We go beyond skin deep with sustainable beauty brands that are good for our bodies and the planet.
From lab-created synthetic ingredients that pose a risk to our health and the environment to the mountains of plastic packaging waste, conventional cosmetics are dirtying the planet.
Opting for sustainable beauty means considering ethics as well as aesthetics and cleaning up the beauty industry with products designed for minimal environmental impact.
To choose the best beauty brands, we looked for those using non-toxic, cruelty-free, natural ingredients and tackling plastic waste by using low-waste containers like refillable glass jars and minimal compostable paper packaging.
We’re in the process of giving all of our articles a makeover using our new Brand Rating System, which covers 22 criteria, from responsible ingredient sourcing to transparency and ethics. To find out more, take a peek at our explainer 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.
Ethical Beauty Brands We Love
Meow Meow Tweet is the cat’s meow with their handmade vegan and certified cruelty-free beauty range made from organic and non-GMO ingredients.
Axiology simplifies your sustainable beauty routine with plastic-free and multipurpose color sticks for your minimalist makeup bag. We love both their Multi-Sticks and Balmies for their ease of use and simple, nourishing ingredients.
For ethical skincare brands in the UK, Conscious Skincare’s award-winning plant-based products tick all our sustainable beauty boxes. They’re vegan, cruelty-free, non-toxic, palm oil-free, ethically sourced, and sustainably packaged.
Index: Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Beauty Brands
- Fat and the Moon Jump to brand
- Axiology Jump to brand
- Ethique Jump to brand
- One Love Organics Jump to brand
- Meow Meow Tweet Jump to brand
- ĀTHR Beauty Jump to brand
- EcoRoots Jump to brand
- Conscious Skincare Jump to brand
- Butter Me Up Organics Jump to brand
Fat and the Moon
Fat and the Moon’s Beauty Products
Fat and the Moon is one of the best sustainable beauty companies for sensitive skin.
They offer face and body lotion, face masks, exfoliating paste, eye coal, highlighter cream, lip balm, and much more, all made in small batches from nourishing plant-based ingredients.
For head-to-toe moisturizing, the Aloe Face And Body Lotion is an unscented, soothing, and hydrating lotion that gently nourishes dry and sensitive skin. (Note, it does contain beeswax).
All products are palm oil free.
About Fat and the Moon
This women-owned zero waste beauty brand makes all its products in-house using (mostly) organic and ethically harvested ingredients.
With glass jars and bottles, cartons made from post-consumer recycled paper, and paper sifters, they’ve thought carefully about their sustainable packaging for beauty products.
Their Regenerative Packaging Guide explains how to responsibly deal with your empties.
Fat and the Moon gives back via donations to several charity partners.
Axiology
Axiology’s Range
The best eco-friendly beauty products help us reduce how many different products we need.
Enter: Axiology.
They’re here to tackle plastic waste with Balmies and Multisticks—AKA plastic-free 3-in-1 crayons that can be used for eyes, cheeks, and lips.
Containing minimal simple ingredients, including castor oil, sunflower oil, and hemp seed oil, they come in many different colors to add a vegan and cruelty-free glow to your beauty routine.
The minimal paper wrapping or cardboard push tubes ensures no more plastic lipstick tubes end up in landfill or littering the environment.
About Axiology
Axiology is one of our favorite zero waste makeup brands.
Multifunctional products like their beauty crayons help minimize our makeup bag and our impact on the planet.
One of the best beauty brands for sustainable packaging, Axiology partners with a women’s cooperative in Bali who recycle the island’s paper trash for the brand’s outer packaging.
Not only does Axiology not use palm oil, but they also support rainforest conservation by donating to Orangutan Foundation International.
