The 18 Green Beauty Brands You Need to Try Right Now
Celebrity makeup artist Katey Denno is kind of a big deal. Sure, she paints the faces of some of our favorite stars like Amanda Seyfried and Selena Gomez. But more importantly, she's a prominent beauty expert making great pains to endorse, promote, and improve green products. And because testing the entire world of all-natural beauty is her job, we couldn't possibly think of anyone better to give us a crash course in the brands and items we need to start religiously using. Click through the slideshow for her top non-toxic picks and faves, from bronzer to nail lacquer.
Photos courtesy of Intelligent Nutrients, Tammy Fender, RMS, Pai, Beautycounter, Ilia1/19Shop our favorite green beauty brands in the slideshow ahead.
Photo: RMS Beauty2/19RMS Beauty
The Backstory: "Rose-Marie Swift has been a powerhouse makeup artist for over 20 years—her work has appeared in every big fashion magazine and ad campaign you can imagine! About 10 years ago, she started experiencing health issues that doctors couldn’t figure out. So, she had her blood tested, which revealed high amounts of metals and toxic compounds. She turned to a cosmetic chemist and began formulating her own makeup to lower her exposure. The result? A brand that’s married non-toxic beauty and trendy, fashionable colors and textures."
The Hero Products: "I use the Living Luminizer everywhere—eyelids, bridge of the nose, cheekbones, and the Cupid’s Bow—to bring serious life to the skin. (Plus, it made the list of Teen Vogue’s best luminizers!) There’s also the genius Lip2Cheek colors that impart a perfect pop of fun color and slight shine. (Miranda Kerr is a fan!)"
Photo: Ilia Beauty3/19Ilia Beauty
The Backstory: "Sasha Plasvic wanted Ilia to create a connection between organic beauty and contemporary fashion (read: major pigments!). It started in 2009 and has since grown to include retailers like Net-a-Porter and Barneys New York. She’s known equally for her bright lipsticks and multi-use cheek sticks!"
The Hero Products: "I use the Polka Dots & Moonbeams illuminator stick and Sway bronzer stick on nearly every client from Selena Gomez to Amanda Seyfried. They capture both natural light and photo flashes, which creates perfectly glowing skin."
Photo: Dr. Hauschka4/19Dr. Hauschka
The Backstory: "This is certainly the longest-standing brand on this list! In 1965, an aesthetician named Elizabeth Sigmund recognized the power of rhythm and traditional herbs in guiding skin back to a healthy state. She reached out to a Dr. Hauschka, who was studying the life and energy in the world of botanicals. Together, the two created this line of holistic skin care based on the process of something amazing called "biodynamic farming."’
The Hero Products: "This line is full of cult favorites, the most popular of which is the Rose Day Cream. It’s a lovely, lightly-scented moisturizer that plumps the skin beautifully. If you are oily, I recommend the very pretty (and brand-new) Rose Day Cream Light!"
Photo: John Masters Organics5/19John Masters Organics
The Backstory: "Hair stylist John Masters operates with this philosophy: "We only get one body and we only get one planet. Why not treat them both with utmost care?" Since his start over 20 years ago, he’s used organic and wild-crafted ingredients in his entire line of hair, face, and body products."
The Hero Products: "I’ve seen many stylists on shoots using the Sea Mist Salt Spray with lavender, which gives girls a tousled, beachy look. But he’s also known for his Cacao & Cupuacu Hand & Body Butter, which my clients have come to love for the beautiful shine it leaves on the skin and nails."
Photo: Rahua6/19Rahua
The Backstory: "New York City-based hair stylist and colorist Fabian Lliquin created this amazing hair brand based on a highly potent restorative oil from the Amazonian rainforest called (you guessed it!) Rahua. This line is well-known for repairing damaged strands, reviving color-treated hair, and calming irritated scalps like no other. And, as Lliguin points out, "If millions of teenagers go green, they will change the direction for the future. Green teens means clean oceans and clean forests."’
