The 11 Best Clean And Natural Makeup Brands Of 2024
The Good Trade editors endorse products we’ve personally researched, tested, and genuinely love. Learn more about our methodology and business model here.
We’ve personally tested and researched dozens of clean makeup brands — these are our editors’ top picks that are natural, organic, nontoxic, and safe to use daily.
Have you noticed ‘natural’ and organic’ seem to be on every cosmetic label these days? We have, too. Unfortunately, lack of regulation means these marketing buzzwords don’t always reflect a product’s ingredients. (Check out what goes into an organic certification here).
Don’t worry, though — we’ve searched far and wide for the very best organic makeup brands and natural skincare products that are truly clean and cruelty-free, ranging in price and product.
What are the benefits of switching to clean makeup?
Unfortunately for decades, makeup has been plagued with toxic chemicals that can have serious implications on our health. Ingredients like PFAS, formaldehyde, parabens, and SLS are prevalent across many of our beloved makeup products and can absorb through our skin causing adverse reactions like allergies, eye injuries, or worse.
Fortunately, many clean makeup brands are leading the way of crafting effective and safe makeup products that won’t harm your health. (And actually perform well, if not better than your conventional makeup go-tos!) Clean makeup brands avoid the use of harmful chemicals and instead formulate their cosmetics with natural and organic ingredients like fruit and vegetable pigments, aloe vera, and cornstarch which are gentler and safer for our skin. Clean makeup brands also prioritize animal welfare and environmental initiatives as many are vegan, cruelty-free, and use sustainable packaging that minimizes harm to animals, the planet, and us!
What should you look for in a clean makeup brand?
So what ingredients should you be looking for and avoiding when it comes to makeup brands? It’s best to prioritize makeup products with transparent, safe ingredients and certifications from reputable sources. It can be overwhelming trying to figure out which ingredients are safe and which are not, which is why we recommend checking out Perelel’s Unclean15 list which reveals the most harmful substances found in cosmetics. You can also use EWG’s Skin Deep resource to find out which specific makeup products are safe or not.
Some of the key ingredients you should avoid include the following:
- Parabens & Phthalates: Ingredients like methylparaben and propylparaben have the potential to disrupt hormones. Phthalates are commonly hidden in “fragrance” labels and can act as endocrine disruptors.
- Synthetic fragrances: These are best to be avoided, as they often contain undisclosed chemicals that can lead to allergies or skin sensitivity.
- Heavy metals: Ingredients such as lead and cadmium can accumulate in the body over time and have toxic effects.
- Talc: This powdery ingredient is often contaminated with asbestos, which is a known carcinogen.
Our criteria:
Our editors have used clean beauty brands with natural, nontoxic ingredients for years. After lots of research, testing, and reading thousands of customer reviews, these are our favorite clean makeup brands that are gentle enough to add to your daily routine. We update this list regularly with emerging favorites that meet the below criteria.
- CLEAN/ORGANIC | These makeup brands are formulated with natural and organic ingredients that are safe for even the most delicate areas of our face.
- PERFORMANCE | The brands on this list offer everything from natural “no makeup makeup” looks to highly pigmented products that you could use for a night out — and all of them wear well for hours.
- AFFORDABLE | We’ve included clean makeup brands that are not only effective, but also easygoing on your wallet.
Be sure not to miss our guides for natural skin care brands, organic foundations, natural lipsticks, and organic mascara! And for our expecting readers, these pregnancy-safe makeup brands have your back through each trimester.
Best Overall | Most Affordable | Best Glam
1. ILIA
Best For | Multi-use sticks, serum foundations
Natural & Organic | Natural & USDA-certified organic ingredients, safe synthetics
Product Range | Foundation, skin tint, bronzer, highlighter, powder, mascara, lip balm, lip stick, multi-use stick
Price Range | $24 (lip balm) – $54 (foundation)
The best makeup brands blend natural, effective ingredients with nourishing vitamins and oils. Enter ILIA. This natural cosmetic line is making formulas from scratch to ensure your makeup is the cleanest it can be, while being dedicated to sustainability and ethics every step of the way. We love the multi-purpose sticks for travel and the compact makeup collection. You can read our review of ILIA’s Super Serum Skin Tint here.
Our Editor’s Review | “Ilia’s Skin Tint ticked all the right boxes for me. Between the brand’s ethos, the packaging’s recyclability, and the product’s clean formulation and excellent performance, I’ll happily repurchase. The skincare lover in me embraces an excuse to turn part of my makeup routine into a skincare step, too.” – Natalie Gale, Contributing Editor [Read our full review.]