My Personal Review of Axiology’s Balmies & Multi-Sticks:
“I’m totally obsessed with Axiology’s 3-in-1 makeup crayons. These cute, colorful lipsticks are not just for my lips—they work on my cheeks and eyes too – who doesn’t love a product that does it all? With only nine simple ingredients (or ten for the Multi-Sticks), I can feel good about putting them on my skin, and they fit perfectly in my bag for quick touch-ups on-the-go.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Ethique
Ethique’s Beauty Line
Goodbye, plastic bottles!
Ethique offers a full range of skin, haircare, and body care, all available in solid bar form and powdered concentrates.
For skin care, you’ll find facial cleansers, scrubs, and moisturizers.
Suitable for all skin types (including dry and sensitive skin), their Bliss Bar soap-free makeup remover and facial cleanser contains creamed coconut and kaolin clay to cleanse and moisturize gently.
For sustainable hydration, The Perfector is their solid face cream jam-packed with nourishing ingredients, including jojoba and kokum butter.
About Ethique
We love that Ethique’s whole range of eco-friendly bathroom products and home cleaners are 100% plastic-free.
They tick all of our other boxes, too, with their cruelty-free, vegan, non-toxic, and palm oil-free products.
They’re also a certified B Corp, certified climate neutral, and donate a percentage of profits to worthy causes.
One Love Organics
One Love Organics’ Range
For sustainable cosmetics that show one love for your skin and the planet, turn to One Love Organics.
They offer a range of balms, cleansers, creams, mists, moisturizers, oils, scrubs, and serums, all handmade in small batches from high-quality ingredients designed to keep skin pH at an optimal level.
Dermatologist tested through and through, you won’t find any common skin irritants or allergens, like synthetic fragrances.
About One Love Organics
Blending science and nature, founder Suzanne LaRoux combines knowledge from her pharmacist father with her passion for aromatherapy and herbal medicine. The result?
A sustainable beauty company that offers high-quality, Leaping Bunny and PETA-certified cruelty-free products.
OLO is also a Green America certified-Gold business.
Products are made in small batches in their ECOCERT-certified organic laboratory in Georgia. Palm oil is minimally used and RSPO-certified.
They use glass containers for product packaging, but they do contain a plastic pump.
My Personal Review of One Love Organics’ Skin Savior Multi-tasking Wonder Balm:
“For one balm that does it all, their Skin Savior Multi-Tasking Wonder Balm is a certified organic, well, wonder. I’ve tested it out in all their suggested uses, including trying it as a makeup remover, face moisturizer, and full-body moisturizer, and find it really does work for all these purposes.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Meow Meow Tweet
Meow Meow Tweet’s Products
Meow Meow Tweet specialize in small-batch vegan products made using high-quality natural ingredients.
We’re talking raw plant butters, cold-pressed natural oils, and in-house herbal extractions, which you’ll find in everything from their natural deodorant to body care and hair care products.
For the purrfect, head-to-toe moisturizer, their All Over Lotion contains aloe and rose water to balance pH and provide your skin with all the TLC it needs. It’s sensitive-skin friendly, too.
Its reusable or recyclable aluminum bottle makes it the perfect zero waste lotion.
All of their sustainable products are vegan, Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free, and palm-oil free.
About Meow Meow Tweet
Founded by a vegan couple and named after their pets (two cats and a bird), Meow Meow Tweet makes products “for every person, every body, every identity”.
This philosophy and their entirely vegan and cruelty-free range puts them among the most ethical skincare brands.
Committed to low waste and developing circular systems, their packaging is made from either compostable paper, recyclable metal, or glass.
Products are handmade in small batches in their Californian Microfactory using organic and non-GMO ingredients.
Meow Meow Tweet gives back via donations to various environmental, social justice and animal justice organizations.
ĀTHR Beauty
ĀTHR Beauty’s Beauty Products
ĀTHR Beauty is a gem among luxury beauty brands.
From mascara made with crushed black diamonds to crystal-infused eyeshadow palettes and lip stains made with organic cactus flower extract, this brand brings the power of nature to your sustainable beauty routine.
