7 Pregnancy Safe Makeup Brands Making Baby Friendly Cosmetics
When you’re expecting, you start to consider everything—what foods you eat, what you drink, how much sleep you get, how close to the microwave you stand, and—considering your skin absorbs about 64% of what it comes in contact with—what beauty products you use.
Is it safe to wear makeup while pregnant?
It can be, as long as you’re wearing pregnancy safe makeup.
That may sound like an obvious answer, but actually finding beauty products safe for pregnancy is not all that straight forward.
That’s why we looked at what makeup brands are safe during pregnancy and won’t risk birth defects, so you don’t have to add that search to your ever-growing list of anxieties.
Everything we recommend to you on Sustainable Jungle is independently researched and we ask all brands to confirm their claims. To avoid waste, we test products on an as needed basis. This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a small commission. Learn more about why we do this here.
What To Expect From The Best Makeup For Pregnancy
100% Pure’s natural maternity makeup is pigmented with only natural fruits and plants, meaning you won’t have to worry about coating your face in FD&C synthetic colorants.
Whether pregnancy leaves you itching to get glam or keep it simple with some herbal pregnancy safe eyeliner, Dab Herb’s entirely natural range takes the guesswork out of safe cosmetics shopping.
If your due date is fast approaching, clicking here will (baby) bump you down to the bottom, where we elaborate more on how we found these beauty products safe for pregnancy, as well as ingredients expecting moms should avoid.
The Full List Of Makeup Brands Safe For Pregnancy
- 100% Pure | Visit Store
- RMS Beauty | Visit Store
- Dab Herb | Visit Store
- Axiology | Visit Store
- Elate Cosmetics | Visit Store
- HAN Skincare Cosmetics | Visit Store
- Eco Minerals | Visit Store
1. 100% Pure
*Note: Not all products are vegan, but there are many vegan options.
100% Pure’s Pregnancy Safe Makeup
Sustainable makeup brands have a leg up in making makeup pregnancy safe, but 100% Pure goes above and beyond.
Their 100% Pure makeup safe pregnancy guide makes it easy for expecting moms to look for makeup.
Their Fruit Pigmented adheres to strict purity standards, utilizing pigments from only fruits, vegetables, tea, and cocoa—instead of synthetic and heavy metal-based pigments.
This line includes pregnancy safe mascara, foundation, lipstick, eyeshadow, concealer, primer, BB cream, tints, and blush.
Jam-packed with vitamins and processed completely naturally via “fermentation, distillation, and cold processing”, everything is safe for mom (and dad) and baby.
You’ll see ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter, and vitamin E.
They’re aiming to have all packaging be free of petrochemicals by 2024, but currently, some products are contained in plastic—along with recycled glass, tin, and cardboard—which can be recycled curbside or in via their in-store bins in exchange for a free sample product.
About 100% Pure
100% Pure is 100% committed to Fair Trade, USA-made cruelty-free makeup and other skincare essentials.
Aside from ethically-sourced mica in their makeup, their non-toxic products are free from minerals and are sourced in compliance with the Ethical Training Initiative (ETI).
They do use palm oil and beeswax in some products, so double-check if you’re trying to avoid these ingredients.
With every order, you can choose to plant a tree or feed a shelter dog in China with a bowl of vegan dog food. Those are 100% Pure’s ongoing programs, but they’ve had numerous charitable partnerships over the years.
You’ll receive your order in recycled packaging with compostable packing peanuts.
To reduce emissions and work toward a Carbon Positive status, their main office runs on 100% solar energy.
2. RMS Beauty
*Note: Some RMS Beauty products contain beeswax, but there are vegan options.
RMS Beauty’s Pregnancy Safe Makeup
RMS Beauty’s entire line of pregnancy safe cosmetics is free of soy, silicone, GMOs, and parabens.
It’s also cruelty-free and only includes consciously chosen natural and non-toxic ingredients, including ethical mica and titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide to highlight your pregnancy glow.
They do use some ingredients (like carnauba wax) that are sustainably harvested from Brazilian palm leaves and Moriche palm trees, but these should be distinguished from the practices associated with other palm species in Southeast Asia.
RMS Beauty is not 100% vegan, and a few products contain a small amount of food-grade synthetic color. But the ingredient is very easy to avoid.
If you’d prefer to stick with raw, food-grade ingredients (like shea butter, cocoa butter, and jojoba seed oil), you won’t miss out.
In fact, you’ll still have a healthy selection of nearly every makeup product you could need: natural lipsticks, oils, lip balm, mascara, eye polish, lip shine, cruelty-free concealers, powders, bronzers, and blush—to name just a few.
