The Best Beauty Brands for You (and Mother Earth)

It should come as no surprise that green beauty is having a major moment. More and more brands are delving into the eco-friendly market by adopting sustainable practices and substituting cleaner ingredients when possible. While the beauty industry still isn’t well regulated (there isn’t a universal definition for ‘clean beauty’), we’ve done the research for you and rounded up some of our favorite nontoxic, natural skincare and makeup brands in honor of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary. Don’t worry, these guilt-free brands are just as effective as they are clean.

Skincare

Farmacy

Farmacy emphasizes safe, skin-nourishing ingredients. They source potent, organic ingredients directly, supporting local farms while preserving the earth and its resources. With an entire collection free of parabens, formaldehyde donors, synthetic fragrances, phthalate, mineral oils and animal cruelty, they also have a running list of 1,390 ingredients (and counting) that they choose never to use. Farmacy is committed to delivering and safest products that don’t compromise on effectiveness—evident by their cult following.

Caudalie

This Parisian brand harnesses the power of naturally-sourced ingredients for their antioxidant and anti-aging benefits. They were among the first to recognize the power of utilizing grapes in skincare, including organic grape water, vines and seeds. Caudalie avoids using paraffin, parabens, phthalates and mineral oils in their products.

Boscia

Plants are the secret to this skincare success. Rooted in nature, Boscia uses plant-to-bottle formulas to naturally soothe, balance and protect the skin. They utilize a chemical and preservative-free process and instead prefer clean conservers like green tea, rosewater, jojoba leaf and willowherb.

Indie Lee

Indie Lee’s line of effective products are formulated with the finest all-natural ingredients to enhance the face and body. The brand doesn’t use any toxic chemicals—only naturally derived ingredients. Instead of parabens, phthalates, sulfates and talc, you’ll find aloe, beeswax, chamomile, eucalyptus, witch hazel and more natural ingredients sustainably sourced from fields, mountains and oceans.

Makeup

ILIA

ILIA is known for formulating its products with natural and effective ingredients. Think: nourishing oils and vitamins. Plus, they have some of the best multi-purpose products, so you can keep your collection minimal and reduce waste.

RMS Beauty

RMS Beauty is known for flawless, lightweight makeup created with non-GMO, soy-free, gluten-free and cruelty-free ingredients. Produced with raw, food-grade, organic materials, RMS Beauty’s line hydrates and illuminates the skin, creating a solid foundation for long-term beauty.

Cover FX

Cover FX believes that you don’t have to choose between clean ingredients and high performance. All of their products are 100% vegan, cruelty-free and PETA-approved, from their bestselling foundations and concealers to custom drops. Plus, everything is formulated without parabens, fragrance, gluten, mineral oil, talc, alkyl sulfates, phthalates, coal tar and paraffin. And did we mention they never test on animals?