As a natural extension of my skincare sustainability journey, I wanted to dive into another corner of the beauty world that often gets overlooked: makeup. Just like with skincare, the products we use on our faces every day have a story behind them—one that affects our skin, our planet, and the people who help create them. So it only felt right to explore how choosing sustainable makeup brands can make just as meaningful of an impact.
When I first started paying attention to what was in my makeup bag, I realized something surprising: the products I used every day—foundation, mascara, even lip balm—had a much bigger environmental footprint than I ever thought. Packaging headed straight for landfills, ingredients sourced in ways that harmed ecosystems, and companies that weren’t transparent about their impact… it all added up.
So I decided to switch. It felt like going from fast fashion to that one perfect, long-lasting piece you never regret buying.
Imagine you’re getting ready in the morning. As you open your compact or glide on your lipstick, you’re not just putting on makeup—you’re making tiny choices that ripple outward.
Every product you buy has a story…Where the ingredients came from…How the workers who sourced them were treated…What kind of waste the packaging creates…Whether the company reinvests in the planet or just takes from it
Sustainable makeup brands try to rewrite that story. They choose ingredients that are ethically sourced, often organic or naturally derived. They reduce waste with refillable packaging. They avoid harmful chemicals that pollute waterways. And many of them invest in fair labor practices and carbon-neutral manufacturing.
Those choices matter because beauty shouldn’t come at the cost of the environment—or the people who help create what we use.
Why It’s Worth Making the Switch
1. Cleaner ingredients = cleaner skin
Sustainable brands tend to avoid harsh synthetics, fragrances, and toxins. Your skin often reacts better to simpler, transparent formulas.
2. Less waste in landfills
Refillable compacts, recyclable metal tubes, and compostable packaging add up. The beauty industry produces billions of pieces of waste per year—your choices help break that cycle.
3. Support for ethical sourcing and fair labor
Sustainable brands usually show exactly where their mica, oils, and pigments come from, reducing the risk of child labor and unsafe mining conditions.
4. A future-friendly beauty industry
Brands notice consumer choices. When you support sustainable companies, it pushes the entire industry toward greener standards.
Sustainable Makeup Brands
Here are some brands widely recognized for their sustainability efforts, ethical sourcing, and cleaner formulas:
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ILIA Beauty – Refillable products, clean ingredients, and recyclable packaging.
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RMS Beauty – Organic, food-grade ingredients and low-waste glass packaging.
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Kjaer Weis – Known for its beautiful refillable metal compacts and luxury natural formulas.
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Aether Beauty – Crystal-infused eyeshadows with fully recyclable palettes (no magnets, mirrors, or mixed materials).
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Bite Beauty (legacy clean formulas) – Known for food-grade ingredients and low-toxicity lip products.
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Herbivore Botanicals (more skincare-focused but makeup adjacent) – Vegan formulas and recyclable glass packaging.
Switching to sustainable makeup isn’t about being perfect—it’s about progress. Every time you choose a refillable compact over a plastic one or a brand that uses ethically sourced ingredients, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.
