Lip Service: 11 Natural Lipstick Brands We Love

On 14 July 2019, hero to the people Dolly Parton tweeted these immortal words: “Grit and lipstick, two things you should never leave home without!” Oh, Dolly! If only you had known then what we all know now: how much grit we’d all need in the months and years to come (and how little we’d actually be leaving our houses). She was spot on about the lipstick though. Whether you choose to wear it for confidence, for beauty, for comfort, or even to support a worthy cause like Liptember, a splash of colour on your kisser can make your smile a little wider and your feelings a little brighter. Here, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite natural lipstick brands, sealed with a kiss!  

Kester Black

Already beloved for their “12-Free” nail polishes, B Corp brand Kester Black also has a collection of cruelty-free, vegan lipsticks. Made in Italy using Certified Organic ingredients in matte colours, the peachy pink ‘First Date’ won Best Lipstick at 2020’s Clean Beauty Awards. Consider that love at first sight!

Eco Minerals

Inspired by the beaches and lifestyle of Byron Bay (the hometown of the brand), Eco Minerals lipsticks are paraben, beeswax and palm-oil free. Choose from five shades – including bright pink ‘Byron Bliss’, orange nude ‘Endless Summer’ and the dramatic and festival-ready ‘Splendour’ – to embrace your inner beach babe.  

Lük Beautifood

Lük Beautifood lipsticks are made in Australia using organic essential oils, vitamin E, cacao butter and avocado oil. The 15 shades are designed to offer a “multi-sensory experience” with colours including ‘Guava Blush’, ‘Cranberry Citrus’ and ‘Vanilla Chocolate’. Good enough to eat (but try to resist)! 

Axiology Beauty

Launched in 2014 in the US, Axiology Beauty’s vegan, cruelty-free lipsticks contain only 10 ingredients, including organic avocado and coconut oil, and are packaged in boxes hand-made in Bali from recycled rubbish. The collection of 20 pretty shades – with names like ‘Clarity’, ‘Ethos’ and ‘Worth’ – vary between medium and high pigment and can be layered or mixed to get your perfect shade. 

Ere Perez 

When you really want to party, Australia’s Ere Perez offers 14 vegan ‘Dress It Up’ lipsticks –  think bright pinks and glossy reds with names like ‘Fiesta’, ‘Big Band’ and ‘Soiree’ – made with olive oil for moisture. The carbon neutral brand also has a more subtle ‘Daily Shade’ range in their Cacao Lip Colours and Wild Pansy Tinted Lip Bars. 

Read more: Makeup Without the Breakup – Here’s Six Brands Leading Refillable Beauty

Dunkle 

Dunkle uses raw materials – including organic castor oil and mango seed butter from India, Candelilla wax from Mexico and Damask rose oil from Victoria – across its five bold colours. Each shade is named after important places in the life of founder Molly Dunkle, from the peachy ‘Fort Collins’, her birthplace in Colorado, to the maroon of ‘Brisbane’, her new home.

Inika Organic 

Founded in Sydney in 2006, Inika Organic’s award-winning vegan lipsticks and lip crayons contain Certified Organic ingredients like castor seed oil, shea butter and jojoba seed oil. Using carnauba wax to achieve a glossy finish, if it’s good enough for the runways of NYFW, it’s good enough for us! 

Mented 

A “nude” lipstick means a different colour to each of us, and the founders of Mented believe that everyone should be able to find their perfect shade. Made in the USA, the semi-matte vegan lipsticks range in shades from ‘Peach Please’ to ‘Dark Night’, and are blended with levels of browns and pinks to complement multi-hued lips. 

Benecos 

Benecos (from the Latin bene, meaning good) was founded with the aim of making “glamorous” makeup with organic ingredients. The vegan, natural matte lipstick – in shades like ‘Bloody Berry’, ‘Trust in Rust’ and ‘Coral Kiss’ – is made with Certified Organic castor seed oil and jojoba for moisture and cornstarch to create a matte finish. Molto bene! 

Nude by Nature

Founded in 2008, Sydney brand Nude by Nature covers all your clean lippie needs with their Moisture Shine Lipstick, Creamy Matte Lipstick and Satin Liquid Lipstick. Made with natural ingredients like vitamin E, desert lime and Kakadu plum, the lipsticks are also cruelty free and dermatologist-tested.  

Hurraw! 

Not a lipstick as such, but a favourite in the Peppermint office, Hurraw!’s tinted lip balms (in ‘Black Cherry’, ‘Raspberry’ and ‘Hazelnut’) are made in the USA with 100% plant-based colours and Certified Organic safflower seed oil, coconut oil and cacao butter for extra moisture. These compact balms are perfect for days when you don’t want to wrangle lipstick on the teeth but are still after a dash of colour.