The 9 Best Natural Lipsticks for a Stylishly Sustainable 2023

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Our Picks

Best Overall: Axiology
Eco-friendly cosmetics made electrifying- a winner in every way.
Best Variety : ILIA Beauty
Everything your lips need to look healthy and gorgeous.
Best Bold Statement : Vapour Beauty
Limited choice but what they do they do brilliantly.
Best Sturdy Casing : RMS Beauty
If you're tired of your lipstick breaking, RMS' strong casing is just for you.
Best Variety: Sephora
Many brands covering a wide range of lipstick options.
Best for All Ages : Au Naturale
Hand-crafted with eco-friendly credentials abound - you'll look great and feel even better.
Best for Hydration : Ecco Bella
If you're looking for a lipstick with hydrating properties, look no further.
Best for Sheer Shine : Gabriel Cosmetics Inc.
A good budget-friendly option.

In this day and age, with so many exciting eco-friendly alternatives to traditional cosmetics, there’s no reason not to Go-Go Eco! 

My latest project was to look into lipsticks to find the best natural lipsticks around. I found some real eco-friendly lipstick winners and can’t wait to share the amazing variety, texture, colors, and eco-cosmetic brands with you. 

Our lips are such a statement, some would even say they make or break the look. I mean, there is a reason we named one of our makeup styles “the red lip”. If red lips could make such a statement, why not make it an eco-friendly one?

Let’s jump straight to my review of the best organic lipstick brands online.

My Picks for Best Natural Lipstick

Axiology

Best Overall

Axiology, where to even begin. Once you pop onto their website, you will fall in love. It’s like entering a (lipstick) candy store with all the amazing finishes and colors.

Who knew eco-friendly could look so... electrifying? I am going over the top, but this was such a genuinely fun experience.

Let’s calm down for a second and look into the details. Axiology has a never-ending color and texture selection - you can sort them according to shade, intensity or texture. Their natural lipsticks are all eco-friendly, cruelty-free, vegan and even alcohol- and gluten-free. To top it all off, once you have selected your organic lipstick for the day, you can get two samples free if you spend $40.00 or more.

Their ingredient list draws from just 10, organics ingredients such as:

  • Avocado Oil
  • Sunflower Seed Oil
  • Vitamin E Oil
  • Organic Castor Seed Oil
  • Coconut Oil
  • Grapeseed Oil

One thing worth noting, Axiology colors are sheer colors. They are not full coverage. I personally don’t mind as it gives me an excuse to wear lipstick on a more casual day too. I do appreciate how experimental they are with the colors they offer.

ILIA Beauty

Best Variety

ILIA Beauty is a fav of mine - they are really a great all-round makeup brand, but did you know their very first product was their tinted lip conditioner? To this day, it is a cult classic!

It is made with a blend of natural and organic ingredients for extra nourishment and hydration. It even has an award attached to it, the “Best Natural Lip Color” given by Prevention Magazine (2017).

While the classic lip conditioner has a great color selection to match all moods and skin tones, it is not the only thing you need to consider. They also have a great range of other lip products including a lip mask, a gloss tinted lip oil, classic lipstick, a lip exfoliator and even a multi stick that can be used for other applications such as blush or eyeshadow. What a mouth-full! Most of their products are vegan (should I do a guide on vegan lipsticks?), but if you come across one that is not, it's only because they used ethically sourced beeswax.

They use ingredients like jojoba seed oil, cocoa butter, organic shea butter and grape seed oil.

I really appreciate that ILIA sees that lips are more than just a color canvas. It’s nice to have a brand that can not only make my lips pop, but also take care of them with a variety of nourishing and pampering products. If that was not enough, all of their products come in beautiful and eco-friendly packaging made from paper, aluminium and glass.

Vapour Beauty

Best Bold Statement

Vapour Beauty is another of my favorites! They are bold, yet so simple. I appreciate brands that are able to make statements without having to put on too much of a show.

Vapour has two stunning lip products: a lip nectar and a lipstick, giving you the option to go either full coverage or just simple and sheer. The intense, full-coverage lipstick is referred to as “High Voltage”, and comes in 12 rich, vibrant and oh so hydrating shades!

The lip nectar is more of a sheer balm that adapts to the shade of your lips, also really hydrating, I’m in-love with the shade HINT, which has a warm pink and peachy tone with a little bit of shimmer.

Not only do they make sure that their products are eco-friendly, but they also hope to motivate you to take that step. You can build up reward points by signing up to their newsletter, returning recyclable Vapour products (once they are empty of course) and by purchasing from the rest of their range. These points can then go towards your next purchase or give you special features such as free shipping or early access to products.

Vapour impressed me with their transparency. Not only are they eco-friendly, but they are also very clear and honest about the ingredients (sunflower seed oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, and bayberry fruit wax, etc.) and benefits of the product.

RMS Beauty

Best Sturdy Casing

RMS Beauty is also one of my frequently suggested brands! For natural lipstick I recommend their “wild with desire” lipstick. First, as per usual with these kinds of brands, I really appreciate the eco-friendly packaging. It is a bonus that they have such a strong lipstick casing, because I have a tendency to break my lipstick - whoops!

If I can make a suggestion: be “flexible” with the color you order. The website colors tend to not be as accurate as one would hope. I ordered a bright red, but it was a bit more mauve in person. Also, my pink was slightly more red (look at me experimenting with color).

I am not too fussed about an exact color, I just need to know if the color looks nice and if the application is smooth. The consistency is great, but I would not advise people with dry lips to use it without some balm. When it dries, well, it dries your lips a bit too...

Sephora

Best Variety

Of late, Sephora is really hopping onto the eco-friendly trend and if that sounds judge-y, it really isn’t. It’s great to see such a big brand embrace sustainability.

