11 Zero Waste Makeup Brands To Help You Participate In Plastic Free July (Or Any Month)   

1. Elate Cosmetics

Products: Eyes, lips, face

With refillable and recyclable products, Elate Cosmetics is a leader in zero waste makeup. Every product offered is compostable or recyclable and 75% are completely plastic-free. Bamboo is the basis of most of their products and it is sustainably sourced and not chemically treated.

Products come in tin containers with small magnets that fit easily into their reusable bamboo palettes. When finished, recycle the tin container and replace it with your refill which is shipped in a seed paper package that can be planted to grow wildflowers.

Mascaras, lipsticks, and lip gloss are contained in a recyclable inner tube and bamboo outer casing. Have some fun crushing the outer bamboo layer for composting, clean out the inner tube and recycle with your other household recyclables.

2. River Organics

Products: Eyes, lips, face

An Art Historian and a natural product chemist came together and created this zero waste makeup brand that you can trust to deliver quality products with minimal environmental impact.

All products are packaged in plastic-free paper tubes that are recyclable and are mailed with recycled and recyclable eco-friendly materials.

Even the labels are made with natural fiber, free of bleaching and chemicals which allows them to be compostable and biodegradable. Business cards are made from recycled kraft paper home printed and hand-cut.

Not only are their products free of plastic wrapping but their solid makeup such as lip products, highlighters, and blush are a solid 2 inches of product meaning you’ll be able to use it longer and create less waste!

3. Fat and the Moon Lip & Cheek Stain

Products: Lips, cheeks

Fat and the moon is made from recipes passed down through generations of herbalists and natural healers. Made with plants, ethically and organically harvested and cultivated, their products are handcrafted per order, and the brand is firmly rooted in self care and self love.

Made with cruelty free, natural ingredients, Fat & the Moon is a zero waste makeup favorite as they prove natural makeup doesn’t have to be boring. Packaged in small glass or tins pots, Fat & the Moon makes it a priority to use recyclable and/or reusable containers and minimizes excess packaging wherever possible. 

Beautiful shades of cheek and lip paint flatter every skin shade while providing hydration and moisture to your skin.

4. Pyra Beauty

Products: Face, highlighter

Using cruelty-free plant-based ingredients, Pyra Beauty is a Female, Latin-owned makeup brand working to make the world a better place through better products with better ingredients.

Every ingredient in each Pyra Beauty product has been hand-picked for its skin benefits, durability, and sustainability.

Every product is Cruelty-free, Talc-free, Paraben-free, and Phthalates-free with options for Fragrance-free and infused with super ingredients such as Green Tea, Cranberry, Coconut-Oil, Vitamin E, and Aloe that provide skin-enhancing and nourishing properties.

The Vegan Illuminator Powder is perfect for everyday wear or buildable for something more dramatic and the Vegan Setting Powder uses Green Tea & Cranberry extracts to hydrate, blur, and control oil, leaving you with a flawless finish.

Products are packaged in compostable cardboard or glass containers that can be recycled.

5. 100% Pure

Image By 100% Pure

Products: Eyes, lips, face

Living a truly zero waste lifestyle is hard, but living zero waste imperfectly is better than not trying at all. Adding 100% Pure makeup products are a great addition to your zero waste makeup routine, especially if you live near a physical store. As an incentive to return your empties, after you’ve brought back 10 you get a free trial-sized product.

All product packaging is made from post-consumer recycled glass, plastic, tin, and paper and if you can’t bring back your empties you can recycle it all again!

When your product is on its way to you it’s coming in a box made from recycled paper, protected by biodegradable packing peanuts (they melt into cornstarch when added to water), even the soy/vegetable ink is non-toxic and eco-friendly.

6. Sustain Yourself

Products: Lips, cheeks

This team of twin-sisters began making their own beauty products in college after discovering the zero waste movement. They soon began to sell products at the request of friends and family and can now be found at their new storefront in Minneapolis!

Every product from Sustain Yourself, including the Lip & Cheek tint (we love a good multi-functioning product) is made with safe ingredients, minimal waste, and with minimal impact on the planet.

You’ll want to add this tint to your bag of essentials immediately! Packaged 100% plastic free in compostable paper push tubes, you can check saving the planet off your list of things to do today.

7. Kjaer Weis

Image By Kjaer Weis

Products: Eyes, face, lips, basically everything

Luxury and sustainability — two things that don’t often go together have been seamlessly blended into Kjaer Weis’ products. This brand makes it on the zero waste makeup list for its commitment to sustainability since its inception.

The first luxury beauty brand to start refillable packaging, refilling your palette means you can not only choose your own shades and customize your collection but also choose the actual palette material.

Options include a reusable sleek metal exterior or a lacquered leather look which can also be reused, recycled, or composted at the end of its life.

Packaging and shipping materials are 100% recyclable and compostable, printed with water-based ink. In summer 2021 they are introducing 100% recyclable shipping boxes & materials and smaller orders will come in envelopes to help reduce carbon emissions.

8. Zerra & Co

Image By Zerra & Co

Products: Eyes, face, lips

Made from natural ingredients free from petroleum, and palettes made from stiff and sturdy paperboard that can be returned to be repurposed, Zerra & Co rejects single-use plastics and limits plastic in packaging as much as possible. Shipped carbon neutral and in 100% recyclable and compostable materials — including the tape! — Zerra & Co even watches single-use plastic usage in the lab, preferring suppliers who do the same.

Shipped in small little glass jars perfect for upcycling, you can find liquid eyeliner in black, brown shimmer, and brown.

If you’re looking for a new favorite zero waste makeup brand, Zerra & Co has everything from mineral eye shadow, eye shadow palettes, tinted lips, cheek color, and now a new mascara!

9. Trestique Refillable Makeup

Products: Eyes, face, lips, basically everything

Trestique is the first zero waste refillable makeup brand! With the goal of simplifying your beauty routine through time-saving, uncomplicated products, every product is multi-functional, reusable, refillable, and completely environmentally-friendly.

Trestique is committed to reducing consumption and waste while increasing innovation and sustainability.

At the heart of their products is the option for refillable packaging. Refillable packaging reduces waste and packaging while giving you the freedom to choose whichever colors feel right for you.

10. Izzy

Products: Mascara, lips, eyebrows

Forget the guilt of throwing away a tube of mascara. Izzy mascara is the first zero waste and carbon-neutral mascara now with options for a zero waste lip gloss and zero waste eyebrow gel. Made in medical-grade stainless steel tubes, with no outer packaging, Izzy is designed to be cleaned and refilled basically infinitely.

A leader in the zero waste makeup industry, the only plastic found on Izzy is in the wiper and brush which is reground and recycled at the facility when returned.

In production, the water used during the cleaning process is reused, and keeping their manufacturing process close means an Izzy has about a 78% lower carbon footprint after 25 refills than the industry standard. As most things that get better with age, the more the mascaras are used, returned, and refilled, the smaller Izzy’s carbon footprint over time.

You’ll receive a sterilized and refilled mascara + a reusable mailer to send back your empty every 3 months with their membership program to ensure you never run out of your new favorite zero waste makeup product.

11. Take It All Off

Products: Makeup remover

As wonderful as makeup is, at the end of the day (or eventually) it needs to come off to protect your skin! Instead of using harsh chemicals that smear all the makeup around or strip the oils off your face, add a zero waste makeup remover to your arsenal like this one from Elate Cosmetics.

Packaged in a tin jar surrounded by bamboo, you only need a small amount to help wipe off your makeup and get your face fresh and ready for a nightly cleanse (or cold water splash). Use the assistance of a reusable cotton facial around to avoid any waste at all.