ALSO AVAILABLE AT:
Credo
The Detox Market
2. Jones Road
Best For | Miracle balm
Natural & Organic | Clean, safe ingredients without phthalates, sulfates, petrolatum, PEGs, cyclic silicones, EDTA, or BPA
Product Range | Foundation, powder, bronzer, blush, miracle balm, face stick, brow pencil, eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick, lip tint, lip gloss
Price Range | $22 (lip gloss) – $44 (foundation)
Makeup pioneer Bobbi Brown created Jones Road just four years after leaving her namesake company. “Why can’t I find makeup products that are both clean and high-performance- that don’t sacrifice one for the other?” she asked. Jones Road seeks to fill that gap in the market, with easy, multi-purpose products that can be used to achieve any look — from a natural, no-makeup look to a high-drama, ultra-glam one. Using even stricter guidelines than the E.U.’s, the carefully curated range of balms, sticks, and creams are the best of the best in high-impact clean beauty. You can read our full Jones Road review here.
Our Editor’s Review | “The products all feel fantastic and wear well throughout the day, and my skin has felt and looked great over the past few weeks. I love that a little goes a long way, making the price tag feel completely worth it.” – Stephanie Fallon, Contributing Editor [Read our full review.]
3. Well People
Best For | Minimalist makeup
Natural & Organic | Natural & plant-based ingredients
Product Range | Foundation, concealer, bronzer, blush, setting spray, mascara, eyeliner, brow gel, brow pencil, lip oil, lip balm, lip gloss
Price Range | $10 (lip oil) – $30 (tinted moisturizer with SPF)
oIf you’re going for the perfect no-makeup look, Well People is the brand for you. The cruelty-free and natural cosmetics in this collection are designed to nourish and soothe your skin while also giving you the color and coverage you desire. In fact, our editor reports loving how nourishing and versatile their lip oils are! Plus, the line includes many vegan products we adore. We love how versatile and affordable Well People’s handcrafted cosmetics are, especially since 100+ products are EWG-verified. (You can find Well People in major drugstores!)
Our Editor’s Review | “It’s a sheer tint, no matter how it looks in the tube or on your arm, so no pigment stains your mouth and hangs around long after the product itself has faded. But I can feel the effects of the powerful ingredients all day, and my lips do feel softer at night. In fact, I fully skipped exfoliating my lips one night not out of laziness but because my usual chapped patches weren’t even there!” – Stephanie Fallon, Contributing Editor [Read our full review.]
ALSO AVAILABLE AT:
The Detox Market
Target
Thrive Market
4. Merit Beauty
Best For | Minimalist makeup
Natural & Organic | Clean & EU compliant ingredients
Product Range | Eye color, bronzer, lip oil, mascara, brow pencil, brow pomade, highlighter, lipstick, cheek color, complexion stick
Price Range | $24 (lip oil) – $38 (complexion stick)
Merit makes exactly what we need — no more, no less. The Los Angeles-based beauty brand offers a highly curated line of “well-edited essentials” (including a lengthening mascara and highlighting balm) that is free from over 1,400 potentially unsafe ingredients. Instead, its products boast skin-loving formulas that include plant-based squalane, vitamin B5, kaolin clay, and sea daffodil extract. Its shipment packaging is recyclable, reusable, or biodegradable; and Merit also volunteers, donates, and supports the nonprofit Baby2Baby. Be sure to check our our in-depth editor review of Merit Beauty.
Our Editor’s Review | “All this to say: If you are a self-identified minimalist who wants a five minute makeup routine, this is a great set. If you are looking for clean, vegan, and cruelty-free ingredients that don’t irritate your skin, these fragrance-free products fit the bill. And if all of that sounds great but the biggest thing is that you want a makeup look that highlights and complements your features, then I can wholeheartedly recommend MERIT for you.” – Stephanie Fallon, Contributing Editor [Read our full review.]
5. 100% Pure
Best For | Fruit-pigmented lip & cheek tint
Natural & Organic | Naturally pigmented, nontoxic ingredients
Product Range | Foundation, primer, mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow palette, lipstick, lip balm, powder, concealer, blush, luminizer
Price Range | $12 (lip balm) – $79 (palette)
100% Pure aims to create the world’s purest line of all-natural cosmetics, beauty products, and skincare. The brand’s vegan cosmetics are formulated with high-performing antioxidants, naturally occurring vitamins, and essential oils to give your skin maximum benefits. The brand even offers soaps, shampoos, and conditioners to complete your (nontoxic) beauty routine! Affordable, safe, and stunning.
Customer Review | “I’m a studying Nutritional Therapist, and quality/ clean ingredients are a must for me. I can’t get over the ingredients of the Fruit Pigmented mascara, plus the brown shade smells like hot cocoa! I’m looking forward to trying more products, but I think this mascara is going to be a staple item for me!” – Darby J. (Read all reviews.)
