Guide to the best non toxic lipstick and lip gloss brands, made with natural & organic ingredients that are better for your health and the planet.
There’s nothing like a good lipstick to make you feel ready to conquer the world. Whether it’s bright red or shimmery pink; glossy or matte; bold or barely there – the right lip color can boost your confidence, add a spring to your step, or at the very least help a tired mom feel like she’s at least a little bit pulled together – LOL!
But did you know that many popular lipstick brands contain harmful chemicals? That’s the last thing you want to worry about in your crazy, busy life.
Why Non-Toxic Lipstick Matters
Most of us put on lipstick without ever considering what’s inside the tube. Turns out that’s not such a good idea.
All cosmetics, but especially lipsticks, are notorious for having ingredients that are not very pretty. Independent studies found lead, a neurotoxin linked to learning and behavioral problems, in over 60% of lipsticks tested. Lead is dangerous at very small levels and there is no safe level of exposure, so it’s important to avoid it. And news flash – you wont’ find lead or other heavy metals listed on ingredient labels because they are hidden in other ingredients, usually as part of the coloring.
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Harmful chemicals in lipstick and lip balms include:
- Heavy metals like lead, chromium, cadmium, aluminum, manganese and nickel
- Paraben preservatives linked to breast cancer and hormone disruption
- Phthalates – hormone disrupting chemicals often found in fragrance
- Artificial colors and fragrances
Best Non Toxic Lipstick and Lip Gloss Brands
I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this article. Full Disclosure
Part of my mission to help you find greener, safer, better beauty and personal care products is to share some of the non-toxic brands I’ve used and loved.
Rest assured, all of these lipsticks and glosses are free from lead, parabens, petroleum, sulfates, phthalates, nanoparticles, artificial dyes and synthetic fragrances. And animal testing? No way! It’s easier to choose a lipstick brand you know you can trust, than have to read the ingredients list on every product!
Hope you groove on these non toxic lipstick and natural lip gloss products as much as I do! And please let me know what other brands you love or would like to know more about.
100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Gloss
- Beneficial ingredients: Moisturizing vitamin E and antioxidant-rich pigments from fresh fruit.
- Skin Deep Rating: N/A
- Think Dirty Rating: N/A
- Why I like it: Love all the fruit extracts and the yummy strawberry flavor
- Color choice: Pomegranate Wine
Elate Creme Organic Lipstick
- Beneficial ingredients: Moisturizing mango and shea butters
- Skin Deep Rating: N/A
- Think Dirty Rating: 0
- Why I like it: Goes on smooth and feels very moisturizing (light vanilla flavor)
- Color choice: Plush Creme
Vapour High Voltage Lipstick
- Beneficial ingredients: Nourishing jojoba oil and soothing sunflower oil
- Skin Deep Rating: N/A
- Think Dirty Rating: N/A
- Why I like it: High pigment lipstick with full coverage
- Color choice: Madam
Beautycounter Beyond Gloss
- Beneficial ingredients: A blend of beeswax, candelilla wax, and organic carnauba wax that locks in moisture to leave lips looking and feeling soft and smooth.
- Skin Deep Rating: EWG Verified
- Think Dirty Rating: N/A
- Why I like it: High gloss without stickiness and flavored with responsibly sourced vanilla.
- Color choice: Warm Pink
BUY Beautycounter Beyond Gloss
Axiology Lip to Lid Balmies
- Beneficial ingredients: A blend of kokum butter, hemp seed oil, Vitamin E and other nourishing ingredients
- Skin Deep Rating: N/A
- Think Dirty Rating: N/A
- Why I like it: Plastic-free packaging and multitasking product that works for lips, lids and cheeks.
- Color choice: Cotton Candy Skies set including Champagne, Sorbet and Rose.
Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner
- Beneficial ingredients: A moisturizing blend of castor seed oil, sunflower seed oil and beeswax.
- Skin Deep Rating: 4
- Think Dirty Rating: 3
- Why I like it: Goes on smooth and lightweight.
- Color choice: Blossom Lady
BUY Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner
Mineral Fusion Lip Tint
- Beneficial ingredients: A blend of castor seed oil, jojoba oil, beeswax and candelilla wax.
