Non-Toxic Makeup: What to Look for on the Label

“Non-toxic makeup” is a phrase with no legal definition behind it. Neither the FDA nor the FTC defines “clean” for cosmetics, so the front of the package tells you very little. The ingredient list tells you more, once you know which few words to look for.

We scanned 133 beauty products between September 23 and October 5, 2026, and re-scored them all on October 6. Two makeup types stood out for opposite reasons: lip products and mascara.

Scores are 0–10 from the ToxFree app. A hormone flag means the label lists an ingredient regulators or researchers have linked to endocrine disruption, or an undisclosed fragrance blend. A flag is a reason to look closer, not proof of harm. These are best-sellers we chose to scan, not a random sample of the market.

Lip products: the category to check first

Lip products are the makeup you are most likely to swallow a little of, a bit with every drink and every meal. That is why we start here.

We scanned 14 lip products. They averaged 4.2 out of 10, none scored Clean, and 7 of the 14 listed fragrance (or parfum). That was the only hormone flag in the group. In the US, “fragrance” can stand in for a blend of many chemicals, and the label doesn’t say which ones. We explain that in What “fragrance” on a label can hide.

So the first label check for a lip product is simple: scan the end of the ingredient list for “fragrance” or “parfum.”

Five of the 14 landed in Avoid, and not all of them for hormone reasons, since some lost points for other ingredients. A low score and a hormone flag are different things, and the app shows you which one you’re looking at.

Mascara: the reassuring result

Mascara surprised us. Of 10 mascaras, none had a hormone flag, and none listed fragrance. The group averaged 6.3, and two scored Clean: ILIA Limitless Lash Lengthening Mascara and Benefit BADgal BANG! Volumizing Waterproof Mascara, both 7 out of 10. The other eight scored Mixed, and their deductions were for other ingredients, not hormone-linked ones.

The takeaway is not “mascara is automatically fine.” It is that the thing to worry about on a mascara label is different from the thing to worry about on a lip product. Formulas change; check the label on the bottle you buy.

What to check when choosing non-toxic makeup

You don’t need to memorize 50 ingredients. These cover most of what regulators and researchers have flagged in cosmetics:

• Fragrance or parfum. The most common flag in our whole dataset. If a product doesn’t need a scent, it’s an easy one to skip.
• Parabens. Names ending in “-paraben.” The EU lists butylparaben and isobutylparaben as identified endocrine disruptors (List I), and methylparaben and propylparaben are under evaluation there. They’re now rare in best-sellers: only 2 of our 133 products listed one. More in Are parabens bad?.
• UV filters in tinted or SPF makeup. Homosalate and oxybenzone are on the app’s hormone list. If a foundation or tinted product has SPF, read the active ingredients.
• BHA and BHT. Both appear on EU lists of substances under evaluation for endocrine effects.
• Triphenyl phosphate (TPHP). On the EU’s List I. It is best known from nail polish; see our nail polish guide.
• Phthalates, including DBP. The EU bans DBP in cosmetics. If a label names it, that’s a clear signal.

The EU lists are maintained at edlists.org by the Danish EPA for Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Spain, and they’re a good second opinion when a name is unfamiliar.

Prioritize by how you use it

Not every product deserves the same scrutiny. Exposure depends on how much you use, how often, and how long it stays on.

1. Lip products you wear daily and reapply through the day.
2. Anything applied to a large area daily, like tinted moisturizer or foundation.
3. Eye products, where the amount is tiny and the flags in our data were rare.
4. Occasional products like a holiday palette, which matter least.

If you’re pregnant or managing a health condition, talk to your doctor; this article isn’t medical advice.

A simple swap order

If you want to change just a few things, do it in this order. Replace the lip product with a fragrance-free one. Check the label on anything with SPF. Then work outward to the rest of your bag as items run out. A full overhaul is rarely necessary, and the label on each product is the better guide than any brand’s reputation. The next article digs into why: Non-toxic makeup brands.

What a good score does and doesn’t tell you

A Clean verdict means 7 or higher in the app, with no hormone flags. The two Clean mascaras are the only makeup products in our makeup scans that reached it, which tells you something about how rare that is, not that everything else is dangerous. Eight of the ten mascaras and nine of the fourteen lip products scored Mixed, which is the app saying “look closer,” not “stop using this.”

Sources

• EU endocrine disruptor lists (edlists.org)
• Commission Regulation (EU) 1004/2014 (propyl- and butylparaben)
• Duke University: Mendelsohn et al., Environment International 2016 (TPHP)
• FDA fragrance allergen rule timeline (ChemLinked)
• ToxFree scans of 133 products, September 23 – October 5, 2026, re-scored October 6, 2026

Educational information, not medical advice. Formulas change, so check the label on the product you buy.