8 Companies That Make Natural Lipsticks

This article has been updated with current research since it’s original release in 2012. The Washington Post just released an article(2012)  featuring FDA results from a study in December 2011 highlighting the top 10 lipsticks that were found to have lead in them. I’ve had many friends asking,

“where can I find healthy lipsticks?”  My usual response is to start with www.EWG.org/skindeep/.  This site is a non-profit organization that tests the safety of consumer products. It is not an all inclusive site of every product made, but it is pretty comprehensive. Buyer beware, though, just because your brand is not shown on this site does not guarantee it is free of toxins. I’m sure there are also plenty of “green” options that are not included in the EWG database.

I found it interesting that the EWG information did not indicate “LEAD” as a toxin  in the ingredients. This is probably because

LEAD is not an individual ingredient, but rather an element of another ingredient, like coloring. 

For example, a pink lipstick on EWG.org had toxicity of 7 ” Tickled Pink” (Pink) 165 (7-10 being the most toxic rating) on EWG, not because of the LEAD (which wasn’t even indicated in the list of ingredients) but because of several other ingredients like BHT and Fragrance (this are indicated by names such as geraniol, cinnamyl alchohol, etc. If you want to learn more about deciphering product labels go Here. linked with toxic side effects. Lead in lipstick is becoming less commonplace as consumers have demanded purity in product ingredients, but we have some way to go with synthetic fragrance chemicals. If you want to read the government findings you can find the research here:  FDA government study on lead in  lipstick

If you’re looking to replace your favorite lipstick because it ranked high in lead or other yucky ingredients, no worries! There are plenty of companies creating “healthy lipsticks”. Here are 15 companies I found that have several lipstick products with a 0-1 rating of toxicity on EWG (on a scale of 0-10 with 10 being the most toxic). If you want to guarantee your product is low in toxins, check out www.EWG.org for your specific manufacturer and color. Even though these “Green” companies have many products in the 0-1 category, they might have some colors or cosmetic categories ranking higher in toxic load so it pays to do a little research.

1. Coastal Creations

2. Bella Mari

3. Herbal Choice

4. Hemp Organics

5. Honeybee Gardens

6. Inika

7. RMS 

8. Young Living Savvy Minerals

There are so many healthy options in a range of price points, it should be easy to find some natural lip products that fit your budget. Let me know if you’ve used any of these brands and what you think!

, , ,

7 Responses to 8 Companies That Make Natural Lipsticks

  1. Brenna @ Almost All The Truth March 8, 2012 at 4:11 pm #

    Thank you for this list and the information. I think that the problem with the Skin Deep database is that it it is a database, which only looks at individual ingredients and not necessarily the byproduct of another ingredient. It is a great place to start, but not a definitive conclusion.

  2. SueP March 8, 2012 at 5:17 pm #

    Thanks Brenna, everyone does need a starting point to search for information, but we all need to remain diligent in reading labels and being educated to keep up with new research findings. The more we know the better choices we can make.

  3. jill martone January 12, 2013 at 11:22 am #

    Hi, what is the shade called on this website, it is the perfect shade for me. It looks like berry and also which company sells this shade. Is there a company you recommend because you have listed so many. And do any stores sell these lipsticks or do you have to order on line. Does almay have natural lipstick? Thanks for the helpful info.

  4. Susan P January 13, 2013 at 9:00 pm #

    These are great questions, Jill.

    I would recommend sticking with one of the companies on this list for a red lipstick since they are all listed as low toxicity on the EWG/Skindeep website. Even though the FDA has found lead in over 400 lipstick samples, they have not taken any action to require companies to disclose or limit the use of lead in lipsticks. In my research I found that Almay’s lipsticks in the past have had parabens (hormone disruptors), preservatives and artificial colors so I’d check a specific one you are interested in at http://www.EWG.org/skindeep to see how it ranks for toxicity. If a lipstick is not on the FDA report, that doesn’t mean it is safe from lead contamination, just that it wasn’t included in the testing.

    Your purest option would be to avoid red lipsticks altogether. The companies on this list have plenty of darker lip color options, and if you pair them with a PURE lipliner underneath (fill in your whole lip with the pencil first for nice, even color and no outlined lip issues as the color fades), you can get some nice pink and darker berry shades without the lead. Even though these companies are online, several of them have options to purchase samples of their lipstick colors. Check your local health food stores too, and find out what brands they carry. In the Milwaukee area, Whole Foods, Health Hut and Great Harvest all carry safer options in lipsticks. You may be pleasantly surprised at how helpful local businesses are in ordering safer lipsticks from one of these manufacturers if you make a suggestion.

  5. jasmin July 21, 2013 at 3:33 am #

    Thanks for all natural products which are safe for lips. I have used some of these, very good products.

  6. Allan March 14, 2016 at 8:24 pm #

    I am looking for a manufacturer of the best natural cosmetics.

    Can anyone help?

  7. Susan P March 24, 2016 at 7:39 am #

    Hi Allan,
    I’d recommend checking out the Skin Deep resource center at http://www.EWG.org, it’s an excellent site to check the toxicity of many consumer goods including cosmetics. The girls in our family have been using B3Well cosmetic line (though we use cosmetics very limitedly and feel fresh skin without any man-made chemicals on it is the healthiest skin). We just learned Whole Foods carries the line in store if you want to try samples.
    http://w3llpeople.com
    Best of luck finding some things that work for your family~

Leave a Reply