Finally, a Non-Toxic, Paraben-Free Make-Up Brand!

I’m not big on makeup. I believe the cliché that true beauty comes from within. I also believe that beauty can be enhanced greatly by healthy eating, sleep, and movement. Also, I am rather lazy when it comes to beauty routines. I don’t use a lot of products and I don’t spend much time on my hair or makeup. My daughter, Maia, has followed my example, for better or for worse!

Even though we are beauty product minimalists, Maia and I do like to put on a little makeup when we’re getting dressed up. So we’ve been disappointed to learn about the Bad Stuff that that’s in most makeup (see below), and we’ve struggled to find products that we can enjoy ourselves and recommend to readers and clients. We receive many requests from our readers for non-toxic makeup, but after reviewing ingredients we have been unable to recommend almost anything!

What’s Wrong with Most Makeup?

There are so many loopholes in federal laws that cosmetics can be labeled “natural” without containing ingredients that meet those descriptions. Even products that are certified organic can contain as little as 10% organic ingredients.

“Safe” is not a standardized term, either. The FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors does not define safety. So cosmetic companies consider carcinogens, though they are known to cause harm, safe to use in products because they are legal. The U.S. law that governs the $60 billion cosmetic industry was last passed in 1938 and it doesn’t provide the FDA with the power to ask cosmetic companies for safety data or issue recalls of cosmetics that aren’t safe. The European Union bans 1,300 ingredients from cosmetics. Here in the United States, only 11 ingredients have been banned or restricted in cosmetics! Yuck.

Until recently, we hadn’t been able to find a makeup brand that was non-toxic and high performing. But after discovering Beautycounter products through a friend, we are hooked!

Why We Like—and Trust—Beautycounter

We like that Beautycounter makeup is non-toxic, with all products ranked low hazard by EWG. We love that it performs as well as more expensive brands. Also, their products are attractive and chic. (I may be a beauty minimalist, but I’m still a sucker for pretty products!) We trust Beautycounter makeup because the company is truly committed to making safe products, and their ingredient selection process is among the strictest in the industry. For instance, they actually test products after production for any contaminants (which seems especially relevant in light of the recent scandals involving both Ava Anderson and Honest Company.) And all Beautycounter products of free of some of the very worst stuff–parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance, mineral oils, BHA/BHT, SLES, and a bunch of other ones.

Honestly, the hardest thing for us about Beautycounter was the whole “pyramid” structure of the company. Here at Gimme the Good Stuff, we pride ourselves on our independent voice. While we adore Beautycounter’s products, Beautycounter’s business plan looks very much like Multi-Level Marketing (otherwise known as a “pyramid company”). They call it “Direct Marketing,” but the differences are minimal. So while we won’t personally be engaging in multi-level marketing with Beautycounter (we aren’t going to be asking you guys to sign up as consultants!), we do feel that because of the lack of truly nontoxic makeup in the marketplace, we should offer these great products to our readers. So, if you’d like to try Beautycounter products, you can do so here.

Beautycounter Concealer

I love this concealer for hiding dark under-eye circles.

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Beautycounter Blush

This blush gives me natural-looking flushed cheeks and comes in a cute little compact.

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retractable complexion brush

I have this retractable complexion brush and love it, and Beautycounter also sells a very nice blush brush.

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Beautycounter Lipstick

This is the best lipstick I’ve found in a long time. I can’t tell you how many natural lipsticks I’ve bought and thrown out! I have the Currant color, Maia wears the Twig.

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Beautycounter Lipshine

I wear this lip shine over my lipstick.

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These are my favorites. What about you? Let us know what you think of the Beautycounter products you’ve tried. What other non-toxic, organic or natural makeup brands do you like?

Be well,

Suzanne, Certified Holistic Health Coach

P.S. We are working on a Safe Makeup Guide, which will feature Beautycounter, as well as some other truly non-toxic brands of makeup.

P.P.S. For those of you wondering about Beautycounter products other than their makeup: it’s basically all Good Stuff, although in some cases Maia prefers other, smaller brands with fewer ingredients when choosing products for her kids. She will be adding Beautycounter products to all Safe Product Guides in the coming weeks.