Natural and organic makeup is seen as the height of clean beauty, but not all natural makeup brands are created equal.
The industry is unregulated, so it’s hard to know whether (or not) your favorite brands share your ethical values.
But does chemical-free makeup exist?
As surely as the fact that your eyeliner will never be perfectly symmetrical!
Take the mystery out of beauty by choosing natural makeup brands that guarantee organic, ethically sourced, and cruelty-free ingredients.
A Quick Look At Our Favorite Natural & Organic Makeup Brands
- Start with Axiology, one of the best vegan organic makeup brands for those also pursuing a zero waste lifestyle. Their plastic-free and minimalist Multi Sticks and Balmies can be used on eyes, lips, and cheeks.
- Dab Herb is a dab hand at making affordable organic beauty products that are safe for all skin types.
- Swedish clean beauty brand Vyana Beauty makes high-performance formulas out of natural and organic ingredients.
Is organic makeup better for you?
We think so.
Natural cosmetics aren’t just sustainable; they’re healthier for you, too, thanks to using natural ingredients that are free from pesticides, harmful chemicals, and synthetic fragrances or dyes.
Keep reading to discover the best natural and organic makeup brands for your skin and the planet, then scroll to the bottom to find out how we chose them.
Our Curated List Of Natural Makeup Brands For A Clean Beauty Routine
1. Axiology
Price Range | $15–$72 | Shop Axiology
Ingredients | All of Axiology’s makeup is organic, certified vegan and cruelty-free by PETA. They’re free from palm oil and synthetic preservatives.
What We Love | Axiology’s cruelty-free, vegan, and plastic-free makeup sticks are multipurpose and money-saving.
- Thoughtful Packaging | Their Multi-Stick tubes are made from FSC-certified paper and are compostable or recyclable. Their Balmies are plastic-free and tubeless.
- Pay It Forward | Axiology donates to animal welfare organizations, including local humane societies and animal sanctuaries.
One of the best clean organic makeup brands, Axiology is the place to go for plastic-free, cruelty-free Multi-Sticks that pop. Save on buying separate blushers, eyeshadows, and lipsticks, as the brand has got you covered with its all-in-one crayons.
Opt for Multi-Sticks, which are designed for use as both lipstick and blush, or their Balmies can be used on eyes, lips, and cheeks.
We personally love the simplicity and lightweight portability of their lip-to-lid Balmies. Plus, each one of these tiny crayons packs a powerful punch of color, so not much is needed, and they last a long time.
They come in a choice of ten shades. If you’re unsure which to choose, try Axiology’s color quiz to find one best suited to your skin and style.
2. Dab Herb
Price Range | $3–$240 | Shop Dab Herb
Ingredients | All makeup is sustainable, vegan, cruelty-free and gluten-free. They use responsibly sourced ingredients and ethical mica, and never ue synthetic fragrances or colorants.
What We Love | Dab Herb’s natural cosmetics use the best food-grade, cruelty-free, certified organic, and vegan ingredients available with high-performance essential oil infusions to heal your skin from within.
- Ethical Sourcing | Most of their ingredients are USDA-certified organic and food-grade. The ones that aren’t certified are sustainably wild-harvested.
- Thoughtful Packaging | All shipping materials are plastic-free and most packaging consists of refillable glass or tin, or compostable cardboard.
Dab Herb is passionate about creating plant-based natural makeup products that bring the same satisfaction to women and men of all ages, skin types and conditions, and colors.
Their natural cosmetics collection includes lip gloss, liquid eyeliner, mica-free rose rouge, petal concealer, and more, all in recyclable packaging.
A hero product of theirs is the Organic Herb Mascara designed for sensitive eyes. The non-waterproof mascara enhances your eyelashes with impressive length and definition with ingredients like food-grade activated charcoal and soothing aloe vera.
This is another item in our own beauty routine, and we love how long-lasting the mascara is—while also being easy to take off at the end of the day!
3. Vyana Beauty
Price Range | $8–$27 | Shop Vyana Beauty
Ingredients | Vyana Beauty’s makeup ingredients are vegan, cruelty-free and natural. They’re made using organic plant pigments and minerals, such as hibiscus flower and clay.
What We Love | This organic makeup brand aims to become “the cleanest clean beauty brand” by offering makeup handmade in small batches using the finest-quality natural ingredients.
