Do you have a secret lurking in your makeup bag? (And is its name MAC or Christian Dior?) If you haven't quite made the crossover to clean beauty because you're hooked on the hues in not-so-great-for-you formulations, there's a new trend right now that might turn you into a full natural beauty convert.
"I'm definitely seeing a lot of innovation in color right now in cosmetics," says Annie Jackson, vice president of merchandising and planning at Credo Beauty, which is opening a fourth location (in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) this April. "Brands are coming to market with products that are what you'd find in conventional beauty—but with clean ingredients."
"Companies are coming out with blue eyeliners and bright hues of mascara, where even two years ago we didn't see that kind of product development."
Just look at the influx of pretty purples and aquamarines hitting the non-toxic beauty aisles—Jackson points to W3ll People's colorful mascaras (a fresh take on their cult fave) as a prime example. "Companies are coming out with blue eyeliners and bright hues of mascara, where even two years ago we didn't see that kind of product development," she says.
"People do want more pops of color than [in] earlier years," affirms Ashley Prange, founder of Au Naturale Cosmetics, an organic line that carries a rainbow of eyeshadows and lipsticks. "They also want saturated color in a semi-matte finish." That's why she's launching even more bold lip and eye products in April (score).
Whereas your typical out-there shade is made with artificial dyes, natural brands are able to obtain gorgeous (and just as vibrant) hues from, well, the earth.
"If you just travel across the US, you'll see some beautiful, bright red rocks, for instance," says Regis Haberkorn, president of sales and marketing at Inika, a vegan cosmetics brand. "Nature has the ability to make these colors. You just have to be stubborn enough to obtain those materials."
Jackson agrees that it's a lot harder to formulate with clean ingredients (as opposed to the chem-lab formulations that most mainstream beauty brands use): "These [clean] brands have really hustled and worked with manufacturers to come up with great products that are as on-trend as anything you find in other retailers, but without the toxic or questionable ingredients."
So if ever there was a time to safely experiment with green lipstick (hey, you never know), it's now. And your makeup bag? Pencil in some spring cleaning—because the natural beauty world is (gloriously, boldly) in bloom.
Scroll down for 6 products in standout shades to add to your clean beauty collection.
W3ll People Expressionist Mascara in Pro Blue, $22
Au Naturale Cosmetics Lipstick in Wild Lotus, $22
Ilia Pure Eyeliner in Nightclubbing, $24
Kjaer Weis Green Depth Shadow, $45
Alima Pure Satin Matte Eyeshadow in Cobalt, $14
Inika Certified Organic Vegan Lipstick in Dark Cherry, $29
Now that your makeup's settled, maybe you'd want to try the buzzy, crystal-inspired hair color that's huge this year. Or you could chop it off for a new look, a la Jemima Kirke.
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