Every girl needs a solid eyeshadow palette in her makeup bag, am I right? For me, it’s a staple! But of course, it needs to be non-toxic and made with safe ingredients, duh! So if you’re new to clean beauty, you’re in luck, because there is a plethora of brands nowadays. Back when green beauty was in its infancy, there was like, literally one palette to choose from and it was not very good. Boy, how times have changed—we no longer have to sacrifice performance for safety, woohoo!
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Ingredients to Avoid in Eyeshadows
First, the main ingredient to avoid when purchasing eyeshadow is TALC ❌ which is usually used as the primary ingredient in powdered products.
Talc is a mineral (magnesium silicate, or talcum powder) that can be contaminated with asbestos fibers, so it’s ESPECIALLY important to avoid it in makeup powders because of the inhalation risk. According to EWG, studies by the National Toxicology Panel demonstrated that even cosmetic-grade talc that claims to be free of asbestos can still be toxic and carcinogenic.
A rare exception would be if a brand conducts third-party testing to ensure there is zero asbestos contamination in the talc. But most clean beauty brands choose to exclude talc altogether in their formulas, especially since there are so many alternatives to use instead!
Other common ingredients to avoid in eyeshadows:
- Bismuth oxychloride
- Fragrance
- Gluten (if you have a sensitivity)
- Nanoparticles
- Parabens
- Paraffin
- PEGs
- Phenoxyethanol
- PTFE (an ingredient used in non-stick cookware, sometimes found in eyeshadow!)
- Silicones
What about dyes? 🎨
When it comes to clean beauty, some brands do use FD&C or lake dyes (mostly in lipstick, blush, or eyeshadow)! You might see these listed as Red 40 or Yellow 5, for instance. The reason they are used is because it can be difficult to achieve certain pigments from natural sources alone.
It’s sort of a gray area so I’d encourage you to decide what’s best for you. The concern would be that they’re derived from crude petroleum which may contain carcinogenic contaminants and heavy metals. I personally am okay with them in makeup if the rest of the ingredients are clean and a low percentage is used.
But rest assured, if you wish to avoid them completely, there are plenty of options below that are only pigmented naturally with elements like minerals (mica, iron oxides), fruit, and gemstones!
The Best Clean & Natural Pressed Eyeshadow Palettes (Talc Free!)
Thankfully, there are plenty of organic and low tox alternatives for eyeshadows these days, sans talc! I’ve literally tried sooooo many brands over the years and narrowed this list down to the best ones that I recommend. I also asked my readers to share their faves and included those too!
100% Pure Fruit Pigmented® Eyeshadow Palettes
💵 Price: $55 for 5 colors (shimmer and metallic)
📦 Packaging: Magnetic paperboard with mirror, metal pans (not refillable)
⏱️ Shelf Life: 6 months (I keep mine longer 🙃)
🗒️ Other Notes: Vegan, cruelty-free, natural fruit and mineral pigments, no lake dyes, made in USA
The cool thing about 100% Pure palettes is that they’re multi-use! Each compact has two bigger pans that double as blush or highlighter. They even incorporate actual fruit extracts for color such as plum, pomegranate, and strawberry. I love the Rose Gold palette which has warm metallics, nude pinks, and lustrous goldens.
The one thing to note is that these don’t have many mattes; most of them have at least a hint of shimmer to them. I do experience minor creasing with these shadows after a couple of hours if I don’t prime my eyelids first. But they do have a nice amount of pigment and blend well.
This brand was a common response when I asked my readers for their favorites as well!
“I use this multi-purpose palette for eyeshadow, blush, and bronzer. The colors are beautiful pinky-neutral tones and seem to last all day. The palette is also lightweight and easy to pack in a makeup bag!” -Ellen R.
Also available here at The Choosy Chick (discount code ORGANICALLYBECCA) and Amazon.
Elate Pressed EyeColours (⭐️ Becca’s Favorite! ♻️ Refillable)
💵 Price: $14 for 1 color (matte and shimmer; 8 shades total)
📦 Packaging: Build your own palette! Elate has various sustainably sourced bamboo palettes and the aluminum pans fit magnetically within them. Eyeshadows come in compostable Bagasse (sugar cane fiber).
