An Eco-Friendly Makeup Brand That Doesn’t Suck

The amount of trash and waste that the beauty industry produces every year is insane. Thankfully, eco-friendly makeup is on the rise, and for good reason. According to a social justice platform called TRVST, beauty packaging adds up to 120 billion units of trash each year. This includes all the things that make up beauty product packaging that isn’t recycled properly, including plastic, glass, paper, and metals.   

Considering the beauty industry is one of the biggest contributors to waste in our country, big beauty companies must start implementing more eco-conscious practices when creating their packaging. Fortunately and unfortunately, there are more eco-friendly skincare brands available than there are eco-friendly makeup brands. One brand, called Axiology, is trying to change the course of eco-friendly makeup by offering beautiful formulas in plastic-free packaging. 

This brand is paving the way for sustainable packaging that’s easy to use. The “Balmies,” which are makeup sticks that can be used on your lips, eyes, and face, are housed in boxes made from island trash from Bali and are 100% recyclable. 

Rather than opt for a plastic tube with a cap, the Balmies are housed in a little box that you can carry around with you. Some of the brand’s other sustainable beauty products, like the Tinted Dew Multi-Sticks or the Shape Sticks, are housed in recyclable paper, where you can push the bottom part up to release more of the product at the top. Below, I go over my honest review of this sustainable makeup brand and the various eco-friendly makeup products it offers. 

Eco-Friendly Makeup: Why Opt for Sustainability? 

When choosing eco-friendly makeup, you want to opt for brands that use recycled materials that have a low environmental impact. You also want to make sure that the eco-friendly makeup brand uses natural and organic ingredients that are high-performing, vegan, and cruelty-free. 

I really love that Axiology is a no-waste makeup brand that creates natural makeup with plant-based ingredients. Also, they don’t use harmful chemicals in their formulas or packaging, they don’t test on animals, they have a low carbon footprint, and they say no to single-use plastics, too. 

Even though the products look really small, they are actually your standard-size lipsticks. They look more “naked” because they aren’t in bulky, plastic packaging like your everyday lipstick might. 

The products come in a bunch of different options. For example, you can purchase the Axiology Balmie Singles, which are $15 each and come in a recyclable box that doubles as a carrying case. Then there are other options, like the Balmie Trio Set (what I have below), which basically acts as an eco-friendly makeup palette, but in crayon form. It comes with three different shades that are pre-selected, and there are five different sets to choose from. I love that this brand gives you a ton of set or single options to choose from. 

Eco-Friendly Makeup Products From Axiology: A Review

Axiology Super Fan Pack

Stay tuned for my review on the Axiology Super Fan Pack, which I just recently received! Note that three shades I reviewed below (Champagne, Rosé, and Sorbet) are included in this pack of 14 Balmies.

Available at Axiology ($98)

Axiology Balmie Highlighter in Champagne

This eco-friendly highlighter makeup shade is insanely gorgeous. I can’t believe how beautifully it blends into my skin and how natural it looks. Sometimes it’s hard to find a highlighter that looks natural. But this one is probably one of the best cream-based highlighters that I’ve tried. The brand describes this shade as a “golden sparkling wine with a subtle dewy glow.” It would say that it also has a subtle pinky undertone as well, but it’s nothing crazy. 

This is a great product to also apply to your lids if you want a quick, subtle wash of color. It’s also a great option to use as an eyeshadow base or eyeshadow primer. You can add darker colors on top after application. This one is a big winner in my book.

Available at Axiology ($15)

Axiology Balmie Singles in Rosé

The rosé shade is a frosty cream with a hint of rosy, and I love it. It’s just the type of blush shade I would normally apply to my cheeks. I think it also works nicely as a lip color, too. It doesn’t have any type of shimmer to it. And I think this shade would look great on a bunch of different skin tones.  

Available at Axiology ($15)

Axiology Balmie Singles in Sorbet

If you like a powder pink shade with cool undertones, this pick from Axiology is a great option. The pinky shade in this formula is a little bit lighter than what I would typically use as a blush. But, I love using this as an eco-friendly eye makeup option. 

Just like the other Axiology Balmies, this formula glides onto the skin super smoothly. Plus, it blends beautifully and stays put for a solid amount of time. If you are going to use this shade as a blush, I think it would look best on those with pretty pale skin. I’m not sure this one would look good on those with darker skin tones. 

Available at Axiology ($15)

Axiology Tinted Dew Multi-Stick in The Goodness

This is a beautiful blush/highlighter duo that blends nicely into the skin and leaves a gorgeous, subtle shimmer. The brand describes “The Goodness” shade as a “frosty pale rose with a touch of shimmery goodness,” which I think is an accurate description. The shade reminds me a lot of a frosted Revlon lipstick shade I used to wear a lot called “Blushed.”

I like to use this shade when I don’t have a ton of time, or don’t want to use both a blush and a highlighter. It cuts my makeup application time down quite a bit. This is a really pretty light pink shade, but I’m not sure if it would look great on those with darker skin tones. It might look a bit too pale/white and not super natural. 

Available at Axiology ($24)

Axiology Shape Stick in Light

Okay, so I have some good and bad news with this pick. The bad news is that the lightest shade, which is shade “Light,” is way too orange, in my opinion. I can see myself using this as a bronzer, but I probably wouldn’t use it as a contour stick, as I think it’s too light and too orange-based. If I were to use this product as a contour stick, I would probably try for a darker shade, like “Medium,” even though I’m pale as a ghost. 

The good news is that this formula blends like a dream and works into the skin really nicely. Just like all the other Axiology sticks, there are a few ways you can apply this. You can swipe this directly on the contours of your face and then blend it out with your fingers. You can swipe it on your face and then blend it out with a brush. Or you can dip a brush onto the stick and then apply the brush to your face. You can also apply this formula to your eyelids and use it as an eyeshadow or an eco-friendly makeup primer for your lids.

Available at Axiology ($24)

Axiology is one of the few eco-friendly makeup brands paving the way for more sustainable makeup brands to take flight. I think they are doing a great job in terms of their plastic-free philosophy and their effective and high-performing formulas, too. I’m excited to see what else this brand comes up with!

Your path to a healthier you doesn’t have to stop at your makeup routine. Feel free to check out my blog posts about my favorite non-toxic body lotions, non-toxic body wash, and non-toxic perfumes, too!

*Please note: These products were gifted to me by the brand. I am under no obligation to review them, and all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through the links on my site at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting my small business by shopping through my affiliate links. It’s what keeps my blog running and I am so appreciative!