- Ethical Sourcing | They choose local suppliers wherever they can when sourcing ingredients. All mica is 100% child-labor-free.
- Thoughtful Packaging | All products are plastic-free, and their Refill Project allows customers to return empty jars for 25% off their next order.
Wondering what makeup brand is the healthiest?
Multi-award-winning Swedish brand Vyana Beauty creates healthy makeup that enhances rather than hides your natural beauty.
Purveyors of clean, nourishing, vegan, and zero-waste makeup, their range covers everything from foundation to primers and eyeshadows.
Their award-winning Titanium Dioxide Free Skin Serum Foundation provides light to medium coverage and is made with a formula that nourishes your skin super superfoods like grape and castor seed oils and sea buckthorn extract.
There are nine shades to choose from, although they’re sadly not as diverse as we would like.
4. INIKA Organic
Price Range | $7–$100 | Shop INIKA Organic
Ingredients | INIKA’s makeup is certified organic, vegan, cruelty-free, halal and natural. Their transparent ingredient glossary can be found on their website.
What We Love | Australia-based INIKA is proud to be the highest-certified beauty brand worldwide. They create organic beauty products and organic skincare backed by clinical results.
- Ethical Sourcing | Their ingredients are certified organic, cruelty-free, vegan, halal, and sustainably sourced.
- Thoughtful Packaging | INIKA Organic removes a kilo of plastic from the environment for every kilo of plastic used in packaging. 90% of their new packaging is sustainable and recycled.
INIKA Organic is all about affordable organic makeup that’s “pure with purpose.” Their makeup range includes award-winning favorites such as their Matte Perfection Primer and a liquid foundation in six shades.
You can also find organic lipsticks, powder foundations, bronzers, brow pencils, and brushes for a full organic makeup bag.
If you’re looking for lightweight coverage, check out their award-winning BB Cream. This multitasker nourishes your skin with hydrating and softening Prickly Pear Oil and collagen-boosting jojoba oil, while giving your complexion a silky-smooth glow.
5. Foraged Fields
Price Range | $3–$68 | Shop Foraged Fields
Ingredients | Foraged Fields hand-makes all products using natural, cruelty-free, and sustainably sourced ingredients. Some products contain beeswax so they are not vegan.
What We Love | Foraged Fields wants you to slow down and appreciate simple yet effective makeup, lovingly handmade on an old dairy farm in Vermont.
- Ethical Sourcing | Most of Foraged Fields’ ingredients are sourced from the USA except for their shea butter, which is from a fair trade, women-owned business in Ghana.
- Thoughtful Packaging | They use plastic-free jars and tubs that can be reused or recycled.
One of our favorite all-natural makeup brands, Forage Fields’ simple yet effective collection includes powder eyeshadows, blushers, and highlighters alongside face creams and body balms.
All products come in small glass jars, which have a cute, apothecary-style look to them.
Bring a natural, rosy color to your cheeks with Forage Fields’ Powder Blush. Instead of harmful synthetic colors and potentially nanoparticle minerals, these get their color only from plants, like organic beet root powder and rose petals.
They are suitable for sensitive skin and come in six shades, so it’s easy to match your skin tone.
6. 100% Pure
Price Range | $8–$55 | Shop 100% Pure
Ingredients | 100% Pure creates makeup formulas that are biodegradable and non-toxic. They’re certified cruelty-free and naturally pigmented with fruits and vegetables. Be aware, though, that not all of their products are vegan.
What We Love | Is there an all-natural makeup? We think it’s 100% Pure. This brand creates eye-catching makeup colors using vegetable pigments rather than synthetics in their natural ingredient makeup.
- Carbon Goals & Achievements | Their California headquarters has been awarded the “Green Business Certification, and they plant trees with Trees for the Future.
- Thoughtful Packaging | While not plastic-free, many products are packaged in glass or, in the case of their eyeliner pencils, made of FSC-certified wood. They plan to make all packaging with post-consumer recycled (or recyclable) materials by 2024.
- Pay It Forward | They work with a number of local and international charity partners, including donating nutritious meals to dog shelters.
100% Pure’s strong, long-lasting pigments are cleverly created using fruits, not synthetic chemicals.
Their award-winning range includes primers, mascaras, eyeliners, bronzers, foundation, blushers, BB cream, and so much more.
