A dash of a bright, colourful lipstick can be incredibly mood and confidence boosting! As we age our lips can lose their natural pigment and colour. Adding colour to your face can be a great way to freshen up your daily makeup look and bring in some fun and excitement to your day.

Conventional lipstick can be really toxic for our bodies and be filled with trace amounts of heavy metals. Lead is of a particular concern and two recent studies found lead traces in lipstick. It is not the one-off exposure that is the concern, it is the repeated exposure every day of applying products to your lips which can then be ingested into your body slowly. The everyday exposure to conventional lipstick could create a toxic build-up of harmful chemicals and metals over time which is best not anywhere near our bodies!

Lipstick can also contain a range of animal-derived ingredients. To create the red pigment in conventional lipsticks they often use carmine which is derived from crushed red beetles (yuck!). I even found one lipstick from a vegan brand that was advertised as ‘cruelty-free’ but it contained carmine so I had to remove it from this list! 70,000 beetles are crushed to supply almost half a kilogram of red dye which is then not only used in lipstick and cosmetics but also in many processed foods that contain red food colouring. Slaughterhouse by-products (or even road kill) can also be sold to cosmetic companies which are then used in their products under the label ‘tallow’ sometimes they are sneaky and label it under different names! So it pays to always check your cosmetics.

Check out our six cruelty-free and non-toxic lipstick picks below!

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1. INIKA ORGANIC ‘AUBURN AMBITION’
Inika Organic is an Australian brand that uses all-natural, organic ingredients. They also have created the worlds only 100% certified organic lipstick! They use beautiful shea butter, jojoba oil and argan oil as a base which helps to naturally protect and add moisture to your lips. Inika is also certified vegan and cruelty-free! Inika Organic lipsticks come in twelve exciting shades. They also have a lip balm in their make up range which could be worn over top of your lipstick for extra hydrated, beautiful lips! (Amazon) (NZ based? Get it here)

2. AXIOLOGY ‘ATTITUDE’
This is a beautiful hot pink, matte finish lipstick from Axiology. The lipstick is designed to be a cross between a moisturising balm and a lipstick with an avocado butter and coconut oil base. The Axiology lipsticks also contain no nasty chemicals or synthetics! Available in eighteen exciting and vibrant shades. Axiology also has an amazing story behind the packaging design of their lipsticks. When the founder of Axiology was visiting Bali she came across a boutique, all woman-run, recycled paper store and decided that she wanted them on board to create the Axiology lipstick box. The paper is collected from all over Bali and then recycled and decorated by hand to be made in beautiful lipstick boxes. Definitely, a company to get behind and support! (Amazon) (NZ based? Get it here)

3. LUK BEAUTIFOOD ‘TANGERINE POMEGRANATE’
The Luk Beatifood Lip Nourish is a gorgeously designed and packaged product. This lipstick is really sheer and natural plus it contains a smidge of lustre! It is made from super nourishing avocado oil, cocoa butter and sesame seed oil. The Luk Beautifood Lip Nourish also contains vitamins A, C, and E which help to retain natural collagen and elastin and fight free-radicals. It also contains no synthetic dyes, preservatives or fragrances – just natural goodness! They are also cruelty-free but they do contain a small amount of beeswax. They also have an interesting packaging story! Each natural lipstick is wrapped in a beautiful piece of printed fabric which can be repurposed as a sunglasses/screen polisher. The actual lipstick case is also fully recyclable at the end of its life! (Luk Beautifood)

4. 100% PURE ‘PRIMROSE’
This is the ‘anti-ageing’ fruit pigmented lipstick from the brand 100% Pure. Its base is made from organic shea butter, pomegranate and cocoa butter. It is also very antioxidant and vitamin enriched with all of its colour coming from natural fruit pigments. It also contains no nasties! Like synthetic chemicals, dyes, preservatives, or other toxins. 100% pure is also committed to environmental sustainability with their office being run on completely solar energy and their packaging also is designed from post-consumer recycled waste and printed with biodegradable, non-toxic, vegetable ink. They are also cruelty-free! (100 Percent Pure)

5. PACIFICA ‘DEVOCEAN’
The Pacifica ‘Devocean’ is 100% vegan, cruelty-free and gluten-free. It is made from a base of sunflower oil, shea butter, coconut oil and jojoba. The colour is designed with staying power! And this range also has three other exciting shades. It is also full of ingredients that help to protect our lips and increase moisture. Formulated with only natural ingredients and no animal products or nasty chemicals, parabens or phthalates. The packaging is also really pretty and the company also donate a percentage of their profits to clean water initiatives. (Amazon) (NZ based? Get it here)

6. HONEYBEE GARDENS ‘ROMANCE’
This is a vegan, cruelty-free and paraben free lipstick from Honeybee Gardens. A cross between a lipstick and a lip balm it is made with castor, sesame and sunflower seed oil. Botanicals and natural pigments come together to make a beautifully smooth and moisturising lipstick. Honeybee Gardens have also used mostly natural, organic and fairtrade ingredients where possible. Available in ten great shades! (iHerb) ♥

(Photo: Caroline Veronez)