With the plethora of options available to us, it can be difficult to find makeup that is good for your skin, good for the Earth, and works well. To make this task even more complex, many makeup brands who claim to be "natural" or "organic" simply are not. Thankfully, amidst all of the misadvertising, there are some brands who do sell eco-friendly, non-toxic products. Check out these five!
1. Nu Evolution Cosmetics-
Nu Evolution is a relatively new brand who bans parabens, propylene glycol, sulfites and sulfates, artificial dyes and fragrances, formaldehyde, talc, and much more from all of their products. These products have been highly reviewed by Kristen Arnett's Green Beauty Team and natural makeup guru Organic Bunny. These products tend to be a little pricier, but it's worth spending the extra money to keep dangerous chemicals away from your skin. The packaging is described as "sleek" by many beauty bloggers and appears to be made out of cardboard, which is easily recyclable.
2. Mineral Fusion-
Mineral Fusion products do not contain gluten, parabens, talc, artificial colors, synthetic fragrances, SLS, or phthalates, and products are never tested on animals. They are very committed to sustainability - they utilize wind power in production, use soy inks, and their packaging is made from recyclable materials that can be recycled. While more expensive than your average drugstore product, Mineral Fusion products are a little cheaper than Nu Evolution.
3. Hynt Beauty-
While many of their products are 100% organic and vegan, not all of them are, and Hynt Beauty is refreshingly transparent about the ingredients in their products and why they chose to include or omit certain things. It is very easy to find the ingredient list for every product on their website. They do state that across all of their products, there are no GMOs, carmines, phthalates, bismuth oxychloride, or nanoparticles. Their prices are similar to most other major makeup brands, while their foundation tends to be a little more expensive than most.
4. Pacifica Beauty-
Pacific Beauty products are made without animal testing, animal ingredients, phthalates, parabens, sulfates, propylene glycol, mineral oil, petroleum, peanut oil, or triclosan. Their packaging and product components are recyclable, and their products tend to be the cheapest of the five. They also produce candles, perfumes, nail polish, and more - all of which are made with non-toxic, high quality ingredients.
5. Sante Naturkosmetik-
Sante is a German makeup and skincare brand that launched in the United States around 2010. Beauty products are more strictly regulated in Europe than in the United States, so Sante's products do not contain any of the chemicals that the EU Cosmetics Regulations deems unsafe (many of which are not banned in the United States). Their products are all vegan, gluten-free, are not tested on animals, meet the criteria for BDIH's Certified Natural Cosmetics (with the exception of their nail polishes), and nearly all of their products carry the NATRUE seal. Their packaging is recyclable, and their prices are similar to most drug store brands. To order in the United States, check out this link.
Peering at the labels on your beauty products doesn't have to be scary; doing some research and buying from organic, sustainable brands benefits your health as well as the health of our planet.
