Blush is a nifty little tool that you can utilize to combat dull skin, add a bit of color to your cheeks and put a spring in your step. But it’s no shocker that most commercial blushes are just ridiculously overdone, throwing in dangerous synthetic chemicals every which way.
In reality, you don’t need any of that stuff to get vibrant, rosy-red cheeks- and luckily for us, a lot of people have already realized it. The range of natural and organic blush brands available nowadays is miles-wide and expanding; we may not have as much choice as synthetic makeup buyers do, but there’s still just enough to get lost in it all. So, to take a bit of the burden off your back, we’ve collected some of the most notable contenders in the scene right now and weighed up the good, the great, the not-so-good and the ‘could be better’.
A Roundup of the Best Natural and Organic Blush Brands
W3ll People Purist Mineral Blush
W3ll People’s products are somewhat of a bridge between the traditional hippie-go-lucky nature of natural makeup and the more glamorous fashion of big-business synthetic brands. But instead of making something that’s sort of natural and sort of glam, they’ve crafted lines that are perfect for both.
Their Purist Mineral Blush fits perfectly into this mould, bringing just enough color to your cheeks for an understated, high-class city sort of look and giving you vibrant, glowing skin in the process. The medium pigment in this natural blush makes for a great happy medium (just the right amount of color without being heavy), but you can also layer it on if you need to turn some heads. With a good brush, application is seamless, gliding across your skin and settling down without much hassle. It’s mostly sheer, very light and radiant.
The best part is that there aren’t many tricks up these guys’ sleeves – what you see is what you get. Their formula contains a few fan favorites of the natural beauty and health world; in particular, green tea and aloe vera to give it extra moisturizing and protective superpowers. The only little hiccup is that some shades contain the artificial colorant ferric ferrocyanide, which is typically used to get a vibrant blue color. Other than a few compounds made from some other naturally occurring substances and metals, the list checks out.
W3ll People claims that this line hasn’t been tested on ‘animals OR robots’, and it’s just so great to see companies finally opening their eyes to the growing horrors of android testing. Four for you, W3ll People.
Price: $22 for each color
Ingredients: Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide. May contain Ultramarine Blue, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Organic Aloe Barbadenis (Aloe)*, Matricaria recutita (Chamomile)**, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea)*. *USDA Organic, **QAI
100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip & Cheek Tint
This is probably our top pick for the best organic blush. 100% Pure are one of those companies that make no attempt whatsoever to disguise the fact that they just picked some stuff from their gardens and threw it in a product. As the name suggests, their lip and cheek tints are perfect for livening up your lipsticks and (wait for it) giving yourself rosy red cheeks.
What kind of pigment you get depends greatly on what shade you buy. If you just want to add a bit of umph and get a healthy glow, Pink Grapefruit, Peace and Cranberry is the way to go. If you’re looking for the wow factor, we’d definitely recommend either Shimmery Strawberry or Shimmery Cocoa Berry.
Whatever you get, though, you can be rest-assured that none of that fantastic pigment is ill-gotten. 100% Pure’s whole thing is that they only use fruit-based dyes, so unless you feel like strawberries might be holding a grudge against you, this tint won’t hurt your skin in any way, shape or form. While it’s creamy (lovely application!), it’s also light, non-cakey and does not clog your pores or make you break out. This obviously makes it a great choice for acne-prone and sensitive skin, since no matter how much of a little diva your skin is being, this all-natural blush will sit perfectly with it. It will also happily stay on for around about eight hours.
It’s not often we can say that a product is 100% natural and organic, without any sort of get-me-out-card (we’re looking at you, iron oxide), but this truly organic blush ticks all the boxes. 100% Pure are vehemently against animal testing, and because essentially all of the ingredients in this range are plant-based, it’s also a great choice for vegans.
