If you’re looking to clean up your makeup products but would like to maintain the convenience and affordability of finding makeup at your local drugstore, I’ve got you covered! After finding natural beauty brands and products at stores like Target and Walmart, I bought them and used them. I am sharing the best products that I will definitely buy again with the peace of mind of knowing that they are safe and affordable. Keep reading to find the best clean drugstore makeup!
In the past, I’ve focused on using makeup from clean beauty companies like 100 Percent Pure, Hynt Beauty, Kosas, and Lily Lolo. Since my oldest daughter wears makeup, it’s hard on my bank account to buy her more expensive products! I don’t want to buy her expensive products from luxury brands, but she needs clean, more affordable and accessible options. Plus, she runs out of various products more often than I’d like, so I wanted to see if it was possible to find clean makeup products at a much lower price that were available for pickup at stores like Amazon, Target, Walmart, or Walgreens.
I bought quite a few products, mainly from Target and Amazon, that had more natural ingredients and used them personally for 2 months. I’m so happy to say that I found some really great products that I will not only purchase again for my daughter but also use!
I also found drugstore makeup brands that I thought would be cleaner than they were and I found some drugstore brands that I had no idea had so many different products that contained cleaner ingredients and were generally safer products. And the best thing is that all of these products are much more affordable than typical clean makeup brands.
What determines a clean product?
For this post, I used the EWG (Environmental Working Group) Skin Deep Database as well as the Think Dirty app. I wanted all the products I chose to have a score of 3 or less. If you are not familiar with the EWG score, they give products a score from 0 to 10 with 10 being an extremely toxic product. EWG bases the score on a product’s ingredients, as well as product usage, demographic information, and the brand and company. They also consider whether a brand is cruelty-free.
They also hand select the products and label them as EWG VERIFIED.® A verified product is the safest and cleanest product you can find.
“When a product is VERIFIED by EWG®, means it meets EWG’s strict scientific standards for transparency and health. Our team of toxicologists, chemists and epidemiologists examine each product, allowing you to buy safer products.”
ELF Cosmetics – Clean and Cheap:
The cruelty-free brand, ELF, ended up being a pleasant surprise. They offer quite a few clean beauty products that work well. You could achieve a complete makeup look using only elf cosmetics. This cruelty-free makeup and skincare brand is a winner in the world of clean beauty. There’s nothing better than how low their prices are, but be sure to check each individual product. Just because they have quite a few clean items doesn’t mean the entire product line is safe. However, they are 100% vegan and all products are free of phthalates, parabens, nonylphenol ethoxylates, triclosan, triclocarban and hydroquinone. All skincare is also sulfate-free.
Related Post: Homemade Makeup Setting Spray
Clean Drugstore Makeup Products:
When it comes to makeup companies, it can be difficult to avoid toxic chemicals that are harmful to your health. I’ve found that some makeup brands have some promising products, but they also have quite a few extremely dirty products. I’ve rounded up a ton of drugstore makeup products that are safe, affordable, and wear well!
Please note that a product’s rating may vary from color to color. Below are mainly the products I purchased and have been using. You can see the products in action in the image above. I also added a few more makeup products to my wish list that are also safe.
Related Post: How to Clean Makeup Brushes + Homemade Makeup Brush Cleaner
- Physicians Formula Tanning Enhancer Air Brush: I love this bronzer for a subtle tan. I’m even using the brush that it comes with and using this product not only for a natural glow but also for contouring. There is a slight sheen that is minimal enough to feel very natural. Many Physicians Formula products rate high on the EWG scale, but this tanner is rated a 2.
- Burt’s Bees 100% Natural Blush with Vitamin E in Shy Pink: This is my favorite blush I’ve used in a long time. The color is a perfect balance between pink and peach and the blush is very pigmented. A little bit goes a long way. The EWG rating is 2.
- ELF Metallic Liquid Eyeshadow: This is not a product I purchased but I plan to. I wanted to include it because I couldn’t get over the beautiful colors and great reviews. Additionally, most colors scored a 2 on the EWG scale.
- ELF Shadow Lock Eyelid Primer: I tend to have oily eyelids and I picked this up a while ago when I was getting ready to update my hooded eye makeup tutorial. I needed something to keep my eye makeup from creasing. This product worked and finished clean too!
