Attention, attention: you can now save face and save the planet at the same time, but it all starts with a good foundation. Organic foundation, that is!
We’re digging through those hard-to-read labels and chemical-laden ingredients to avoid in skincare to find foundation that doesn’t have a sci-fi-sounding formulation.
Fortunately, there are several brands that are helping hide your blemishes but aren’t hiding their food-grade, natural, and certified organic ingredients. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in this list of options.
Whether you’re combating oily skin or dry skin, we’re building the foundation of our beauty resources by employing our new Brand Rating System. It includes a set of eco-related criteria that go far beyond just the ingredients we’re using to hide those pimples, like climate impact, circularity, and transparency. Learn all about our rating system here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
Our Blemish-Free Picks For The Best Natural Foundation
We can’t say definitively for all skin types, but we can say that Dab Herb’s organic cream foundations are gentle enough for most—including our own sensitive skin. Serving multiple purposes, they reduce the amount of cosmetic products you need and the ingredients in them.
INIKA Organic doesn’t just create a chemical-free, organic-based foundation; it’s creating a cleaner world by offsetting every ounce of plastic used.
Index: Organic & Natural Foundations
- Antonym Jump to brand
- 100% Pure Jump to brand
- INIKA Organic Jump to brand
- Elate Cosmetics Jump to brand
- Dab Herb Jump to brand
- Bee You Organics Jump to brand
- Plant Makeup Jump to brand
Antonym
Antonym’s Foundations
Price Range: $40–$52
Antonym knows natural. In fact, their products are at least 90% natural and about 11% certified organic.
The Skin Esteem liquid foundation raises that natural percentage to 99% and contains moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid, shea butter, and jojoba seed oil that gives dry skin a smooth, velvety finish.
Meanwhile, the Baked Foundation blends into the skin to revitalize and brighten for a natural, transparent medium coverage finish. Housed in a bamboo compact, it’s a lower waste choice than the liquid glass bottles. However, if you’re trying to avoid minerals, it does contain mica and alumina, of which we’re not certain about sourcing policies.
All of their foundations can also be used for bronzing, highlighting, contouring, and as an organic tinted moisturizer.
About Antonym
Antonym was created to bridge the gap between function and formulation in the natural cosmetic industry, offering products and application brushes for the eyes and face.
This Leaping Bunny-certified brand remains natural without sacrificing pigmentation. A little goes a long way with their richly pigmented formulas. You’ll never find synthetic fillers, preservatives, fragrances, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, or other petrochemicals in their products.
Products are made in France, Italy, or the Czech Republic, but we’re still checking in on their palm oil and other sourcing policies.
They support various organizations helping with plastic pollution, animal rescue, rehabilitation support, and education.
My Personal Review of Antonym’s Foundation:
“I tried Antonym’s Baked Foundation and loved how well it blended into my skin, giving a natural, radiant glow. The coverage is light to medium, and it evened out my complexion beautifully without any cakeyness or shine.
“As for their Skin Esteem liquid foundation, I found it incredibly easy to use, even for a relative newbie like me. I’ve not really used a liquid foundation before, as I typically just dab on a bit of cream or powder to hide blemishes, but I was impressed with how easy this was to blend into a smooth finish.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
100% Pure
100% Pure Full Coverage Foundation
Price Range: $42–$48
With a name like 100% Pure, finding eco-friendly foundations shouldn’t be surprising. Instead of harmful colorants, products are naturally pigmented with fruit, vegetables, teas, and cacao that produces natural skin healing effects. While they mostly utilize non-mineral plant-based pigments, you will find some mica sourced from Ethical Training Initiative (ETI)-compliant suppliers.
For medium coverage, their natural powder foundation takes the cake (literally). Made with peach and cocoa pigments, it proves that you don’t need synthetic dyes for a smoothe, matte finish. With active botanical oils like rose, white tea, and skin purifying eucalyptus, your skin will take on a natural glow.
For heavier coverage, their Full Coverage Water Foundation provides a deeply hydrating formula made with anti-aging red wine resveratrol, alpha lipoic acid, and superfruit oils that promote softer skin.
About 100% Pure
100% Pure isn’t just the name, it’s the motto. The business is dedicated to sustainability, striving for clean and fair trade ingredients, sustainable packaging, and low-waste shipping.
