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  1. Cassandra says

    What do you think about LipSense? I really like how long lasting their stuff is, but I’m worried about whether it’s really safe or not. Would love to know you opinion.

  2. Haylee Bell says

    I’m scared to ask after I spent hours trying to buy these hard to come by lip kits, but what about Kylie Jenner’s line of matte lip glosses? Thank you for all of your research, it’s so nice and helpful to have all of this information in one spot!!

  3. Haylee says

    I’m scared to ask after I spent hours trying to buy these hard to come by lip kits, but what about Kylie Jenner’s line of matte lip glosses? Thank you for all of your research, it’s so nice and helpful to have all of this information in one spot!!

  4. Amy says

    What would we do without you? You’ve changed the way I take care of myself. Any thoughts on The Balm’s lip liners (I use Fineapple) and Meet Matte Hughes lip gloss? I usually layer Honest Beauty lip sheer over the matte lipstick, so glad to see that’s Good stuff!

    • John says

      I believe their lipstick was found to have high levels of lead (?) An integrative doctor from N.Y. ran a test on it because her lead levels were high and this was determined to be the culprit.

  5. Victoria says

    How about lipliners/gloss? Mostly what I use. Anything good or okay from a drugstore, Target, or easily accessible store? Milani? They wrote me there is no lead in their lipliners, but not sure about other ingredients. Thanks.

  6. Maria says

    Any of the good stuff or okay stuff long lasting? i use Revlon lipcolor overtime since they last long. i wantto stop using it but i need a lipstick that lasts. please let me know which last long. thanks!

  7. John says

    What about Arbonne products? I heard they will not divulge all their ingredients. If anyone knows, thank you for your response.

      • kb7507 says

        I contacted the Better Business Bureau about Arbonne. Their website says that they’re transparent but I contacted them about a concerning ingredient, Retinyl palmitate, and they replied that they don’t have to tell me anything about their ingredients. I don’t call that transparent!

    • Maia James says

      Okay, so LipSense wasn’t on my radar, mostly because they use some bad ingredients and don’t seem to have anything redeeming as far as good ingredients go. Not sure why they have such a big following!

      • Diana Walker says

        The reason Lipsense has a huge following is they are a Direct Sales company and I know about 30 people who I’ve known online for 15 years… who are promoting it. It works well apparently – looks great in all the videos I’ve been. However, I also have that same concern that others are asking – If it lasts for 8 hours, then it must have something bad in it to keep it on your lips even when most lipsticks would be worn off within an hour or so. Can you please provide an update?

  8. Bea says

    I am allergic to castor seed oil. Does anyone know any good, safe lipsticks made without castor seed oil? Every single product mentioned here in the “good stuff” category unfortunately contains castor seed oil, even RMS Lip2Cheek (although mostly coconut oil based). 100% Pure has some lipsticks without castor seed oil, but I also find their “fruit pigments” questionable as Maia has mentioned. I want to wear lipstick because my face looks so dead without it. I’ve been looking all over, but I still haven’t been able to find a good, safe alternative to my old toxic one.

  9. Heather says

    I ran across your page trying to educate myself about all of the items I have in my home I need to replace with a better option. This movement in our lived happened after discovering a solution to start ridding our bodies of toxins through cellular cleansing. Do you manage your health in that way also? You provide a lot of useful info, thank you for all of your investigation and knowledge.

  10. Kathy says

    Thanks so much for this information. I was thinking about Lipsense because I’d heard soooooo much about it. I do like the animal free testing part also. So I asked a rep to send me some information on the ingredients, etc. The list threw up some red flags so I decided to find out more. I will not be buying that product.
    Do you have any information on Younique lip products?? Thanks

    • Kristine says

      Hi Kathy,
      Could you share what ingredients caused the red flags for you? I am new to all of this and their marketing makes you think they are doing a lot of things right.
      Thank you for sharing.

    • Shannon says

      I am curious to know what your red flags were too? I have looked up the ingredients on the EWG website and all seem within range on the low side harmful except for the parfum. Which surprised me because that is never mentioned on other sites saying lipsense is bad.

    • Lucy says

      I was a Younique “presenter” and my beef with them was that the stuff was constantly sold out or back-ordered. With that said, their lip products are really good. I still use some of it. They also claim to be vegan. I’m not sure about that. I never got a straight answer from the company about that. Overall, their products are good but if you want something that is absolutely safe and vegan, Younique might not be your thing.

  11. Jane says

    What do you think of the EccoBella lipsticks? They are supposed to be organic and naturally derived from plants.

  12. Tammy says

    My favorite lipsticks are by Monave, have tried them yet? they use organic, vegan and gluten free ingredients. Their Creme Stix for lips are so on saturated in color and long wearing, my absolute favorite! Their normal lipstick is on the creamy side, but very smooth finish and moisturizing.

