THE BEST NATURAL MAKEUP FOR A “YOUR SKIN BUT BETTER” FINISH
If you’re searching for the best natural makeup, consider this your curated edit of complexion-enhancing, glow-giving essentials that align with both your aesthetic and your values. Because today, “natural makeup” isn’t just about a barely-there finish—it’s about formulas that are vegan, cruelty-free, and skin-first, delivering that effortless “your skin but better” effect without compromise.
Which is why we’ve created our list of the best natural makeup products approved by our third-party verification partner Provenance and given our Cult Conscious stamp of approval so you can build a routine that’s as conscious as it is minimal.
In This Article:
- What Do We Mean by the Best Natural Makeup?
- The Best Natural Makeup Base: Foundations & Skin Tints
- The Best Natural Makeup Blusher
- The Best Natural Makeup Bronzers
- The Best Natural Makeup Mascaras
- The Best Natural Makeup Highlighters
- The Best Natural Makeup For Lips
- The Best Natural Makeup FAQs
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE BEST NATURAL MAKEUP?
When considering the best natural makeup, there needs to be a balance between:
- Breathable, skin-like textures
- Ethically formulated (vegan & cruelty-free) ingredients
- Enhancing—not masking—your complexion
Think radiant skin, soft definition and products that melt seamlessly into your routine.
THE BEST NATURAL MAKEUP BASES: FOUNDATIONS & SKIN TINTS
A seamless, second-skin base is the cornerstone of the best natural makeup look—and that means looking for foundations and skin tints that are lightweight and have glow-enhancing formulas that let your skin shine through.
£49.00
Even skin tone and plump up your complexion with Hourglass’ Veil hydrating Skin Tint. Buildable and smoothing, this skin tint formula features barrier-boosting meadowfoam seed oil, hyaluronic acid and plant-based squalane to help retain skin's natural radiance. Plus, with the addition of shea butter, this skin enhancing formula ensures a nourished, dewy sign off.
£38.00
Staring antioxidant-rich vitamin E, soothing sucrose and moisturising sea water, Sweed’s Glass Skin Foundation not only offers skin a seamless base but also works to nourish and protect it from environmental aggressors (AKA UV and pollution). Infused with light-reflecting and colour-correcting pigments, this vegan formula ensures your complexion looks radiant and healthy morning til night.
£41.00
A fan of a more full coverage finish then Ere Perez’s Oat Milk Foundation is the answer with its lightweight but buildable formula. Enriched with oat milk, peach and vitamin E, it hydrates and lets your skin breathe, making it perfect for all skin types, even sensitive ones.
THE BEST NATURAL MAKEUP BLUSHERS
Nothing brings life to the face quite like a believable flush of blush. Cream and liquid textures are essential to the best natural makeup routine.
Top picks:
£29.00
Add a wash of buildable, smooth pop of pigment to your cheeks with Too Faced’s Cloud Crush Blush. With a cushiony, velvety texture and an array of unique shades, this powder blush features nourishing flower extracts and light-diffusing powders that blur pores while adding buildable colour that doesn’t sit on skin but creates a seamless, second-skin finish.
£36.00
Blurring the line between powder and cream, RMS Beauty’s ReDimension Hydra Powder Blush delivers a luminous wash of colour with a skin-loving twist. Bouncy, hydrating and light-reflective, it enhances rather than masks. Infused with nourishing ingredients, it’s a glow-giver that earns its place in any best natural makeup routine.
£24.00
More Colours Available
Discover your short cut to just-pinched cheeks with Westman Atelier’s Petite Baby Cheeks Blush Sticks. Creamy, blendable and effortless to apply, these blusher bullets glide onto skin for a healthy-looking flush. Packed with skin-conditioning ingredients, its a beauty staple made simple and perfectly in tune with a best natural makeup roundup.
THE BEST NATURAL MAKEUP BRONZERS
Bronzer in the best natural makeup routine should mimic a real, sun-kissed warmth—not a heavy contour.
Top picks:
£35.00
Deliver sun-kissed definition in seconds with NUDESTIX’s Nudies Matte All Over Face Bronze Colour. This multitasking stick sculpts, warms and enhances your face contours with a soft matte finish that never looks flat. Swipe, blend, go—it’s fuss-free beauty designed for real life and an effortless glow on the move.
£44.00
Making sculpting seamless, Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick mimics the natural shadows on your face with a creamy, blendable formula that melts into skin. Subtle yet defining, it enhances your features without harsh lines—think quiet luxury contouring that feels intuitive, not intimidating – which is why it’s a staple in so many beauty editors' makeup bags...
£34.00
Create a believable, just-got-back-from the sun finish with RMS Beauty’s Buriti Bronzer. Creamy and rich, this formula features super-hydrating shea butter, conditioning cocoa seed butter and antioxidant-rich buriti oil to protect your skin against any harmful environmental aggressors while adding a bronzed glow that’s not matte... or flat ideal for an understated, natural-looking glow.
THE BEST NATURAL MAKEUP MASCARAS
Mascara should enhance—not overpower—the eyes when creating the best natural makeup look.