All of their Fruit Pigmented makeup and sustainable skincare is vegan friendly, except for the beeswax lip balms.
All products are housed in recycled or recyclable packaging and are printed with non-toxic inks. Aiming to be petrochemical-free in their product housing by 2025, they offer in-store recycling for all plastic containers in the meantime, incentivizing it with a free trial sample. They come packed in recycled cardboard boxes with biodegradable cornstarch packing peanuts.
Products are USA-made and the headquarters are 100% supported by solar panels and LED-lighting.
INIKA Organic
INIKA Organic’s Foundation Makeup
Price Range: $45–$75
If you want to cover your face in certified organic ingredients, let INIKA Organic do the job.
Both of their organic liquid foundations are made with a minimum of 71% organic ingredients to provide natural, dewy coverage for any skin tone. With green tea extract, hyaluronic acid, and argan oil, the formula uses 100% natural ingredients and fatty acids to soothe and repair your skin for maximum skin elasticity and brightness.
If you prefer powder foundation, they also have baked or a loose mineral version. The Baked Mineral Foundation is one of our favorites because it’s mess-free and compact, making it perfect for sustainable travel and touch-ups throughout the day. Its magnolia bark extract reduces redness, while the plant based squalane preserves your natural skin barrier to reduce skin damage in the first place.
The powder compacts are made from post-consumer recycled plastic, while the liquids come in a recyclable aluminum bottle. Don’t forget an foundation brush! Theirs feature recyclable bristles and a biodegradable handle derived from corn and cassava.
About INIKA Organic
With over 60 industry awards and thousands of five-star ratings for their cosmetics, Australian brand INIKA Organic is certainly up there. In fact they have more natural and organic certifications than any other beauty brand. Currently, they are certified Ecocert COSMOS Natural, PETA Animal Test Free, halal, and Vegan Society vegan.
They’re also the world’s first Certified Plastic Neutral makeup brand, with 90% of their brand packaging being sustainable and recycled materials.
Dedicated to curbing the plastic problem, for every pound of plastic used by the brand, an equivalent amount is collected and recycled. They’ve collected over 4.7 tons so far, which gets repurposed into fence posts to rebuild farming communities affected by floods, fires, and droughts.
Elate Cosmetics
Elate Cosmetics’ Foundation
Price Range: $37–$50
Elate Cosmetics has a full or medium coverage foundation that can suit any face, any time, any place, whether your skin prefers liquid, cream, or pressed powder.
The most diverse option Elate makes is their medium coverage Pressed Powder. With eight different refillable shades, it’s easy to find a near perfect match for your skin tone. Mineral pigments like mica and titanium dioxide are the primaries, but rest assured knowing they’re non-nanoparticles and sourced through Responsible Mica Initiative suppliers.
For those looking for a foundation with less mineral pigment content, check out the Refresh organic liquid foundation or Uplift creamy foundation (available in 12 shades). While still containing a little mineral content for added tint and sun protection, these also feature greater percentages of organic ingredients intended to moisturize and nourish the skin, like organic coconut oil, sea buckthorn, and jojoba oil.
Everything is housed in reusable, fair trade, FSC-certified bamboo palettes (refillable via composable sachets) or in glass bottles with bamboo lids.
About Elate Cosmetics
Canadian Elate Cosmetics bases its business on five conscious beauty principles: impact, ethics, community, future, and mission. They’re members of the Green Business Association, a Certified B Corp, PETA-approved vegan, and Cruelty-Free International-certified.
Elate Cosmetics proves that sustainability and healthy skin can go hand-in-hand, which is why more than 90% of their ingredients are organic and many are fair trade. While their stearic acid is palm derived, it’s RSPO-certified.
Dab Herb
Dab Herb’s Foundation
Price Range: $2.60–$44
If you’re looking for maximum cosmetic efficiency, not just cover, Dab Herb is your answer.
For those of us short on time, the 3-in-1 Frankincense Serum organic liquid foundation is a primer, moisturizer, and zero waste concealer in one weightless formula. Made with certified organic and food-grade ingredients like hemp seed oil, beetroot, and Gotu Kola (known for its ability to relieve anxiety and improve cognitive function), it’s the best organic foundation for mature skin, sensitive skin, and combination skin.