⏱️ Shelf Life: 12 months
🗒️ Other Notes: Vegan, cruelty-free, natural pigments, no lake dyes, made in Canada, good for oily eyelids
Eco-friendly FTW! There are a lot of things that intrigued me about Elate’s eyeshadows. First of all, they’re a super conscious and sustainable brand: B Corp, use FSC-Certified bamboo, ethical and fair sourcing, the refills come in compostable material…I could go on! But I really love the CUSTOMIZABLE aspect of these. Oftentimes I find myself not using an entire eyeshadow palette and just gravitating toward select shades. So being able to build your own is amazing and wayyyyy less wasteful.
Additionally, these are really helpful for absorbing oil because they’re formulated with bamboo stem extract and calcium carbonate. So if you have hooded, oily eyelids like me, you might want to try these because they’re quite creaseproof and still look nice after hours of wear!
I love the shades Sweet (warm pink), Ethereal (shimmery light gold), Modish (plum lustre), and Soar (matte vanilla). They give the prettiest glow that looks natural yet still beautiful and fun. Heads up, the shimmers are more pigmented and have better payoff compared to the mattes which are more subdued.
Elate has a couple of compact sizes. I also appreciate that you can get Perfectly Imperfect palettes that have minor flaws but come at a reduced price.
You can use code ORGANICALLYBECCA for a discount at Elate 🏷️
Also available here at Earth Hero (discount code BECCA10) and Poppy Avenue.
Related post: “How to Sustainably Discard Old & Empty Cosmetics: Everything You Need to Know”
Honest Get It Together Eyeshadow Palette
💵 Price: $27 for 10 colors (matte, satin, and shimmer)
📦 Packaging: Magnetic paperboard with mirror, metal pans (not refillable)
⏱️ Shelf Life: 12 months
🗒️ Other Notes: Cruelty-free (not vegan, contains carmine), natural pigments, no lake dyes, made in USA
This palette is the best bang for your buck because you get a whopping 10 shades that are versatile! There are two larger pans: Vanilla’d Velvet is a creamy white that doubles as a highlighter, and Magnetic Ink is a dark gray that works as a soft eyeliner. The remaining eight are bronzes, mauves, mochas, plums, and coppers.
When I initially tried this, it surprised me in a good way, honestly! (pun intended) They are velvety and have pretty strong pigment. My only gripe is that I wish the palette had one or two more light/neutral colors for a base; most of the shades are on the dark side. But if you want to do dramatic smokey eyes or gradient looks, this might be up your alley!
If you have oily eyelids like me, you might notice a little creasing as the day goes on if you don’t use a primer first. But for the most part, the color holds up well.
Honest also makes affordable bamboo eyeshadow brushes that work well!
“I think for the price, the quality of the Honest palette is hard to beat. The colors have great payoff, they blend well, and they last. I also like that the colors are versatile—I can do a soft, minimal look or a bolder look with only that palette!” -Heather W.
You can use code HONEST10 for a discount on your first order 🏷️
Also available here at Target, Amazon, and Ulta.
Related post: “The Top 3 Clean & Natural Setting Powders (Talc Free!)”
Ilia The Necessary Eyeshadow Palettes (⭐️ Reader Favorite!)
💵 Price: $40 for 6 colors (matte, satin, and metallic)
📦 Packaging: Recyclable mono-material plastic, metal pans (not refillable)
⏱️ Shelf Life: 12 months
🗒️ Other Notes: Vegan, cruelty-free, dyes and natural pigments, made in USA
When I polled my followers on Instagram, this was their number one top pick! And I see why; it’s probably the closest to a conventional eyeshadow palette in terms of rich color payoff, strong pigment, and a buttery soft texture.
Ilia has two color combos: Cool Nude and Warm Nude. I use the Cool Nude palette which has blush, taupe, soft grey, and violet tones. The metallic shades actually have a good amount of sparkle to them too. Sooooo pretty!
Sometimes I notice very minimal creasing with these after a long, humid day. But not too bad. Overall I think these are really great and I like ‘em!
(PS, looking for an eyelid primer to prevent creasing? Ilia’s Brightening Eyelid Primer is a fave of mine!)
“I love the size of Ilia’s palettes because I feel like giant palettes are wasteful. Every color is usable, the payoff is good, easy to blend, and minimal fallout too!” -Emma (@emmasbeautybar)
Also available here at The Detox Market, Credo, and Amazon.
