Glossy lips became the ultimate trend during the 90s when teen films showcased them to the world. Actresses like Cameron Diaz and Lindsay Lohan sported silky pouts coated in synthetic liquid gloss that seemed tempted to drip right off of the skin, but never did. Thankfully, trends evolve and we’ve come a long way from 90s style lip gloss. The questionable ingredients of these lip glosses are a distant memory and today it’s natural lip gloss that steals the show for its clean ingredients.
In this article we discuss the following:
- What is Lip Gloss?
- Ingredients in Lip Gloss to Avoid
- What is Natural Lip Gloss?
- Why Should I Use Natural Lip Gloss?
- Organic Lip Gloss
- Reasons to Use Organic Lip Gloss
- Vegan Lip Gloss Explained
- Reasons to Use Vegan Lip Gloss
- Top 7 Best Natural Lip Gloss
- Top 7 Best Organic Lip Gloss
- Top 8 Best Vegan Lip Gloss
- DIY: Make Your Own Lip Gloss
- Top 5 Healthy Lip Gloss Recipes
What is Lip Gloss?
Contrary to lipstick and chapstick, lip gloss is the stuff that looks a lot like a shiny desert oasis is appearing right there on the mouth. The semi-gel like substance is much closer to a liquid than a solid, and it slides effortlessly over one’s lips, leaving behind a glossy lustre in the process.
Lip gloss might be translucent in color or it might be tinted. Different color lip gloss gives the wearer a subtle lip tint in their desired shade and, unlike with lipsticks, there seem to be no colors that are out of the question. Orange, green, blue, and even yellow lip gloss exist.
Some lip gloss takes it up a notch and features lip glitter right there in the mix. For the most part, people opt for more natural shades of lip gloss such as pale pink, soft red, or an array of “nude” tones.
Ingredients in Lip Gloss to Avoid
Because lip gloss rose to popularity in a time when health and sustainability was not really of concern to the beauty industry, the original lip gloss formulas contained a lot of questionable ingredients.
Access to better science and information has shed light on many toxins that simply should no longer be tolerated when it comes to things we put onto (and into) our bodies. There is extensive research available backing the notion that chemicals that have long been used in our personal grooming products might actually contribute to illness.
Having a small amount of toxic product on your lips might seem harmless, especially if you don’t use lip gloss as your daily go-to moisturizer. In actuality, carrying harmful toxins on your lips for even a short period of time is often worse than carrying it on other parts of your body.
You see, the skin on your lips is extremely thin, despite its voluptuous illusion. This makes it easy for the body to absorb substances directly into the blood stream, including the questionable ingredients in your gloss.
More than this, most people end up ingesting the gloss toxins via swallowing small amounts of the product every time they sip water or chew food.
The ingredients that need to be avoided in lip gloss are as follows:
Petroleum Jelly
This is a big one, as it actually causes all of the upcoming toxic ingredients to be more intensely absorbed by the lips than they normally would. This is because petroleum jelly forms an airtight barrier over the skin, forcing inward penetration of all other ingredients.
Petroleum jelly is made from… petroleum. Yes, petrol that your car uses to run. It goes through a refining process in order to turn to jelly, and in the process runs risk of multiple types of contamination. As a result, petroleum jelly has long been listed as a dangerous carcinogen linked to the likes of breast cancer and other devastating conditions.
Parabens
You might already be used to looking out for beauty products that read “paraben free”. This has been a massive advancement in the wellness world, as parabens have the unique ability to mimic estrogen. Some countries, such as Denmark, have actually made it illegal to use parabens on children under the age of 3.
Propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben and isopropylparaben are some of the most frequently used versions. They have been linked to breast cancer and skin cancer in women and reduced fertility levels in men.
Butylated Hydroxyanisole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene
These are preservatives that were widely used in the making of original forms of lip gloss. They have both been repeatedly linked to cancer, respiratory irritation, reproductive toxicity and disruption in organs.
Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, Homosalate
These are also known as chemical sunscreens. On the toxicity rating scale where 1 is low and 10 is high, these have been rated a worrying number 8.
They act like estrogen when ingested in the body. In women this leads to endometriosis, and in men a compromised sperm count. Hormone imbalance is also a common occurrence with repeated exposure.
“Flavors”
Listing “flavoring” as an ingredient remains one of the ways that beauty product manufacturers get away with withholding hidden toxin information from the public. They claim they are merely protecting trade secrets, but in reality they are simply avoiding the word ‘phthalates’.
Phthalates are used to make flavors and fragrances in lip products. They are directly linked to infertility in both males and females, as well as the worsening of symptoms associated with allergies and asthma.
What is Natural Lip Gloss?
It becomes clear that with the ever-expanding nature of beauty science, that one can no longer choose to ignore the red flags that are present in almost every drugstore product that we use. The fact that what we use to moisturize our skin, wash our hair, or gloss our lips could eventually lead to some form of cancer should be enough to abandon all unnatural brands once and for all.
Seeing the gap in the market, some beauty brands took it upon themselves to start manufacturing natural cosmetics, including natural lip gloss. Instead of a cocktail of harmful toxins, these instead use botanical ingredients that naturally occur in nature, and therefore hold little to no risk of compromising the human body.
What’s more, there are a seemingly endless amount of ways in which to make natural lip gloss. So many natural ingredients offer the silky, oily texture that lip gloss is centered around.
Why Should I Use Natural Lip Gloss?
It goes without saying that you should use natural lip gloss on account of the fact that increasing your susceptibility to cancer, infertility and other ailments simply doesn’t sit well with you. Rejecting unnatural, synthetic, toxin filled lip gloss brands is a powerful way of protecting your body from the various health risks.
Risks aside, switching to a natural lip gloss comes with some benefits of its own. Since the ingredients are all natural and usually botanical based, this lip gloss comes with some beneficial nutrients.
Natural lip gloss tends to have significant anti-aging properties due to active ingredients such as vitamin E, berry extract, and green tea. Natural gloss is also moisture filled, containing ingredients such as shea butter or coconut oil.
In place of phthalates, natural lip gloss makes use of essential oils and fruits to achieve fragrance and flavorings. The options then become endless, as almost every fruit can be extracted for pigments and essential oils offer scents to match. Essential oils are also naturally antibacterial, which can protect the lips and reduce bacterial invasion.
Because the manufacturing process for natural lip gloss is not yet mainstream, these products are sold at notably higher prices compared to synthetic, drugstore renditions. As with anything, you get what you pay for, and if avoiding cancer and infertility comes at a slightly higher cost then that is a sacrifice we are willing to make!
Wondering how to find the best natural lip gloss? Eve Dawes, the founder of Dawes Custom Cosmetics, says “when looking for natural lip glosses, I start with making sure the brand is cruelty-free, then checking the ingredients; specifically to make sure alcohol denat isn’t in there. Lastly I look to see where they’re manufactured, as I like to opt for made in the USA wherever possible. To support businesses here and reduce my carbon footprint.”
Organic Lip Gloss
Organic lip gloss is a natural form of lip gloss that is made using only organic botanicals that are free from GMOs, pesticides, steroids or antibiotics.
While most natural lip gloss is made from a mix of different fruits, vitamins and oils, not all of them can say that said ingredients are of organic descent. The same way one might shop for organic produce, one may also shop for organic cosmetics and grooming products.
Organic lip gloss is one of the most difficult natural lip glosses to find. It is a process not adopted by most natural manufacturers as the availability of organic ingredients is not easy to guarantee year round. Most botanicals are seasonal, so a factory might have access to, for example, organic green tea leaves half of the year, and the other half of the year they would need to source from elsewhere in the world.
It makes production complicated, so organic lip gloss is usually only found in a limited array of scents and flavors; those which are easier to guarantee in year round production.