Check out their Gemmed Luminizer, colored by fruit pigments and laced with light-reflecting gemstones like opal, pyrite, and moonstone for a healthy glow. It pairs perfectly with the peachy tones of their Rose Eye Gold Palette.
We’ve tested them both, and trust us, they’re as gorgeous as they sound, and leave our skin feeling fantastic as well as looking it.
They’re also one of the most affordable clean makeup brands, which we love because it means their natural and organic products are available to more people.
7. RMS Beauty
Price Range | $15–$300 | Shop RMS Beauty
Ingredients | RMS Beauty’s ingredients are cruelty-free, plant-based, and organic. Not all products are vegan and palm oil-free.
What We Love | Pioneers of the clean beauty movement since 2009, RMS Beauty creates professional-grade makeup that’s excellent quality and sustainably made.
- Ethical Sourcing | RMS Beauty is transparent about their ingredients in their natural beauty products, and you can find a glossary on their website.
- Thoughtful Packaging | Most of their products are packaged in recyclable glass jars. All lids are 100% post-consumer recycled content, all cartons are forestry-certified, and they’re working on a refillable collection.
RMS Beauty makes you feel like a professional makeup artist with their high-quality, clean beauty products.
As one of the best organic foundation makeup brands, they have an extensive range of hydrating foundations, concealers, SPF face creams, and powders.
You’ll also find cherry red lipsticks, brow powders, and more, all designed to give you a clean, barely there makeup look that can be done in five minutes flat.
While sitting at a more high-end price range, some products have a dual purpose, like their Lip2Cheek stain, which saves money, packaging, and space in your makeup bag.
There are seven shades, though it is worth noting that RMS does use non-toxic synthetic colorants to achieve these, instead of plant extracts.
8. Bee You Organics
Price Range | $19–$109 | Shop Bee You Organics
Ingredients | All ingredients are food grade, certified organic, sustainable, cruelty-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and fair trade. They don’t use water, alcohol, emulsifiers or preservatives.
What We Love | Bee You Organics creates the best natural makeup formulas for sensitive and acne-prone skin. All products are designed to let your skin breathe and your natural beauty shine through.
- Ethical Sourcing | Most of their ingredients are USDA Certified Organic.
- Thoughtful Packaging | They use 100% plastic-free packaging with naturally biodegradable shipping boxes and a recyclable shipping label.
Bee You Organics’ certified makeup range covers everything from face powders to lip balm, as well as cheek stains, eyeliners, eyeshadows, and vegan brushes.
Add the finishing touches to your makeup routine with their popular Mineral Foundation Powder, made with organic arrowroot that helps absorb sweat and oil.
It’s a translucent powder that can be brushed over foundation or BB cream to set it in place and give your skin a smooth finish.
9. Alima Pure
Price Range | $5–$52 | Shop Alima Pure
Ingredients | Alima Pure’s products are free from parabens, sulfates, phthalates, dimethicone, petroleum, talc, bismuth oxychloride and nanoparticles. They’re cruelty-free but not 100% vegan. Some products contain palm oil.
What We Love | Focusing on the “less is more” mentality, Alima Beauty enhances natural beauty through high-performance, affordable natural makeup.
- Carbon Goals & Achievements | The brand offsets their emissions through Carbonfund.org, making them 100% carbon neutral.
- Ethical Sourcing | Alima Pure is cruelty-free and Leaping Bunny certified. They’re also a Certified B Corp.
- Pay It Forward | As 1% for the Planet members, they donate 1% of their annual gross revenue to grassroots environmental organizations.
Alima Pure’s simple, lightweight, and high-performance formulas are used to make blushers, concealers, highlighters, and mascaras.
You can also find an extensive collection of makeup brushes.
Try their Loose Mineral Eyeshadow, made with just three to four different powdered mineral pigments that render its range of bright and subtle shades.
Add a dash of iridescence, or keep it matte with warm, earthy tones.
10. River Organics
Price Range | $3–$48 | Shop River Organics
Ingredients | All River Organics products are 100% vegan, soy and palm oil-free and certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny. Their ingredients are 75% organic and never contain harsh chemicals, but some products contain wheat and aren’t suitable for those with gluten sensitivities.
What We Love | River Organics is transparent about the natural, organic ingredients they use. They strive to be zero-waste, and they only work with stockists that share their sustainable values.
- Ethical Sourcing | All mica they use is lab-made and conflict-free.