Lily Lolo Pressed Eye Palettes
💵 Price: $34 for 8 colors (matte, metallic, shimmer, and demi-matte)
📦 Packaging: Plastic compact with mirror and metal pans (not refillable)
⏱️ Shelf Life: 12 months
🗒️ Other Notes: Vegan, cruelty-free, non-GMO, natural pigments, no lake dyes, made in UK
This is another popular reader favorite! Lily Lolo is one of the OG mineral makeup brands and one of the first clean eyeshadows I tried. They have a bunch of color combos to select from; I enjoy the Laid Bare palette which has a lot of neutral nudes and beiges. Each Lily Lolo compact comes with a little dual-sided sponge brush, too! I find that the sponge works better to pick up the pigment compared to my usual brushes.
The pans are on the smaller side, but the plus side is that you get more shades per palette (eight). The coverages range from sheen, regular, to rich so you get a variety!
“The Lily Lolo Laid Bare palette is a neutral lover’s dream. The shades are wearable shimmers ranging from light to dark to offer many different looks. They wear all day and the formula is like butter to apply. My favorite shade is the bronze to add a pop of color!” -Kelsey H.
You can use code ORGANICALLYBECCA for a discount on Lily Lolo at Love Peace Organic 🏷️
Also available here at The Choosy Chick (discount code ORGANICALLYBECCA) and The Detox Market.
Sappho Eyes Open Eyeshadows (♻️ Refillable!)
💵 Price: $21 for 1 color (satin, matte, and shimmer; 16 shades total)
📦 Packaging: Build your own palette! Refillable paper compacts (magnetic) and recyclable metal pans arrive in plastic-free, non-laminated envelopes
⏱️ Shelf Life: 2 years
🗒️ Other Notes: Vegan, cruelty-free, tested for PFAS, natural pigments, no lake dyes, responsibly sourced mica, made in Canada
These are more expensive, but if you’re looking for impeccable quality, this is what I’d suggest! Sappho is founded by a pro makeup artist, JoAnn Fowler. They’re transparent and go above and beyond to ensure safety and ethical sourcing.
For example, they test all of their products for PFAS (aka, forever chemicals) and are always reformulating to improve their findings. The mica supplier is part of the Responsible Mica Initiative and is verified child labor free (it’s a notorious industry, unfortunately). In addition, Sappho uses non-irradiated, non-nano, and low photosensitivity minerals that have a low heavy metal content. The eyeshadows are made with at least 70% organic ingredients too. Kudos! 👏
I like shades Monica (pale peachy pink, satin matte finish) for a base and Rebekah (their bestseller: mauvy pink with light gold sparkles and iridescent finish) layered on top. The shimmer is not that intense and more on the subtle side, but looks really elegant.
Also available here at The Detox Market.
Related post: “High-Performance Clean Beauty: Best Long-Lasting & Smudge-Proof Products”
Well People Power Palette Eyeshadows (💰 Budget-Friendly Option!)
💵 Price: $22 for 5 colors (matte and shimmer)
📦 Packaging: Magnetic paperboard with mirror, metal pans (not refillable)
⏱️ Shelf Life: 6 months
🗒️ Other Notes: Vegan, cruelty-free, natural pigments and food-grade dyes, made in China
Looking for something more affordable? Here ya go! I like the Violet palette which has pinks and cool brown hues. Well People used to offer one with some vibrant colors too, so hopefully they’ll bring that one back someday!
I will say, these don’t have as good of a payoff as the others, so you do have to work a bit harder to get nice pigment, especially with the lighter shades. But you can’t beat the price. Plus you can find this brand at Target or Ulta if you’re in a pinch!
Also available here at The Detox Market.
Pro Tips:
For a more saturated color, dampen your brush first and then build up your eyeshadow look in layers! Or use a precise angled brush to make a smokey eyeliner effect.
Eyeshadow Brushes:
Au Naturale’s cruelty-free brushes are wonderful! For a budget-friendly alternative, Honest makes a 2-in-1 bamboo shadow brush and crease brush that work well.
Adiós, creasing:
If you struggle with creasing, Ilia’s Brightening Eyelid Primer is an excellent low tox primer to use before applying eyeshadow. It helps control oil production and makes a smooth base for long-lasting wear.
As you can see, there are tons of awesome options to pick from! I hope this post was helpful and led you to discover your new favorite clean eyeshadow palette. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions! Thanks for reading 💚