  13. Marci says

    I don,t see Mary Kay lipstick mentioned at all. I have used their brand off and on for years. Is it harmful? I have also used some of the drugstore brands mentioned as harmful. Thanks to your informational website I will be purchasing one of the good lipsticks you have recommended. I am so glad to have found your website.

  14. Deb says

    I just spent $60 on Lipsense. I wish I would have seen this information before I did that. Any updates? Also how about Maybelline Color Stay?

  15. Melissa says

    I liked Jane Iredale’s lip stain, and I think the ingredient list looked good…wondered if you knew about them? Thanks!

  16. Lucy says

    There is a lot of great information on here. I especially like how you categorize things as “Good Stuff,” “Sneaky Stuff,” etc. However, I don’t think there will ever be a make-up that is 100% good for us. All make-up contains ingredients that can be harmful. Maybe not to me, but to someone out there. It is best to try out things and see for yourself what works best. I do stay away from certain brands because of their animal testing policy. Anyway, I appreciate this page. Thank you.

  17. Lisa Brown says

    Have you tried Beauty Society lip colors? Our products are paraben-free, sulfate-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free, vegan, and made in the USA. The company is also eco-friendly. We are the first skincare company to offer refills at a discount to eliminate waste, and we plant a tree with Eden Reforestation products for every refill purchased. I would be happy to share our ingredients list with you and get your opinion. I could probably even be convinced to send you a couple free products to try!

      • Julie C. says

        She listed the lipstick as okay stuff (see above). I switched from 100% pure to Au Naturale recently and really like it. Au Naturale does independent testing and is very strict on sourcing ingredients. They were listed as the ONLY lipstick truly safe on another blog that I follow. They are also very helpful with colors and you can email consultant and she will send you all sorts of samples. Prices are comparable across brands and Au Naturale has sales pretty frequently. Just got their lipsticks for about $6 each and their glosses are gorgeous too.

  18. Linda Scianna says

    Hello,
    I am confused about why Beautycount lipstick is the top pick since it contains Conventional (non-organic) castor seed oil. I really like what I see on their website and would like to try the lipstick. Is the non-organic caster seed oil a problem in their lipsticks.
    Thank you,
    Linda

  19. Amanda says

    How about tarte lipsticks and glosses? I have been moving toward more organic as those seem to be the BEST ingredients w/o all the unwanted synthetic chemicals. I did purchase some of their lipstick recently so I was wondering if they had made any recent changes.

  20. Tara Smith says

    I only use bare minerals as I thought it was non-toxic. What are the stats? Do I need to chNge my regime??

    Thanks,
    Tara Smith

    • Ellen says

      I checked the ingredients in my bare minerals rouge and found it to contain carmine/cochineal (also known as red dye number 4) which consists of ground upinsect parts to produce the red color! It went straight into the trash. (Info source was “stuff every vegetarian should know” page 133

  21. LC says

    Thanks for this post! I noticed none of my favorite natural beauty lipstick brands are on any of the lists. Could you look into Zuzu Luxe, Nu Evolution, Nudus, Vapour, etc.?

    Nu Evolution claims to not use any artificial dyes, but their colors (like Entice) are so much more vibrant than other natural brands and I am wondering if it’s the real deal or too good to be true.

  22. Anu says

    Hi Maia, Love your work!
    Can you comment on Pacifica cosmetics “Devocean” lipstick? This one feels so good on my lip almost like balm but has more coverage than a lot of others I tried including the Ilia lip conditioner.
    Thanks much <3
    Anu

  23. Lisa says

    I read what you said about Jane Iredale lipstick and lip gloss being okay stuff, but I was wondering about the Jane Iredale Lip Balms?

    Thank you so much!!

    Lisa

  24. Tina says

    Hi Maia,

    What do you think of Dandelion Ultra Plush Lip Gloss and Posie Balm both from Benefit Cosmetics? Are they safe to use?

    Thanks a lot.

  25. Alma says

    I was going to purchase Josie Marans color sticks & came upon Suzanne Sommers organic make-up & skin care line. I’m quite interested in her line. I think I came upon her line when I Googled Marans line & up came EWG’s list. I read her website & seems to be very good… What do you think about it? She is known to be very healthy.

    • Linda Northrup says

      Suzanne Somers product line is 100% certified toxic free. I have been using her haircare and supplements for years. My most favorite product from her line is her Bioactive Moisturizer ,Liquid Oxygen Therapy Serum, Shave Gel, Lip Balms, Coconut Oil Moisture Serum, Peach Exfoliating Cleanser, Glutathione Skin Reform Serum , Purifying Mineral Mask , all of her body lotions and all of her body butters, I love her charcoal products because they are made with volcanic charcoal, I also love her hair repair mask and her hair gel. I also subscribe the Life Extension Magazine because Suzanne Somers has been one of their spokespeople since 1999. She personally uses everything she sell on her website and on QVC. Whatever she doesn’t have available on her website she personally purchases it from the Life Extension Website . Basically I follow Suzanne Somers on ever website that she uses and if she uses a product or supplements from a specific brand that I can afford on my limited income I buy it in multiples whenever it goes on sale. By the way she also has a website call facemaster.com which is a device for anti aging that Suzanne uses 6 days a week for 15 -25 minutes each day. She has some skin products under the Facemaster name that she and her formulator created specifically for using with the facemaster device.