If you go to their site you’ll see that they have an amazing line of lipsticks from a variety of brands. Whether you are a die-hard makeup fan or just an everyday girl who likes to use makeup, you can get anything from Gucci lipstick all the way to our previously mentioned ILIA Beauty.

Of late, Sephora is really hopping onto the eco-friendly trend and if that sounds judge-y, it really isn’t. It’s great to see such a big brand embrace sustainability.

If you go to their site you’ll see that they have an amazing line of lipsticks from a variety of brands. Whether you are a die-hard makeup fan or just an everyday girl who likes to use makeup, you can get anything from Gucci lipstick all the way to our previously mentioned Ilia Beauty.

Au Naturale

Best for All Ages

Au Naturale reminds me of the lipstick everyone in your family uses, because if your family recommended it, chances are it was probably the first lipstick you owned! (and I mean this very positively).

This is a timeless, simple and clean lipstick, all the way from the packaging to the product and one that I would recommend for all ages. Funnily enough, the lipstick is called the Eternity Lipstick! All of their products are vegan, cruelty-free, hand-crafted and even gluten-free.

They have a good variety of color and the texture is super creamy and soft!

I am a sucker for lipstick that sits well. If I eat food, I don’t want to try so hard to make sure my lips don’t touch the food if I have color on them, but Eternity doesn’t move or smear with my food or coffee.

Ingredients include castor seed oil, jojoba seed oil, meadowfoam seed oil and shea butter wax.

Ecco Bella

Best for Hydration

Ecco Bella has a small collection of all the essentials: lip liner, lipstick and lipgloss. They even have a vitamin-E lipstick (balm). The colors are brilliantly vibrant and made from mineral pigments. The vegetable wax formula is a hydrating bonus!

In terms of the ingredients, they are all naturally-preserved. Gluten-, FD&C dye-, petroleum- and fragrance-free. I was very excited about this brand, but for the vegans out there - just remember to take note of the ingredients as you pick your colors, some of the shades are vegan while others are not.

The texture is so soft and creamy! Perfect for the cold months (when my lips tend to dry).

I loved that I could build on the color! Give it a single stroke for a soft shade, or build it with multiple layers for a deep and rich color.

Gabriel Cosmetics Inc.

Best for Sheer Shine

Gabriel Cosmetics Inc. is made up of Gabrielle, Zuzu Lux and Clean Kids Make up.

All three ranges are rich in jojoba oil and sea fennel, which results in an amazing long-lasting, flexible and non-drying natural lipstick. While the product is amazing, I did find the packaging to look a bit outdated. It’s definitely not as modern as some of the other items on the list, but they make up for it in their recyclable and eco-friendly aluminium packaging and cruelty-free ingredients.

I loved the variety of color and the ingredient combination that helps to keep my lips hydrated, but I noticed that some of the colors are not as creamy as they look. The Zuzu Lux Lipstick is quite sheer; it left a slight tint, but mainly just a colorful shimmer. If you are looking for something more full coverage, go for the Gabriel Lipstick - it also has a great formula, but it sits all day. Both of these have great price point compared to other high-end brands or luxury make-up brands.

Some of the colors tend to be quite difficult to apply and the chocolate shade has a bit of a smell to it, but each to their own. All the other lipsticks work great and are super creamy and hydrating on my lips.

Natural and Organic Lipstick Buyer’s Guide

What is organic lipstick and lip balm? 

When looking to reduce your chemical load, your lipstick is a great place to start! When looking for “organic lipstick”, you’re really looking at brands that are committed to simple, natural, and organic ingredients, ethical practices, and eco-friendly, reusable, and recyclable packaging. 

Why you should switch to organic lipstick 

Switching up your lipstick to go the extra green mile is not only guilt-free pleasure with application, but it can help your skin so much! In summer I look for lipsticks that are rich in natural oils or wax for some much-needed hydration to make my lips soft. If you also suffer from chapped lips, you owe it to yourself to give an all-natural lipstick or lip balm a try. Natural ingredients are simply kinder on your skin than harsh chemicals. 

Why is lipstick bad for you? 

Research performed by the school of public health at the University of California revealed the high traces of potentially harmful chemicals in mass-produced lipstick. These harmful chemicals can too easily be absorbed through the lips or ingested each time you lick your colorful lips. 

What are the harmful ingredients in lipstick? 

  • Methylparaben- It is added as a preservative, which has conclusively been proven to be carcinogenic!
  • Retinyl palmitate - A synthetic form of vitamin-A which has been proven to be harmful to pregnant women and is even linked to some cancers and reproductive problems
  • Many lipsticks also contain lead which is a known neurotoxin that accumulates in the human body over time 
  • Dyes: when the ingredients of the lipstick colour include  ‘D&C RED 36‘ or ‘D&C RED 22‘ it’s best just avoid it. Research indicates a link between exposure and nervous system damage, as these dyes are stored in our bodies in the organs and fatty tissues. Carmine is often used to create a strong red pigment. This is from dried cochineal insects, which are boiled and treated with a solution with alum.

Final thoughts on natural and organic lipsticks

I was surprised to see how many amazing natural lipstick options there are and how amazing and vibrant natural pigments could look. I also found that the natural lipstick or eco-friendly lipstick options are so much more hydrating than normal lipsticks, not to mention the delicious smells from all the rich oils and waxes used in the formula! 

If pressed to pick one, Axiology really made a strong impression on me. They are pushing the boundaries on what eco-friendly beauty can look and feel like. 

I think eco-friendly lipsticks and lip balm are probably my new favorite eco-friendly beauty products! Have you tried any of these? Pop one in your sustainable makeup bag and let me know, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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