Best Non-Toxic Makeup Products in 2021

I love make-up and was shocked and horrified when I discovered the products I used contained toxic ingredients. 

According to a study done by the Environmental Working Group:

“12.2 million adults – one of every 13 women and one of every 23 men – are exposed to ingredients that are known or probable human carcinogens every day through their use of personal care products. ” EWG also states that “companies are allowed to use almost any ingredient they wish. The U.S. government doesn’t review the safety of products before they’re sold.”

This is not acceptable and sent me on a long quest to revamp to a natural beauty routine. I spent over 10 years and hundreds of dollars trying to find the best non-toxic makeup products with ingredients that met my standards. Ingredients need to be:

• Non-toxic with a low scoring ranking from the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. EWG ranks cosmetics and personal care products by potential hazards and health concerns. According to their website, “Our staff scientists compare the ingredients on personal care product labels and websites to information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases. EWG’s Skin Deep database provides you with easy-to-navigate ratings for a wide range of products and ingredients on the market.”
• High performing and high quality. There’s a stigma that natural products do not perform as well as products sold at big box retailers and department stores. THIS IS NOT TRUE!! I have 100% preferred the results I’ve received with the products listed below vs the previous products I was using.
• Non-irritating. I have sensitive skin so it was important for me to pretty much feel like I wasn’t wearing anything at all.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the amount of choices?

There are so many product choices out there, and one can easily waster their time and money on products they won’t like. I put together a list of my all time favorite (best of the best) non-toxic makeup, skincare, and hair products. I have used these products on a daily basis for years. It’s really nice to not have to continue to search for high-quality, and high-performing products since finding these. I’m excited to share my favorite products below! 

*Every skin type reacts differently – I have dry skin so I lean towards things that are more moisturizing.

Best Non-toxic Makeup Products

MASCARA:

It’s hard to find a high-performing mascara. I’ve tried so many different types of natural options and they wouldn’t define my lashes, irritated my eyes, rubbed off easily, smelled funny. I used to spend an excessive amount of money trying to find the best volumizing mascara and would even purchase top of the line mascaras in department stores before my non-toxic journey. I found Honest Beauty Mascara and Tarte Mascara perform better than any other option I’ve used.

WHY I LOVE IT:

• Full and thick lashes. If you like Estee Lauder, Dior Show, L’Oréal Paris Voluminous, or Cover Girl Lash Blast then these options are for you! I found that Honest Beauty gives lashes even more definition since it has a primer. 
• Holds an eye lash curl.
• Stays put. No issues with flaking, and easy to remove at the end of the day.
• Low hazard score on EWG. Honest Beauty ranks 2, and Tarte ranks 3.

TINTED MOISTURIZER / BB Cream

I don’t like the heavy look and feel of foundation for myself so my go-to for moisture, coverage, and SPF is a tinted moisturizer. I’ve tried MANY options throughout the years and these are by far the best of the best. Even trying non-toxic versions, these are my favorites.

WHY I LOVE IT:

• Includes SPF.
• Feels lightweight, barely notice I’m wearing anything.
• Buildable coverage.
• Great for sensitive skin. Have never had any irritation.
• Leaves a dewy glow with coverage. 
• Low hazard score on EWG. W3LL Bio Tint Moisturizer ranks 2, Tarte tinted Moisturizer scores 4.
• Tarte was my gateway brand in to non-toxic makeup since it was so easy to test out and find at Ulta or Sephora. So you could speak to an expert to find the right shade for you and test out the product before purchasing.

I recently tried MyChelle tinted moisturizer because I wanted a higher SPF. It doesn’t feel like you’re wearing SPF, and there is no white residue. It’s more drying so I only use it on days when I know I’ll be out in the sun for extended amounts of time. If you have oily skin this could be a great fit for you. 

EYELINER:

WHY I LOVE ALMAY ALL-DAY EYELINER:

• Affordable and it’s easy to buy in stores, so you can get it the day you need it at Target, Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, etc
• Stays on all day, easy to use and remove
• Easy to blend
• Many color options to choose from
• An official EWG Verified Product (I was very suprised Almay had this type of product) which means the product avoids ingredients of concern, and provides full transparency to EWG.

WHY I LOVE TARTE DOUBLE TAKE EYELINER:

• Dark dramatic color
• Great for sensitive eyes
• Two different liner options. One end is waterproof liquid and the other end is a gel liner.
• Stays on all day, easy to use and remove

BLUSH & BRONZER:

WHY I LOVE MINERAL FUSION BLUSH AND BRONZERS:

• Gives a natural, radiant looking glow
• Pigmented producted, a little goes a long way
• They have bronzer/blush duos which makes it easy and fast to apply

Common Questions/FAQ About Non-Toxic Clean Makeup

• What are the best non-toxic makeup brands?
  • There are so many good ones, and new ones in the marketplace that I haven’t even tried yet. Here are my favorites that I have tried and loved:
    • W3LL People
    • Mineral Fusions
    • Honest Beauty
    • Tarte
    • Burt’s Bees
    • Juice Beauty
    • 100% Pure
  • Here are other brands I hear people rave about but I haven’t tried myself:
    • Vapour Beauty
    • RMS Beauty
    • Kjaer Weiss
    • Ilia
    • Lawless
    • Beauty Counter
    • Alima Pure
    • Rejuva Minerals
• What are the most toxic beauty products?
  • To find the answer go to Skin Deep and find the category you are interested in and sort by the highest hazard.
• What is considered clean makeup?
  • There is no official definition and I went to The Good Face Project to find some answers. According to their site, it’s a product with clean ingredients with transparent labels.

“At its core, clean beauty means that you can use a product without risking your own health. The ingredients list must contain only safe, clean ingredients. To us, a clean beauty product is free of hormone disruptors and carcinogens. When a beauty brand makes an effort to list all of its ingredients and label accordingly, it is on the right path to clean beauty”

The Good Face Projet

The Last Thing You Need to Know about Clean Non-Toxic Makeup Products

It’s so exciting to see so many high performing non-toxic makeup products available for purchase. I want to help make things less overwhelming by sharing some of my favorite go-to products from the past 10 years, and give you other brands to look in to as well.

Please comment below with some of your favorites!

Cheers!

Brekke