Best Zero Waste Makeup for Eco-Friendly Beauty

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10 Best Zero Waste Makeup Brands

You love to use makeup to highlight your beauty. However, between the toxic ingredients and the incredible amount of waste left behind, you might be doing more harm than good. That’s why you should consider switching to one of these best zero waste makeup brands.

Whether you want to showcase your beautiful eyes, soften your kissable lips, or smooth your gorgeous skin tone, you can find zero waste makeup that can help. Best of all, switching to eco-friendly makeup is just one more simple step you can take to create a zero waste bathroom!

Also, don’t forget, when it’s time to take off that makeup, you want to make sure you’re using one of these best eco-friendly makeup removers to protect your skin from dangerous toxins.

Is Makeup Toxic?

Before we take a look at the best zero waste makeup brands, it’s important to talk about why you should switch to zero waste makeup. Although the ingredients in many cosmetics and personal care products likely pose little risk to your health, the exposure to some ingredients has been linked to serious health problems, such as cancer.

In fact, nearly 600 cosmetics manufacturers have reported using 88 chemicals that have been linked to cancer, reproductive harm, and birth defects. Some of these chemicals include:

Formaldehyde- Also known as quaternium-15 and a known carcinogen. Some mouthwash brands can also contain formaldehyde, which is why it’s important to switch to a natural mouthwash.
Mercury- Can damage the kidneys and nervous system.
Phthalates- Hormone disrupters that can damage the reproductive system.
Parabens- Hormone disrupters that can damage the reproductive system..
Polyfluoroalkyl substances- Also known as PFAS and have been linked to cancer. Some brands of dental floss use PFAS to make the floss slide between teeth easier. To avoid this substance, you should switch to eco-friendly dental floss.
M- and o-phenylenediamine- Can irritate skin, damage DNA, and cause cancer.

Plus, it’s not just the toxic chemicals in cosmetics you have to worry about. You can’t recycle any of those plastic tubes or containers, so they just accumulate in landfills all over the world.

So now that you know why traditional cosmetics are so dangerous, are you ready to check out some zero waste makeup brands that you’ll absolutely love? Then take a look at these amazing options!

1. River Organics

River Organics likes to think of makeup as part of skincare. The company makes 100% vegan and cruelty-free makeup that uses plant oils as the primary ingredient.

Since these products don’t contain any harsh chemicals, toxins, or fillers, they naturally hydrate and nourish the skin. Their selection includes everything from blush sticks and concealer to brow wax and highlighting sticks, so you’ll be able to find everything you need.

Even better, they swap out single-use plastic packaging in favor of compostable and biodegradable paper packaging.

If you purchase River Organics from EarthHero, be sure to use the code EARTHFRIENDLY to get 10% off your order!

2. Etee

I am absolutely obsessed with this jumbo lip balm from Etee for a number of reasons. First, it’s a truly eco-friendly product. It’s made with organic and nourishing ingredients like cocoa butter and coconut oil. It also comes in a biodegradable paper tube that you can simply toss in the compost bin when it’s empty.

Plus, it comes from one of the best online zero waste shops, so you know you won’t have to deal with any excess waste or plastic shipping materials.

However, one of the main reasons why I love this lip balm is that the company wasn’t exaggerating when they named it their jumbo lip balm. This baby is BIG, so it lasts a long time!

3. Fat and the Moon

Not only does Fat and the Moon make one of the best natural deodorants, but they also offer a fantastic selection of zero waste makeup.

This unscented aloe vera lotion creates the perfect base before applying your makeup. In addition to having a light consistency, this lotion also contains a variety of vitamins that help nourish and heal dry and damaged skin.

When you’re ready to apply your makeup, you’ll love Fat and the Moon’s natural products, such as this beetroot cheek and lip stain, this beeswax lip stain, and their collection of mineral eye coal.

Related: How to Make DIY Shaving Gel

4. Reed + Gwen

Although Avocado Green Brands might be known for their eco-friendly mattresses, that’s not the only sustainable line they offer. They also have Reed + Gwen, which is a plant-based line of sustainable beauty products that are made in the USA using little to no water and no synthetic fragrances.

These products are meticulously tested to make sure all of the ingredients are safe and non-toxic. By excluding harsh chemicals from their beauty products, they’re protecting your health and the health of our planet.

All of their products are verified vegan and cruelty free, and they use packaging that’s made with 100% renewable energy. Some of their most popular products include their moisturizing body scrub and supercharged reishi body melt.

Plus, Avocado Green Brands is a leader in social and environmental responsibility. They’re a Certified B Corporation and a carbon negative company. They’re also proud to partner with 1% for the Planet to donate one percent of all revenue to Water For People to support safe drinking water access for all.

