- Is Mac Cosmetics Gluten Free
- Gluten Free Cosmetic Brands
- Which Makeup Brands Are Gluten Free
- Mac Cosmetics Gluten Free
So, I do a thing. If I’m stressed or feeling down, it’s always the same. I buy lipstick. There’s just something about make-up that makes me feel confident. I have a larger collection than one person should be allowed to have. And it is all gluten-free lipstick, from both specialty and mainstream brands. (And yes, mom, those 4 reds are really very different from each other).
I wrote to MAC cosmetics, to see if my make up is safe to use as a celiac. Altho the answers aren't conclusive they have provided me with the following which I wanted to share if anyone else uses MAC and wants to know if they are ok. , Thank you for taking the time to contact. Monave Mineral Makeup. Monave makes gluten-free, cruelty-free, 95% vegan and organic makeup that is made of only the highest quality mineral makeup. Choose from a variety of gluten-free lipsticks, concealers, eye shadows and skin care products. Monave prides themselves on creating superior cosmetics that suit women of all ages, complexions.
One of the things I’ve noticed in my exploration of makeup has been how hard it is to confirm the gluten-free status of cosmetics. You’d think that with ingredients labeled it would be easy. Nope. Ingredients don’t have to call out allergens. Even worse, they can use technical or scientific names to make products sound fancy-shmancy (triticum vulgare or wheat, which sounds bougier?). On top of that, some ingredients can be derived from allergens without those allergens being labeled. Basically, busing makeup with food allergies is a tough game. And with my love of lipstick, I’m always on the hunt for a new gluten-free lipstick find.
Offering more than 100 shades of professional quality cosmetics for All Ages, All Races, and All Genders. Enjoy free shipping and returns on all orders. They do acknowledge that even products that don’t contain glutinous ingredients can come in contact with gluten, so gluten free is not guaranteed because of shared equipment. Clinique offer an enormous line of cosmetics, including but not limited to foundation, face washes, eye makeup, lipsticks, moisturizers, makeup removers, and fragrance.
Finding gluten-free lipstick
Is Mac Cosmetics Gluten Free
Finding gluten-free lipstick is critical if you have wheat allergies, Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance. Anything you put on your lips is going straight into your mouth (good news is that figure about women eating 7 pounds of lipstick over a lifetime is false). mmmm, tasty lipstick. (Maybe I should start worrying if it is keto?).
My allergies mean I look out for wheat and grain derived ingredients that may have gluten, fish and shellfish derivatives and royal jelly. Sneaky ingredients that seem to be making their way into more and more products as the “clean beauty” phenomenon grows. I’ve actually found many more gluten-free lipstick options outside of the natural and clean space. I know there are some brands that are dedicated to gluten-free offerings (Red Apple Lipstick, Tarte, Nudestix, ColourPop & CoverFX) and others that have mostly GF products (Nars, Too Faced & Bite Beauty).
But I don’t like buying products I can’t touch and try (also you can’t patch test online without committing to an order first). I want to feel textures and judge colors in person. I want to try what the cool kids on the YouTubes are trying (if the ingredients look safe). So, I research and spend endless hours googling product information.
My Favorite Surprisingly Gluten-Free Lipsticks
I’ve probably bought several hundred lipsticks over the past decade, and there’s been some real clunkers. And I’m not talking about the frosty lipsticks I wore in the 90’s or the griege lipstick I couldn’t quite pull off. Some formulas disappear in mutes and others give you “butt-hole” lips despite being on a big magazine’s beauty awards (I’m looking at you ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lip). The 5 gluten-free lipsticks that I’m listing here have passed my ingredient investigation (To the best of my ability, I believe them to be safe for me*) and the punishing daily life of an advertising creative who lives on coffee and soup in the either frigid or melting second city.
After making the list, I noticed that there are no matte lipsticks in the bunch but that doesn’t mean there aren’t amazing options. It just means that if I had to list all the formulas that I love, I’d be here all day.
Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lip, $26
This is a new formula, and it just slightly edged out my previous favorite. The color has great depth, but is based in the realm of natural so that it never looks totally crazy. It loses its shine gracefully as your lips absorb the moisture, leaving you with a lovely stain. Reapplication doesn’t get clumpy or streaky. The brand says it is the feel of a balm with the shine of a gloss. The color is about as opaque as any traditional lipstick. I feel like when I put this on, I just feel pretty. While there are no gluten-containing ingredients on the label (it does contain tocopherol acetate which is considered gluten-free by the FDA no matter the source), Bobbi Brown answers all gluten inquiries with the comment that they don’t specifically formulate products to avoid gluten.
Lancome L’absolu Lacquer, $26
This was my favorite formula for a good 8 months before the Bobbi Brown was released. This liquid lipstick has some sort of magic voodoo they put in the tube, but this stays shiny for hours. You can wear it sheer or opaque and it can withstand a bit of eating and drinking. I have it in a nude, a your lips but better and a red and all of them are always in a purse somewhere because I wore it out rather than living in my lipstick bag with the less loved formulas. Lancome is another brand that says that they don’t specifically formulate products to avoid gluten, but the ingredients look safe according to the ingredients on the label.
Hourglass Confessions, $36
If you want to bougie up your life, these lipsticks will do it. They’re slim lipsticks that can be changed out of a pretty gold (or pink) case so that you don’t have to buy a holder for all of your colors. The shades range from nudes and pinks to berries and reds. The lipstick is buttery smooth and almost seems to fill in lip lines. The color lasts for quite a while compared to other traditional bullet formulas. Plus, you just feel fancy when you apply it. There isn’t a whole lot of product in the tube, but that means that it is less likely to go bad before you use it up. Hourglass lists all their gluten-free products on their website.
