Refillable makeup brands are as much about the green-up as they are about the glow-up.
They are the antithesis of cosmetic waste considering packaging makes up 70% from the beauty industry—how’s that for a bitter irony?
So let’s powder our noses and save the planet with these makeup refills that are not only made with low-impact packaging, but also with safe and ethically sourced ingredients.
We can swap our beauty blues for eco-friendly hues in forever containers.
We’ll soon be rolling out our new Brand Rating System, which will assess a brand’s eco-attributes and contributions against a range of criteria, such as their climate footprint and chemical use. Here’s our explainer.
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.
The Best Refillable Makeup Palettes To (Re)Fill Your Cosmetic Cup
A personal favorite of ours and the earth, Terra Stoma combines cosmetics with healing skincare by offering stunning shades, natural ingredients, and minimal plastic.
SOSHE Beauty is a certified plastic-negative brand that offers a subscription plan so you never run out of their refillable mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick.
Not all of Dab Herb’s products are refillable, but thanks to their use of almost entirely organic and ethically sourced ingredients and all-around zero-waste packaging, we’d be remiss if we missed mentioning their refillable eyeshadow palette (and more!) that we personally use and love.
Index: Refillable Makeup Brands
- Terra Stoma Jump to brand
- Dab Herb Jump to brand
- Zerra & Co. Jump to brand
- SOSHE Beauty Jump to brand
- Rose Inc Jump to brand
- Elate Cosmetics Jump to brand
- Kjaer Weis Jump to brand
Terra Stoma
Terra Stoma’s Makeup
Price Range: $–$$
When it comes to looking as glam as Glinda the Good Witch without making the Emerald City any less green, there’s no place like Terra Stoma.
We’ve tested a whole range of their non-toxic makeup products, but when it comes to refills, we especially love the Crystal Veil Tinted Skin Elixir, a nutrient-packed combination of skincare and refillable foundation.
When the glass bottle and dropper run dry, just email [email protected] to kickstart the refill process.
No matter which products you choose, you’re getting only natural preservatives and non-nano minerals like mica that are free of heavy metals and sourced from a child-labor-free, vegan, and cruelty-free supplier.
About Terra Stoma
Gender-neutral, affordable, and diverse skin-tone friendly?
Woman-owned Terra Stoma ticks all the boxes when it comes to offering inclusive natural cosmetics.
Not everything comes inrefillable containers. Some—like the Beauty Sticks—come in compostable cardboard sticks instead, which we also love.
Packaging also includes bamboo caps, silicone applicator brushes, and labels made of 50% hemp pump and 50% post-consumer waste.
While some, like their Eye Potions, contain a little plastic in the bamboo cap, you can separate each component to compost or recycle independently if you choose not to refill.
You can also pay a “Plastic Tax” for any plastic components by choosing an organziation for them to donate to on your behalf.
My Personal Review of Terra Stoma’s Crystal Veil – Tinted Skin Elixir:
“I’ve tested several of Terra Stoma’s products, including their lipsticks, eye potions, and mascara, but the Crystal Veil Tinted Skin Elixir is a favorite. It features ingredients like sun-protective zinc oxide, meadowfoam seed oil, and calming aloe vera that evens and smoothes the skin when worn while balancing and strengthening the lipid barrier over time. I love how it goes on super light, yet still blurs any big pores and leaves me with a dewy finish that doesn’t look at all like those horrible cakey foundations.”
My Personal Review of Terra Stoma’s Lip Charm (Cowboy):
“I’m a cowgirl at heart (hellooo I live in Wyoming), so obviously, I had to try out the Cowboy shade of Terra Stoma’s Lip Charm lipstick. The deep, rusty color is rich and vibrant, without looking like it was pasted on my lips. Instead, it sinks in and keeps my lips looking natural, but with some color. I’m also obsessed with how sleek the packaging is. It’s not your typical cardboard lipstick tube, but it actually includes the inner metal twist workings that let it slide up and down super smooth and without the mess that can sometimes come with push tube applicators.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Dab Herb
Dab Herb’s Palette Refill
Price Range: $–$$
Dab Herb is out to ensure the only thing getting dabbed on your skin is the purest certified organic or food-grade herbs, plant extracts, and vegetable pigments.