- Skin Deep Rating: EWG Verified
- Think Dirty Rating: N/A
- Why I like it: Easy to toss in purse, lovely sheer tints, and vanilla mint flavor.
- Color choice: Adorn
Noyah Lipstick
- Beneficial ingredients: A blend of coconut oil, shea butter and Vitamin E
- Skin Deep Rating: N/A
- Think Dirty Rating: N/A
- Why I like it: Low-plastic packaging made from eco-friendly bamboo
- Color choice: Hazelnut Creme
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Beautycounter Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick
- Beneficial ingredients: A blend of botanical waxes and sustainably derived jojoba esters, and flavored with responsibly sourced, certified organic vanilla.
- Skin Deep Rating: 2
- Think Dirty Rating: N/A
- Why I like it: Creamy and buildable
- Color choice: Raisin
BUY Beautycounter Conditioning Lipstick
Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Liquid Lip
- Beneficial ingredients: Shea butter, sunflower oil, jojoba oil and other natural ingredients
- Skin Deep Rating: N/A
- Think Dirty Rating: N/A
- Why I like it: Smooth and silky feel on lips
- Color choice: Drew
Burt’s Bees Glossy Lipstick
- Beneficial ingredients: Nourishing Red Raspberry Oil, Moringa Oil, and Meadowfoam Seed Oil
- Skin Deep Rating: N/A
- Think Dirty Rating: 0
- Why I like it: Affordable pricing and easy to find
- Color choice: Nude Rain
Your turn: What are your favorite non toxic lipstick and gloss brands?
Paige Wolf says
Vapour Siren is my absolute favorite too!
Lindsay says
I haven’t tried Vapor Siren yet, and you know I’m a huge fan of Beautycounter. Great write up, thanks!
Lori Popkewitz Alper says
I haven’t tried many of these. Can’t wait! I use Zuzu lipgloss and love it.
Micaela says
I’ve never hears of Zuzu lipgloss – I’ll have to look for that!
Donna Fountaine says
I’ll have to look into these. My favorite lipstick brands are 100% Pure and Ava Anderson Non Toxic.
Bettycares says
Thank you for mentioning Mineral Fusion. I love their products. It was hard finding a truly , real natural brand that gives color. Mineral Fusion is it. Have you tried their eye shadow trios? There are a lot of shades to select from and the best – they stay on. Oh, and they have shimmer and mattes colors. Thank you mindfulmomma, you are always on it for those of us who are natural-ites. Love to see more on Mineral Fusion.
Micaela says
No, I haven’t tried Mineral Fusion eye shadow yet – I’ll have to check that out!
pam schmidt says
I have to avoid Iron Oxide in my cosmetics, due to my allergy to IO and Nickel. Iron Oxide is the main ingredient that gives cosmetics their color. Yikes! So I use lipstick by 100% Pure company. http://www.100percentpure.com/ This company offers fruit pigmented make up. Not all of their lip color products are Iron Oxide free. But the fruit pigmented products do the trick for me!
Micaela says
Thanks for the tip about 100% Pure – I’ll have to check them out!
Melissa Brown says
This is great information Micaela! Thanks for investigating this important issue and finding some great options for us to use! We just did an article on the harmful chemicals found in our personal products; it is a shame all these chemicals are added and we need to look out for them.
http://agreenleafhome.com/personal-care-products/
Micaela says
Love that you just wrote about the same issue Melissa! Yes, I look forward to a day when buying decisions are simpler.
Smii says
I use Mineral fusions too and think it is a great brand! What are your thoughts on Burt’s Bee’s lipsticks?
Micaela says
I’ve tried Burt’s Bees and they are not my favorite. They don’t score as well on Skin Deep due to a couple ingredients they use – plus I don’t love the square container – it’s just a bit bulky.
Marcia Murdock says
I have been using Rhonda Allison face products, Aveda foundation and their nourish-mint rehydrating lip glaze, mineral fusion face powder, Revlon color stay lip liner and Almay eye liner and mascara. I would like your advice on theses products. Are there any I should get rid of ? A girlfriend dust told me about lead in lipstick and I was shocked because I have been tested for metals and my lead is high!! Is there a line of cosmetics that I could trust to be free of all the toxic stuff especially lead?
