Want to wear the safest lipsticks? Check out these top picks!

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Chemicals and Lead in Lipstick
Lipsticks can be really bad for your health. Many lipsticks contain really bad chemicals like BHA, quaternium-15, diazolidinyl urea, fragrance, and heavy metals. Some of these chemicals you can find on the label. (Find out more about the chemicals in makeup here.)
What you won’t be able to find out from makeup labels is how much lead is in your lipstick. In fact there are many poisonous heavy metals found in makeup that you will never know about without digging deeper because heavy metals won’t be found on the ingredients label.
Heavy metals are present in the colorings or minerals that are used to make the makeup. They are inherent in some of the raw ingredients that makeup is made from. Which means without seeing lab test results you will never know if your lipstick contains an unsafe amount of lead, mercury, cadmium etc.
What Are the Safest Lipsticks to Use?
If you want to find the safest lipsticks to use, then you need to find lipsticks that don’t contain chemicals and are not contaminated with heavy metals. In my research on makeup, I found that this was not an easy task. Even if the makeup company uses clean ingredients, the raw ingredients can still be contaminated with heavy metals. This makes finding lead free lipstick really tough.
The FDA has guidelines for heavy metals in makeup, but they only cover some of the heavy metals. Here are the limits set by the FDA:
- Arsenic: Not more than 3 ppm (parts per million)
- Lead: Not more than 20 ppm
- Mercury: Not more than 1 ppm
- Chromium: 50 ppm
The FDA restricts lead to 5 ppm for food or drugs, but allows 20 ppm for cosmetics. Since heavy metals can be absorbed through the skin, they can enter your body even if you don’t eat them. Plus, you might eat some of them if they are on your lips!
In order to be truly safe, you need to be able to see the lab results that state the amount of heavy metals found in the makeup you are interested in. This can be hard to obtain. So, another way to find safe lipsticks is to find a company that is BDIH certified.
The guidelines from BDIH cover raw materials from plant & mineral, animal protection and they reject use of silicones, organic-synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances, paraffin and other petroleum based products.
The BDIH also has strict guidelines on heavy metals. Because the BDIH is a German organization, they follow the German guidelines for heavy metals. Germany has specific guidelines for heavy metals, and they are a lot stricter than those over here in the US.
Best Non-Toxic Lipsticks
Here is a list of the best non-toxic lipsticks. These lipsticks are made from healthy ingredients and aren’t contaminated with heavy metals like lead.
1. Living Nature Organic Lipstick
This Living Nature tinted lip hydrator is BDIH certified. It also has an excellent EWG rating of 2. The natural ingredients include coconut oil and castor oil.
2. VEG-UP Lipstick
Veg-Up lipstick is BDIH certified. It is free of synthetic perfumes, petroleum derivatives and silicones. This lipstick is highly pigmented.
3. Logona Lipstick
Logona lipstick rates a 4 on the EWG website. That is not as good as a 1 or a 2. However, Logona is still a very healthy lipstick. The main reason it rates a 4 is because of the way EWG rates plant isolates.
When a natural scent compound is made, a single scent compound is extracted from the whole plant. These isolates get a higher rating even if they were extracted from an essential oil. Logona’s lipstick has a fragrance made from essential oils and according to European laws they must list limonene and linalool as separate ingredients even though they come from essential oils. Logona is also certified by the BDIH. Bottom line: Logona is a great choice for a natural healthy lipstick.
Check out Logona lipstick here.
4. Hurraw Tinted Lip Balm
Hurraw is my favorite lipbalm. I use it all the time either by itself or under other lipsticks because my lips need moisture. I love the texture-it is really smooth and moisturizing, but not greasy. Hurraw has plain lip balm, but it also has tinted lip balm that can be used in place of lipstick.
The “tint” or color in Hurraw’s lip balm comes from a safe ingredient called alkanet. Alkanet rates a 1 on the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. 1 is the best rating and it means that alkanet rates very low in terms of toxicity.
You can shop Hurraw’s line of lip balms at the Detox Market. If you are a new customer you can get $10 off of your first purchase at the Detox Market.
5. Soultree Organic Lipstick
Another safe lipstick is Soultree’s organic lipstick. Soultree is BDIH certified. Soultree’s lipstick contains organic ghee for its moisturising, healing and lightening effects. It also contains honey for its softening effects. There are no synthetic colours, fragances or preservatives. Check out their pretty violet lipstick–
6. Ecco-Bella Lipstick
Ecco Bella is a company that tests their makeup for heavy metals. Their test results showed really, really low levels of some of the most concerning heavy metals. You can read more about their results in my post on natural makeup brands. Basically, their test results were really good. Because of that I have bought quite a few of their makeup items even though they are not BDIH certified.
Plus Ecco Bella’s ingredients are excellent. In fact, all of their lipsticks rated a 1 on the EWG site!
Shop Ecco Bella and Get 10% Off Sitewide with Code EC10.
7. 100% Pure Lipstick
100% Pure has some non-toxic lipsticks that are colored by natural ingredients like fruit. These are lipsticks with excellent ingredients and they aren’t colored by ingredients that may have heavy metal contamination.
100% Pure’s Fruit Pigmented Cocoa Butter Matte Lipstick is colored by natural ingredients like fruit and doesn’t contain lead or other heavy metals. It is a really safe lead free lipstick with excellent ingredients. This lipstick has a nourishing blend of cocoa and shea butters to moisturize and soften lips. I have this lipstick in the color Currant. It is a good shade for my skin. Since I have a light ivory skin tone, I use it lightly with a little chapstick underneath.
Safe and Chic’s website has a great selection of 100% Pure’s lipsticks.

