Is Your Natural Makeup Actually Toxic?

It seems like everyone is jumping on the natural bandwagon lately and makeup is no exception.
How can you cut past the hype though and find products that are truly natural and non-toxic? How do you know if your so called natural makeup is actually toxic?

My History with Makeup

In high school I had fun shopping the makeup aisle, trying different lip gloss colors and using heavy concealer for those teenage blemishes. My biggest concern with buying makeup was if I should get the volumizing or lengthening mascara. I never thought twice about the ingredients label, in fact, I don’t think I ever once looked at the ingredients.

In college I started wearing makeup less often to cut down on the toxins going into my body. I still held onto that jar of heavy foundation though for the occasional pimple. The past few years I’ve ditched conventional makeup altogether. Yes, even that last jar of foundation finally made its way to the trashcan last month.

How Natural Makeup Brands Stack Up

If you’re like me and trying to go the natural route when it comes to makeup, you may be surprised to see then that some of the “natural” options really aren’t so natural. Some of them have some truly nasty ingredients. Below I’ve delved into the ingredients of some popular natural brands to see how they stack up.

Tarte

This brand is sold at retailers like Sephora and boasts ingredients like chamomile, ginseng and green tea. However, there are some unsavory ingredients mixed in with the natural ones, making this brand not my top choice. Some of their products are fairly clean, even though they still contain heavy metals from certain minerals, while others are loaded with synthetic and toxic ingredients.

Amazonian clay BB illuminating moisturizer

• Retinyl Palmitate -Biochemical or cellular level changes, Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Organ system toxicity
• Oxybenzone– Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Persistence and bioaccumulation
• Octinoxate– Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Persistence and bioaccumulation
• Phenoxyethanol– Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Occupational hazards, Use restrictions

Vitamin infused lip gloss

• Fragrance– (which can be a chemical cocktail of anything) Ecotoxicology, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Miscellaneous, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive
• Retinyl acetate – Biochemical or cellular level changes, Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions
• Heavy metals like tin and aluminum
• Artificial colors made with aluminum

EWG report , EWG report

Bare Minerals

This brand is heavily marketed on tv and in stores as being natural, but it has some ingredients I’d prefer to stay away from.

• Retinyl palmitate – Biochemical or cellular level changes, cancer
• Eugenol – Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions
• Benzyl benzoate – Ecotoxicology, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Occupational hazards, Use restrictions
• Artificial colors – cancer, organ system toxicity, persistence and bioaccumulation
• Aluminum powder – neurotoxin, Enhanced skin absorption, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive),

EWG report, EWG report

Cowgirl Dirt

This brand was recently bought out and loyal customers are upset with some of the changes. More natural ingredients have supposedly been replaced by questionable ones.

• Retinyl palmitate – Biochemical or cellular level changes, Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions
• Octinoxate – Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Persistence and bioaccumulation
• Polysorbate-60 – Biochemical or cellular level changes, Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions
• Phenoxyethanol -Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Occupational hazards, Use restrictions
• Ethanol – Enhanced skin absorption, Multiple, additive exposure sources, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
• Sodium laureth sulfate – Contamination concerns (ETHYLENE OXIDE, 1,4-DIOXANE, ETHYLENE OXIDE, 1,4-DIOXANE), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions
• Diazolidinyl Urea – formaldehyde releaser that can cause cancer

EWG report , EWG report

Aveda

This brand used to be like the slick gunslinger in a western. You didn’t know what side they’re really on until you see what they’re made of. The brand has since made their ingredients available on their website, but I can’t say I’m too impressed.  There are some great natural plant extracts and oils, but plenty of toxic or unknown ingredients.

• Fragrance – (which can be a chemical cocktail of anything) Ecotoxicology, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Miscellaneous, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive

• PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE – That’s quite a mouthful. This ingredient doesn’t have any data behind it so we don’t have any idea if it’s safe. It could be a safe synthetic chemical concoction… or not.

• Methylisothiazolinone – Ecotoxicology, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Neurotoxicity, Use restrictions
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone –  Cancer, Ecotoxicology, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Use restrictions
• Artificial colors – Red 6, Yellow 6, Blue 1, etc. etc. There’s very limited safety data and scientists don’t have enough info to say if it doesn’t cause cancer or other health effects.

EWG report (source) (source)

Younique

Like the others this brand features some nourishing natural ingredients mixed in with some toxic ones. Here I’ve highlighted the Beach Front Bronzer and a mascara. Some of their products are pretty clean, but you have to be careful what you get and really analyze each product’s ingredients.

• Octinoxate– Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Persistence and bioaccumulation
• Corn starch – probably gmo and contaminated with toxic pesticides
• Talc – has been linked to cancer and the focus of many lawsuits right now
• Phenoxyethanol – Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Occupational hazards, Use restrictions
• Vinyl dimethicone – “Flexible silicon polymers consisting of dimethicone copolymers that are linked together.” (source) It’s been deemed safe by EWG, but still not something I’d love to have on my face.- See more at:
• Phenoxyethanol – Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Occupational hazards, Use restrictions

Physician’s formula

• Aluminum powder – heavy metals like aluminum have been linked to neurotoxicity and diseases like Alzheimers. (source, source)
• Retinyl acetate – Biochemical or cellular level changes, Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions
• Fragrance – A chemical cocktail of practically anything, typically neurotoxic
• Boric acid – Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Endocrine disruption, Multiple, additive exposure sources, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions
• Quaternium 15 (formaldehyde releaser) – Cancer, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Contamination concerns, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions
• Parabens – Biochemical or cellular level changes, Data gaps, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Use restrictions

EWG report

Bite Beauty

• Hydrogenated vegetable oil – highly processed and closer to plastic than oil (source)
• Hydrogenated castor oil – ditto to above
• Polypropanediol dimer dilinoleate – a synthetic chemical derived from gmo corn and soy products. Likely contaminated with round up and other chemicals sprayed on the corn and soy. (source) (source)

The bottom line with natural makeup

There are a lot of cosmetic ingredients that just don’t have enough (or any) safety data on them. Until I can know for sure that a synthetic chemical is safe, it’s staying off my face. Just because a brand pledges to stay away from a list of potential toxins, doesn’t mean they aren’t using other ones. On the other hand, some ingredients, like alpha tocopherol, may sound scary, but it’s really just vitamin E.

Best practice is to always read the back of the label and research the safety of the ingredients.

Truly healthy makeup

I like to be an informed consumer, but I also don’t like having to decipher and analyze every single ingredient label from the brand I’m using. To save myself time and to ensure I’m doing what’s best for my skin and my health, I like using clean makeup without all the nasties. I don’t want to end up with Alzheimer’s or cancer just from using some foundation powder!

Here you can find a collection of completely safe and non-toxic makeup recipes if you’re the diy type. If you don’t want to spend the time or don’t have the ingredients you need on hand, then there are other, healthy options you can buy. In fact, the makeup I’ve created for my body care shop, This & That Herbal is plant based, non-toxic and free of heavy metals. Unlike the other brands that advertise herbs and oils, I don’t include all the nasty stuff along with them.

You can read more about the plant based foundation powder here.

Read more about my plant based blush here. (this can also be used as eyeshadow!)

Were you surprised at the ingredients in your natural makeup? Let us know in the comments below!