The Hero Products: "The signature Rahua smell is so naturally delicious that mainstream shampoo will turn your stomach! The shampoo and Omega 9 Hair Mask are well worth the investment."
Photo: Tammy Fender7/19Tammy Fender
The Backstory: "Tammy’s entire line is based on the philosophy that beauty radiates from within—you have to put good food into your body if you want it to operate best, and similarly, you have to put good ingredients into your skin for it to look its best. Every essential oil, plant, and vitamin is selected with care by Tammy herself."
The Hero Products: "On a recent photo shoot with Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell, I drenched her arms and legs with the delicious Bulgarian Lavender Body Oil to nourish her skin and make it glow in the photos. Plus, the scent relad us all and her skin loved it! Also, if you have acne, the Clarifying Dermagel is a stand-out. It’s a healing antiseptic for blemish-prone complexions that purifies, clears, and corrects."
Photo: Tata Harper8/19Tata Harper
The Backstory: "Tata started her eponymous line when she realized that "all of the latest and most luxurious lotions in her medicine cabinet were full of potentially dangerous, cancer-causing chemicals." She enlisted a team of top industry experts to help her, and insists that green is the way to go for teens. "If you’re a younger girl, your body is still growing and your hormonal system is going through shifts. That means that the potentially harmful effects of some synthetic chemical ingredients can have a larger impact on your life," she says."
The Hero Products: "I rarely perform a makeup application without a generous spritzing of Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence, which moisturizes and refreshes. I also often recommend the Regenerating Cleanser for people who are lacking that gorgeous, daily glow."
Photo: Intelligent Nutrients9/19Intelligent Nutrients
The Backstory: "IN was created by salon owner, hair stylist, aromatherapist, perfumer, author, Ayurvedic practitioner, and visionary, the late Horst Rechelbacher. Horst also created Aveda, but moved on in the late ’90s to found this genius new enterprise. This line is as highly functioning as it is aesthetically pleasing."
The Hero Products: "The Purifying Cleansing Gel is perfect for teen skin because it clarifies, cools, and balances oil. It’s actually less expensive than some of the other brands on this list, too! I also love the fun Organic Bug Repellent Perfume Serum. It should replace every bottle of DEET-filled spray in your home—especially if you have younger siblings!"
Photo: Burt's Bees10/19Burt's Bees
The Backstory: "This line was started in Maine by a beekeeper named Burt Schavitz and his artist friend Roxanne Quimby. In the beginning, they made candles, but slowly grew the brand into the iconic beeswax-based lip line that we know today. It also has really fantastic prices and a full range of product, including skin care!"
The Hero Products: "I’ve become a huge fan of the wide range of colors in the lip gloss collection, but my favorite is the tinted lip balm, which provides just a hint of color and lots of all-natural moisture. Plus, their willow bark and salicylic acid line of acne skin care is fantastic. Tame breakouts with their Targeted Spot Treatment."
Photo: Vapour Organic Beauty11/19Vapour Organic Beauty
The Backstory: "This is the first organic full-color cosmetics line I ever tried. I was floored by how it dispelled my previously-held notions that all "health food store" makeup wouldn’t perform well! Right from the start, this brand made a full range of products—including foundations and concealers—that catered to women of every color. As a makeup artist, this is enormously important to me!"
The Hero Products: "I obviously love the Vapour Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation, but the cult favorite is the Vapour Aura Multi-Use Blush, which is the perfect creamy consistency and can be layered for an intense hue."
Photo: Kjaer Weis12/19Kjaer Weis
The Backstory: "Makeup artist Kirsten Weis found a way to create clean, organic makeup formulas in beautiful, high-end packaging."
The Hero Products: "Her new Cream Foundation leaves skin soft and natural-looking when applied with a brush and finished by pressing a damp sponge against the skin. Plus, the gorgeous Cream Blushes are unbelievably beautiful and natural! I use a stippling brush to feather the color into freshly-moisturized skin."