About Dab Herb
The so-called “medicinal makeup” from Dab Herb—which includes mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow, and much more—uses the best food-grade, organic, vegan, palm oil free, and cruelty-free ingredients to promote radiance and healing.
The brand’s creator, Crissy, combined her love of wellness, clean beauty, and giving back to create zero waste beauty solutions that could be enjoyed by men and women—any age, any color, any skin type, and any condition.
They also support Made in the Free World, an organization committed to ending slavery and human trafficking by providing services to rescue and support victims.
My Personal Review of Dab Herb’s Herb Foundation:
“I don’t usually wear foundation—I’m lucky enough to have really good skin, so I tend to skip it. However, I tested Dab Herb’s Herb Foundation, and I’m seriously impressed! It’s so light and breathable that I can’t tell I’m wearing it. And the best part? It blends effortlessly, making my face look natural and fresh, not cakey or overdone.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Bee You Organics
Bee You Organics’ Powder Foundation
Price Range: $20–$89
Bee You Organics’ offers two natural non-comedogenic foundations, one that’s mineral based and one for more sensitive skin types.
The mineral formula includes three simple and natural ingredients: pure kaolin clay, zinc oxide, and iron oxide. The Kaolin clay strips dead skin cells and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, the iron oxide has anti-aging properties, and the zinc oxide provides natural sun protection.
The sensitive skin formula isn’t completely non-mineral, as it still contains zinc oxide. However, it gets its tint from cocoa powder instead of iron oxide. It’s ideal for oily skin thanks to an oil and sweat absorbing organic arrowroot base—you know, the same stuff found in many eco-friendly deodorants.
Both come in five or six different shades to match your skin tone. You can also choose between either a reusable tin or a glass container, and with or without a plastic sifter.
About Bee You Organics
Bee You Organics focuses on clean products that are good for people and the Earth. They stick to healthy ingredients and have a long list of not-so-good ones they avoid (think: parabens, phthalates, fragrances, preservatives, SLS / SLES, toxins, palm oil, and emulsifiers).
Their environmental efforts extend beyond their consciously chosen ingredients to how you receive them. They only ship in recycled and recyclable packaging and accept returned containers for recycling.
Plant Makeup
Plant Makeup’s Foundation
Price Range: $11–$20
It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that Plant Makeup only uses plants to cover up your pimples.
Their choice for the best organic foundation for oily skin is their non-mineral Foundation Powder (as close to homemade foundation powder as you can get). It’s free of oxides, mica, and toxins, and instead contains ingredients like organic and fair trade cacao powder, organic and fair trade cinnamon, organic arrowroot powder, and organic aloe leaf juice—all in one cute little glass pot.
But this versatile formula isn’t just a foundation; it can also be used as a brow filler, eye shadow, and bronzer—saving you and money and the planet from excessive consumption.
Similarly, their cardboard push tubes of Foundation Balm double as tinted makeup primers and moisturizers, thanks to fair trade cocoa butter, shea butter, and various seed oils. Because these contain beeswax, they are more waterproof but are not vegan.
Both are fully non-toxic so these work as pregnancy-safe foundation, too.
About Plant Makeup
Owner, creator, apothecary, and artist Jes started Plant Makeup in the way all beauty brands should begin—by studying plants. Realizing that plants work as a natural dye, she started making products that promote true natural beauty and espouse the philosophy that makeup can also be skincare.
Recycled, upcycled, and compostable materials are used for shipping, all batches are small, and all ingredients are vegan and local, organic, fair trade, palm-oil free, and/or sustainably sourced.
Why Use Organic Makeup Foundation?
Because your skin is the largest organ of your body. You wouldn’t want to slather your organs in chemicals, so why would you want to slather them on your skin?
Especially since the skin absorbs 64% to 100% of what’s put on it.
By choosing natural or organic makeup—including non-toxic foundation (or DIY liquid foundation where you can control the ingredients you use)—you’re choosing to not only protect your health, but promote it, considering many natural skin care ingredients have benefits, confirmed in research. Like antioxidant-rich organic aloe juice, which helps dry skin and has long-term anti-aging effects.
Organic makeup isn’t just better for your health, it’s also better for the planet.
Since natural ingredients for organic cosmetics are grown without pesticides or harmful fertilizers, they have less of an environmental impact on local flora and fauna.