  26. Abigail says

    Mineral Fusion and Pacifica? Mineral Fusion has high ratings on EWG Skin Deep but Pacifica liquid lipstick is not on there.

  27. Dee says

    Hey,
    Thanks so much for all the useful information. Saved me a lot of time, since i didnt need to do the research myslef. I was wondering what your take is on LANIEGE it is a lip sleeping mask.

    Thank you so much!

  28. DQ says

    Hi Maia,

    I’ve used about four lipstick brands I buy, and I would appreciate it if you could shed some light on the non-toxicity or toxicity on the following brands.
    Lancome Lipstick & Gloss
    Shiseido Lipstick & Gloss
    Elizabeth Arden Lipstick & Gloss
    Giorgio Amani Lipstick & Gloss

    Thanking you in advance for your time and assistance.

    Cheers,
    DQ

  29. Vicki Knighten says

    I’ve just googled “Omiana” skin products and makeup. It claims to be all natural. Most of their makeup (including lipstick, gloss and liners) are Titanium Dioxide free and Mica free. I keep reading that these ingredients are really bad. I see these ingredients in Burts Bees, Sephora and other products claiming to be natural. Omiana is pricy but not horrible. What are your thoughts on this makeup line. There are not many color options, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

  30. Laura says

    Great post Maia, super informative!

    I’m kind of surprised 100% Pure is in the okay category – thanks for letting us know that it’s not as safe as we might have thought! I keep seeing 100% Pure recommend but I think I’ll go for Illa instead after reading this informative post! I hadn’t heard of Beautycounter before – I’m going to check that brand out!
    Just for any beginners to lipstick ingredients, carmine is made from crushed up bugs, and other lipstick ingredients are also commonly derived from animals – like lanolin oil (sheep glands) and beeswax. In case it’s of interest, we recently went through some of the basics to lipstick ingredients (of past and present) here:
    https://makeupscholar.com/what-lipstick-made-of/

    Thanks again for this amazing info and the helpful rating system,

    Laura.

  31. Kate says

    Hi there! Another great Vegan-friendly lipstick is Rejuva Minerals! If you’ve never heard of them check them out! I use mine all the time!

  32. Shana says

    Have you evaluated Neutrogena Moisture Smooth Color Stick? I would love to hear any feedback that you have on its ingredients.

    Thank you!

    • Sara says

      Thank you for this great information! I was wondering if you have ever looked into Colour Pop ultra matte/glossy/metallic liquid lipsticks. They are rated very well on the EWG site, but they aren’t known as a clean brand, so I am second-guessing my collection.

  33. Kalliopi allulis says

    I can’t seem to find a clear answer to my question. Is NARS power matte lip pigment in the London calling color tube safe to wear. I called the NARS company twice with this question in the last 5 months, their response was (we will call you back) rudely enough no one has contacted me which leaves me to believe that this company and color does use toxic ingredients.

    Thank you and I hope to hear a response soon.
    Kelly

  34. Ash says

    Hi there! Thanks for this page.. was really helpful in understanding some of the good and even sneaky stuff behind our products!
    Would you recommend that pregnant/ nursing ladies lay off on bite beauty’s matte cream lip crayon? While the colours I own (Leche and Honeycrisp) do not have Yellow No.7, I noticed that among the ingredients are hydrogenated castor oil. I’ve read that castor oil can be dangerous during early pregnancy. Just wondering if this should be of concern since lip products are often ingested.

  35. Katie says

    I am curious what you think about thrive causemetics ? Also what do you like for facial skincare regime? I have been looking into Beautycounter, thrive and Clinique.

  36. Melissa says

    Do you recommend Badger Mineral Lip Tint & Shimmer?

    INGREDIENTS
    *Olea Europaea (Organic Extra Virgin Olive) Oil, *Cera Alba (Organic Beeswax), *Theobroma Cacao (Organic & Fair Trade CertifiedTM Cocoa) Butter, *Ricinus Communis (Organic Castor) Oil, *Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Extract, and CO2 Extracts of *Rosmarinus Officinalis (Organic Rosemary), *Rosa Canina (Organic Rosehip), & *Hippophae Rhamnoides (Organic Seabuckthorn). Each Tint contains one or all of the following: Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Silica, Iron Oxide. * = Certified Organic

  37. Lauri says

    I’ve been using Maybelline Super Stay lipstick for 2 decades. How dangerous is it to use, and should it be on the DON’T USE list? It seems that everything we’ve been sold is NOT safe to use. Thank you 🙏🏽

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