ingredients — common ingredients that are in most of the beauty products on the market — can cause things such as birth defects, endocrine disruption, headaches, and respiratory problems, well, it's shocking. It really made me step back and reevaluate how I pick out my makeup: Just because the packaging is pretty and you're seeing it all over social media doesn't mean it's good for you.

After doing some research, I realized I wanted to make the swap to clean beauty products. But the first thing I noticed about some of the buzzier natural beauty brands is that they were expensive. Single eyeshadows setting you back $25-plus? Face creams costing more than $50? For a broke twenty-something, that was just out of the question.

So I started to look into the matter more, and I realized that there's actually a solid chunk of clean beauty brands available for lower price points in the drugstore aisle and beyond. Turns out, going for clean ingredients doesn't have to break the bank. Interested in making the switch? I've included a list of my favorite affordable clean beauty brands in the slideshow ahead.

Image via Imaxtree

Try this: Organic Wear Bright Booster Oil Elixir, $14.99

Physicians Formula has long held a reputation for being one of the best drugstore brands for sensitive skin... and for good reason. The founder, Dr. Frank Crandall, was actually inspired to create the line because his wife had major issues with sensitivity — so he created products that were free of talc and other known irritants. Today, it's one of the most popular drugstore brands out there and it's a great affordable clean beauty option.

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Try this: Lemon Blemish Stick, $8.99

It seems as if everyone and their mother has given Thayer's Witch Hazel a try — but have you tried the rest of the line? Since inception, Thayer's has held up its motto of making a long-standing commitment to creating pure, effective, cruelty-free products that are made with only the highest quality ingredients. I'm especially loving the natural lemon blemish stick for clearing my breakouts, without harmful, drying ingredients.

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Try this: Nail Polish in L02, $18

When it comes to nail polish, many brands are packed to the brim with harmful ingredients like formaldehyde resin, toluene, camphor, etc — but Sundays set out to change that becoming one of the only 10-free, vegan nail polish brands on the market. The polishes come in the perfect array of tones, thus ensuring that you'll never run out of options. Pro tip: If you're in the New York City area, make sure to check out the Sundays studio.

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Try this: Sea & C Love Vitamin Serum, $16

This affordable beauty brand covers everything from skin care to makeup to fragrances — and has set out to help its customers believe that natural ingredients can deliver the same results as those that are made from harmful chemicals. Pacifica always uses safe ingredients, recyclable packaging, and is gluten-free, 100% vegan, and cruelty-free. Not to mention, their packaging is seriously on point.

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