When it’s time to take the makeup off, their Raw Coconut Cream is just about the best safe makeup remover for pregnancy available. It contains 100% raw, unrefined organic coconut oil—that’s it!
About RMS Beauty
In addition to meeting our criteria for pregnancy safe makeup, Sephora classifies RMS Beauty as a Clean at Sephora brand, bringing better makeup to more people.
They’re one of the few “mainstream” safe makeup brands for pregnancy.
The brand was founded by Rose-Marie Swift (RMS, get it?), who’s been working in the beauty industry for four decades. Suffice it to say that those years left her yearning for something better.
Clean for faces, clean for Earth. RMS beauty opts for clean ingredients and clean containers. Their packaging is minimal, recyclable, or reusable, like cardboard made using 100% wind power.
They’re also a proud donor to organizations like Sea Shepherd, the Environmental Defense Fund, and Doors to Freedom, which works with victims of sex trafficking.
3. Dab Herb
Dab Herb’s Pregnancy Safe Makeup
Dab Herb is a zero waste beauty brand that brings zero worries for expecting parents.
Their take on the best pregnancy makeup is that which is natural enough to eat (though we personally wouldn’t test this).
Check them out for eyes (liquid eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow), lips (lip gloss, tint, lip balm), and face (primer, contour powder, blush, cheek pinch, luminizer, concealer, moisturizer), as well as brushes and tools.
If you’re trying to overhaul your vanity in one fell swoop, check out their prebuilt multi-product kits, like the Organic Minimalist Makeup Set.
They use mostly food-grade, certified organic ingredients that come from plant roots, leaves, petals, and seeds.
To keep those plants healthy, Dab Herb packages in plastic-free containers and shipping materials (many of which are reused from their suppliers).
About Dab Herb
“Nature to Nurture” is Dab Herb and founder Crissy’s driving force.
The brand was born out of the motivation to create a beauty alternative to the standard chemical-laden products.
Not only are their beauty products safe for pregnancy, but they’re safe for animals and workers, being cruelty-free, vegan, palm oil-free, and mostly fair trade.
They do use some zinc oxide and mica, the latter of which is mined and processed ethically in the USA.
Not only does Dab Herb source and sell products consciously, but they also support Made in A Free World to combat human trafficking. Did we mention they’re one of the few organic eyeliner brands, too?
4. Axiology
Axiology’s Pregnancy Safe Makeup
Let’s keep the baby bump rolling with another of our favorite zero waste makeup brands.
Out to minimize your makeup bag, Axiology has completely cut out packaging except for compostable paper thanks to their innovative “lip-to-lid” Balmies.
They can be used as pregnancy safe eyeshadow, blush, and organic lipstick, all in one compact, travel-friendly crayon.
For pregnancy peace of mind, they’re made with just ten vegan and cruelty-free ingredients that consist of mostly-organic fruit extracts and natural oils (like hemp seed oil).
There’s no palm oil, fragrance, soy, gluten, nanoparticles, or other potentially harmful chemicals.
About Axiology
Axiology started in a kitchen when their founder, Ericka Rodriguez, couldn’t find a single cruelty-free lipstick brand.
On the one hand, we’re thankful she didn’t because the world got this pregnancy safe makeup brand out of it.
They source from fair trade producers (shea butter and moringa oils, for example) when possible, and use profits to donate to animal welfare organizations like PETA and Orangutan Foundation International.
Even their outer packaging has been carefully considered, which is why it’s made from recycled paper by a woman-owned boutique in Indonesia.
Axiology is also available on The V Spot (Aus)
5. Elate Cosmetics
*Note: Elate uses RSPO-certified palm oil.
Elate Cosmetics’ Pregnancy Safe Makeup
Elate Cosmetics wants to protect mothers and Mother Earth alike.
They’re doing so with 100% vegan, cruelty-free ingredients, 90% of which is also organic.
Their range of pregnancy safe makeup covers all bases (eyes, face, and lips), including a literal base with their Uplift Organic Creme Foundation.
While they do use minerals like mica and titanium dioxide (sourced from Responsible Mica Initiative suppliers), they only use non-nano-sized particles.
Items come in sustainable glass bottles, FSC-certified bamboo, or recyclable aluminum tins. Anything powdered can be refilled via a plantable seed paper pouch.
About Elate Cosmetics
Not only is Elate Beauty one of the best pregnancy safe makeup brands and a Certified B Corp, but they’re an affordable organic makeup brand, too.
The Canadian company is conscious of five beauty principles: impact, ethics, community, future, and mission.
Makeup ingredients are largely sourced fair trade, and all are certified by PETA and Cruelty-Free International.