I love the fact that my 100% Pure lipstick is colored with ingredients like cherries and raspberries-I feel 100% safe wearing it! 🙂 Here is 100% Pure’s lipstick in Currant (the shade I am wearing above)-

100% Pure’s Fruit Pigmented Cocoa Butter Matte Lipstick comes in a large variety of colors to match every skin tone. Click here to shop at the Safe and Chic website-they have a great selection of 100% Pure’s extensive color line.
8. Benecos lipstick
Benecos lipsticks are BDIH certified. Benecos lipstick contains very clean ingredients like organic jojoba and sunflower oils for moisturizing. I like the fact that benecos makeup is very affordable for a natural makeup company.
I have 4 Benecos lipsticks-” target=”_blank”>Peach, Marry Me, Hot Pink, and Pink Rose. I like each of them, and use whichever one matches my mood or outfit. Here is a color swatch of the Benecos lipsticks-

9. Lavera Lipstick
Lavera is another company with high standards and is BDIH certified. Their lipsticks have vivid intense color. Check out this wild cherry lipstick-
10. Alima Pure
Alima Pure is another BDIH certified company. The clean ingredients in this non-toxic lipstick include avocado oil and coconut oil. Check out this neutral color-
If you are like me, you have been wondering for a long time how you could find truly non-toxic lipstick. These brands are the safest I could find in my long search for the safest lipsticks.
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Thanks so much! My girls are a little ways out from the makeup days, but I’m definitely keeping this for later!
I’m glad Raia! 🙂
You should add Suzanne Somers lipsticks. In fact all her make up is chemical and toxic free.
Thanks for the suggestion! I do think she has a lot of helpful health information. The ingredients in her makeup seem really good. I would have to contact her to see what the results of her heavy metal testing are in order to know more about the heavy metal content of her makeup.
I’m always needing tips on natural makeup! Thank you so much!
I am glad it helped you Mary!
ThX
Thanks for this. I know I’m late in the game but do you know of any drugstore brands?
I don’t. But I am always on the lookout. 🙂 Alot of companies that I have contacted don’t give out their heavy metal testing reports.
Thanks for this interesting and helpful article Kristie. Maybe it would be helpful for people to learn about other lipstick ingredients too? I have just found out that Lavera (cruelty-free) uses carmine (crushed insects) as a colourant in many of their lipsticks. So disappointing from this brand.
That is a good idea Elsa-I may do an article in the future about other lipstick ingredients. As far as carmine, I can understand why you may want to avoid it-it does sound pretty yucky! It doesn’t seem to have the same terrible health effects of heavy metals, although carmine can cause allergic reactions in some people.
Hi..thanks for a very informative sharing. I have never worn lipstick and I am very skeptical towards cosmetics. The last time I worn lipstick was during my wedding and that was 14 years ago. I am now in my late 30’s; 38 to be exact. I don’t have the confidence to put on makeup on my face even a pinch of lipstick. This is truly an eye-opener and mind changer to me. Thanks a lot Kristie
I am so glad it helped you! I am careful about makeup, but still enjoy wearing non toxic options!
Thank you so much for the information. Please do your research on Raw superfood infused beauty – Australian brand.
Thank you for your suggestion! I googled it, but couldn’t find that particular brand