ALSO AVAILABLE AT:
The Detox Market
Thrive Market
6. RMS Beauty
Best For | Concealers & highlighters
Natural & Organic | Natural, food-grade, & organic ingredients
Product Range | Foundation, concealer, luminizer, bronzer, blush, powder, lip pencil, lip balm, lip gloss, lipstick, mascara, eye pencil, cream eyeshadow
Price Range | $25 (brow pencil) – $58 (cover-up foundation)
RMS Beauty is renowned in the beauty world, and it’s clear why. The brand’s cosmetic collection is produced with raw, food-grade, and organic ingredients that hydrate and illuminate your skin while enhancing and improving your already beautiful complexion. RMS is dedicated to transforming the way people use makeup, creating products that are not only nontoxic and GMO-free, but also healing and nourishing. We put RMS Beauty to the test on both 65-year old and 38-year old skin – read up on our results here!
Our Editor’s Review | “My mom and I tested RMS Beauty to see how the products fared on skin nearly thirty years apart. We have distinct skin tones, so we were particularly interested in the shades that the brand claims are “universal.” We were both impressed with the overall quality and performance of the makeup, particularly with the natural feel and look we were able to achieve. The colors were versatile and blendable, making it possible to wear shades neither of us would have necessarily chosen on our own. We were particularly impressed with how the products were moisturizing without feeling or appearing greasy. We both enthusiastically recommend RMS Beauty for any age!” – Stephanie Fallon, Contributing Editor [Read our full review.]
ALSO AVAILABLE AT:
Credo
The Detox Market
Thrive Market
7. Kosas
Best For | Complexion products, lipsticks & glosses
Natural & Organic | Botanical formulas & safe synthetics
Product Range | Foundation, concealer, tinted gel cream, SPF foundation, illuminator, blush, bronzer, lip stick, lip liner, lip shine, eye liner, eye shadow, brow pencil, brow gel
Price Range | $15 (eye shadow) – $42 (skin improving foundation)
Kosas is on a mission to reinvent our beauty routines through intentional formulas. Founded by a chemist dedicated to clean and quality cosmetics (sans 2,700 harmful ingredients), the brand’s natural beauty collection is filled with nourishing botanical ingredients. We especially love the dimensional colors you can achieve with the cream blush duos and the inclusive shades of their skin improving foundation.
Customer Review | “At long last, I have found MY foundation. I have finicky combinations skin, and this foundation does not irritate me and is hydrating without making my skin oily as the day wears on – a rarity for me. I adore the finish – soft, natural, almost air-brushed – and the way it makes my skin look and feel. Thank you, Kosas!” – S.L. (Read all reviews.)
ALSO AVAILABLE AT:
Credo
The Detox Market
8. Alima Pure
Best For | Powder foundations & primers
Natural & Organic | Natural, nontoxic ingredients
Product Range | Foundation, concealer, primer, bronzer, highlighter, blush, eyeshadow, eye pencil, mascara,
Price Range | $26 (concealer) – $94 (foundation)
Alima Pure products are formulated with the purest ingredients for maximum impact — and the natural makeup brand never uses synthetic dyes or tests on animals. The B Corp also gives back each year to green initiatives and is fully carbon-free. We love the diverse shades and the team’s dedication to affordable natural and organic beauty. If you’re not ready to commit to its best-selling powder foundation, try a sample first!
Customer Review | “I Love this primer! I have sensitive and reactive skin so look for products with no irritating ingredients so Alima Pure is a great brand for this. I especially love this primer. I have oily skin too and this primer helps my foundation stay looking great all day at work and doesn’t irritate at all, in fact it feels very comfortable. I know it is pricey but I use a tiny amount and I will pay for this brilliant product. Thanks Alima Pure for such a great primer with no fragrance, alcohol etc!” – Michelle (Read all reviews.)
ALSO AVAILABLE AT:
Credo
The Detox Market
9. Saie
Best For | No-makeup makeup
Natural & Organic | Organic & dermatologist-tested ingredients, fragrance-free, paraben-free
Product Range | Tinted moisturizer, foundation, glowy gel, concealer, blush, powder, lip gloss, bronzer, mascara
Price Range | $16 (mini mascara) – $40 (foundation)
Saie is shaking up the beauty scene with its skin-loving makeup products. From their Glowy Super Gel to their Hydrabeam concealer, these minimal and lightweight products will be your next holy grail cosmetic staple. Made with organic, fragrance-free ingredients and absolutely no allergens, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and parabens, you can breathe a sigh of relief that you’re only using the best of the best on your skin. For lovers of the no-makeup makeup look, this one’s for you. Read our detailed review here.
