What are the best natural beauty products?
Natural beauty products, often referred to as “clean” beauty products, are good for you and good for the planet. While historically natural beauty products have underperformed compared to their less eco-friendly competitors, more companies than ever have committed to going green and developing products that work just as well as your standard makeup products. Here’s a list of natural beauty products that are high-performing and long-lasting.
What to consider when looking for natural beauty products
Clean formulas
While there’s no precise definition for clean beauty, it’s best to avoid toxic ingredients like parabens, certain sulfates (sodium lauryl and sodium laureth sulfate), phthalates and polyethylene/polypropylene.
You should also avoid any loose powders labeled with titanium dioxide or TiO2 listed at the top of an ingredient list, as it’s considered a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer when distributed in powder form.
Additionally, you should avoid formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing ingredients like bronopol, DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methanediol and quaternium-15.
Ethically sourced ingredients
Natural ingredients are great, but make sure they’re harvested in a way that is environmentally sustainable and that the people harvesting them are treated fairly and paid a fair wage. By choosing ethically sourced ingredients, you know they’ve been obtained through responsible and sustainable methods.
Cruelty-free
In order for a brand to refer to themselves as cruelty-free, they cannot test any products or ingredients on animals, commission any third parties to test on animals on their behalf or sell their products in any countries that require animal testing, like mainland China. They’re also required to ensure that their suppliers don’t test on animals.
FAQs
Why should you buy natural beauty products?
Natural beauty products are better for the environment, safer, gentler and more nutrient-dense for you and leave animals out of their process, making them a no-brainer for the health-conscious consumer.
Are natural beauty products better than regular ones?
It depends on what you mean by “better.” They’re certainly better for the environment. Better for your skin? Often, yes. Sometimes, no. Just because something is natural or naturally derived doesn’t automatically mean it’s better for you. In fact, there are plenty of naturally occurring ingredients that can cause skin sensitivity, abrasion or irritation.
Best natural beauty products of 2021
Best natural foundation
Best of the best: LYS Beauty Triple Fix Serum Foundation
Our take: A medium coverage foundation for buildable coverage.
What we like: Comes in a wide range of 35 shades for multiple skin tones. Recyclable packaging. Formulated with skin-purifying ingredients like ashwagandha, hyaluronic acid and turmeric.
What we dislike: Product takes time to dry on skin.
Best bang for your buck: Pacifica Beauty Ultra CC Cream Radiant Foundation
Our take: A smooth, semi-sheer CC cream for all skin types.
What we like: Formulated with SPF 17. CC cream provides medium coverage while coconut, kelp and ginseng hydrate.
What we dislike: Limited range of shades available.
Best natural setting powder
Best of the best: Kosas Cloud Set Baked Setting & Smoothing Talc-Free Vegan Powder
Our take: A light, subtle powder that helps control shininess.
What we like: Comes in a variety of shades. Not cakey. Formulated with bamboo stem, passionfruit and Chinese peonies that help reduce the appearance of oil, wrinkles and pores.
What we dislike: Some people with dry skin feel the product is too drying.
Best bang for your buck: bareMinerals Mineral Veil Talc Free Setting Powder
Our take: A soft, gentle powder for setting makeup.
What we like: Powder absorbs oil and reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
What we dislike: Limited number of shades available.
Best natural highlighter
Best of the best: rms beauty Living Luminizer
Our take: A dewy, natural-looking highlighter that adds a subtle glow.
What we like: Hydrates and protects skin with coconut oil, vitamin E and castor seed oil. Blends easily into the skin and is long-lasting.
What we dislike: Some find it difficult to get product onto fingers without digging into the pot.
Best bang for your buck: Saie Super Gel Lightweight Dewy Highlighter
Our take: A smooth gel highlighter that leaves skin with a gentle shine.
What we like: Skin-brightening and moisturizing ingredients like glycerin, vitamin C and rosehip seed oil nourish the skin. Leaves skin dewy without looking too glittery or shimmery.
What we dislike: Some feel the product appears oily.
Best natural mascara
Best of the best: Saie Mascara 101 Lengthening and Lifting
Our take: An easy-to-apply mascara that lengthens and lifts the appearance of lashes.
What we like: Doesn’t clump. Unique pointed tip makes it easy to coat every last lash. Doesn’t smudge throughout daily wear.
What we dislike: Some find the brush makes it difficult to coat inner eyes.
Best bang for your buck: Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer
Our take: A two-in-one lengthening mascara and primer.
What we like: Mascara and included two-in-one primer hydrate, lift and elongate lashes. Doesn’t clump and dries quickly.
What we dislike: Some find the brush doesn’t hold enough product.
Best natural eyeshadow palette
Best of the best: Aether Beauty Solstice Eyeshadow Palette
Our take: A high-quality eyeshadow palette with 12 matte and shimmery color options.
What we like: Palette is fully recyclable. Colors are highly pigmented.
What we dislike: Not a ton of matte options.
Best bang for your buck: ILIA The Necessary Eyeshadow Palette
Our take: An eyeshadow palette with six matte and metallic color options.
What we like: Product lasts throughout daily wear. Ingredients like jojoba seed oil and vitamin E add nourishment to eyelids.
What we dislike: Some say the palette has a noticeable amount of fallout.
Best natural lipstick
Best of the best: ILIA Color Block High Impact Lipstick
Our take: A creamy, velvety lipstick that lasts for several hours.
What we like: Colors are highly pigmented and feel soft and smooth on lips.
What we dislike: Some find the product drying on its own.
Best bang for your buck: Kosas Weightless Lip Color Lipstick
Our take: A hydrating lipstick that soothes lips while wearing.
What we like: Skin-soothing ingredients like jojoba oil, rosehip seed oil and mango seed butter. Not drying. Doesn’t leave marks on cups and glasses.
What we dislike: Not a wide range of color options.
Sydney Poe is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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