In addition to their extensive range of compostable cardboard containers, they also cater to the refilling cause with some products.
Like any one of their Organic Herb Eyeshadow powders, which first come in a compact glass pot and can be refilled upon request via a paper envelope. We love the bright and cold colors, not to mention the simplicity of the packaging.
If you have a question about how you can refill certain products or are unsure if one qualifies, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask them!
About Dab Herb
The philosophy of Dab Herb is nurturing the power of nature, distilling its goodness into its handmade botanical makeup and sustainable skincare.
Instead of parabens and sulfates, you’ll find only vegan, cruelty-free, palm oil-free ingredients and ethically sourced minerals (like their mica, from a Responsible Mica Initiative member).
If you choose to reuse your glass and metal containers, refill purchases for available products cost 10% less than their retail price.
Dab Herb only uses paper mailers, so all shipping materials are plastic-free.
My Personal Review of Dab Herb’s Powder Mascara Set:
I love Dab Herb’s Powder Mascara Set! It gives my lashes a natural, defined look without clumping or irritation, and the fact that it’s made with organic, non-toxic ingredients is a huge plus. The powder formula is unique but easy to use, though I will say the initial blending process is a touch messy, so don’t leave that to when you’re in a rush to beat rush hour traffic!
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Zerra & Co.
Zerra & Co’s Palette
Price Range: $$
Zerra & Co’s products are handcrafted with intentional, all-natural ingredients that can be explored in-depth with the brand’s ingredient library.
Everything from mascara and lip tint to the zero waste makeup remover to take it all off are Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free, non-toxic, and 100% vegan.
You’ll find they’re either packaged in compostable tubes or refillable housing, like the Pressed Mineral Blush’s elegant bamboo mirrored compact, complete with a 100% bamboo sifter.
In fact, they were the first brand ever to offer a refillable mascara in a glass tube with a built-in wand.
Subsequent orders of your favorite Saffron shade—thanks to all-natural mineral pigments like mica and iron oxides paired with oil absorbing kaolin clay—come in a minimalist aluminum pan in a compostable sachet.
About Zerra & Co.
Zerra & Co. beauty products are handcrafted in Baltimore.
Not only are they zero waste and cruelty-free, but they only feature effective, non-toxic, and vegan ingredients.
The brand also works to ensure carbon-neutral shipping and has a container return program where you can return any glass or metal containers with the lid for store credit.
Orders are shipped in 100% compostable and recyclable materials.
Their studio also prioritizes reusables and suppliers who package either plastic-free or in easy-to-recycle plastics (#1 & #2).
In the Recycle Bin, you can purchase slightly less-than-perfect products for discounted prices to help them reduce production waste.
SOSHE Beauty
SOSHE Beauty’s Makeup Kit
Price Range: $$
SOSHE Beauty first earned its eco- credentials with its refillable mascara and its revolutionary removable inner tube. Their refill range now includes lipstick and eyeliner, too.
We’re especially smitten with the Waterproof Precision Eyeliner, and its thin tip that allows easy application for any skin type and skill level.
When it’s empty, just follow their refill guide for how to swap in your new insert.
As well as being refillable, they’re also free from harmful chemicals and harsh additives—though it’s worth noting they do use a number of synthetic ingredients, but only those tested as safe.
This certified plastic-negative brand offers an optional subscription program to ensure buyers aren’t using products past their expiration date—a common issue with mascara and lipstick, and one that’s even more important with natural products that aren’t filled with preservatives.
About SOSHE Beauty
SOSHE Beauty’s refills reduce as much as 70% of single-use cosmetic waste.