Some people opt to make organic lip gloss at home, rather than seek it from a retailer. It’s easy to do with ingredients available at just about any supermarket or wellness store.
Reasons to Use Organic Lip Gloss
While any natural lip gloss is superior to synthetic ones, organic lip gloss is at the top of the food chain amongst the naturals.
There is literally no downside to organic lip gloss. It has the benefits of natural gloss, with the added bonus of almost guaranteeing you’re never absorbing the harmful agents used in the farming of the botanical-based ingredients.
Unfortunately even natural and vegan lip gloss comes with the risk of chemical exposure having occurred on the ingredients prior to the time of production. Opting to only use organic means you’re at less risk of absorbing, or digesting, any of these botanical-growth agents through daily use of a lip gloss.
More than this, using organic products remains one of the easiest ways to reduce one’s carbon footprint and make a positive impact on the environment. If more people were to demand organic produce, farms around the world would need to start accommodating.
Farming with pesticides, chemical fertilizers and steroids causes millions of tons of harmful toxins to be released into Earth’s atmosphere on a daily basis. Non-organic farming has been repeatedly linked to global warming, with little end in sight so long as we opt not to make some sustainable changes.
It’s not only the atmosphere that is affected by the pesticides and chemicals, it’s the soil too. Growing non-organic produce can contaminate thousands of acres of land over time, eventually rendering the soil infertile and unsuitable for human survival.
Switching to organic lip gloss might feel like taking a small drop out of a very big pond, but if enough consumers around the world were to do it, the impact would be far more significant. This will happen one consumer at a time; don’t underestimate your ability to influence change within this market.
Vegan Lip Gloss Explained
This is an interesting sub-category within the world of natural lip gloss. At this point, it’s almost impossible to find a natural or organic lip gloss that isn’t, by definition, ‘vegan’.
In everyday understanding, being vegan is accepted as simply making use of plant-derived foods, ingredients and materials. Since natural lip gloss is already only made from botanicals, they qualify as vegan in this regard.
However, being vegan in the beauty industry goes a bit deeper than simply what we personally use and consume. The beauty industry has a longstanding relationship with the abuse of animals, specifically during the production process.
A lot of beauty products need to be trialed and tested before they can be sold on the commercial market. Some manufacturers opt against human trials, as they are costly and come with more risk. Using animals as clinical subjects is far cheaper and less risky, as there are no consequences to killing a rabbit with toxic lip gloss.
For a lip gloss to be authentically vegan, it needs to be made by a brand that is in no way affiliated with the use of animals in both pre- and post-production procedures. Any lip gloss not involved in animal abuse will likely showcase a proud “vegan” or “cruelty free” logo somewhere near the ingredient list.
Another reason you might not find the vegan stamp of approval on a lip gloss is that, albeit natural, it contains an ingredient derived from animals themselves. With natural lip glosses this is usually in the form of beeswax, which is a powerful agent in antibacterial protection.
Reasons to Use Vegan Lip Gloss
Not only is testing on animals outdated, it is also highly unnecessary and evil. The fact that any product was able to make it into the mainstream market without the use of animals shows that there is no reason for all others to follow suit.
If you consider yourself to be an “animal lover”, this alone is reason enough to use vegan lip gloss and only vegan lip gloss. In fact, this is reason enough to use all things vegan and cruelty free at all times. If you’re okay with animals being burnt, skinned, infected and tormented so that you can have glossy lips, then it’s high time you stop claiming animal love at all.
Real animal lovers know which brands harm and which brands help. Vegan lip gloss is a sure way of weeding out the bad ones, so to speak.
Animal love aside, there is something reassuring about investing in lip gloss that has been tried and tested on an actual human being before finding its way onto your lips. We don’t know about you, but we feel there is a certain comfort that comes with a vegan brand who can guarantee their product is not harmful to humans, as opposed to only being able to guarantee that their product wasn’t harmful on the puppy, rabbit or monkey that they used in their research.
