10 Best Natural Foundations With Non Toxic Ingredients
The Good Trade editors endorse products we’ve personally researched, tested, and genuinely love. Learn more about our methodology and business model here.
I’ve personally tested and researched the top clean beauty brands — these are my picks for the best natural, nontoxic foundations.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I don’t love foundation. I’ve found it can cause more problems than it conceals, making me too dry, or too oily, or emphasizing texture and flakes. But testing out some of the best clean foundations on the market might have made me a convert!
I have combination, acne-prone skin and, thanks to retinoids, a dry complexion except for my oily T-zone. I look for foundations that provide a natural-looking coverage, and, most importantly, don’t get cakey. (I shudder to remember the mid-2000s dry, matte foundation looks I grew up on. And not a single decent moisturizer in sight.) It’s always a plus when a formulation has beneficial ingredients like niacinamide or squalane — and many of the below clean formulations do.
Why wear nontoxic foundations with natural or organic ingredients?
Cosmetic products don’t need FDA approval to go on the market, and cosmetic companies aren’t required to share their safety information with the FDA. So while most cosmetic ingredients are perfectly safe, others have been linked to health issues. Certain preservatives contain formaldehyde, which can be carcinogenic, and phthalates are potential endocrine disruptors. Even artificial fragrance can sensitize the skin, so we avoid synthetic fragrances.
The following brands create makeup that puts your skin first, the way it should have always been. They emphasize ingredients you’ll find in your favorite skincare products for skin that looks better when you take off your makeup, not worse. Natural and organic ingredients, along with safe synthetics, reduce the risk of irritation and make these foundations ideal for anyone with sensitive skin or whose skin is prone to inflammation-based conditions like acne, rosacea, or eczema. And every brand prioritizes sustainability, with measures like minimal packaging, recycled plastic, and ethical sourcing.
Read on for my honest thoughts and tips on the following clean foundations. And if you’re looking for more clean makeup reviews, check out our guides on lipsticks and mascaras.
Our methodology & criteria:
The Good Trade was sent these 10 foundations for review, and I personally tested them all. To test each foundation, I applied one pump (when applicable) all over with my fingers, then blended it in with a damp makeup sponge. I wore each foundation for two full days to see how it looked in different lighting and how it wore throughout the day. For reference, my skin is combo and acne-prone, with a slightly oily T-zone and dryness everywhere else.
NONTOXIC | Each brand below demonstrates a level of commitment to sourcing clean ingredients only. Many also use plastic-free packaging and/or have third-party sustainability certifications.
SHADE MATCHING | I used each website’s photos to determine my shade — you’ll see that some were easier to figure out than others! Also, the lighter the coverage, the easier the shade matching (because you have more wiggle room).
AFFORDABLE | You’ll find foundations at various price points on this list, so there’s something for every budget.
Best overall | Most affordable | Most shades available
1. ILIA
Best For | Dry skin
Natural Ingredients | Aloe juice, niacinamide, squalane
Coverage Level | Light
Shades Available | 30
My Shade | Salina SF5
Price Range | $54
Ilia’s True Skin Serum Foundation is a step up from their Skin Tint in terms of coverage — it provides light coverage but can be built up to medium. The foundation blends in easily and leaves a dewy finish, so I might prefer it more in the winter when my skin is drier. Ilia’s added some skincare ingredients into the product, too — it has niacinamide, allantoin, and aloe, all at levels shown to benefit the skin. Ilia is committed to 1% for the Planet, and they back all of their makeup with skincare ingredients, creating clean products that prioritize the health of your skin and the planet.
2. Juice Beauty
Best For | Silicone-free
Natural Ingredients | Champagne grape seed oil, coconut alkanes, rose powder pigments
Coverage Level | Light/medium
Shades Available | 13
My Shade | Naked Beige
Price Range | $44
Juice Beauty’s Phyto-Pigments Flawless Serum Foundation has my ideal light/medium coverage and a skin-like, not too dewy finish — this one might be my personal favorite. It’s full of skincare ingredients like antioxidant-rich grape seed oil and aloe juice, and it has a liquidy texture that substitutes silicones with coconut alkanes for a smooth finish. Plus, it looked exactly the same at the end of the day as it did at the beginning. Naked Beige was a perfect match for my summer tan, but I’d need something lighter in the winter — note that the shade matching was pretty difficult online, and the shade range isn’t phenomenal. Juice Beauty’s products are clean without sacrificing function, combining organic ingredients with clinically proven formulas for a foundation that works.