For every product they sell that contains plastic, they fund the removal of at least twice as much plastic waste from landfills and natural environments to be recycled and repurposed.
Their partnership with PACT allows you to recycle your empties through their drop-off bins or via their mail-in program.
When sending out orders, SOSHE uses paper-padded mailers so you can fully recycle all packaging components.
Rose Inc
Rose Inc’s Custom Makeup Palettes
Price Range: $$–$$$
Rose Inc’s Leaping Bunny-certified products are as easy to use as they are to refill.
Every eye, lip, and face product page is filled with useful information, including tips on how to apply it, a rundown of the ingredients, how it’s made, how to recycle, and how to refill.
It’s not just shade names like Demure and Hypnotic that have us drooling over the Satin Lip Color Refillable Hydrating Lipstick (thankfully it’s water resistant!).
It’s ingredients like swertia chirata extract to blur vertical lip lines over time, oil-dispersed hyaluronic acid to plump lips, and mustard sprouts to firm them.
To refill, simply remove the inner cartridge and place the new lipstick refill in its forever base.
About Rose Inc
At the helm of Rose Inc is model-turned-founder Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
She uses her professional experience as a model and editor to deliver what modern individuals want in terms of cosmetics, formula, and performance.
Working with Rosie is Amyris, a world-leading manufacturer of healthy ingredients made with synthetic biology and clean chemistry.
Product packaging is reusable or refillable and uses 25%–50% post-consumer recycled plastic components (like caps) paired with FSC-certified paper cartons, rinse-off hemp labels, and a 90% PCR liner.
Products are made in either the US or Italy, using mostly non-GMO and sustainably sourced ingredients, like their rainfall-only fed sugarcane grown in Brazil used to create their plant-derived squalane and hemisqualane.
Plus, bagasse from their sugarcane stock is used to create energy put back into the local power grid.
Elate Cosmetics
Elate Cosmetic’s Forever Palettes
Price Range: $–$$
From foundation to blush, Elate Cosmetics was one of the first brands to elate us with organic makeup refills and elegant bamboo housing.
For example, after your Organic Crème Concealer is finished not just covering blemishes but healing them from the inside with ingredients like Evening Primrose oil, bamboo stem extract, and organic jojoba oil, just pop out the liner pan and order a new one.
In addition to pressed cream and powder refills that come in seed paper palettes, they also offer trickier refills, like refillable mascara where you keep the bamboo cap and wand and only order a recyclable glass replacement bottom.
About Elate Cosmetics
Certified B Corp Elate Cosmetics focuses on using clean, cruelty-free ingredients to curate a range of products that cater to eco-conscious consumers without compromising on performance.
Elate’s commitment extends to their packaging, where FSC-certified wood, bamboo, glass, and aluminum take center stage.
90% of their ingredients are fair trade and/or certified organic (including ethically-sourced non-nano minerals like mica) and operations are carbon-neutral.
Kjaer Weis
Kjaer Weis’s Palette Refills
Price Range: $$–$$$
Over 90% of Kjaer Weis products come in refillable makeup containers.
Whether you’re looking for a foundation, refillable lipstick, powder, mascara, eyeshadow, or something else for your makeup kit, you’ll likely find Kjaer Weis has something that will suit you.
The Cream Blush, available in an array of hues, effortlessly influences your low-impact beauty routine with luxury, thanks to both its chic signature Iconic metal refill compact and ultra clean certified organic ingredients, including skin-enriching castor, jojoba, and rosehip seed oils.
Like many of their products, it does contain beeswax for longer-lasting wear, meaning it’s not vegan.
About Kjaer Weis
Founded by makeup artist Kirsten Kjaer Wise who was looking for a more attractive but no less sustainable alternative to biodegradable packaging, Kjaer Weis offers a stylish makeup forever palette refillable via recycled paper palettes.
While they do utilize some safe synthetic pigments in addition to mineral pigments, each product contains at least 20% organic ingredients—many contain more.
We’re checking on their palm oil and ingredient sourcing policies.