You may see stearic acid in their ingredient lists. This is a derivative of palm oil and, in Elate’s case, sourced from RSPO-certified suppliers.
They want our makeup routines to have a positive impact, so they donate 1% to charity, another 1% to the environment, plant trees, and offset products with Bullfrog Power.
Carbon-neutral concealer, anyone?
6. HAN Skincare Cosmetics
HAN Skincare Cosmetics
“Skincare enHANced positive beauty” is what you get from HAN Skincare Cosmetics.
Providing safe makeup for pregnancy and our planet, HAN says “no” to over 2,700 harmful chemicals like coal tar, phthalates, animal fats, nanoparticles, talc, and mineral oils.
Instead of parabens, BHA, and BHT, they use vitamin E and grapefruit seed extract as preservatives.
Using mostly certified organic and entirely cruelty-free makeup ingredients, they offer bronzer, blush, concealer, lip gloss, CC cream, mascara, eyeshadow palette, and a restorative face oil and serum.
Pregnancy might make you feel pretty busy and overwhelmed, so for a “multi-tasking stick for color anywhere on the face”, check out the HAN Multistick.
Available in eight shades and suitable for all skin types, this combined pregnancy safe blush, lip balm, and eyeshadow combines antioxidant-rich acai oil, shea butter, and fruit and vegetable pigments.
About HAN Skincare Cosmetics
“Radical Fragrance Transparency”: that’s what HAN aims for across their line of affordable pregnancy safe cosmetics. They’ve been doing so since 2015, before there were many safe brands of makeup, as founder Susan discovered when trying to find them for herself.
It means they disclose every single ingredient, including the oft-generalized “fragrance” you’ll find on other ingredient lists.
Products are made in the USA and are PETA-approved and Leaping Bunny certified.
Not only will their products support a healthier pregnancy, but a healthier planet for your baby to grow up in, too.
Through a partnership with the climate action consulting group Greenspark, they’re working to reduce their carbon footprint via carbon offset programs, tree planting (one for every full-size order), and sponsoring ocean plastic removal through Plastic Bank.
They are currently converting all packaging to either compostable recycled paper or post-consumer recycled plastic. For any hard to recycle tubes, drop them in one of Credo’s Pact Bins for proper recycling.
Doing good beyond the planet, they donate to Compass Family Services and advocate for greater cosmetics regulation of toxic chemicals through Breast Cancer Prevention Partners.
7. Eco Minerals
Eco Minerals’ Pregnancy Safe Makeup
Is it safe to use mascara during pregnancy?
When it’s from Eco Minerals it is, as is the rest of their line of lipsticks, eyeshadow, and face makeup.
What makes their makeup safe for pregnancy?
The fact that it’s free from chemical fillers, preservatives, talc, bismuth oxychloride, magnesium stearate, palm oil, and parabens.
What they do contain are non-nano, non-color coated minerals, like zinc oxide to calm skin, iron oxide for pigment, titanium dioxide for SPF 24 sun protection, and mica for a stunning shimmer.
You’ll find no talc, bismuth oxychloride, carmine, ferric ferrocyanide, parabens, or dimethicone.
There are just four key ingredients (like shea butter) in their BB cream, primer, radiance oil, blush, bronzer, powder foundation, and concealer.
Refills are available for some of the products. Just send back the jar or get powder refills in a 100% biodegradable envelope.
About Eco Minerals
Coming from beautiful Byron Bay in Australia, Eco Minerals is exactly that—safe pregnancy makeup that’s made from 100% pure, natural minerals.
The ingredients are ethically sourced, and their products are handmade and shipped in eco-friendly containers.
Full your makeup bag with products that are vegan, palm oil-free, and cruelty-free, as certified by PETA, Palm Oil Investigations, and Choose Cruelty Free.
Eco Minerals is also available on Eco Minerals (EU)
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Makeup Ingredients To Avoid During Pregnancy
When you’re pregnant, cosmetics brand choices (and all choices, for that matter) suddenly become more about your own health.
You’re eating for two, and you’re also wearing makeup for two.
To ensure you’re not absorbing anything toxic that will then be absorbed by the growing bundle inside, choosing safe makeup during pregnancy is key.
But how do you know which ones are safe makeup brands for pregnancy? Is bareMinerals safe for pregnancy?
Sometimes, finding out can be harder than touching your toes in your third trimester, considering most popular makeup brands use any number of ingredients to avoid in skincare—bun in the oven or not.
