Face, Beauty, Skin, Plant, Flower, Brown hair, Herb, Eyelash,
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Daniel Thomas Smith

Where it was once difficult—if not impossible—to find natural products with vivid colors, the clean cosmetics space is now bursting with innovative brands that have left conventional beauty companies scrambling to keep up.


From coal tar dyes in eye shadow to triclosan in mascara and formaldehyde releasers used as a preservative, the European Union has banned more than 1,300 chemicals in cosmetics due to questions over their safety. In comparison, the U.S. has banned only 11.

Under U.S. law, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) does not have the authority to require cosmetic manufacturers to submit safety data on their products. Instead, the burden is on FDA to prove that a particular product or chemical ingredient is harmful when used as intended. "That leaves a lot of room for ingredients that aren't proven to be safe for us," says clean makeup artist Sarah Rose.

Some of these chemicals are known or suspected carcinogens, toxic to the reproductive system (and wildlife when washed down the drain), or known to disrupt the endocrine system. "But there's really no reason to even take the risk," says Rose, "because there's been so much technology advancement in the clean cosmetics space that it only makes sense to use products with ingredients proven to be safe. There's no reason to risk it."

Indeed, natural makeup has come a long way in the last five years. Where it was once difficult—if not impossible—to find natural products with vivid colors, a wide range of skin tone options, and long-lasting staying power, the clean cosmetics space is now bursting with innovative brands that have left conventional beauty companies scrambling to keep up.

"One of the things people don't realize about clean makeup is that it is an extension of skin care," says Tara Foley, founder of Follain. And Rose agrees. "A truly clean makeup product is going to nourish your skin," she explains.

As with any makeup product, it takes a bit of trial and error to find the right one for you, but to give you a head start, we've curated our favorite editor-tested and makeup artist-approved natural cosmetics that actually work.