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Looking for the best natural foundation? Look no further than this list of various formulas and shades with better-for-you ingredients. From lightweight to medium coverage, these blends help even out your complexion while also offering a healthy glow.
Want to know what makes me totally giddy? Clean beauty. You know what makes me even giddier? Natural foundations…that work! Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about clean beauty including: clean beauty essentials, the best skincare from Whole Foods and even alternatives to Beautycounter.
First up to review: the best natural foundation. Why does it matter if you use a natural/clean/green foundation vs. a conventional one? How about coverage? From light to full-coverage foundation I’m breaking down the best of the best from the 20+ I’ve tried.
Why Switch to a Natural Foundation?
What you put on your skin matters. Period. So many of us care about what we are putting into our bodies but we don’t think twice about what we’re putting on our skin. Our skin is the largest organ in/on our body and is absorbing the chemicals and compounds in the products we put on it! Foundation is a great place to start switching over your makeup bag because out of all the makeup you put on, foundation covers the most ground.
If you’re nervous about switching, search these brands to see if they offer sample sizes or see if there are any clean beauty stores near you that offer samples. If you’re in SF, I love Credo Beauty but Sephora has also started selling some of these brands!
The Best Natural Foundations
Quick note: A lot has changed in the clean beauty space when it comes to foundation. There actually used to be a lot more variety (RIP to my beloved Kjaer Weis liquid foundation and Gressa foundation) but as the trends changed many brands have moved away from high-coverage foundation to more of a tinted skincare or SPF.
EXA High Fidelity Foundation $38
I’ve been loving this foundation for buildable coverage! I’ve worn it with really light coverage and built to more full coverage and love both!
Range Beauty True Intentions Skin-Soothing Foundation $33
This is a hydrating foundation with nourishing ingredients. Range Beauty is Black and women owned business designed to be more diverse and less toxic.
ILIA Skin Tint (SPF 40) $46
Technically it is not a foundation but it does provide a light coverage that evens out skin tone. Not only that, but it also contains 40 SPF and skin benefitting ingredients like hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.Note that I am personally not a huge fan of ILIA’s actual True Skin Serum Foundation.
MERIT The Minimalist Correction Stick $38
Merit markets this as a “correction stick” which is probably somewhere between a foundation and concealer. It smooths on your skin so easily and provides a nice medium coverage. They also have a huge expanded shade range.
Jones Road What The Foundation $46
This one is definitely for my dry skin girlies. I’d stay away from this if you have oily skin. It is non-comedogenic and offers nice buildable coverage. I do think it can be kind of challenging to find the right shade since their line isn’t nearly as expanded as others.
what are the best foundations with spf?
there are so many ads and so many pop-ups on your website or this page rather that I cannot even tell what you’ve written and what’s being advertised is terrible and I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. but it’s true.
#4 has phenoxyethanol in it so not as good as I thought. Alot of people want to go clean for pregnancy and that’s an ingredient to avoid :/
Hi, thank you for all your wonderful information on clean makeup and skincare! I always love to read about what other people are using. I’ve tried to clean up my make up a couple of years ago. I have been using Mineral Fusion make up and skin care. I wanted to know if you have ever tried it and what are your thoughts on this brand? I do notice that almost everything is EWG verified. I’m not sure about their skin care but it seems a lot cleaner than the Clinique that I had been using for years…. I just notice that when I read about what people are using when they’re using clean make up I don’t see them ever mentioning Mineral Fusion. I really love this brand and feel it’s very clean. I was just wondering if you had an opinion on it? Thank you!
Jody – great question! As far as ingredients go Mineral Fusion is good – it’s more with the how long-lasting it is. I just don’t find that it stands the test of time. Their mascara for example goes on great but usually flakes within a few hours. If you have success with it then by all means keep using it! Thanks for the great question!
As my skin is very sensitive and I want to try the natural as well as a lightweight foundation that does not affect my skin. Gressa corrective foundation is a nice product that flawlessly covers all my blemishes and scarring, and gives me a gorgeous look.
I second Haley’s question above!
Thank you so much! I’m really curious to try the infamous Gressa Corrective Serum – but I’ve never tried any Gressa products. Do you have any tips for picking the right shade via online shopping? Given the current pandemic, I don’t think I’ll be able to find my shade in person.
Gressa offers nice samples to buy that help you find your shade. You can buy a light, medium, or deep selection and try several at once.
awesome!!!
Ah, you also placed your not so favorites! This definitely helps. One thing I’m always concerned about with foundations in the market is that they ALWAYS seem to break me out. That’s why I started y quest to find clean beauty foundations. Thanks for the recommendations!
of course!