10 Best Zero-Waste Cosmetic Brands That Should Be on Your Radar

Your beauty routine doesn’t need to involve waste — and thankfully, there are endless brands on the market making zero-waste cosmetics these days. Using packaging materials like aluminum, cardboard, glass, and bamboo, as well as refill systems, these are some of the best zero-waste cosmetic brands on the market. Plus, they’re all cruelty-free!

River Organics is an organic, independent, and cruelty-free beauty brand based in Wilmington, N.C. The company packages its products in cardboard tubes and jars — including its mascara, which you dip into and apply using the company's lash brush, which is made of bare wood, metal, and nylon bristles. River Organics also sells "imperfect" versions of its products at a discount, which reduces waste.

Certified B Corp Elate Beauty is a fully vegan and cruelty-free cosmetic company, with a focus on sustainable packaging and ethical ingredients. Instead of using plastic, Elate packages its wide range of makeup products in materials like aluminum, bamboo, and a material called bagasse, which is leftover sugarcane stalk pulp. More than 75 percent of Elate's packaging can either be recycled, planted, or reused; plus, customers can mail any Elate packaging back to the company for free recycling.

Ere Perez is an Australia-based, cruelty-free beauty and skincare brand, specializing in products made with superfoods and botanicals. In a 2023 interview, founder Ere Perez told us that her favorite product is the brand’s Coco Crayons, which are "an incredible multitasking product that’s not only completely plastic-free but also biodegradable." Other plastic-free products include eye pencils, blushes, and bronzers, some of which are refillable.

Izzy Zero Waste Beauty makes a small selection of zero-waste beauty products, including highlighter, mascara, and lip gloss. Products are all packaged in reusable, recyclable, and certified CarbonNeutral stainless steel tubes, with zero outer packaging waste. Customers can sign up for subscriptions, so they'll automatically be sent new products in exchange for their empty packaging, which Izzy will sanitize and reuse.

Izzy is also cruelty-free, vegan, and free of unwanted ingredients like parabens and phthalates.

ILIA, a 1% for the Planet company, makes skincare-powered makeup of all kinds. The company is cruelty-free, and all but six of its products are vegan. ILIA uses various sustainable packaging materials including recycled aluminum, paper, and glass, and in partnership with Pact, ILIA offers a free beauty packaging recycling program to customers.

Cruelty-free and vegan company MOB Beauty makes makeup of all kinds and offers compacts and palettes that are infinitely customizable and refillable. MOB also uses at least 50 percent post-consumer recycled materials in its packaging, with a goal of using 100 PCR materials; other packaging materials include sugarcane, cardboard, bamboo, flax, and starches of corn and wheat.

Axiology is a completely plastic-free, cruelty-free, and vegan makeup company, with all products handmade in the U.S. The company is well-known for its multiuse Balmies, which are essentially crayons that can be used on your lips, cheeks, eyelids, or wherever you'd like. Axiology also makes Shape Sticks, packaged in cardboard tubes, which can be used to contour, bronze, and more.

Women-owned and small-batch beauty brand Root Pretty can be shopped online, or at its shop in Iowa. The company makes an effort to use as little packaging as possible, and packaging materials used include recyclable metal tins, glass tubes, and recyclable plastic. Root Pretty also offers some makeup refills in compostable pouches, and the company invites customers to mail back or drop off all empty Root Pretty packaging for recycling.

ĀTHR Beauty is a cruelty-free, vegan, sustainable, ethically-produced, and clean beauty brand, offering a wide range of products for the eyes, lips, and face. The company launched its first zero-waste eyeshadow palette in 2018, and now, offers a number of zero-waste products, from mascaras with biodegradable bristles to various formulas with upcycled ingredients. The company also uses recycled aluminum, FSC-certified paper, and soy ink.

Every product Trestique makes is designed to be purchased just once and then refilled forever. All packaging is made of around 87 percent recycled materials, and some products are certified carbon neutral by CarbonFund; you can also recycle Trestique packaging via its partnership with Pact. Trestique products are designed to be breathable, clean, cruelty-free, and vegan.