3. Saie
Best For | Skincare-like makeup
Natural Ingredients | Squalane, hyaluronic acid, marshmallow root extract, rice bran peptides
Coverage Level | Light/medium
Shades Available | 36
My Shade | 6
Price Range | $40
Saie is a buzzy, new-ish brand known for its skincare-first formulations. I’ve called them Glossier for adults in the past, reviewing some of their other products. Their Glowy Super Skin Tint Foundation fits their you-but-better model, giving you what is, in my opinion, a perfect amount of coverage — something between light and medium. It has a dewy but skin-like finish that also fits my preference, looking natural but still blurring imperfections really well. The brand calls the product 85% skincare and 15% weightless pigment, packing it with skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which draw in moisture, and rice bran peptides, which reduce the appearance of fine lines and hyperpigmentation. Maybe I’ll see an improvement in skin texture if I start wearing it every day!
4. RMS Beauty
Best For | Higher coverage
Natural Ingredients | Squalane, glycerin, jojoba oil, aloe
Coverage Level | Medium/full
Shades Available | 16
My Shade | 11.5
Price Range | $55; $45 per refill
Providing the most coverage of all the options I tried, RMS’s ReEvolve Natural Finish Foundation gives medium to full coverage in a formula that’s still packed with hydrating ingredients like glycerin and squalane. The refillable packaging reduces plastic, and the formula instantly evens skin tone and gets rid of redness without getting cakey. While its finish is a little more matte than my preferred dewy looks, I have to admit this will probably be my new go-to for formal events — especially weddings when I’m getting sweaty on the dance floor. To me, you can kind of feel this foundation sitting on the face, so while it’s not an everyday option for me, the finish is pretty darn flawless for special occasions. And that’s pretty much what RMS Beauty excels at — clean formulations that feel elevated and perform super well.
5. Merit
Best For | Concealer
Natural Ingredients | Sea daffodil extract, mica, glycerin
Coverage Level | Light/medium
Shades Available | 20
My Shade | Bisque
Price Range | $38
Merit’s Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick gives you as much or as little coverage as you want, anywhere you need it—and nowhere you don’t. It applies like a buttery concealer but blends out to a light/medium coverage foundation. I applied small strokes of Bisque where I most needed it — chin, forehead, nasolabial folds, and acne scars — and the lighter shade Ecru under my eyes, and buffed it all out with a makeup sponge (although the brand recs a makeup brush), leaving a surprisingly natural, glowy finish with just the right about of coverage. While the foundation was much easier to blend with a spritz of water or setting spray, it’s still such a convenient product for slipping in your bag for easy breezy coverage when you’re on the go. Merit prides itself on its minimalistic beauty products that eliminate any potentially harmful or irritating ingredients.
6. Jones Road
Best For | Light coverage
Natural Ingredients | Hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, olive oil
Coverage Level | Light, can be built up to medium
Shades Available | 12
My Shade | Fair
Price Range | $44
I really liked this one — What the Foundation has light coverage reads more like a tinted moisturizer than a foundation, but it’s easy to apply more layers and build up the coverage closer to medium. It comes in a beautiful glass pot that’s recyclable but not ideal for traveling, and it has a nice herbal scent from the ginger root oil. It has the consistency of a thick day cream, making it easy to pick up just the right amount, and left a dewy finish that I love but wouldn’t be ideal for oily skin types or hot summer days. I love how it evened out my tone, reducing redness, while still letting the skin’s natural texture show through — if I had cute freckles it wouldn’t cover them up. Founded by makeup artist Bobbi Brown, Jones Road specializes in clean formulations that are easy to use, and this product fits that description — it applied easily with my fingers, but blended out seamlessly with the sponge. One note: some folks complain about separation, and of my two samples, one came emulsified and silky and the other was separated and needed a mix. It doesn’t seem to affect performance, though.