- Thoughtful Packaging | Their paper-based packaging is fully compostable, and all makeup comes in paper tubes or jars, which are plastic-free.
The best natural beauty brand based in North Carolina, River Organics’ makeup is safe for all skin types.
All products are hand-poured into zero-waste packaging with favorites including lip balm, concealer, and blush sticks.
For the ultimate clean beauty glow-up, give their Illumi Highlighter Makeup Stick a whirl. The dewy-gold shade is made from a formula containing nourishing shea butter and conflict-free mica.
11. Juice Beauty
Price Range | $12–$130 | Shop Juice Beauty
Ingredients | All ingredients are vegan, cruelty-free, vegan-certified, organic, and rich in health-boosting antioxidants.
What We Love | In an effort to source truly clean, transparent, and organic ingredients, Juice Beauty bought a sustainable farm in the heart of the Sonoma Wine Country.
- Ethical Sourcing | The majority of their ingredients are from local West Coast USDA Certified Organic farms.
- Thoughtful packaging | 40% of their products are in glass containers, and they use 100% FSC paper. They’re working to remove single-use plastic.
- Pay It Forward | Juice Beauty works with a number of charity partners, including Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) and Environmental Working Group (EWG).
One of the best clean makeup brands, Juice Beauty’s “Farm-to-Beauty” makeup collection features everything you need for glowing skin, lips, and eyes.
Find foundation, CC cream, lipsticks, eye pencils, mascaras, and more. If you’re unsure where to start, the skincare quiz will put you on the right path.
A tried and tested favorite for us is the Phyto-Pigment Luminous Lip Crayon. The jumbo crayon gives your lips a pop of luscious color while keeping them moisturized with mango seed butter.
How Did We Choose The Best Organic Makeup Brands?
Is there such a thing as organic makeup? If so, how can we tell which brands are organic?
For instance, is Bare Minerals organic?
Short answer: no.
There’s a lot of noise in the beauty industry, so to help us narrow it down, we’ve created a list of criteria to help us identify the top organic makeup brands.
Not every brand manages to tick every single box, but we know sustainability is a work in progress.
Certifications:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Waste Revolution, US Department of Agriculture Organic (USDA Organic), Australian Certified Organic (ACO), Vegan Society, Organic and Natural Standard for Cosmetics (COSMOS-Standard), B Corporation (B Corp), Carbonfund.org
Ingredients:
The term “organic” can be a bit of a loose cannon in the makeup industry as it isn’t regulated.
There’s no global certification for organic beauty or skincare, so as long as there are more than 1% organic ingredients, a product can be labeled organic.
We like to see ingredients that are certified organic to ensure organic beauty brands are genuine. However, we know certification can be tricky.
At the very least, they should be non-GMO and palm oil-free, though we would also accept RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil.
Non-toxic makeup brands should also avoid harmful chemicals in their skincare and beauty products, which can damage the skin and pollute the environment.
Carbon Goals & Achievements:
In a world where global warming is a very real threat, it’s no longer enough for brands to ignore their carbon footprint. We like to see them take steps to reduce rather than just offset carbon emissions.
Ethical Sourcing:
All ingredients must be sustainably sourced. Brands should also have a transparent and ethical supply chain. We want to see cruelty-free certifications that prove no products have been tested on animals.
Responsible brands should also be aware of the ethical issues of mica sourcing.
All mica should be conflict and child-labor-free.
Packaging:
At the very least, packaging should be recyclable, but compostable, plastic-free, and zero-waste packaging is ideal.
Pay It Forward:
Giving back isn’t necessary, but we like to see eco makeup brands make a positive impact through social and environmental initiatives.
Closing Thoughts On The Best Clean Beauty Brands
So, is there such thing as organic makeup products, in the pure sense of the word?
The answer is yes—but you need to know what to look for.
The world of organic beauty is like the Wild West, as brands don’t need certification to claim their organic status. They can have as little as 1% organic ingredients in their formulas.
While organic certifications are preferable, they can be costly for smaller brands, so it’s unfair to rule them out if they don’t have one.
Not all of these brands featured in this article are certified organic, but they all use sustainably sourced organic ingredients.
They also create natural, plant-based formulas that are high-forming, safe for your skin, and cruelty-free.
Have a makeup lover in your life?
Send them this list of organic makeup brands and help them get a sustainable beauty makeover.