When it comes to a safe pregnancy, beauty products shouldn’t contain any of these potentially harmful chemicals linked to birth defects and any number of women’s health problems:
- Beta hydroxy acids: Used in anti-aging creams these will show on the ingredient labels as 3-hydroxypropionic acid, trethocanic acid, tropic acid, and salicylic acid
- Diethanolamine (DEA): Used as an emulsifier in creamy makeup products. Look for any ingredient with ‘DEA’ in it.
- Dihydroxyacetone (DHA): Used as a color additive in bronzer. Look for any ingredient with ‘DHA’ in it.
- Formaldehyde: Can be found in nail polish, blush, mascara, and lotion. Look for quaternium-15, hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, dimethyl-dimethyl (DMDM), imidazolidinyl urea, and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate.
- Hydroquinone: Often found in lightening creams and brightening serums.
- Parabens: Propyl, butyl, isopropyl, isobutyl, and methyl.
- Retinol: Found in foundations and lipstick. Look for Vitamin A, retinoic acid, adapalene, tretinoin, tazarotene, isotretinoin, retinyl palmitate, and retinaldehyde
- Toluene: Often found in nail polish. Hence our insistence on non-toxic nail polish.
- Parabens: Used as a preservative, these have been associated with hormone and reproductive system issues and breast cancer. The risks are even greater for pregnant women. The most common in cosmetics are methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben.
- Phthaltes: These are ptrocehmicals linked to birth defects.
Fragrances In Pregnancy Safe Makeup
Remember that earlier stat how 64% of chemicals are absorbed by the skin?
Well, with fragrances, that goes up to 100%.
This is especially concerning considering most synthetic fragrances contain hormone disruptors or phthalates, which have been linked to reproductive defects.
So just as you should seek non-toxic perfume, you should be sure the rest of your makeup and sustainable skincare doesn’t have sneaky synthetic fragrances, either.
Fragrance-free is your best option, followed by those scented with natural, organic essential oils.
Minerals In Pregnancy Safe Makeup
What about minerals like mica, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide? Is titanium dioxide safe during pregnancy?
On one hand, these natural minerals can replace otherwise toxic ingredients in chemical sunscreens, like zinc oxide in zero waste sunscreen.
However, while studies are limited, nanosized particles in minerals may be toxic due to their ability to pass through the skin barrier.
For this reason, if you do opt to wear cosmetics with titanium dioxide during pregnancy, stick to non-nano sized zinc ocide and titanium dioxide.
In general, if it sounds chemical, it probably is. Instead, look for terms you understand, like shea butter, essential oils, avocado seed oil, cocoa butter, vitamin e, jojoba oil, and hyaluronic acid (which contrary to the sound, is naturally found in human tissue and is considered safe)
If you’re ever in doubt about the ingredients spotted on your favorite natural foundation, you can always look them up using the EWG’s Skin Deep database, which contains a concise toxicity rating.
How We Found The Best Pregnancy Safe Makeup Brands
Sustainable beauty is important for Mother Earth, but it’s equally important for expecting mothers who don’t want to expose their bundle of joy to unnecessary chemicals.
To ensure we found makeup brands safe for pregnancy, we looked for the following criteria:
- Non-toxic ingredients: This is the number one with pregnancy safe makeup, and it’s tricky because the term “non-toxic” is totally unregulated and subject to greenwashing. That’s why you should familiarize yourself with some of the major safe (and unsafe) ingredients found in all cosmetics from natural makeup remover to cruelty-free concealers.
- Cruelty-free: Animals are babies, too, and should be protected from cruel cosmetics testing.
- Vegan: We only make exceptions for things that can be harvested in a cruelty-free manner (like beeswax and honey) but still appreciate brands that also offer strictly vegan choices.
- Palm oil-free: Or responsibly-harvested sustainable palm oil at a minimum.
- Ethical ingredient sourcing policies
- Thoughtful packaging: Ideally this will be zero waste (reusable or compostable) but at the very least, it should be recyclable.
Final Thoughts On Beauty Products Safe For Pregnancy
You may already have that pregnancy glow, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little beautification.
But is wearing makeup safe during pregnancy?
It depends, but it definitely can be as long as you’re sticking to non-toxic cosmetics made with natural skin care ingredients.
Au naturale is best for you and your baby, but if you’re getting dressed up for that baby shower or possibly the last date night (for a while), consider these pregnancy safe makeup brands.
Not only will you be wearing natural ingredients that are safe for your growing belly, but they’re also better for our warming planet, too. And of course, let’s not forget better for breastfeeding when that little one arrives.
In a moms or pregnancy support group?
Share this article at your next baby shower, so all moms to be can choose the safest cosmetic and skincare products for themselves and their budding bundles of joy.
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