Price: $25 per color
Ingredients: Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Honey Beeswax, Grapeseed Oil, Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate), pigments of Cranberry, Pomegranate, Blackberry, Raspberry, Cabernet Grape, Plum, Strawberry, Cherry, Peach, Apricot, Blueberry, Carrot and Tomato, Strawberry Extract
Tata Harper Volumizing Lip and Cheek Tint
Tata Harper’s seductive Volumizing Lip and Cheek Tint range comes in three shades; Very Vivacious, Very Charming and Very Sweet (translation: coral, candy floss pink and peach). These tints are very much on the pricier side of things, but you definitely get what you pay for. Their glossy pigments add a natural but vibrant glow to your cheeks or lips, with a mild, subtle shimmer thanks to the addition of mica.
It’s hydrating on the lips and enhances your natural lip color, but we especially love it for the cheeks – it provides a dewy, radiant luminance that quickly becomes addicting. It only stays on for around four to six hours, which means you might have to re-apply a few times during the day if you’re going for the long haul. Which isn’t much of a drawback considering how beautiful the case is – it’s oddly pleasurable just looking at it.
But what we really like about this line is that you can see Tata Harper have made an effort to go beyond just tinting. The formula contains various different anti-oxidant rich, nourishing oils extracted from things like green tea and acai berries. That means that you’re not just getting luscious color with this range; you’re also getting essential nutrients and protection from free radicals. What’s more, the recipe is completely free from irritants and toxins. It might not be completely natural, but it’s pretty damn close.
Tata Harper source their ingredients from their own farms which they have complete control over. They are strong advocates of cruelty free testing, so you don’t have to wonder for a second whether these products were tested on animals.
Price: $36.00 per color
Ingredients: Cocos nuciferra (Coconut) Fruit Extract, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax)*, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Seed wax, Natural and Organic flavors, Palmitoyl Isoleucine, Camellia sinensis (Green Tea) seed oil*, Plukenetia (Sacha Inchi) Volubilis Oil*, Euterpe oleracea (Acai) fruit oil*, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Lavandula stoechas (Spanish Lavender) Extract, Tocopherol MAY CONTAIN: Iron Oxides (CI 77499, CI 77491, CI 75409, CI 77891, CI 77492) Carmine, Jojoba Esters, Mica, Trihydroxystearin
Vapour Organic Beauty Blush
Vapour’s organic blush has found a balance between getting its shimmer on and looking natural that we just can’t get enough of. It’s completely devoid of anything that could disagree with your skin, so if you have sensitive skin, you might have just met your match. Application takes very little effort from you; blending is seamless and it settles on your skin like a dream. This range is actually ahead of most natural blush brands when it comes to staying power; just pop it on in the morning and you’ll be good for the entire day. For some extra sparkle, go for the Radiant shades.
Upon opening, the smell might make you suspicious, but that earthy fragrance comes from a natural incense called frankincense. Now, Vapour are very upfront about the fact that this range is only 70% organic, but what’s in there actually works to nourish and replenish your skin. No animals were involved in the testing of this range- though we should mention that these blushes aren’t suitable for vegans. Still, one of the best organic blush brands for green beauties.
Price: $35 per stick
Ingredients: Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil, Organic Cera Alba (Beeswax), Silica, Mica, Castor Isostearate Beeswax Succinate*, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Essential Oils & Natural Fruit Essences, Wildcrafted Boswellia Carteri (Frankincense) Gum, Organic Ocimum Sanctum (Tulsi/Holy Basil) ) Leaf Extract, Organic Nelumbo Nucifera (Lotus) ) Leaf Extract [+/-: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Carmine (CI 75470)] * Eco-cert
Jane Iredale PurePressed Blush
Jane Iredale’s PurePressed blushes are in the business of making your cheekbones stand out, and we have to say that they do a pretty bang-up job of it. Their natural-looking pigment works behind the scenes to accentuate and define your cheekbones as well as emulating your natural flush to pull the wool over the eyes of your dinner guest. The gentle formula means that they won’t irritate skin or clog pores – brilliant for oily or sensitive skin.
Vegans should take extra care when picking their shades, since most of them contain carmine. Luckily Jane Iredale are completely transparent about which ones are and aren’t vegan – kudos to you guys – so if you are looking for a vegan blush, check out the Copper Wind and Mocha shades. Every shade in the range is gluten free, though, so have at it.