7. Well People
Best For | Powder
Natural Ingredients | Corn starch, squalane, niacinamide
Coverage Level | Light
Shades Available | 12
My Shade | 4N
Price Range | $27
Well People’s Bio Powder Foundation might be my favorite powder I’ve ever tried. Instead of making my skin feel dry and cakey, it adds a luminous glow with the addition of light-reflecting mica and hydrating squalane, and it uses cornstarch instead of talc to absorb excess shine. It has light but buildable coverage, subtly blurring imperfections and making your skin a bit more radiant. Since I’m combo, I still prefer to use it only on my t-zone over a tinted moisturizer, but the powder is great for shine-reducing touch-ups on any skin type, dry to oily, and leaves skin with a lightweight, natural finish. Well People exclusively uses clean, ethically sourced ingredients for its dermatologist-developed formulas.
8. Kosas
Best For | Higher coverage
Natural Ingredients | Caffeine, squalane, peptides, niacinamide, artemisia flower extract
Coverage Level | Medium
Shades Available | 36
My Shade | 190
Price Range | $42
While Kosas’ Revealer Skin-Improving Foundation had the most coverage of any foundation I tested, it still lets skin show through with a medium coverage. It’s packed with beneficial ingredients—niacinamide and caffeine for brightening, peptides and hyaluronic acid for plumping, and zinc oxide for SPF 25 sun protection. It had a nice skin-like finish that did dry down and become slightly cakey by the end of the day, so I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who’s super dry. I’d also recommend a setting spray, as it definitely isn’t transfer-proof! Kosas specializes in skin-first makeup, making products clinically proven to improve your complexion — so their foundation is a great open for someone who’s conscious about the health of their skin and the planet, but wants a boost in coverage.
9. 100% Pure
Best For | Travel-friendly packaging
Natural Ingredients | Avocado oil, aloe, rice powder, pomegranate seed oil
Coverage Level | Medium
Shades Available | 7
My Shade | White Peach
Price Range | $48
100% Pure’s Fruit Pigmented Cream Foundation is the first foundation I’ve ever used that comes in a tin, meaning it’s super lightweight and easy to travel with — plus it’s easily recyclable, too. Pigmented naturally with fruit and cocoa beans, the solid-form foundation still has lots of slip — its number one ingredient is avocado oil. In fact, take a look at its ingredient list and you’ll see it’s made of nothing but different plant extracts, like pretty much everything else at the small company. It blended out easier that I thought it would with the damp sponge, giving a pretty medium coverage. Its finish is more satin than dewy and by the end of the day it was settling into my smile lines a tiny bit — so it’s probably unforgiving on super dry skin types. My shade, “white peach,” seemed a little orange at first (“creme” might have been a better shade match) but blended in well — note that the brand only has seven shades, so not a great shade range.
10. Attitude
Best For | Oily skin
Natural Ingredients | Algae extract, sunflower seed oil, plankton extract
Coverage Level | Light/medium
Shades Available | 6
My Shade | Nude
Price Range | $35
Attitude’s Light Coverage Foundation Stick has some great stuff going for it — it’s packaged completely in cardboard, it swipes directly onto the skin for easy application, and it’s only $35. While it glided smoothly over my skin on application, it had a drier finish than I was hoping for, taking a couple of extra spritzes of water on my sponge to fully blend out and emphasizing my flakiness a tiny bit. Once blended, it had a nice natural finish with a light to medium coverage, which I love, and it looked great an hour later. It’s just that I prefer something dewier. This one would be great for oily folks who don’t struggle with any dryness! I could also see the formula drying out over the course of a few months since it’s packaged in cardboard. Attitude does more than just makeup, making clean skincare, body care, and even home goods with some impressive sustainability practices like using minimal plastic.
Natalie Gale is a Boston-based freelance journalist. When she’s not writing about art, food, or sustainability, you can find her biking to the farmers’ market, baking, sewing, or planning her next Halloween costume. Say hi on Instagram!
