10 Best Clean & Cruelty-Free Beauty Brands

Natural. Clean. Organic. These buzzwords are plastered across almost all of our beauty products. They sound good in theory, but in reality mean very little. In the United States, there is no real regulation on these terms, so customers have to look closer if they want to avoid certain ingredients. There are certifications, such as from COSMOS Natural and the Environmental Working Group (EWG), but those can be hard to find. 

However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t brands working hard to make sure their products are safe for our health and for the planet. Many opt out of the more than 2,000 ingredients that are already banned in the EU, such as parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and talc. Using products with or without these potentially harmful ingredients is a personal choice. 

That’s why it’s so important to have options when it comes to makeup and skin care. The 10 brands below are some of our favorites for their efficacious products that focus on both safety and sustainability, from the formulas down to the packaging. They prove you don’t have to sacrifice things like color payoff and buttery-soft textures. You really can have it all.  

1. Indie Lee 

After being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2009, Indie Lee started making skin care in her kitchen in the hopes of creating healthier beauty products. Fifteen years later, her brand is known for its effective skin care made with ethically sourced ingredients that are always cruelty-free and clean. When possible, the brand uses glass bottles and jars, and all of the unit boxes are made of FSC-certified paper. 

2. Ilia Beauty

Founder Sasha Plavsic launched Ilia in 2011 with a focus on skin care-infused makeup. While the brand is doing that — and well — it also now boasts a full product line made from a hybrid of natural and organic ingredients, active botanicals, and “safe” synthetics. That means there are no parabens, phthalates, sulfates, or talc, among many other ingredients. But that’s not all. The brand has gone one step further in its eco-conscious pledge by donating 1% of Super Serum Skin Tint sales to support reforestation efforts with the goal of planting 1 million trees in partnership with One Tree Planted.

3. Osea

For 28 years, Osea founder Jenefer Palmer has been creating seaweed-infused skin care rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. The family-owned business is focused on using naturally derived ingredients still backed by science for their moisturizing and anti-aging properties. It’s always been vegan and cruelty-free, but it became Climate Neutral-certified and Ocean Positive-verified in 2020. In 2002, Osea also became the first company to sign the Compact for Global Production of Safe Health and Beauty Products, an initiative from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). 

4. Tower 28 

Chances are, you’ve seen Tower 28’s ultra-viral lip balms and SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray all over social media. But don’t dismiss it as just another trendy brand. Founder Amy Liu worked in beauty for more than 15 years and created Tower 28 for people like her, with chronic eczema and sensitive skin, who still want to have fun with skin care and makeup. Creamy blushes and bronzers, lip glosses, and more are all made with nonirritating and sustainably sourced ingredients, giving many products the rare National Eczema Association seal. Plus, the brand promises no excess packaging and the use of recycled plastic. 

On Earth Day, Tower 28 donates 100% of its gross profits to support ocean conservation with Heal the Bay, an environmental 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to cleaning and maintaining the coastal waters and watersheds in the Greater Los Angeles area. 

5. Kosas 

Like Tower 28, Kosas’ makeup is all over social media, which might make you think it’s not as high quality as it actually is. Founder Sheena Zadeh focuses on makeup that’s high performing but as clean as possible, without 2,700 potentially irritating ingredients (parabens, talc, phthalates, etc.) Instead, she uses plant-based ingredients whenever possible and has the clinicals to back them up. For example, the popular Cloud Set Setting Powder contains bamboo stem extract to control shine, and chinese peony
to minimize the look of pores. The brand also uses 100% tree-free or FSC-certified cartons and tubes made from biomaterials. 

6.  Goop 

Gwyneth Paltrow is known for her “clean” and wellness-focused lifestyle, so it’s not surprising she would have a skin care brand rooted in these values. What might be surprising is how good the products are. Goop’s skin care and makeup are made with ethically sourced and cruelty-free ingredients without potentially harmful additions such as silicones, formaldehyde donors, parabens, SLS, SLES, and PEGs. 

In addition to its own brand, Goop’s retail site hawks other clean beauty favorites, including Dr. Few Skincare Clean Retinol and Vintner’s Daughter Active Renewal Cleanser. 

7. MOB

It’s hard to imagine a makeup brand more sustainable than MOB, with its packaging made from 100% PCR from FSC-certified suppliers. Even the components are “mono-material” (one type of material) so they’re more easily recycled. These components — compacts and palettes — are also reusable and refillable, so you only add the shades and products you know you’ll use. 

MOB focuses on clean, sustainable, cruelty-free, and vegan formulas, leaving out ingredients such as silicones (which don't biodegrade), and instead using ethically sourced mica and palm oil. As with other health-conscious brands, you won’t find PEGs, parabens, talc, gluten, and other potentially unhealthy ingredients. 

8. Mara 

Beauty-editor-turned-entrepreneur Allison McNamara launched her algae-infused skin care brand Mara in 2018. Having tried so many products on the market, McNamara wanted a more sustainable and “clean” way to get glowing skin. Now, her face oils are a cult-favorite and she’s expanded into SPF and body products, all of which are free of more than 2,000 ingredients that could potentially harm the oceans, marine life, and food chains. In addition, Mara commits 1% of annual sales to 1% for the Planet, is a member of Repurpose Global, is certified plastic neutral, and donates to Sea Trees to help combat carbon emissions. 

9. Honest Beauty 

Jessica Alba launched Honest in 2012 to create safe and effective products for families. That now includes diapers and baby clothes, cleaning products, skin care, makeup, and more. We love that Honest is one of the most affordable ways to get into clean beauty. To wit, most products are under $25 and are still free of potentially harmful ingredients such as formaldehyde donors, parabens, and SLS and SLES. In recent years, the brand has become known for its pregnancy-safe makeup. 

10. Ogee 

Those looking for organic skin care and makeup should try Ogee’s luxe formulas that are all certified by NSF, which requires a minimum of 70% organic ingredients. The brand’s hero ingredient is American-grown jojoba oil, a noncomedogenic, hydrating base. The cruelty-free and vegan products are chock-full of plant-based ingredients that are clinically proven, such as edelweiss flower plant stem cells to reduce the appearance of fine lines.