If the changing temps have you looking for a light and beachy or bright and fun new summer lipstick color, you have come to the right place. As with all things clean, there has been a wave of clean beauty brands in the last decade, which means there are more safe, healthy makeup options than ever!
While quality ingredients are often more expensive, you can find some clean beauty lipsticks for under $15.
If you are accustomed to grabbing Revlon or Maybelline then clean cosmetic brands may give you sticker shock in the beginning, but if you’ve been buying Mac or Clinique already then you may be able to do a clean swap and actually save money at the same time.
I have been on the hunt for a new summer color, so I headed on over to the EWG website to check the ratings on some of my favorite brands. From year to year, formulations can change, and new products will come onto the market. It’s a good idea to check out the brands and products that you use on an annual basis.
While you don’t have to spend a fortune to add clean, safe lipstick to your beauty routine, but you do have to check out those ingredient labels. Let’s get into why you should do a double take when lipstick shopping.
Consumer Safety in the U.S.
To put it bluntly, the U.S. doesn’t protect consumers the way some countries do. This is true in many areas, not just in the area of cosmetics. Our safety regulations tend to favor the manufacturer over the consumer. In the U.S., cosmetic products and ingredients do not need FDA premarket approval, with the exception of color additives. Here is an excerpt directly from the FDA website:
Companies and individuals who manufacture or market cosmetics have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of their products. Neither the law nor FDA regulations require specific tests to demonstrate the safety of individual products or ingredients. The law also does not require cosmetic companies to share their safety information with FDA.
I don’t know about y’all, but that statement made me cringe a bit. Basically, a company can produce just about anything they want as long as they say it is not harmful while offering zero safety data and then sell it to consumers, including children.
The U.S. has banned less than a dozen toxins found in cosmetics while the EU has banned over 1,300! YIKES! Some well-known toxins that are allowed in U.S. cosmetics but prohibited in other countries are: formaldehyde, petroleum, parabens, triclosan, talc and fragrance.
Heavy Metals in Lipstick
A 2013 study found troubling levels of lead, aluminum, cadmium, chromium and manganese in the majority of lipstick samples. The amounts exceeded what experts agree are safe levels of these substances. And you may remember just a few years ago, asbestos and four other heavy metals were found in a cosmetic line sold by Justice and marketed to tweens.
Going back to the topic of safety regulations in the U.S., did you know that over 60 nations have totally banned asbestos, but the U.S. has not? That’s a story for another day, but hopefully you see why there is such a need to protect and advocate for your family and not assume that everything sold to us is safe.
This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Concerning Ingredients in Lipstick
Petroleum/petrolatum and mineral oil are common lipstick ingredients that are derived from crude oil. The primary concern with petrolatum is the potential contamination with PAHs, which is classified as a probable carcinogen.
As for mineral oil, when it is properly and highly refined, it is considered safe, but some sources suggest that is not always the case. A 2016 Swiss study examined 175 lip products and found higher than desired limits of contamination in 67% of the samples suggesting the need for reduced contamination.
Most lipsticks also use coal tar-derived pigment. The label reads FD, FD&C or FDC and the color name. Optimistically, these pigments should only contain trace amounts of coal tar, but this may not always be true.
The heavier the pigment, the higher the chance for increased amounts of coal tar. Exposure to coal tar is linked to various cancers among other ailments so avoiding products with any amount may be worthwhile.
Lipstick ingredients are particularly concerning for several reasons. Lipstick is applied to the lips, so it’s inevitable that some will be ingested. Some women apply it multiple times per day and young girls often have an interest in mommy’s makeup.
For these reasons, I choose to avoid controversial ingredients especially when the ingredients are banned elsewhere due to safety concerns.
Do Clean Beauty Lipsticks Stay on as Long?
No, usually not. But ask yourself this question, “what are the ingredients in lipstick that allow it to last all day, and are they healthy?” Most all-day lipsticks contain silicones, which are often listed as dimethicone or methicone. Silicones are not particularly healthy for skin as they clog pores by locking in dirt and oil and are difficult to remove.
In addition, silicones in beauty products are not good for the environment. Silicone bioaccumulates, which means that it accumulates in oceans and waterways and does not break down for hundreds of years.
O.k. enough of the bad news! Let’s take a look at some affordable lipstick options with A+ safety ratings!
Where to Find Affordable Clean Beauty Lipstick?
Honest Company Lipsticks and Lip Balms Under $15
Honest Company has taken the step to have many of its products EWG Verified. This means they meet the EWG’s strictest standards and do not contain any ingredients on their prohibited list. EWG Verified products will proudly display the seal.
Honest Company offers tinted lip balm, lip gloss, liquid lipstick and a lip crayon. They formulate all lip products without petrolatum, paraffins, parabens, synthetic fragrances, silicones, talc and mineral oil. All of the products are EWG Verified and should have a 1 or 2 safety rating in the Skin Deep database.
Prices vary depending on product, but most seem to be in the $5 – $15 range. The bright color shown below is Honest Beauty Tinted Lip Balm, Fruit Punch.
I have several of these, and the color lasts pretty well for a couple of hours, which is pretty typical for a tinted lip balm. They are smooth and offer just the type of tint I like–noticeable but not overpowering.
They feel great on your lips too … very moisturizing. The plum drop color is a favorite of mine for winter.
If you are looking for something with a little more staying power, then you might prefer their liquid lipstick. This beautiful color is called Happiness.
I own these as well and do like them, but the color is a bit much for me, so I use very little. These are rich, and they last forever at the rate I use the. The formula is thick and offers staying power and lots of shine.
Affordable Mineral Fusion Lipstick
Mineral Fusion also offers EWG Verified products. Their formulas are hypoallergenic and free of fragrance, parabens and phthalates. They offer a traditional lipstick as well as a lip gloss, lip butter and a sheer moisture lip tint.
These lipsticks are also in the $15 range, and I have loved the ones I have tried. This chill, laid-back option is Mineral Fusion Lipstick in Nude.
If you are looking for something lighter with high shine, check out their lip gloss. Dazzle is the name of this fun, shimmery pink/nude gloss. These are a bargain, and most are under $10 right currently.
Burt’s Bees Lipstick on a Budget
This last one surprises me a little, since Clorox now owns Burt’s Bees, and Clorox is not exactly the pillar of clean/healthy brands. Despite the ownership change, they still have at least one lip stick product with a stellar EWG rating of 1—their lip crayon.
This definitely meets the requirement for clean lipstick on a budget. The lip crayons range from $7 – $15 depending on the color you choose. This intense color below is Burt’s Bees 100% Natural Origin Moisturizing Matte Lip Crayon in Napa Vinyard.
Many of the other Burt’s Bees lip products got dinged by the EWG for containing synthetic fragrance. Thankfully, their lip crayon and a few of their basic lip balms are fragrance free. If you’d like to know more about why you may want to avoid synthetic fragrance, check out my post on the dangers of synthetic fragrance.
Clean Beauty Lipstick and Tinted Lip Balm for Kids
If you have a little one who wants to experiment with lipstick, skip the cutesy pallets you see marketed towards kids and purchase the same brands you would for yourself. Many clean beauty brands will send you free or very low-cost samples.
When my daughter was little, I combined samples with a few inexpensive pieces to make her a little makeup kit. Her makeup phase was short lived, so she ended up gifting me most of the items back. What a nice, unexpected bonus!
The brands listed in this post make great choices for little ones without spending a fortune.
Conclusion
If you are looking for clean beauty lipstick on a budget (or tinted lip balm), hopefully you will consider some of the options above. If you don’t like them, hey, at least you didn’t spend much ;). As always, thanks for stopping by.
