Put Your Best Face Forward

I was cursed with the world’s most sensitive skin. The first time I wore a full face of makeup was for my junior prom. The following day, my face was swollen and bruised due to “skin sensitivity.”

written by Emma Nolan

From that point on, I made it my goal to find makeup that would work for my skin. I tested out different products with the same results almost every time. Before I started to look into natural makeup options a mere three years ago, I didn’t know what was in my makeup or what I was putting on my face.

It wasn’t until I tried my friend’s natural RMS brand makeup that I found the solution to my problem. I knew there was no way I could ever go back.

Intrigued by what I stumbled across, I learned more about the natural and organic ingredients that replaced the manufactured chemicals in my typical drugstore-brand makeup. After doing additional research, I found more brands like RMS with cult-like followings.

There were an insane amount of natural and organic products out there that I had no idea existed. Seeing how popular these brands were, I began to question why people would buy anything other than natural makeup. However, over the past few years, the desire and demand for natural and organic makeup has increased and ultimately changed the industry as a whole.

Change can even begin with just one person. Tata Harper is a female entrepreneur and successful natural makeup creator in the organic and natural beauty market, whose value is expected to earn $13.2 billion by the end of the year, according to fastcompany.com. When Harper’s dad was told to remove all synthetic materials from his daily life due to cancer, she tried to do the same thing. However, it was extremely hard for her to get rid of her beauty products. Discovering this problem, she decided to make a change and create her own organic line.

Harper spent years searching Europe for chemical-free skin products. She discovered that Spanish lavender extract holds the same properties that reduce wrinkle formation as certain chemicals. She also found rosehip seed oil as a retinol replacement. Finding these fixes only led to more discoveries. After her years of travel across Europe, she opened her eponymous makeup line on a Vermont farm and soon became a Sephora top-seller.

Harper is just one success story out of several companies that have blossomed in the natural makeup movement. For instance, The Detox Market is a green beauty e-commerce shop that took off in 2010. Similar to Harper’s story, The Detox Market family was looking for a way to detoxify their life due to cancer. Building relationships within the green beauty movement, the Detox Market built four locations and developed an online site with over 100 natural, organic and/or vegan brands. The Detox Market has also influenced Sephora’s natural beauty section.

One brand carried by The Detox Market is ILIA, an allnatural makeup line developed with the intent to create the purest possible products for skin to absorb. From personal experience, I can say that ILIA’s eyeshadow works wonders. The product is intense in both the look it gives and the skin benefits it provides. With a variety of different colors, there is one that works for everyone and does so in a healthy manner.

100% Pure is yet another natural makeup company taking over the beauty industry. 100% Pure defines natural ingredients as ones that “originate from nature and ONLY undergo chemical changes due to biological processes such as fermentation, distillation and cold processing.” Because of their totally organic regime, even the most sensitive skin (like mine!) can enjoy their products. My personal favorites are the Fruit Pigmented Mascaras and the Long-Lasting Concealer with super fruits. Application for both feels light and much cleaner than synthesized products.

Additionally, the URBN corporation (which houses Free People, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, among others) has begun to sell a variety of natural and organic products over the past five years. These products come from companies such as ILIA and Juice Beauty, as well as brands like YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE, Dope Naturally and Frank Body. From sunscreen to highlighters, these manufacturers create and sell makeup at price points that work for every budget.

After having such a great experience with the makeup products that I use now, I’ve developed my own natural beauty regimen. I use Tea Tree Oil on my acne and Coconut Oil on my face before bed when I need to restore my winter skin. I use Vitamin E oil to hydrate and prep my face for lotion every morning. When I wear makeup, even if it’s just mascara or concealer, I know to always check the ingredients for products that I can actually read and understand.

Although I see many benefits of natural and organic makeup, the major variable that causes many people to resist purchasing it is the high cost. However, with the up and coming popularity of organic brands, major companies are making natural beauty more affordable and available to their everyday customers.

It’s been years since I first tested natural and organic makeup, but it still makes all the difference. I feel healthier and happier than ever. When I choose to wear makeup for a special occassion or a night out, I always use organic products, because I know that I will never have to wake up with a red and swollen face again.

We live in a world that is very focused on being healthy and fit. Celebrities and athletes encourage their own healthy diets and products, promising that they will make us feel and look like them. With all the hype surrounding diets and exercise, it seems that there is a clear connection between inner and outer nutrition, as well. If we care so much about what we put into our bodies, we should care just as much—if not more—about what we put on them.