Photo: Pai Organic Skin Care13/19Pai Organic Skin Care
The Backstory: "This is my go-to for clients with sensitive skin issues like eczema, acne, and unexplained rashes. All of their products are formulated with sensitive and allergy-prone skin in mind! The brand actually has an in-house lab where they work with a team of chemists to develop and test every combination of ingredients before it goes to market."
The Hero Products: "I’ve had great success using their very affordable cult favorite, Pai Rosehip Oil, which I’ve found to be incredibly healing. It’s perfect for acne, scarring, and deep hydration needed after the use of drying creams."
Photo: Acure14/19Acure
The Backstory: "I approve of any line that can offer 100% non-toxic products at extremely affordable prices. (Especially when it’s in cute packaging!) Acure is a family-owned and operated company which provides the highest quality fair trade, natural, and certified organic personal care products that are never tested on animals."
The Hero Products: "The Argan Oil is their biggest cult favorite, which costs only $15! That’s unheard of in the world of certified organics! For those who need a little less help glowing, try the Oil Control Day Cream."
Photo: Devita15/19Devita
The Backstory: "Devita was started by a woman who suffered her entire life from chronic, cystic acne. She, like so many of us, spent too much money on products that promised to "fix", her skin, but instead introduced her to unnecessary toxic chemicals. When she decided to take matters into her own hands, she found that working with organic aloe vera as a base was effective and safe. They also recently launched color cosmetics with the same level of sophistication in ingredients and efficacy."
The Hero Products: "The Devita Prime Corrective is the only mattifying primer I’ve found from a green brand that actually does fill in large pores and helps foundation lay nicely against the skin. I also love their new mineral eyeshadows, which are very wearable and blendable."
Photo: W3ll People16/19W3ll People
The Backstory: "W3ll People is the brainchild of three friends who had a lot of experience and expertise in the beauty industry as well as a strong passion to help the world become a cleaner, greener place. Their makeup is always free of unsustainable petroleum products and creepy artificial chemicals."
The Hero Products: "Shirley Pinkson, the co-creator, suggests the Realist X Mineral Polisher powder to control excess oil and prevent breakouts with organic antibacterial arrowroot! She also recommends the Hypnotist Eyeliner, which is a happy alternative to toxic, lead-based kohl pencils. It glides on without skipping, dragging, or tugging the skin."
Photo: Beautycounter17/19Beautycounter
The Backstory: "When the founder of Beautycounter learned that 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women in the US will be diagnosed with cancer, she wanted to make a change. In fact, Beautycounter’s head of health and safety, Mia Davis, notes that studies have found over a dozen cosmetic chemicals linked to potential health effects including cancer and hormone disruption in the bodies of teenage girls. They aim to "put truth back in beauty" with effective (and quite gorgeous!) products."
The Hero Products: "Beautycounter has a full range of skin care for face and body (including a face oil that helps heal acne scars!), but their Rose Water spray is a wonderful pick-me-up for the summer heat, and can also serve as a gentle alternative to alcohol-based toners."
Photo: Suntegrity18/19Suntegrity
The Backstory: "This superior line of non-whitening mineral sun protection products was developed in memory of the creator’s mother, who lost a battle with skin cancer. Most sunscreens on the market use chemical UV blockers that contain a lot of known toxins. Therefore, it doesn’t really make sense to use them to prevent skin cancer!"
The Hero Products: "I’ve been using the Suntegrity Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen and Primer on my own face (and on my clients’ faces!) for years."
Photo: Sheswai19/19Sheswai
The Backstory: "With the introduction of the terms "3-free" and "5-free" into the nail world, it’s getting easier to limit your exposure to really harmful chemicals during mani-pedi time. Sheswai nail lacquers offer bold and bright shades (and neutrals!) that boast a 5-free formula, which means no formaldehyde and other nasty things. (Did you know that during a manicure, you breathe formaldehyde into your lungs, and then it absorbs through your nails and into your body? Yikes!)"
The Hero Products: "My spring and summer go-to shades include Perfecto, Stoned, So Cute, Honeyfox, and Babe. When I’m feeling adventurous? This sunny yellow shade, called Good Vibes."