Micaela says
Hi Marcia – Good question! The best resource for investigating your current products is the Skin Deep database. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep It doesn’t have every product, but you can get some great information from it! As for a great line of cosmetics – I highly recommend Beautycounter because they do testing for heavy metals on their products! I’m not a consultant but here’s my Beautycounter affiliate link: http://bit.ly/2gyFg2Q I also buy cosmetics from Mineral Fusion, Pacifica, & Juice Beauty to name a few! Good luck with your search!
Beth says
Im allergic to any chemicals on lips and on skin..im looking for those products chemical free.
John Richardson says
Hi Micaela! Just found out about all the bad stuff in my wife’s lipstick. She uses L’Oreal 620 Mica. I am looking for a similar color that is non-toxic especiallyblead and heavy metal free, paraban free, animal fat free, formaldehyde free, and free of all the other bad stuff. Looking for Christmas presents. John
Micaela says
How sweet of you to buy a non-toxic lipstick for your wife! I’m not familiar with that color but what I recommend is bringing a swatch of that color on a piece of paper over to a Whole Foods or another store that sells natural beauty products. Then you can look for a similar color! Good luck with it!
Laura says
Great list Micaela,
I love seeing the more natural lipstick brands getting some spotlight. I’ve got to say I’m swayed towards Noyah – I’m just a sucker for that gorgeous floral packaging! I’ll be sure to check out the Hazelnut Cream shade.
Just to add to your overall point about avoiding harmful ingredients, some other lipstick ingredients like ricinoleic acid & lanolin oil can potentially cause allergic reactions!
We’ve recently published a post that lists some of the ingredients consumers may want to avoid when choosing a lipstick:
https://makeupscholar.com/what-lipstick-made-of/
Thanks again for the great non-toxic brand recommendations!
Laura.
Micaela says
Interesting! I checked on EWG and both ricinoleic acid & lanolin are considered safe with a 1 rating. But I’ve heard some people can be allergic to lanolin.
Laura says
Thanks so much for the reply Micaela! And for checking on EWG!
I should have been more specific earlier (sorry about that!), but according to dermatologist Dr. Delwyn Dyall-Smith, ricinoleic acid is the most common lip-product-related cause of allergic contact cheilitis:
https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/contact-reactions-to-lipsticks-and-other-lipcare-products/
Thanks again for the great info and for the reply,
Laura.
Jessica says
Is the lip gloss Nyx okay to use? I found that my lip gloss smells like Paint.
Micaela says
Hi Jessica – I’m afraid I’ve never heard of that brand Nyx – sorry!
Maggie Mann says
Have you reviewed Color the World lipsticks? They come in a cardboard tube and claim to be made with nontoxic ingredients.
Micaela says
No – I’ve never heard of them! Do you like them?
Wenona says
I’m allergic to castor oil, I’ve made it through #5 on your list checking ingredients and so far they’ve all contained castor oil. This seems to be the case for almost every other “natural, non-toxic” brand out there. Castor oil makes my lips itch, burn and become oozy. I’m not willing to see if organic castor oil would or would not do the same as non-organic.
Most of the time I just use a non-tinted lip balm – Dr. Bronner’s Naked Organic Lip Balm. 5 ingredients, zero castor oil. I’d like to have color sometimes, though.
Micaela says
Sorry to hear about your allergy to castor oil. I’m going to be updating this post soon, so I will keep my eyes out for lipsticks without castor oil.
Elaine Cronin says
Here is another option with high ratings from EWG Gaondodam. it is a lip oil..my lips love it!!
Stella Sinclair says
Pity none of those lipsticks are available in Cape Town I have struggled with lipstick my whole life and the dermatologist told me that I was allergic to lead
Micaela says
I hope you can find something that works for you where you live!
Linda J. Yancey says
What do you think of, or what ratings, does Pacifica brand lipstick and lip gloss have? I switched to Pacifica for an affordable, natural line of cosmetics…but, now I am wondering if that was a good switch.
Please advise. Thank you.