Right now, the beauty world is all about natural. Whether it's learning how to achieve the most natural-looking brows to celebrating natural hairstyles to trying out beauty recipes using ingredients found in your kitchen cabinet, beauty aficionados everywhere are leaning in to clean products and effortless hair and makeup. But when it comes to the items stocking cosmetics cases across the country, there has typically been a dearth of natural makeup products that actually deliver. That is, until now.
Is There Natural Makeup—and Does It Work?
The market for natural makeup brands and products has grown significantly over recent years. And now, there are clean products that perform as well as your favorite red lipstick, that bronzer that you just can't live without, or the high-performing hydrating foundation you just can't believe comes from a drugstore. "I definitely think the quality of clean makeup has improved," says celebrity makeup artist Joseph Carrillo, whose work has graced the faces of Pryanka Chopra, Dascha Polanco, and Uma Thurman. "It used to get really shiny and break down after a few hours. But modern technology has definitely helped those clean brands, and some amazing brand new ones have popped up."
Can You Buy Natural Makeup at the Drugstore?
Fellow celebrity makeup artist Todd Harris (his clients include Katie Holmes, Eva Mendes, and Padma Lakshmi) agrees, and loves how accessible these brands are starting to become. "You used to have to go to health food stores or specialty retailers to get these products," he says. "Now clean natural makeup is everywhere, with formulas that rival those of top luxury brands."
In fact, there are now so many natural, chemical-free makeup brands that it can be tough to figure out which are the ones absolutely deserving of your money. But don't worry, we've done all the work for you. Here, our makeup artist experts—who have access to the highest-quality products in the world—recommend the clean options even they keep in their kits.
Our Top Picks:
1. Best for Makeup Prep: Kjaer Weiss The Beautiful Oil
2. Best Chemical Free Foundation: Ilia Beauty True Skin Serum Foundation
3. Best Natural Eyeshadow: Inner Beauty Cosmetics Light + Love Eye Shadow
4. Best Natural Concealer: Glossier Stretch Concealer
5. Best Natural Skin Tint: Kosas Tinted Face Oil Comfy Skin Tint
6. Best Natural Eyeshadow Palette: Athr Beauty Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Eyeshadow Palette
7. Best Natural Blush: Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Sticks
8. Best Natural Lip Oil: Merit Shade Slick Vegan Tinted Lip Oil
9. Best Natural Multi-Use Product: Jones Road Beauty Miracle Balm
10. Best Natural Eye-Cheek-Lip Product: Axiology Lip to Lid 3-in-1 Balmies Trio
11. Best Natural Highlighter: RMS Beauty Living Luminizer Highlighter
12. Best Shade Range For Natural Foundation: Exa High Fidelity Foundation
13. Best Natural Glitter Makeup: Tood BioGlitter Body Glitter
14. Best Natural Concealer Pencil: Cheekbone Beauty Sustain Complexion Pencil
15. Best Organic Makeup: Vapour Aura Multi Stick