Our Editor’s Review | “Honestly, this is a holy grail mascara for me. I used to be a firm believer in drugstore superiority when it came to mascaras, but I’ll happily shell out an extra ten or fifteen bucks for this in the future. It somehow leaves my lashes both extra long yet natural looking, with zero clumps ever.” – Natalie Gale, Contributing Editor [Read our full review.]
10. Cheekbone Beauty
Best For | Makeup that gives back
Natural & Organic | Natural & plant-based ingredients
Product Range | Eyeshadow, lipstick, eyeliner, primer, blush, bronzer, mascara, lip oil, brow & lash gel
Price Range | $8 (lip gloss) – $54 (lip kit)
Cheekbone Beauty got its start when founder Jenn Harper was inspired to create a makeup brand that centered Indigenous Youth, in a space where Indigenous faces are not represented nearly enough. With strong values and the backing of an Indigenous investment firm, Cheekbone Beauty’s mission is to provide sustainable, high-quality, and cruelty-free cosmetics that are more than just beauty products–they are a symbol of hope and success for people from marginalized communities. Cheekbone Beauty gives back to organizations that support Indigenous communities including the Dig Deep Navajo Water Project and the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society.
Customer Review | “Goes on nicely and stays on! But it is also sooo moisturizing. I have had terrible times finding a lipstick that starts on more than half an hour but does not dry out your lips. This is it!” – Carla P. (Read all reviews.)
11. Axiology
Best For | Multi-use balms
Natural & Organic | Organic & minimal ingredients
Product Range | Multi-use sticks, balms, foundation
Price Range | $16 (lip balm) – $42 (mushroom foundation)
For makeup that’s as fun as it is Earth-friendly, Axiology does it best. The Oregon-based brand makes creamy and colorful multi-use balms and lipsticks (and now their new mushroom foundation!), and does so using minimal ingredients, consisting of clean oils, extracts, waxes, and butters. The entire collection is vegan, palm oil-free, and comes in boxes made by women in Bali from paper waste collected on the island.
Customer Review | “I love this set. I am a fan of stick makeup to begin with. These are smooth, fun, and have a lovely color range. I am quite fair and even the darker tones look good on me because you can control how much you use. I can do my makeup in about 5 minutes if I’m in a rush with these.” – Sherry (Read all reviews.)
ALSO AVAILABLE AT:
Credo
The Detox Market
Bonus: Lip Colors
NOTO
Best For | Multi-use stains
Natural & Organic | Organic & botanical ingredients
Product Range | Lip stick, cheek stick, highlighter stick
Price Range | $26 (multi-use sticks)
Based in Los Angeles, NOTO’s gender-fluid makeup was developed with minimalists in mind. From its pigmented lip & cheek stains to its highlighter for the face & body, the collection is vegan, crafted in small batches, and made from organic plant-based ingredients (like olive fruit oil and rosemary leaf extract). Its bottles are made of glass, the plastics of PCR material, and the boxes are biodegradable. If you’re in LA, NOTO offers a refill program so you can replenish your emptied bottles.
Customer Review | “Wears beautifully on eyes, cheeks and lips, and the intensity can be adjusted by applying more or fewer layers. Peppermint scent that smells like heaven. My favorite color stick” – Juliette T. (Read all reviews.)
Subtl Beauty
Best For | Stackable, travel-friendly makeup
Natural & Organic | Gluten-free, fragrance-free, paraben-free
Product Range | Concealer, lip & cheek, eyeshadow, bronzer, highlighter, brow pencil, brow gel
Price Range | $14 (concealer) – $26 (3-in-1 brow enhancer)
Subtl Beauty was born from the idea that makeup should fit seamlessly into real life. Founder Rachel Reid came up with the idea in 2019 after packing an overflowing bag just to stay overnight — she realized makeup should be simplified, travel-ready, and hassle-free. Subtl’s “Staks” are thoughtfully designed, cruelty-free, vegan, gluten- and fragrance-free, and full of good-for-you ingredients. You can build a custom Stak by choosing your shades and products, or select a premade stack tailored for convenience and ready to go. Refills are also available, so you can keep your Stak fresh!
Customer Review | “I was looking for a simple makeup routine for traveling when I discovered Subtl, but it has quickly become my go-to every day solution for looking put together in no time. It’s a you-but-better line of makeup, all in a stackable system that fits in the palm of your hand. The flattering shade range makes it really easy to pick a few products and look put together without looking overdone. Subtl fan for life here!” – Mollie B. (Read all reviews.)