The plant-based formulas are free from over 3000 banned harmful chemicals and synthetic ingredients.
The Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette features ten desert-inspired shades made from moringa seed oil, organic shea butter, organic cocoa butter, and rose quartz.
They’re moving towards sustainable beauty packaging with the first zero waste palettes for their eyeshadow. No mirrors and magnets means they are easily recyclable—just remove the eye pans from the paper palette for separate recycling.
Their lip and cheek stain containers are made from post-consumer recycled materials and recyclable via a partnership with Pact Collective.
All products are vegan and cruelty-free, as certified by PETA and Leaping Bunny.
About ĀTHR Beauty
This relatively new sustainable beauty brand is based in Tuscan, Arizona, and uses desert-derived ingredients and crystal infusions for its unique range of sustainable cosmetics.
Raw materials and ingredients are ethically sourced and fair trade where possible. They only work with factories in the US, Canada, and Europe that can ensure safe and ethical working conditions.
Packaging is recycled and recyclable.
ĀTHR Beauty is a member of 1% for the Planet and each product is linked with a different charity.
EcoRoots
EcoRoot’s Beauty Range
EcoRoots takes care of all your bath and beauty needs, including soap bars, razors, lip balm, lotion bars, facial cream, masks, and moisturizers.
Their nourishing Rosehip Facial Cream is made with organic coconut oil, rosehip seed oil, and hibiscus extract, meaning it’s high in antioxidants and vitamin C for a sustainable skin glow.
All products are cruelty-free, vegan, and non-toxic, though some products (like the aforementioned face cream) contain palm oil derivatives.
About EcoRoots
Colorado-based EcoRoots is a one-stop store for ethical online shopping.
In addition to their beautifying goods, you’ll find plastic-free home goods, including laundry detergent sheets and reusable dishcloths.
Packaging is either cardboard or glass jars with aluminum lids and all orders are shipped plastic-free.
EcoRoots gives back via its 1% for the Planet membership.
My Personal Review of EcoRoots’ Rosehip Facial Cream:
“The rosehip scent in this cream hits just the right level of fragrance, unlike a lot of conventional moisturizers, this is subtle. Because it’s fairly lightweight, I used it as a day cream in the winter, but it was a little too heavy during the summer when it’s better as a night cream. It’s not greasy, very easy to apply, and absorbs really fast. FYI – my skin is slightly oily, otherwise I don’t have problematic or combination skin I can use most creams without too much of an issue. “
Review by Lyall Mabin, SJ’s Co-founder
Conscious Skincare
Conscious Skincare’s Beauty Products
For sustainable beauty brands in the UK, Conscious Skincare might just be the best. It has a full range of natural face and body products, including butters, cold-pressed oils, exfoliants, lotions, masks, serums, toners, and more.
All products are vegan, cruelty-free, palm-oil free, and have the Environmental Working Group “safest” rating. They use fair trade ingredients as much as possible.
They also sell face cloths and reusable makeup pads to pair with their face wash and natural makeup remover. The latter contains organic sesame and castor oils to dissolve makeup and gently cleanse your skin.
About Conscious Skincare
If you’re looking for eco-friendly toiletries, look no further than Conscious Skincare.
This Wales-based beauty brand has won multiple sustainable beauty awards for its range of natural products, including Ethical Consumer’s “Best Buy” status.
They use glass or aluminum packaging for standard products, and the refill bottles are made from 100% recycled (and recyclable plastic).
Conscious Skincare shares the love by donating money and products to local charities, including Greenacres Animal Rescue in Pembrokeshire.
Butter Me Up Organics
Butter Me Up Organics’ Range
Butter Me Up Organics is a “modern-day apothecary” offering a huge range of eco-friendly products for skin and hair, including beard balm, facial cleansing bars, makeup remover, lip balms, sea salt hairspray, hair wax, and much more.
They use high-quality, natural ingredients that include oils and clays. Most ingredients are organic, and all are certified cruelty-free.