What we’re saying is: testing of medicines and cosmetics on animals is not always accurate.
To better understand this, one need only revert back to the Thalidomide incident of the 1950s. Thalidomide was a sleeping pill that had been newly introduced to the public, and despite years of positive testing on an array of animals, it had never shown to do anything but the task for which it was intended — induce sleep.
It wasn’t long before users of thalidomide began birthing babies with multiple defects as a result of the drug being in their systems; something that could not have been foreseen by simply using an animal as a test patient.
If one case isn’t enough to elevate the importance of vegan and cruelty free products, consider the arthritis drug Vioxx that followed shortly thereafter. This was a drug that had shown to protect the hearts of mice quite powerfully, but by the time it was ingested by humans it led to sudden cardiac deaths and had to be pulled from the market.
Again, a vegan lip gloss might feel like an insignificant addition to a beauty routine that is likely the antithesis of cruelty free as it stands. But switching out one product at a time is the best way to work toward a more sustainable and healthier regime for the future. Allow your non-cruelty free products to run out one by one, and find suitable replacements within the vegan market.
Top 7 Best Natural Lip Gloss
1. Lily Lolo Natural Lip Gloss
With a base of jojoba and beeswax, Lily Lolo’s natural lip gloss is a feast of nourishment and protection. We love that it is packed with Vitamin E. There are 9 colors to choose from, and they are all vegan friendly aside from English Rose, Bitten Pink, Scandalips and Cocktail.
2. 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Gloss
This innovative brand has managed to derive their unique shades using just fruit and herbs, spanning from turmeric all the way to red wine! The gloss itself is essentially just a paste made from berries, which results in a not-too-shiny finish that is perfect for everyday wear.
3. Ere Perez Cheek & Lip Tint
This 2-for-1 deal gets you a gloss with the ability to tint both your cheeks and lips using the same product. The formula makes use of the staining power of beetroot to offer a long-lasting, radiant shine. This lip gloss is also rich in Vitamin E.
4. Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Sheer Lip Gloss
The subtlety of the Juice Beauty lip gloss is not something to be ignored. This oil based solution glides over even the roughest of lips, leaving them looking sheer and moisturized for a gorgeous understated look. Pomegranate and rose are the key ingredients in this lip gloss.
5. W3ll People Bio Extreme Lipgloss
For people with sensitive skin, there’s W3ll People’s Bio Lip Gloss range. On offer in 6 natural shades, this lip gloss is totally fragrance free.
6. Tata Harper Be Adored Lip Tint
It was Prince who first sang about the ‘raspberry beret’, and we’ve been obsessed with the shade ever since. Tata Harper’s natural lip gloss brings the rich hue of fresh raspberries right to your lips. The plumping formula is able to reduce the appearance of lip wrinkles.
7. FitGlow Beauty Lip Color Serum
FitGlow’s lightweight gloss can be worn on its own or over existing lipstick. It will never become sticky or weighed down, which isn’t something that can be said about all natural gloss on the market. The shea butter in the formula works to reduce fine lines over time.
Top 7 Best Organic Lip Gloss
1. The Organic Skin Co All About The Gloss
Caster seed oil and sunflower seed oil are the key ingredients to this organic must-have gloss. It’s a luscious formula that gives lips a natural tint and impeccable shine. Extracts of organic calendula and rosemary help to protect your pout from the harsh elements.
2. Han Organic Lip Gloss
Han is unique; it’s one of few organic glosses that is made using argan oil as the main carrier. There are also traces of acai in the mix, which puts the nutrients of the Brazilian superfood right there on your face. We love the smell of this lip gloss!
3. Vapour Elixir Organic Lip Gloss
This lip gloss also features the wonder of acai, with the addition of another superfood from the East: goji berries. There are 20 impressive shades under the Vapour brand. Even their packaging is environmentally friendly.
4. Crop Natural Smooth Glide Organic Lip Gloss
Crop Natural has nailed the lip gloss game. They took a successful lip balm, lip stain and lip gloss and combined them for maximum effect. The result is a lip gloss that stays on longer than most lipsticks.
