By Charlotte Hope-Shannon
The rise of the Clean Beauty movement has summoned a new wave of ethical lipsticks to the market. But with face masks becoming our new staple accessory, it’s easy for us to throw our lip products into the shade this winter. With the rise of experimental eye makeup becoming the norm for 2021, lip products have noticeably taken a back foot. However, mask wearing shouldn’t mean that lipstick is cancelled, especially when Christmas is just around the corner!
When I take off my mask this festive period, I still want to look and feel my best. This includes choosing beauty products that align with my own social and environmental ethos. In other words, brands who hold a commitment to ethical practice, without skimping on luxurious, long lasting and feel-good formulations.
Lipstick is one of the easiest ways to look put together and is an instant mood booster – in today’s climate we deserve some luxurious relief to make us feel top of our game!
It’s time to be clever with our lipstick choices and application methods this Christmas. From a long wearing matte pout to a subtle lip stain or a gently diffused crayon balm, texture is key.
So, to help make your Christmas that little bit more special this year, we’ve listed below five of our favourite ethical lipstick brands. And remember, there’s no such thing as too many lipsticks!
5 Ethical Lipstick Brands With A Difference
Lisa Eldridge, renowned globally for her creative, boundary-pushing makeup artistry, has released her own line of luxury lipsticks. Built with a sophisticated, ethical awareness and a cutting-edge True Velvet formulation, these are the perfect go-to lipsticks for the festive season. The bullets mimic the appearance of velvet fabric and apply seamlessly, without tugging – which I adore!
“Each bullet has the appearance of beautifully plush velvet fabric, a ‘trompe l’oeil’ that has to be seen to be believed. This is matte lipstick revolutionised with a saturated technicolour formulation and a creamy texture with a slight sheen that’s 3-D and luscious, not a flat matte."
Currently available in 15 shades, Lisa’s lipsticks are 100% cruelty free, fragrance free, perfume free, gluten free and paraben free.
She also has a range of nourishing lip glosses which offer a non-sticky veil of colour to the lips. These are also fragrance free, perfume free, silicone free and vegan.
I love wearing the shades Velvet Blush and Velvet Fawn, both individually or blended together to make my own custom colour! I love that all her shades are universally flattering and how the tones change dependant on skin colour. Innovation and inclusivity at its best!
Vapour Beauty is a plant-powered beauty brand, whose ethics are deeply rooted in product performance, ingredient purity, sustainability and health.
Their products contain 70% certified organic ingredients with 30% minerals and vitamins. Rich in antioxidants, EFAs, vitamins and minerals, Vapour Beauty’s ingredients are designed to support skin health.
“Organic certification standards go beyond farming practices to include strict regulations, which ensure responsible non-chemical raw ingredient processing.”
Vapour Beauty uses no irradiation, no synthetic chemicals, no petroleum ingredients and no nanoparticles. And, more specifically, their lipsticks are free from petroleum, polybutene, silicone, dimethicone and polyacrylamide.
Instead, they use ingredients such as organic Jojoba oil and Sunflower oil to nourish and hydrate.
Vapour Beauty features a wide variety of lip products perfect for the festive season. From a High Voltage Lipstick and Lip Nectar, through to an Organic Lip Conditioner, Elixir Gloss and Velvet Gloss, they’ve got us covered for Christmas!
Kjaer Weis fuses Scandinavian minimalist aesthetics with unapologetic luxury and sustainability. Packaged with longevity in mind, the lipsticks are refillable and arrive adorned in a red lacquer, grain-textured case, made to last a lifetime.
“Kjaer Weis ensures that not only are all our ingredients Certified Natural or Certified Organic, but that they always reach the standards of luxury beauty. That means makeup that really works and works with your skin, not against it.”
With lipsticks, glosses, pencils and tints, Kjaer Weis has a wide variety of buildable lip products. Most importantly, all products are free from silicones, parabens, petrochemical emulsifiers and synthetic fragrances and are inspired by skincare, as care and aesthetics go hand in hand.
French brand, La Bouche Rouge Paris, place craftsmanship and artisanal tradition at the heart of their brand. With an initiative to avoid using plastics La Bouche Rouge have removed all plastic from the brand – from the formulation process right through to the distribution stores.
Their Le Sérum Rouge lipstick is formulated with 99% natural organic ingredients without petroleum derivatives, beeswax or silicone. It is also vegan, cruelty free and without microplastics.
The lipsticks are enriched with hyaluronic acid and a trio of natural active ingredients to nourish your lips. I love the formulation innovation behind this brand and how ethical practice is not compromised by luxury.
Axiology is an ethical, 10 ingredient lipstick brand that is vegan, cruelty free and planet friendly.
Packaging is made from post-consumer recycled plastic and boxes are handmade from recycled rubbish by a women’s cooperative in Bali. All lipsticks are Peta Certified and also free of synthetic fragrance, alcohol, gluten, and soy.
From balms to crayons through to lipsticks and three-piece sets, Axiology is the perfect brand to start you on your ethical lipstick journey!
Shop Our Ethical Lipstick Loves
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For more ethical Christmas inspiration head over to our Guides page! Or check out our latest Gift Guides: Ethical Christmas Gift Guide For Him & Her and The Clean Beauty Gift Guide For Her!
Which ethical lipstick products will you be trying this Christmas Season? Who are your favourite ethical makeup brands? Let us know in the comments below or join the conversation over on our Instagram Page!
Charlotte Hope-Shannon
Charlotte is a freelance writer from the UK. With a strong interest in literature, she is passionate about offering an openminded, diverse and critically conscious perspective on fashion, culture & the arts.
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This article may contain some affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, KeiSei Magazine receives a small percentage of the sale price, or some brands may have paid a small fee to be featured. We only recommend brands that match our sustainable and ethical criteria and that we truly believe in.