All of Jane Iredale’s stock is certified under the CCIC’s Leaping Bunny program for cruelty-free testing. The formula is made up mostly of minerals (both organic and inorganic) with natural colorants and preservatives.
Natural looking and highly highly pigmented. They look natural and blend beautifully on the skin. None of that chalky nonsense I commonly encounter with other brands. Cruelty-free by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics’ (CCIC)
Price: $30 per color
Ingredients: Mica, Boron Nitride, Dimethicone, Pinus Strobus (Pine) Bark Extract, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Extract. [+/- (May Contain) Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77489, Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Carmine (Ci 75470), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Red 30 Lake (Ci 73360).
ILIA Multi Stick Blush
ILIA’s Multi Stick Blush is cream-based, so it’s not nearly as oily or greasy as some stain blushes. This makes it perfect for people with oily skin who need a lightweight, non-greasy formula, but it really has something to offer all skin types. The range only has four shades, but those shades have some serious character to them (and some rather inventive names).
It’s fairly high pigmented, but still manages to look natural and vibrant. For lighter skin, we’d recommend I Put A Spell On You or All Of Me. If you need something a bit darker, Cheek to Cheek is the way to go. It takes around about eight hours for it to start dwindling in color, depending on how much you put on. It’ll keep you looking glossy all day at the office without much need for re-application.
This range is essentially natural until you get to the ‘may contain’ side of things. It contains beeswax and shea butter for moisture along with a bunch of other great natural ingredients, but some shades use a synthetic coloring called tartrazine which can be an asthma trigger for some people.
Price: $34 per stick
Ingredients: Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil*, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Beeswax (Cera Alba)*, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit*, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Butter, Manihot Esculenta (Tapioca) Starch, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Tocopherol Acetate (Natural Vitamin E). May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide (Ci 77499, Ci 77492, Ci 77491), Red 7 Ci15850, Red 28 Ci45410, Yellow 5 Ci19140. *Certified Organic Ingredients. Ingrédients Certifiés Biologiques.
Juice Beauty Glowing Cheek Color
Juice Beauty’s Glowing Cheek Color range is suitable for a quiet afternoon with old friends as well as a night out on the town. You only have two choices of color, pink and fig, which means that this range is only really open to the people who use those shades.
Fig is great for those with darker skin tones, who are far too often forgotten about during the shade selection process, whereas Pink gives you that loud, explosive color that you’ve always wanted to try but never had the courage. Pink in particular is ideal for any situation where you need a bit of extra sparkle, but to get the shade a little weaker you can just use less. The obvious bonus to using it like this is that you’ll probably never run out of it. Oh, and we love the silky finish this product provides.
Juice Beauty thinks almost like a health drink manufacturer, so the formula is loaded with anti-oxidant rich superfoods that work wonders for fighting off pesky free radicals and offering protection to your worn out skin. It’s also certificated gluten free as well as being based out of mainly berry extracts and naturally occurring seed oils. Juice Beauty promises that these products were never, ever tested on animals.
Price: $16
Ingredients: Organic powders of manihot esculenta (organic tapioca)*, zea mays (organic corn)*, aloe barbadensis (organic aloe powder)*, zinc stearate, vitis vinifera (organic grape seed oil)*, vaccinium corymbosum (organic blueberry seed oil)*, punica granatum (organic pomegranate seed oil)*, rubus idaeus (organic raspberry seed oil)*, actinidia chinensis (organic kiwi seed oil)*, vaccinium macrocarpon (organic cranberry seed oil)*, fragaria ananassa (organic strawberry seed oil)*, euterpe oleracea (organic acai berry)*, lycium chinense (organic goji berry)*, jojoba esters, tocopherol (Vitamin E), ricinus communis (organic castor seed oil)*, extracts of thymus vulgaris (thyme extract), melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree extract), rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary extract) and citrus sinensis (sweet orange oil). May contain titanium dioxide, mica, iron oxides.
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