Maybelline Made For All, $7.49
These were released recently, and I was skeptical. An orange? A light pink? A red that will work as well on me as the youtuber who always tests the darkest shades of foundations and the colors looked amazeballs on her. So, I bought myself 3 after a rough day at work. For science. And because 3 of these are less than most of the other items on this list. Well, I picked the 3 that I thought would look the worst and I’m so glad I was wrong. The formula isn’t incredibly long wearing, but it is comfortable and every shade is flattering on everyone I’ve seen try it.
Huda Demi Matte Cream Lipstick, $20
This lipstick reminds me of my favorite liquid lipstick that Red Apple Lipstick used to make (right down to the color I chose). It goes on incredibly smooth and lasts longer than a cream lipstick should. (Meaning you definitely need to reapply after lunch). It doesn’t feather or migrate and adds a layer of hydration to your lips. They call it a demi matte, and I think that might be the best way to describe the finish. It’s not high shine like the Lancome or even moderate shine like the Bobbi Brown. But it isn’t matte. I would compare the look to melted ice cream. In a lipstick that means that there is enough luminosity to look alive, but not so much that there is shine or sparkle.
You can’t go wrong with these 5 formulas. Unless you are looking for a a blue or bright violet lipstick, these all have a great range of classic colors from nudes and pinks to reds or berries. No matter how dry your lips are, all of these are comfortable on dry lips and are pretty forgiving if your lips are flaking. You might call me basic because there are no crazy colors here, but I’m a girl who works in an office every day and even just a resistance red lip can be a lot when you’re presenting.
Have any of you tried lipsticks from mainstream (not specifically gluten-free) brands? I’d love to know what some of your favorites are!
*I know a disclaimer seems unwarranted when talking about makeup, but I’m not a doctor and this isn’t medical advice. Always patch test cosmetics in a small area before applying them to your face. Please speak to your medical team if you have any questions about what is safe for you. I’ve looked in to the ingredients and used sites such as SkinSafeProducts to come to my conclusions around what is safe for me.
Further Reading
Tarte cosmetics has been kept off the GFMG Gluten-Free Makeup List for a very LONG time. While they are an extremely popular company, their gluten policies consist of
“We do not put gluten ingredients in our makeup, but we might have cross-contamination“.
So that means Tarte’s makeup is “gluten free” by ingredients but there is chances of cross contamination during processing or with source materials.
For the very sensitive person, this is not safe. (Looking for strictly and safely gluten-free brands? check out The Gluten Free Makeup List)
But to someone not super sensitive? This is perfect.
In fact 2 years ago when I took a survey, about 60% of my readers told me they could handle Tarte’s potential contamination level. And now that I’m so much less sensitive to gluten, I can now handle Tarte without getting sick at all.
My 5 Favourite Gluten Free Makup from Tarte
So, if you’re one of those not extremely sensitive to possible gluten cross-contamination, let me introduce you to my Top 5 favourites from Tarte:
Amazonian Clay 12-hour Full Coverage Foundation SPF 15
This is a very basic, oil-free, vegan, matte foundation. For being so basic, it’s totally perfect.
The coverage is good, the wear really is 12 hours, and the matte finish has a bit of a velvet texture to it. Not too heavy, not too drying and lasts all day in Austin, TX heat and humidity.
Where to buy: Ulta, Sephora, Tarte, Amazon
Maracuja Creaseless Undereye Concealer
Gotta love Tarte’s naming conventions. They tell you exactly what a product does right in the description.
This concealer is thick enough to cover pretty intense blemishes, but blends out to work well under your eyes.
Where to buy: Sephora, Ulta, Tarte
Tarteist™ Clay Paint Liner
I grabbed this because the funny little tip got me curious. I like painting on eyeliner with a brush. But I’d never seen a squeezeable tube with a little flat palette on the end.
As it stands, this liner actually requires the blending end. It comes out slightly separated and needs a little swirl to get back into shape. Once that’s done, the liner goes on easily with an excellent texture. It lasts and lasts all day, with almost no smudging or wear.
Where to buy: Sephora, Ulta, Tarte
Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara
A gluten-free, vegan mascara that gives oomph and pizzazz and wow and also doesn’t melt in Texas heat? Yes please! tarte’s “Lights, Camera, lashes” mascara has been a cult favorite for years. It’s no wonder, considering it hits everything you could want in a daily mascara.
There’s also an adorable travel version of this you can try, if you don’t want a full bottle. But it’s such great stuff, you can’t go wrong with it.
Where to buy: Amazon, Sephora, Ulta, Tarte
Tarteist™ Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint
THIS STUFF THOUGH. I’m so in love with it. It goes on, stays on, and looks amazing for hooours. Every single time I wear either color I have, people ask me about it. They ask because it looks amazing. They ask because they watch me eat a meal and are stunned by how perfect it still looks.
I sound like a paid ad now. Ahahaha WHOOPS. OK but it really is fantastic. I’m in love. You should check it out.
Where to buy: Amazon, Sephora, Ulta, Tarte
Gluten Free Cosmetic Brands
Where can you find Tarte products?
Tarte can be found on Amazon, Sephora, Ulta, their website, Macy’s, Dermstore, QVC, and more.
Which Makeup Brands Are Gluten Free
Looking for more gluten-free brands?
Mac Cosmetics Gluten Free
Here on Gluten Free Makeup Gal, I’ve built a list of all the safest gluten free bands of makeup, skin care, hair care and body care on the market. You can also check the following guides on: