Hiya Gorgeous,
Elizabeth Taylor once said, “Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together.” There’s something empowering and totally sexy about a really great lipstick. Although I don’t wear it everyday, I love to dress up my smoocher when I’m out on the town or on stage. And I know many of my readers are curious about which lipsticks are safest and perform the best, which is why it’s Crazy Sexy Review time!
Every product we put on our bodies matters, but lipstick is something I pay extra attention to. After a day of noshing, green juice drinking, and gabbing, I’ve probably eaten a lot of it! There are lots of statistics on how much lipstick someone eats during their lifetime. Estimates range from 3.5 – 7 pounds. Regardless, we all know that some of the ingredients end up in our bodies and that they can build up over time. When the Environmental Working Group (EWG) studied body burden (the amount of chemicals stored in our bodies) they found the average person has nearly 300 different chemicals in their system, including PCBs and DDT, which were banned over 30 YEARS AGO in the US. We just don’t know what the long term effects of the buildup of these chemicals are, and the things we do know are pretty alarming.
That’s why I did a ton of research with my team of beauty sleuths (aka my wonderful staff!) over the course of several months on the most popular natural lipstick brands out there. The lipsticks chosen are based on your votes! And once again, I teamed up with the EWG to analyze the ingredients for each product so that you have the most up-to-date safety ratings. I picked my favorite colors, checked out whether they’ve been certified by PETA or Leaping Bunny and added the price for each—just to save you some extra time. I’ve also added some notes on my experience with each product to help you pick the best one for your needs. Here are the results!
My Crazy Sexy Lipstick and Lip Sheer Review
Please note: Although rms and Beauty Counter are not certified by PETA or Leaping Bunny, you can read about their practices here (both companies state that they do not test on animals): rms, Beautycounter
For those of you who are wellness detectives like I am and want to know more about how we vet the products I recommend, read this.
Have you ever tried Zuii? They’re one of my favorite makeup lines. There isn’t anything I haven’t tried and loved by them.
Can you give us a list of lipstick brands not to use?
Oooh fun! I’ve been using ZuZu cosmetics and Dr. Hauschka for the longest time, but I want to give a few of these a try! Thanks for doing all the work finding some great products, and for sharing! x
By the way, Kris, can you tell us which hair color you use? (Forgive me if that’s your natural color!) I just want to know if there are any good alternatives to hair color besides henna. I only know of Naturtint…
I would second this request!
Oh my gosh – THANK YOU! I just started wearing makeup and your mascara list was SUPER helpful! I’ve been waiting with bated breath to see this list! Thanks so much! <3
I am not much of a lipstick gal, but I LOVE lip gloss. My favorite combo is to layer the lipsaver (with spf 30) first then top it with Brown Sugar Lip Polish both from Arbonne. It is my company but I honestly have tried SO MANY throughout my life and these 2 together not only keep my lips smooth and soft but it lasts a good few hours and looks pretty and natural. (we are vegan certified too)
Have you tried any of the Ava’s lipsticks? What did you think? Would love to hear your opinion!
Diane
Thank you for doing this, Great info!
As a Naturopathic physician, I appreciate your “roundups” and “smackdowns”.
However, as you are someone who is looked to by many, many women, I am disappointed that you gave a nod of approval to a lip tint with an EWG rating of 6. Currently, EWG lists 21 lipsticks that are a rating of 0 and 120 that are a rating of 1. I would have hoped to have more of your team’s review of the functionality of “cleaner” options, if the point is to encourage women to reduce their toxic burden.
Thank you.
Hi Chandra,
Thanks for your comment. The lipsticks featured were voted on by the community. We reviewed the most popular brands so that readers would feel empowered to make educated choices.
Thanks, kc
Why in the world would you have lipsticks rated 3 and above on this list? And a lipstick rated 6? How did that make the list? And did you look at the Ava Anderson Non Toxic lipsticks?
Hey Alison,
The lipsticks featured in my Roundup were picked based on readers’ votes. We tested the most popular brands so that readers could make more educated decisions about their purchases.
Thanks! kc
What about Juice Beauty? I use their lip moisturizer and facial products but I’m not sure that they have lipstick. Thank you for all that you do! ♡ Cheryl
Suzanne Somers organic lipstick.
While lipstick isn’t something I wear often, I did just discover the OCC Lip Tars, which are vegan, and I’m obsessed with the black metal dahlia color. I also like Amazonian Butter Lipstick by Tarte. I wish you would have reviewed that instead of their Lip Tint. Thanks for your testing and ratings. I actually bought a mascara from your last beauty post and loved it. Really dying for you to do a foundation post!
So happy to hear that, Samantha! Thanks for sharing. xo
Leaping Bunny is not all Vegan FYI- they brand company’s with no animal testing and not all are animal product free. 🙁
Our “The Organic Skin Co” lipsticks are pretty special too… Cruelty free and containing a whole lot of goodness.
Great article thanks for the information and all the research!
Aubrey Organics Natural Lips Sheer Tint, more a gloss than a lipstick…great ingredients, cruelty-free. Aubrey Organics should be included in any comparison of organic personal products, especially shampoo.
Mary Kay cosmetics does not test on animals. Because I am vegan, I would love to know where they stand on the list.
Hi Carmen,
Sadly, Mary Kay is not cruelty-free. Mary Kay is sold in China where animal testing is mandatory. The good news is that there are plenty of cruelty-free and vegan brands on the market.
I love you Kris Carr and I LOVE Beautycounter Lip Sheer! It actually won Allure’s Best of Beauty Award but unlike conventional products, it’s incredibly SAFE! I always say it feels like butter and tastes like cake. But NO artificial fragrance. I literally am in love with this lip sheer! xo
Agree!
I’m a self-proclaimed lipstick addict! At least I was until I heard all about lead in lipstick. I’m in love with Beautycounter lip sheers. The Tahitian vanilla that we use in our formula tastes and smells divine (my toddler is constantly trying to steal my lips sheers out of the diaper bag! I have pictures of him covered in the stuff as he grins from ear to ear, hahahaha!). I just wanted to add that our lips sheers also double as a blush. It’s a great way to keep your look both uniform and unique 😀
I love Faerie Organic line!! Everything they make is so great!! <3