5. RMS Beauty Organic Lip Shine
RMS is a sheer gloss that comes in a pot rather than a stick. You’ll apply with your finger and enjoy an extremely light-wear product. If your lips are sensitive, you’ll want to move away from products containing castor oil.
6. Kjaer Weis Organic Lip Gloss
Kjaer Weis is a wonderful cosmetic brand to support; their entire line is certified organic with an impressive rating of above 95%. This long wear gloss glides over like a dream and is never sticky. Kjaer Weis is known for their universally flattering shades.
7. Sappho New Paradigm Organic Lip Gloss
Fond retailers refer to Sappho’s organic gloss as “liquid lipstick”. This gloss can take a punch; it’s a mixture of oils and waxes, making it a soft yet tough little product. At present there are only four shades of Sappho available.
Top 8 Best Vegan Lip Gloss
1. Hush + Dotti Vegan Lip Gloss
Moisture, moisture, moisture: that’s all Hush + Dotti are concerned about! They’ve outdone themselves with this gloss that contains a base mix of organic shea and cocoa butter. With 10 beautiful shades this is a brand you want to look out for.
2. Erin’s Faces Mineral Vegan Lip Gloss
We’re big fans of beauty products that contain the natural wonders of chamomile. Mixed with a balance of oils and waxes, this lip gloss applies like butter and is not sticky in the least. Rest assured you won’t be pulling hair out of your mouth all day because of your gloss.
3. Inika Vegan Lip Glaze
Natural lip gloss always leaves lips in a softer, more nourished state than they were originally found. Inika’s vegan formulation, however, seems to soften ten fold, which is likely a result of candelilla wax mixed with rosehip. Inika prefers the term ‘glaze’ as opposed to gloss.
4. Tarte Vegan Lip Gloss
Tarte is proud of their vegan status and have been at the forefront of cruelty free cosmetics for years. Their lip gloss is intended for daily wear, and the applicator wand makes touching up on-the-go super easy.
5. Lip Smacker Vegan Liquid Gloss
Lip Smacker is another big name in the gloss world. They’ve been around since before vegan gloss was a concern in the world, and have upheld their integrity through and through. Their lip gloss is targeted at a much younger market, with flavors that take you right back to the 90s. Bubblegum gloss, anyone?
This is the most affordable vegan lip gloss on the market.
6. Pacifica Enlightened Vegan Lip Gloss
Pacifica is proudly 100% vegan and cruelty free. They are also proud of their lip gloss and it’s non-sticky, hydrating formula. Somehow Pacifica appears to be both matte and glossy at the same time; you’ll have to try it to understand.
7. Elf Lip Exfoliator
Elf isn’t a gloss per say, but the formula leaves lips with a subtle shine that is difficult to ignore. Lip exfoliators are important for removing dead skin build up and promoting cellular growth. Individuals with scars on or around their lips should use this type of gloss in an effort to heal over time.
8. Dawes Custom Cosmetics Lip Gloss
This organic vegan lip gloss is made with natural plant waxes made to condition and restore your lips. Its non-sticky, high shine, waterproof, and long lasting finish is perfect for summer and pool days. We love that Dawes Custom Cosmetics comes in whatever color you want and the options are endless! Create your custom lipgloss or lipstick in person, via a virtual video call appointment, or online.
DIY: Make Your Own Lip Gloss
Save yourself the trouble of sampling existing brands of natural lip gloss and make your own instead. With just a few ingredients (usually ones you already have laying around) you can mix a batch of gloss in just a few minutes.
Homemade lip gloss generally costs under $10 to make, and that includes enough product for both you and your friends. This is a third or fourth of what most natural lip gloss costs at retail price.
What you initially need when making your own lip gloss is a good carrier ingredient. Carriers like cocoa butter or shea butter work best, but you can also use something like jojoba or coconut oil instead.