- Morphe 2 Ready Eyeshadow Palette in 5 in Malibu: This is one of my all-time favorite eyeshadow palettes and it’s only $7! In fact, I don’t even need to use foundation with these shadows. They stay soft, blend well, and have bold shades. I can’t seem to find this palette on EWG again, so I searched for it on Think Dirty and got a score of 4. I could have sworn it got a lower score, but I’ll keep digging.
- Well People Bio Stick Foundation: This was the most expensive product I purchased, but I needed a foundation and I prefer a creamier, lighter formula that provides a dewy finish. I love how this product evens out my skin tone without feeling heavy, cakey, or dry. It is ideal for sensitive skin and contains vitamin E to help with fine lines. This stick foundation is GTE verified which means it is approved as a clean product. Well People is a natural brand sold at Target and their most toxic product is only a 3.
- Makeup Revolution Highlighter Reloaded in Just My Type: This is an easy-to-use highlighter that provides a beautiful glow without looking flashy. I also use it as an eye shadow. These highlighters get a score of 3.
- ELF Camo Concealer Concealer in Yellow: This color correcting concealer works great on blemishes and dark circles under the eyes. It is not thick or pasty and is long lasting. It comes in several other color correcting shades. Many ELF concealers have a rating of 2, however it varies from color to color.
- ELF Bite Size Shade in I Love You A Latte: I didn’t buy this product but it scores a 2 on the EWG scale and has great reviews. It would be a great alternative to the Morphe 2 palette if you are looking for a lower rating and cheaper product.
- ELF Camo Powder Foundation: Another product that I haven’t personally tried, but it also scores a 2 on the EWG scale and is much more affordable ($5) than the Well People Foundation Stick. It is a buildable coverage foundation that is said to be lightweight.
- ELF Brow Products: I admit, I’ve had better brow pencils, but this one Instant Lift Brow Pencil It’s great in a pinch and has a handy brow brush. Additionally, it obtains a score of 2 on the EWG scale. I love the double-sided eyebrow and eyelash mascara and I still have to try the Lock on Liner and eyebrow cream which is also on my list to try and also gets a 2.
- ELF Expert Eyeliner: I bought 2 liquid eyeliners and found that they were both comfortable to use and as easy to apply as any other more expensive brand I’ve tried. However, after purchasing them, I realized that the Expert Eye Liner scored a 4. ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil gets a 3.
- NYX Professional Makeup Lip Lingerie XXL Matte It scores a 2 on the EWG scale, which is unheard of for lip color. I discovered this after purchasing all the products for this post. I’m excited to try it. Buy the Loud NYX Line Vegan Lip Liner in Born To Hustle. I love it and can attest that it lasts a long time. Gets a 3.
- ColourPop Lip Liner and Lippie Stix: I ordered the wrong colors so I didn’t love these 2 products but the line would have been fine if I had gotten the right color. The Lippie Stix in Oh Snap was a subtle lipstick that wasn’t flattering. I also bought ELF Lip Gloss in Bright Pink and I fell in love. However, it scores a 4 on the EWG scale, which is not bad, but I like to stay below a 3 for products that are used daily.
- Honest Mascara: I bought the Honest Extreme length 2-in-1 primer and mascara many times. It is a great natural mascara and tends to work well for sensitive eyes. It has a higher price. I also tried the Eyelash tint with Honest Healthy serum which also has a higher price. I tend to use this daily for conditioning. Contains castor oil and other natural ingredients to help thicken and lengthen eyelashes. I think the brush makes it difficult to apply and can be difficult to remove, but I feel like it does my lashes some good. I also bought ELF Big Moods Volumizing Mascara. I wasn’t impressed, but it’s very affordable and scores a 3. I can make it work as long as I apply 2 or 3 coats. My daughter confirmed that it was difficult to work with and the mascara didn’t seem to transfer from the brush to our lashes.
BUY CLEAN PHARMACY BEAUTY:
If you’re looking for a clean lip balm, all of Dr. Bronner’s lip balms are EWG verified. and available at Target. Furthermore, the super popular NYX Fat Lip Oil in Clear It rates a 3 on the EWG scale. Colored lip oils don’t score as low.
After this post, you should be able to fill your entire makeup bag with clean, affordable products that can easily be found at a drugstore near you. And I don’t have to close every week when my daughter tells me she’s out of something new!
xx, jenni