£34.00
Wrap your lashes in a lightweight formula that won’t smudge or flake with Hourglass’ Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara. Your one way ticket to drama and defintion, this lash-grabbing wand is moulded to with a slight curve and features film-forming technology to coat each individual lash hair for a lash lengthening finish.
£24.00
For flutters that look more natural, Sweed’s Cloud Mascara creates airy, fluttery lashes with buildable volume and a weightless feel. Designed to lift and separate, this formula delivers definition without any clumps, meaning the effect is soft yet striking—like your lashes, only better.
£28.00
An icon in its own right, it’s no wonder Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Mascara has made it onto our list of the best natural makeup lineup. With its hourglass brush shape, this mascara is enriched with film-forming polymers and collagen to provide smudge-proof, all-day wear, plus the addition of acacia senegal tree extract to nourish, thicken and lock each curled lash, it’s your perfect partner to create an effortlessly winged look.
THE BEST NATURAL MAKEUP HIGHLIGHTERS
£32.00
Add a dose of dew to your complexion with Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops – the skincare essential that delivers a hit of glow in one juicy step. Powered by niacinamide, this skin loving formula brightens complexions while adding a glassy sheen. Wear alone or under your makeup for that dewy, just-finished-applying-my-skincare sign off.
£32.00
Customise your radiance with ICONIC London’s Illuminator. A multi-tasking must-have, this liquid highlighter can be mixed with your foundation, tapped directly onto the high points of your face or blended in with your moisturiser and primer for a sophisticated glow you can control.
£28.00
For an uncomplicated glow, 19/99’s Beauty Cream Highlight Stick delivers a modern, editorial sheen that looks like skin and not shimmer. Smooth, subtle and catching the light in all the right places, this formula uses crushed pearls to make it easy to achieve the coveted your skin but better dewy glow.
THE BEST NATURAL MAKEUP FOE LIPS
The finishing touch to the best natural makeup look is a hydrated, barely-there lip.
£23.00
Wrap your pout in rich hydration with Summer Fridays’ Lip Butter Balm. A staple in many A-Listers ‘What’s In My Bag?’ this lip-loving formula is considered one of the best natural makeup must-haves for a plumper, softer pout. Infused with ultra-hydrating seed butters and botanical extracts including shea and murumuru, it’s an ultra-nourishing formula that can be used as a deeply conditioning overnight mask or a daily indulgence.
£19.00
Allow your artistic mastery to shine through with 19/99 Beauty’s Water Colour Tint. Offering a fuss-free pop of colour to your lips and cheeks, these satin hued wonders can be applied subtly for a hint of tint of more boldly for a something more dramatic. With a water-based formula enriched with vitamins A, C & E, they sink into skin effortlessly for a finish that feels comforting and comfortable all day long.
£26.00
If you prefer a pout perfector that plumps, Too Faced’s Lip Injection Maximum Plump Lip Plumper is one of the best natural makeup products to elevate the look of your pout. Visibly enhancing your lips with an instant plumping effect, this clever formula calls on chili extracts and peptide-mimicking systems to visibly ensure the pout looks extra juicy.
THE BEST NATURAL MAKEUP FAQs
What makeup is best for perioral dermatitis?
When considering the best makeup for perioral dermatitis, a less-is-more approach is what you should aim for. Stick to lightweight, fragrance-free formulas that won’t aggravate sensitive skin or trap heat. Mineral bases from brands like bareMinerals or La Roche-Posay are ideal, offering gentle coverage without clogging pores. Avoid heavy foundations, formulas with essential oils and anything overly occlusive. The aim is to subtly even tone while supporting your skin barrier—not masking it.
Which makeup brand is dermatologist-recommended?
Although there isn’t one makeup brand that dermatologists specifically recommend, it’s more about recommending formulas that prioritise gentle ingredients, minimal irritation and skin barrier support. Think: breathable textures, non-comedogenic formulas and soothing ingredients—aka the foundation of any best natural makeup routine.
What is the cleanest non-toxic foundation?
There isn’t necessarily a foundation that is classed as the ‘cleanest’ or most ‘non-toxic’, but the cleanest options are usually those with short, transparent ingredient lists, no fragrances, and have evidence to prove their claims. This is why we partner with Provenance and have Proof Points so ensure you make informed choices when you shop.
Ultimately, the best natural makeup isn’t about perfection—it’s about refinement. It’s choosing formulas that work with your skin, not against it. By focusing on vegan, cruelty-free products, you’re not only simplifying what “natural” means—you’re aligning your beauty routine with a more conscious, modern approach.
Rina is Cult Beauty’s SEO Content Strategist and Beauty Expert and has always had a passion for beauty and skin care (rich moisturisers are her obsession). What started as a love for The Body Shop and their famed Born Lippy lip balms (in ‘Watermelon’ of course!), she is now more interested in finding products with proven effectiveness instead of broken promises. A loud and proud VIEVE fan, Rina owns nearly every item of the range and recommends the brand to anyone who will listen... When she’s not intently reading ingredient lists, you can find her either immersed in multiple true crime podcasts or a fantasy romance novel, with an *extra* hot cappuccino in hand.
