Best Non Toxic Eyeliners: Clean & Natural Eyeliners

Last Updated on March 20, 2025 by NonToxicSwaps

Using a non toxic eyeliner can help you eliminate toxins from your daily makeup routine. The common eyeliner contains harmful chemical toxins that can impact your health. Switch to one these non toxic eyeliner options for a safer makeup routine.

Table of Contents

Toxic Ingredients to Avoid in Eyeliner

You can eliminate the toxins aborbed into your body, especially if you wear eyeliner everyday. This list is not conclusive, but addresses some of the primary toxins we should be avoiding in eyeliner:

Coal Tar: carcinogen, skin irritant (PubChem)
Dyes: can be carcinogenic, genotoxic and offer no benefit to the product other than color (example: Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 5) (PMID: 23026007)
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.
Propylene glycol: penetration enhancer (PMID 31786711), bioaccumulative, can impact the nervous system (PMID: 25762872)
Formaldehyde: suspected of causing cancer, genetic defects, skin & eye irritant (PubChem CID: 712); potential cognitive damage (PMID: 18333987)
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)
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)
Carbon black: suspected carcinogen (PubChem ID: 483937265)

Why expose yourself to these toxins when there are non toxic eyeliners made without them! Avoid these ingredients in your eyeliner as well as all your other makeup products. The following eyeliners are free of these toxins and more!