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Looking for the best natural foundation? Look no further than this list of various formulas and shades with better-for-you ingredients. From lightweight to medium coverage, these blends help even out your complexion while also offering a healthy glow.
Want to know what makes me totally giddy? Clean beauty. You know what makes me even giddier? Natural foundations…that work! Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about clean beauty including: clean beauty essentials, the best skincare from Whole Foods and even alternatives to Beautycounter.
First up to review: the best natural foundation. Why does it matter if you use a natural/clean/green foundation vs. a conventional one? How about coverage? From light to full-coverage foundation I’m breaking down the best of the best from the 20+ I’ve tried.
Why Switch to a Natural Foundation?
What you put on your skin matters. Period. So many of us care about what we are putting into our bodies but we don’t think twice about what we’re putting on our skin. Our skin is the largest organ in/on our body and is absorbing the chemicals and compounds in the products we put on it! Foundation is a great place to start switching over your makeup bag because out of all the makeup you put on, foundation covers the most ground.
If you’re nervous about switching, search these brands to see if they offer sample sizes or see if there are any clean beauty stores near you that offer samples. If you’re in SF, I love Credo Beauty but Sephora has also started selling some of these brands!
Natural Foundations I Didn’t Love
I figured I’d share some of the products I really didn’t like. Of course this is my personal opinion and everyone’s experience is different but I tend to trust personal recommendations when it comes to makeup products.
Beautycounter Dew Skin – I found this to be more of a BB cream than a foundation. They advertise it as being buildable but I’d like the first application to apply more than a tinted moisturizer if that’s what it’s advertised as.
Kjaer Weis Cream Foundation – honestly one of the worst foundations I’ve tried and also the most expensive. Apparently it works better with oily skin and/or applied directly after a facial oil but for the price I’d expect this to look like liquid gold on my face. Weirdly their liquid foundation is MUCH better (this came out after my original review).
ILIA True Serum Foundation – Unlike the ILIA skin tint which I LOVE, I found their serum foundation made me break out. I’m super sensitive to dimethicone (a silicone) and it almost always makes me break out so I’ve since retired this one. Wish I didn’t have to!
Any powder foundations – there are tons of powder foundations out there and I’ve to find one I like. This is probably just a personal preference but I know you guys will ask about pressed powder and that’s why there aren’t any included.
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From glowy to matte finish and various levels of hydration and pigment, this list of the best natural foundations offer something for every skin tone and texture! Note, many are also cruelty-free and paraben free!
The Best Natural Foundations
01. Kjaer Weis Liquid Foundation $48
After not loving their cream foundation I'm not sure why I decided to purchase this, but I'm so glad I did! It hydrates and soothes the skin while providing super natural coverage. It’s light to medium coverage which is what I have been preferring lately!
02. Kosas Tinted Face Oil $42
It’s hard to beat this lightweight natural foundation. The ingredients are stellar and it barely feels like you’re wearing anything. I unfortunately bought a shade too light so I wear it in the winter when I’m super pale or add a sprinkle of the Ann Marie Mineral Foundation (below) to the product to make it darker. If you like a nourishing oil with just there coverage this product will become a favorite.
03. Exa High Fidelity Foundation $38
I’ve been loving this foundation for buildable coverage! I’ve worn it with really light coverage and built to more full coverage and love both!
04. Range Beauty Foundation $21
This is a hydrating foundation with nourishing ingredients. Range Beauty is Black and women owned business designed to be more diverse and less toxic. Try out a sample foundation to color match!
05. ILIA Skin Tint (SPF 40) $46
Technically it is not a foundation but it does provide a light coverage that evens out skin tone. Not only that, but it also contains 40 SPF and skin benefitting ingredients like hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. If you have oily skin I’d recommend using a setting powder after use but if you have dry skin like I do, this ILIA skin tint is the moisturizing and nourishing facial SPF you’ve been looking for.
what are the best foundations with spf?
there are so many ads and so many pop-ups on your website or this page rather that I cannot even tell what you’ve written and what’s being advertised is terrible and I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. but it’s true.
#4 has phenoxyethanol in it so not as good as I thought. Alot of people want to go clean for pregnancy and that’s an ingredient to avoid :/
Hi, thank you for all your wonderful information on clean makeup and skincare! I always love to read about what other people are using. I’ve tried to clean up my make up a couple of years ago. I have been using Mineral Fusion make up and skin care. I wanted to know if you have ever tried it and what are your thoughts on this brand? I do notice that almost everything is EWG verified. I’m not sure about their skin care but it seems a lot cleaner than the Clinique that I had been using for years…. I just notice that when I read about what people are using when they’re using clean make up I don’t see them ever mentioning Mineral Fusion. I really love this brand and feel it’s very clean. I was just wondering if you had an opinion on it? Thank you!
Jody – great question! As far as ingredients go Mineral Fusion is good – it’s more with the how long-lasting it is. I just don’t find that it stands the test of time. Their mascara for example goes on great but usually flakes within a few hours. If you have success with it then by all means keep using it! Thanks for the great question!
As my skin is very sensitive and I want to try the natural as well as a lightweight foundation that does not affect my skin. Gressa corrective foundation is a nice product that flawlessly covers all my blemishes and scarring, and gives me a gorgeous look.
I second Haley’s question above!
Thank you so much! I’m really curious to try the infamous Gressa Corrective Serum – but I’ve never tried any Gressa products. Do you have any tips for picking the right shade via online shopping? Given the current pandemic, I don’t think I’ll be able to find my shade in person.
Gressa offers nice samples to buy that help you find your shade. You can buy a light, medium, or deep selection and try several at once.
awesome!!!
Ah, you also placed your not so favorites! This definitely helps. One thing I’m always concerned about with foundations in the market is that they ALWAYS seem to break me out. That’s why I started y quest to find clean beauty foundations. Thanks for the recommendations!
of course!