As someone who is always looking for ways to live a cleaner more enhanced life, I’m thrilled to see so many clean beauty companies emerge within the past few years. It’s so refreshing that more and more makeup/beauty brands are becoming converts in this area, adopting stricter ingredient lists, sustainability policies, and clean beauty practices. This means more high-quality products and a variety of options available. With that said, how do you know where to begin? I am here to help!
It’s always my goal to be your clean-beauty tester and source for the best quality when it comes to clean beauty. I love giving the “Glow Girl stamp of approval” to products I use and trust and passing them along to you. Read on to see my current favorite clean makeup brands and the hero products that are getting some great use in my makeup bag now!
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Xx Melissa
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CLEAN MAKEUP BEAUTY BRANDS + PICKS
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1. BEAUTYCOUNTER
As a clean beauty lover, I appreciate how well-known BEAUTYCOUNTER sticks to its “Never List” which includes 1,800 ingredients that are never used in its wide variety of formulations. The company’s founder even works with U.S. lawmakers in the movement toward stricter standards.
Photo Credit: byrdie.com
2. BEAUTY PIE
Created by all-round beauty and wellness guru Marcia Kilgore, BEAUTY PIE is a luxury makeup (and skincare) connoisseur’s dream at a fraction of the price. The brand offers a unique membership-based model for buying globally sourced, high-quality brands for less. Use my code MELISSASENTME, for $10 off your first purchase. Read more about the brand on The Glow Girl blog HERE.
Photo Credit: wwd.com
COVERGIRL’s Clean Fresh line, priced very affordably with good-for-you ingredients that are cruelty-free, clean, and vegan, is now on my list of go-to makeup brands. The “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful” COVERGIRL standard is ICONIC and having clean options to choose from is a major game-changer for drugstore beauty.
Photo Credit: thezoereport.com
Fave COVERGIRL products: Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara, Clean Fresh Blush Palette
4. Ere Perez
An amazing boutique Australian beauty brand that values simplicity and the power of plants and botanicals in their line. The brand started as a single mascara that was developed out of Ere’s passion for nutrition, health, and wellness.
Photo Credit: 23stbeauty.com
Fave Ere Perez Products: Avocado Waterproof Mascara, Vegan Mango Lip Honey, Almond Brow Pencil
5. ILIA
This wildly popular skincare-powered makeup brand is one I seem to reach for repeatedly. Many great products within the ILIA line contain SPF and carefully selected ingredients to protect and revive all skin types.
Photo Credit: iliabeauty.com
6. Jones Road
Founded by Bobbi Brown with clean products that support a natural, no-makeup makeup look for all ages, skin types, and skin tones. Launching Jones Road in 2020, Brown ensured that consumers no longer had to choose between clean beauty and well-performing makeup.
Photo Credit: reviewed.com
Fave Jones Road Products: Miracle Balm, Just a Sec Eye Shadow, The Face Pencil
7. Kosas
This brand has gained a cult following since its inception in 2015. Starting with just four lipsticks, Kosas now makes a variety of go-to beauty products I can count on without sacrificing quality or long-lasting wear. I love that their brand adheres to the EU, Sephora, and Credo clean standards. Plus, the packaging is incredible!
Photo Credit: credobeauty.com
Fave Kosas Products: The Big Clean Mascara, Wet Lip Oil Gloss
8.
I love lilah b. as a clean, cruelty-free, and sustainable alternative for high-end, high-performance beauty. Since its founding in 2015, lilah b. has stood by their ethos that having a few key makeup products in your stash is more than enough.
Photo Credit: lilahbeauty.com
Fave lilah b. products: Tinted Lip Oil Gloss, Marvelous Matte Crème Foundation
9. MERIT
Launched in 2021 by the founder of Who What Wear, Katherine Power. At the time of its launch, Power was pregnant and wanting streamlined, well-edited, and clean makeup options. MERIT continues to offer just that—minimalist, sophisticated beauty in a way that feels very luxurious to me.
Photo Credit: meritbeauty.com
10. RMS
This clean makeup brand is a pioneer in the space and spearheaded by its 30-year veteran makeup artist, Rose-Marie Swift. RMS has a loyal following and remains committed to its mission of better, safer ingredients since its beginning in 2009. The brand offers several great products within the line.
Photo Credit: bluemercury.com
11. Saie
This high-quality, sustainably-produced line was launched by a team of clean beauty experts and always leaves my skin feeling nourished and glowing. I love that Saie offers a skin concierge service via text to help you determine the best shades for your skin tone. The lavender packaging is gorgeous too!
Photo Credit: combo.co
Fave Saie Products: Slip Tint Tinted Moisturizer, Glowy Super Gel Highlighter
12. Tower 28
I love that their products are made in North America, designed to be sensitive-skin friendly, and follow the National Eczema Association’s Ingredient Guidelines. Tower 28’s brand founder sought to design an inclusive, clean makeup line that favors sensitive skin and keeps eczema flare-ups at bay.
Photo Credit: insider.com
Fave Vapour Products: Blush Powder, Bronzing Stick
14. W3ll People
This popular brand is 100% plant-based with high ingredient, health, and safety standards for its variety of products. Ensuring its non-toxic standard, many of the W3ll People products earn the coveted EWG verified award. And the word is spreading as retailers like Target even carry select W3ll People products.
Photo Credit: wellpeople.com
15.
This brand is the brain-child of famed makeup artist Gucci Westman and has luxurious, effortless beauty down to a science. With its goal of being both light and easy-to-apply, Westman Atelier holds true to the “less is more” outlook to beauty. Even better, the brand’s team is constantly innovating and reformulating their products to keep up with the highest standards. One of the best in luxury clean beauty!
Photo Credit: westmanatelier.com
Note: One of my fave lip oils is by Saint Jane, a great skincare company that formulates their products with CBD. While their main focus remains skincare, they have two lip products in their line--I had to include the lip oil because I wear it all the time!
Fave Saint Jane Product: Luxury Lip Oil in Cloud
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