Best Non Toxic Foundation Brands

Switch to a non toxic foundation to eliminate chemical ingredients from your makeup routine.

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Table of Contents

Ingredients to Avoid in Foundation

Big brand foundations often include ingredients that can be harmful to your health. Companies use these ingredients because it produces a superior product. Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of our health.

These are ingredients commonly found in the average foundation. This list is not conclusive but addresses the “heavy hitters” we should be avoiding in our makeup.

Fragrance/Parfum: umbrella term including hundreds of toxins, including hormone disrupting phthalates, as well as skin irritants and allergens. Chemicals that are hidden behind this term can be carcinogenic, respiratory irritants, endocrine disruptors, reproductive toxins, neurotoxins, and more (PMID: 35669814)
Parabens: preservatives linked to endocrine disruption (PMID: 29596967), known to be carcinogenic due to endocrine disruption (PMID: 36746253) Parabens may be listed as methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, and benzylparaben.
Ethoxylated ingredients (PEGs, PPGs, polysorbates, ceteareth, phenoxyethanol): ethoxylation process produces ethylene oxide, a carcinogen and developmental toxin (PubChem CID: 6354) and 1,4-dioxane, a suspected carcinogen (PubChem CID: 31275)
Phenoxyethanol: deemed generally safe at a 1% concentration, however it’s production process, ethoxylation, can potentially contaminate phenoxyethanol with 1,4-dioxane and ethylene oxide (see above for ethoxylated ingredient description) (PubChem CID: 31236)
Butylated compounds (BHA/BHT): linked to endocrine disruption at high doses, developmental & reproductive toxicity (PubChem CID: 31404); BHA is a known carcinogen, developmental & reproductive toxin (PubChem ID: 24667)
Talc: potentially contaminated with asbestos (carcinogen), while there is much debate over the research of talc, it can potentially be contaminated with asbestos (carcinogen) (PMID: 31469695)

What about titanium dioxide?

Titanium dioxide poses a health threat when inhaled. For foundation makeup, its best to avoid powder foundations that include titanium dioxide, as the loose powder can be inhaled.

PRODUCT CERTIFICATIONS & PREFERENCES

These certifications may or may not be important to you, depending on what you value in your products.

USDA ORGANIC

Product that are certified USDA Organic must be made with at least 95% organic ingredients.

LEAPING BUNNY

Leaping Bunny Certified products must be made with ingredients that have not been tested on animals. The product itself is also not tested on animals.

VEGAN CERTIFIED

Vegan Certified products cannot contain animal ingredients or by-products and have not been tested on animals.

Tips for a Flawless Non Toxic Foundation Application

Proper skin care and application will help your foundation appear natural and smooth. Follow these tips for a more natural finish to your foundation.

Proper Skin Care

The key to a good makeup application is having a good canvas. The condition of your skin will determine how well your makeup sits on your skin. They key is to keep the skin clean and moisturized. Your morning and evening skin care routine should include using a cleanser and following with a moisturizer. Find non toxic skin care here: Best Non Toxic Face Wash | Best Non Toxic Facial Moisturizer.

You can add a toner in between these two steps, but this is an optional step. It can help remove any lingering impurities and soap residue after using your cleanser. Be mindful when selecting a toner, as many include natural ingredients that can also be too harsh on the skin. This is my favorite toner by far.

After cleansing in the evening, I like to put on an oil based serum. A serum is usually a thicker, moisturizing product. This will condition and moisturize your skin more deeply than your daytime moisturizer.

I personally love this cleanser and serum set from Kosmatology!

Use a Primer

Primer can help your makeup appear smoother and last longer. This is applied directly before applying your foundation. A good non toxic primer is the Juice Beauty Illuminating Primer. You can find it on Amazon here.