They also offer organic baby skin care products, including All Natural Talc Free Baby Powder, Baby Butt Butter, Calm Balm, and Organic Baby Wash.
About Butter Me Up Organics
A sustainable beauty product good enough to eat?
Not quite, but all of this brand’s formulas are non-toxic, in line with their advice: “Don’t put anything on your body that you wouldn’t put in it.“
Naturally, that means that you won’t find any synthetic ingredients, including dyes and fragrances.
Butter Me Up Organics takes a zero waste approach to their sustainable beauty line, using glass bottles, paper bar wrapping, aluminum tins, and paperboard lip balm tubes.
All orders are shipped plastic-free.
My Personal Review of Butter Me Up Organics’ Facial Cleansing Bar:
“For facial cleansing, this brand offers a range of solid bars, including The Facial Cleansing Bar with French green sea clay that I sampled. Suitable for all skin types, the clay draws out oils and impurities without drying my skin. At least in my experience, which I was happy to discover because I’m typically a water-only type of face wash person, as surfactants make my skin dry out very easily.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Hi there! I’ve been looking to get some tubing mascara and was looking at Thrive Causemetics… I was wondering what you think of them sustainability-wise?
Hi Ally, I’m sorry we haven’t done a deep dive on them yet. Thanks for telling us about them though. If helpful we have an article on zero waste mascara here .
Green & Frugal should be on this list! They are a Canadian brand that makes green bodycare affordable and the quality is amazing. Products are actually natural!
Wow, this was so helpful! My goal in 2022 is to learn more about sustainability and only purchase from companies that make sustainable efforts and ethical sourcing. Thank you for this list!
Hello!
Wow, super informative blogs and great listing such a cool idea – so thank you guys! If you’re still taking submissions, I would add The Solid Bar Company. They are a female founded/owned/run skincare business from near Oxford, UK.
They have cruelty free, 100% vegan, non-toxic, 100% palm oil free, plastic free, zero waste, ethical sourcing, biodegradable packaging so would be good to include if you have the time!
Thanks,
Michelle x
Would you guys be able to add Youth to the People to this list? Thanks in advance!
Hello, I would love to see what you all think of Love Beauty and Planet, they are a ‘green’ company but have been accused of greenwashing
http://www.raspberrythriller.com/2019/03/29/companies-that-are-greenwashing/
Thank you
Thanks Tae, we haven’t heard of them until now! Will keep an eye out!
Hello!
Just came across this list. This is such a great project! If you’re still taking submissions, I would add ILERA Apothecary. They are a Black-owned skincare business from Detroit. They are working towards intentional packaging, but their products are definitely trustworthy and ethically sourced 🙂
Thanks Amanda, they sound awesome!
Hi Joy,
I would add Shea Botanics (sheabotanics.com). They are a new brand who are striving to tick all the boxes for clean beauty, being ethical, sustainable and eco-friendly.
Oh my gosh I have a really great brand you need to add that meets all your criteria! Check out seawitchbotanicals.com!! They’re a B-corp, working towards zero waste, all vegan, no synthetics, no plastics, ethical sourcing, and even all their shipping packaging is recyclable OR TOTALLY COMPOSTABLE. I’d love to see them represented here.
You forgot Avirida.com ! They have compostable packaging & plant a tree for every sale
what is the worst cosmetic brands from a sustainability perspective
Hey Ginny, there are so many that greenwash and just don’t care about their environmental and social impact that I wouldn’t be able to pick one and honestly we spend all our time looking for those doing the right things. This article might help as a start: https://www.peta.org/living/personal-care-fashion/beauty-brands-that-you-thought-were-cruelty-free-but-arent/
You might look into Altilis Beauty and consider adding to this list!
Thanks for the tip!
Another great sustainable brand based in the UK is Bianca Elgar!
https://www.biancaelgar.com/
Great thanks, we’ll take a look!