7 Nontoxic Makeup Brands That Are Safe for Children

If your little one is a "Sephora kid" in the making, and begging to explore the world of makeup artistry, you may be on the hunt for clean makeup for kids. Unfortunately, there are a number of ingredients commonly used in cosmetics (ranging from makeup to skincare to hair care products) that many experts do not believe are safe — especially for children who are still developing.

The good news is, there are quite a few brands out there making nontoxic, cruelty-free, and vegan cosmetics that claim to be completely safe for children to use. Here’s a look into a few of our recommendations of kid-safe, clean, and fairly eco-friendly kids' cosmetic brands.

Puttisu is an “all-natural” and hypoallergenic kids’ cosmetics brand. The company makes beauty products including lip glosses, water-based nail polish, sheet masks, and sunscreen (designed in an adorable compact), all of which are cruelty-free and vegan, and packaged in super cute, colorful packaging. Puttisu also sells bracelets and purses for kids to help round out your little one’s lewk.

Petite 'n Pretty was founded by Sam Cutler as a response to a question that moms asked her time and time again throughout her career in the beauty industry: “What’s the best product to give my kid so they stop stealing mine?” The kids cosmetic company is certified cruelty-free by PETA, and many of the company’s products are vegan (each vegan product is clearly marked as such on the website), including the 10K Shine Lip Gloss and Cloud Mine Fragrance Rollerball.

In addition to makeup, Petite 'n Pretty also makes fragrances, skincare products, hair care products, hair clips, and some apparel. The company’s product line is free of all nuts, coconut, dairy, soy, and gluten (though there is a chance of cross contamination), as well as parabens, phthalates, and formaldehyde. That said, Petite 'n Pretty does use synthetic fragrance, an ingredient that some consumers choose to avoid.

Klee Naturals’ child-safe makeup is “made only with minerals and other natural ingredients,” is completely free of synthetic ingredients such as mineral oils, artificial colorants, and fragrances, and “may be some of the cleanest makeup on the market,” according to the brand. Klee Naturals does not use animal testing, and most of its products are vegan, with the exception of its lip shimmers (which contain beeswax) and some of the pink and purple makeup products (which contain carmine, which is made from beetles).

The company has different makeup lines for both kids and tweens, as well as water-based nail polish, and hair and bath products. And for every purchase made on Klee Naturals’ website, the brand donates a “sparkly” gift to the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.

Prim & Pure’s colorful, kid-friendly makeup is free of things like toxic chemicals, heavy metals, petroleum-based ingredients, parabens, GMOs, and synthetic fragrances. The entire brand is cruelty-free, and many ingredients used are organic. The company’s product range includes a few vegan products, like the Natural Mineral Eyeshadow and Pure Play Vegan Lip Glosses.

The company also sells a Pretend Play Faux Makeup set, which is made of plastic and not actual makeup — it’s simply a toy set that can help little kids learn how to apply cosmetics before trying the real thing. Plus, Prim & Pure donates a portion of profits to children's causes.

True Bloom Kids makes makeup for children, promising that its ingredients are organic and "100 percent natural," as well as free of silicones, parabens, pthalates, and petroleum.

The small, cruelty-free company's hero product seems to be the Bloom Makeup Kit ($49), which includes a makeup bag, a blush brush, an eye shadow brush, lip gloss in a bamboo tube, stickers, and a bamboo compact case (along with four magnetic eye shadow pans and a magnetic blush pan; when a product runs out, customers can simply order new pans rather than an entire case).

True Bloom Kids also sells a the Bloom Nail Kit ($44), which includes a bag, four water-based nail polishes, nail files, nail stickers, and regular stickers. The company, which was founded by a sister-sister duo, also sells its eco-conscious products individually.

No Nasties' CEO Natalia has dozens of allergies, which put her on a natural makeup journey. After her daughter was given play makeup, and Natalia realized it was filled with potentially harmful ingredients, Natalia was inspired to found her cruelty-free, handmade, all-natural, children's beauty company.

Based in Australia, No Nasties sells various play makeup sets, which are made with natural ingredients; free of gluten, dairy, nuts, and palm oil; hypoallergenic; and mess-free. Most of the sets are vegan, as well — just read each item's description to check.

One popular product is the Nala Pink Natural Pressed Powder Kids Makeup Palette Kit ($47), which comes with: a refillable palette, three eyeshadows, a blush, a lip gloss, nail sticker sheets, a bamboo sponge applicator, and a latex-free sponge applicator. No Nasties also sells various nail polishes, all of which are vegan, water-based, and "20 free" (free of 20 supposedly harmful ingredients).

Jovy makes the first-ever kids' makeup verified as clean by the Environmental Working Group's EWG Verified program. The company was founded by Thai-Ling Cahow, a mom who had bought her daughter a few supposedly "clean" children's makeup brands, but was disappointed to see they still contained harmful ingredients.

Jovy is cruelty-free and vegan, and the 95 percent of the brand's ingredients are of natural origins. The company sells just two products: There's the Berry Bliss Play Makeup Kit, which contains eyeshadow, blush, lip gloss, a brush, and a makeup bag; and then there's a set of reusable makeup stencils, which kids can use to help apply the makeup in creative ways.

This article, originally published on March 17, 2022, has been updated.