A homemade lip gloss needs a decent wax formulation in order to bind everything together. You’ll have two options for this: either beeswax or paraffin. If being vegan and cruelty free is of importance to you, then paraffin is the most obvious choice.
Next, choose your oils. These will make or break your lip gloss in terms of being simply aesthetic versus actually nourishing. Vitamin E oil makes a great addition to any homemade gloss and can be purchased at most wellness stores. Alternatively, rosehip oil does wonders.
If you desire your homemade gloss to have a specific fragrance, then opt for the addition of an essential oil as well. We love using orange and lavender, and would recommend moving away from the likes of tea tree or jasmine as they are extremely potent and can be overwhelming when worn so close to the nose.
Finally, you’ll need access to a microwave. If this is out of the question, then prepare a stainless steel bowl or pot full of boiling water, and submerge a glass measuring cup into it. You’ll add each ingredient into the cup and it will melt as a result of the surrounding heat.
Top 5 Healthy Lip Gloss Recipes
We recommend investing in some empty gloss containers or lip balm pots for the storing of your product once made. Homemade lip gloss can last a long time when properly stored in small batches. Do not refrigerate your gloss as it will congeal and likely cause most of the ingredients to separate.
1. Pink Lavender Homemade Lip Gloss
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Shea Butter
- 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1 tbsp Beeswax
- ⅕ tsp of Rose Mica Powder
- 3 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
Method:
- Add the olive oil, shea butter, beeswax and coconut oil into your mixing cup.
- Use the microwave or boiling water to melt the mixture in the cup.
- Mix in your mica powder and essential oil. Mica powder in the shade ‘rose’ is what will give your gloss the pink hue. Without it you will make translucent gloss.
2. Orange Blossom Homemade Lip Gloss
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp Grape Seed Oil
- 2 tbsp Cocoa Butter
- 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1 tbsp Beeswax
- 3 drops of Orange Essential Oil
- 3 Vitamin E Oil Capsules
Method:
- Add the grape seed oil, cocoa butter, beeswax and coconut oil into your mixing cup.
- Use the microwave or boiling water to melt the mixture in the cup.
- Cut open each Vitamin E capsule,empty into the cup, and mix well.
- Add the orange essential oil and mix well.
3. Ruby Red Beet Juice Lip Gloss
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp Paraffin
- 1 tbsp Almond Oil
- 2 Vitamin E Oil Capsules
- 1/4 tbsp Shea Butter
- 1/2 tsp of juice from a Beetroot
Method:
- Melt the paraffin in a cup using a microwave or melting pot.
- Stir in the almond oil, followed by the shea butter.
- Cut open the Vitamin E capsules and add.
- Finally, stir in the juice of the beetroot for the rich red hue.
- Allow to cool before storing.
4. Vanilla Dream Lip Gloss
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp Beeswax
- ½ tsp Sesame Oil
- ½ tsb Coconut Oil
- 2 Vitamin E Oil Capsules
- ½ tsp Vanilla Essential OIl
- 1 tsp cocoa butter
- Food coloring (optional)
Method:
- Melt the beeswax in a cup using a microwave or melting pot.
- Stir in the sesame oil and coconut oil simultaneously.
- Melt the cocoa butter into the mix.
- Cut open the Vitamin E capsules and add.
- Stir in the vanilla essential oil, and food coloring if desired.
5. Soft Pink Rose Lip Gloss
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Unrefined Coconut Oil
- 2 tbsp Shea Butter
- 2 tbsp Paraffin
- 5 drops Rose Hip Oil
- 1 tsp Rose Water
- 3 drops Rose Essential Oil
- ⅛ tsp of Rose Mica Powder
Method:
- Add the olive oil, coconut oil, paraffin and shea butter into your mixing cup.
- Use the microwave or boiling water to melt the mixture in the cup.
- Mix in your mica powder and all remaining oils.
- Gently add the rose water ensuring the mixture doesn’t become too runny.
- Allow to cool.
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