5. withSimplicity

The organic skincare and makeup market is filled with green-washed products that claim they’re natural. However, when you take a closer look at the ingredients, you realize they’re anything but clean and natural.

withSimplicity believes finding natural makeup products shouldn’t be a challenge. That’s why they’ve created a line of products that use pure, simple ingredients you can feel confident putting on your skin.

Their organic liquid foundation uses an aloe-based formula that feels light on your skin. It also comes in a variety of shades to easily match your skin tone.

Related: How to Make DIY Aloe Vera Gel

If you’re looking for mascara, you will absolutely fall in love with this organic mascara. Not only does it lift and separate your lashes for a fuller look, but it’s also made with nourishing and conditioning ingredients that stimulate lash growth.

To make your eyes really pop, don’t forget to pick up this mineral eye shadow trio, which is made with non-toxic ingredients that are free of artificial fragrances, parabens, colorants, and fillers.

All of withSimplicity’s eco-friendly makeup products are vegan and cruelty-free. Best of all, when you finish using the product, simply mail the empty container back to them and they will partner with TerraCycle to recycle the containers into materials that will be used to build new playgrounds.

6. Elate Cosmetics

No matter what type of makeup you’re looking for, you’re sure to find it when you shop Elate Cosmetics. This includes everything from mascara and foundation to lipstick and eyeshadow.

These products are 90% organic and use as many Fair Trade ingredients as possible. Elate believes no person or animal should be harmed when making its products, so its cosmetics are vegan and cruelty-free.

The company uses a variety of ingredients known for their anti-inflammatory and healing properties, such as shea butter and coconut oil.

Related: How to Naturally Ease Eczema

Instead of plastic cases, Elate uses bamboo for most of its packaging. The company also offers refillable options for most of its products. Plus, you’ll even find a nice selection of brushes to make applying your makeup even easier.

7. No Tox Life

No Tox Life offers vegan body care products that help you live a more natural life. One of their best zero waste makeup products is this lavender Earl Grey lip butter.

Unlike most oily lip balms found in stores that come off in an hour or two, this rich and nourishing lip butter is made with premium cocoa butter, which means it will stay on your lips for up to 8 hours! It also contains avocado oil and plant wax, so it’s completely vegan.

Plus, since it’s packaged in a biodegradable paperboard tube, you can compost or recycle it when you use the last of the lip butter.

Related: The Best Zero Waste Toothpaste

8. Unearth Malee

Unearth Malee products are handmade in small batches using essential oils and certified organic vegetable oils. All of the products are also natural, vegan, cruelty-free, and palm oil-free.

Related: The Best Shampoo Bars

If you like having a light touch of color on your lips, this tinted organic lip balm is perfect. It’s made with lip-conditioning oils and natural botanical pigments. It also comes in an eco-friendly paper tube you can compost after use.

Plus, Unearth Malee uses other unique zero waste practices. For example, its shampoo bars are wrapped in seeded paper. When you unwrap the bar, simply soak the paper in water and then plant it in a pot or your garden to grow a colorful mix of wildflowers.

9. LastObject

Once you pick out your favorite zero waste makeup products, you need an eco-friendly way to apply them. That’s when LastObject comes in handy.

You can use LastSwab in place of single-use cotton swabs. In fact, just one LastSwab can replace up to 1,000 single-use cotton swabs. LastSwab comes in its own bio-based carrying case. It’s simple use, sanitary, and you can easily clean it with soap and water.

LastRound is the ideal alternative to single-use cotton pads. These reusable cotton rounds are made from 100% sustainably sourced materials and can replace up to 1,750 single-use cotton rounds.

When they reach the end of their useful life, they’re also completely compostable. Plus, not only are they great for applying makeup, but they’re also fantastic for taking off your makeup!

10. Ethique

When the day is done and it’s time to take off your makeup, you can do it the natural and zero waste way when you use Ethique solid beauty bars.

This vegan face cleansing bar is ideal for all skin types, but it’s especially good for acne-prone skin. I love using this natural face scrub exfoliator bar to gently buff away dead skin cells.

You can also pick up this solid face cream bar to moisturize your skin before you apply makeup. Are you not sure which bar to choose? Check out this awesome sampler set to try them all!

Best Zero Waste Makeup Brands

It’s important to take care of your skin. Fortunately, you can easily get dangerous chemicals out of your life and reduce waste at the same time when you choose one of these best zero waste makeup brands.

More Zero Waste Living Tips

Now that you know more about the best zero waste makeup brands, are you interested in even more outstanding tips on zero waste living? Then be sure to check out some of our other popular posts: