I recently watched an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver about Fashion that focused on where fast fashion aka inexpensive and trendy clothes are made, who makes them, and what kind of conditions they are made in (spoiler alert: they’re mostly made by children in developing countries in terrible and unsafe conditions for little pay). This inspired me to do a post about makeup and beauty products that are made in the USA. It was SO hard to find information about this!!

The best way to find out where a product is made is to look at the packaging which usually has the country of origin or where the products was made. The problem comes when you don’t have the packaging yet or are seeking out American made products and then the research becomes a bit more difficult. Lucky for you all I went through my makeup collection and I emailed a ton of these companies to find out where they manufacture their makeup to help you out!

Update: As of 8/16/17 I’ve started to add (CF) to the list to signify Cruelty Free brands. I’m in the process of going through all of the brands I already have listed and updating whether they are cruelty free or not 🙂

Related Post: Why Cruelty-Free Products Not Only Benefit Our Beloved Animals

Makeup Made in the USA

Here’s a few companies that make their cosmetics in the USA that you should check out:

ColourPop – Made in the USA, Cruelty Free, and Vegan

ColourPop is made in the USA in Los Angeles, California

If you haven’t heard about ColourPop yet, they have fantastically pigmented lipsticks, coordinating lip pencils, and eyeshadows that are high quality and super affordable! They come in tons of amazing colors and I really feel that this brand comes up with some of the most interesting, trendy shades on the market. Plus, at these super affordable prices you can afford to experiment! This company is also cruelty free and vegan. I love that they always post swatches on different skin tones too! Their products are available online. (Source)

Related Post: ColourPop Lippie Swatches and Reviews

theBalm – Made in the USA, Cruelty Free

theBalm is made in the USA and cruelty free

I LOVE this brand. I’m actually going to do a post about my favorite products from theBalm at some point because I recently realized I use a decent amount of their products on a regular basis/it’s one of my most used makeup brands! Kyle Richards from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is a big fan of their blush. (Source)

Related Post: My Favorite Makeup from theBalm

Related Post: Kyle Richards from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Makeup and Beauty Secret

Makeup Geek – Made in the USA, Cruelty Free

Makeup Geek Cosmetics are made in the USA, are cruelty free, and are talc and paraben free

I love this company and the owner Marlena! Affordable, high quality products made by a company lead by a kick ass woman who is passionate about what she does. If you haven’t heard of Makeup Geek yet, their eyeshadow quality is very similar to MACs at a fraction of the cost . I also love their pigments and glitters and I’m dying to try their new foiled eyeshadows which have been getting great reviews. (Source)

LA Splash Cosmetics – Made in the USA, Cruelty Free

LA Splash Cosmetics are Made in the USA in Seattle, WA with domestically-sourced ingredients

This company is all over Instagram with their Smitten Liptint Mousse which is a a velvet matte liquid lipstick that is waterproof, smudge-proof, and won’t transfer or fade. They also come in cool colors like blue and green. These get awesome reviews, yet another product I need to try ASAP! (Source; Source)

Paula’s Choice – Made in the USA, Cruelty Free

I recently mentioned that I’ve been using a Paula’s Choice Resist Youth-Extending Daily Fluid SPF 50 and it’s been wonderful. I also really love Paula’s website Beautypedia for reviews that use evidence based research instead of opinions when discussing products. (Source)

Related Post: I Didn’t Think I Would Get Skin Cancer Either

It’s a Makeup Party in the USA

More makeup made in the USA

List of Brands that make their makeup in the USA

Companies that make most of their makeup in the USA

Some cosmetics companies can’t claim they made 100% of their makeup in the USA, but make most of their makeup in the USA. A lot of companies outsource to Europe for products like eyeliner.

Ben Nye – (CF) “Nearly all are manufactured in Los Angeles” (source)

– (CF) “Nearly all are manufactured in Los Angeles” (source) Gabriel Cosmetics – (CF) Made in the USA except pencils are made in Europe. (source: email with CS 9/9/18)

– (CF) Made in the USA except pencils are made in Europe. (source: email with CS 9/9/18) Gerard Cosmetics – (CF) “Yes, our products are made in the USA with the exception of our lip liners and our eye liner which are made in Germany.”

– (CF) “Yes, our products are made in the USA with the exception of our lip liners and our eye liner which are made in Germany.” Girlactik – (CF) All product is created and manufactured in the US except their mechanical eyeliner (source: email with CS 3/22/16)

– (CF) All product is created and manufactured in the US except their mechanical eyeliner (source: email with CS 3/22/16) Glo Skin Beauty – (CF) “The majority of products are made in the USA (California, Colorado and Arizona). One exception here, some of our lip products are manufactured in Germany.” (source: email with CS 5/17/18)

– (CF) “The majority of products are made in the USA (California, Colorado and Arizona). One exception here, some of our lip products are manufactured in Germany.” (source: email with CS 5/17/18) Hynt Beauty – (CF) Most made in the USA (NJ) except eye pencils which are made in Italy. (source: email with CS 9/10/18)

– (CF) Most made in the USA (NJ) except eye pencils which are made in Italy. (source: email with CS 9/10/18) Ilia Beauty – (CF) “Yes! Our new Mascara is made in Italy. Packaging is in China, but all goods are from the good ol’ US of A.” (source: IG DM 5/20/18)

– (CF) “Yes! Our new Mascara is made in Italy. Packaging is in China, but all goods are from the good ol’ US of A.” (source: IG DM 5/20/18) Jane Iredale – (CF)Most made in USA except their eye and lip pencils are made in the Czech Republic (source; email with CS 6/4/15)

– (CF)Most made in USA except their eye and lip pencils are made in the Czech Republic (source; email with CS 6/4/15) Josie Maran – (CF) “Our products are manufactured in the United States, and our Argan Oil is fair trade” (source: email with CS 8/16/17)

– (CF) “Our products are manufactured in the United States, and our Argan Oil is fair trade” (source: email with CS 8/16/17) Jouer – (CF) Most made in USA, some made in Europe and Canada (source: email with CS 8/7/17)

– (CF) Most made in USA, some made in Europe and Canada (source: email with CS 8/7/17) L’Oreal – All of the L’Oreal I own says made in the USA

– All of the L’Oreal I own says made in the USA Mary Kay – Most made in USA, some made by third-party manufacturers to supplement production (email with CS 3/27/17)

– Most made in USA, some made by third-party manufacturers to supplement production (email with CS 3/27/17) Maybelline – “Most products sold in the US are manufactured here”

– “Most products sold in the US are manufactured here” Philosophy – “Most of our products are manufactured in the US” (source: email with CS 3/28/16)

– “Most of our products are manufactured in the US” (source: email with CS 3/28/16) Prestige Cosmetics – (CF) “Most of our makeup is made in the USA & Czech Republic. We manufacturer in NY & distribute out of Florida. (source: email with CS 9/10/18)

– (CF) “Most of our makeup is made in the USA & Czech Republic. We manufacturer in NY & distribute out of Florida. (source: email with CS 9/10/18) Revlon – Most products made in USA (at flagship manufacturing facility in NC)

Makeup Not Entirely Made in the USA

Here’s a list of companies whose makeup is not solely made in the USA. For this list I was trying to just figure out where they were made (if it’s not the USA). It’s not an exhaustive list of every country the company makes products in. If you want to find out where a specific product you want to buy is made and don’t have access to the packaging to check, I recommend contacting the company directly.

Here are where cosmetics from some other companies are made:

More Information on Makeup Made in the USA

While doing research on this topic I learned a lot. Here’s some things to keep in mind.

California Transparency in Supply Chain Act

“On January 1, 2012, the California Transparency in Supply Chain Act will go into effect in California. This act requires retail sellers and manufacturers doing business in the state to disclose the efforts they are making to ensure their supply chains are free from slavery and human trafficking in effort to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from product supply chains.”

I wouldn’t say the manufacturers are totally transparent at this point, but because of this if you contact them they should be able to tell you where your products are made. I’m not saying you should only buy makeup made in the USA, but it’s good to be a conscientious consumer.

Made in the USA Label Requirements

Procter & Gamble let me know that “Please note, there is no federal or state requirement to label “Made in USA” for products that are made in the USA (except for automobiles, textile, wool, and fur products.) It is strictly optional for manufacturing companies to include this on their label.”

Made in the USA as a Marketing Tool

Another hint- manufacturing in the USA is now more important to consumers so if a company makes their products solely in the USA, it’s usually a lot easier to find that out because they put it in big, bold letters.

Why can’t companies just use a Made in the USA label?

You can read more about Why “Made in USA” labeling is so complicated by Heesun Wee on CNBC.

More Resources for Cosmetics Made in the USA

Here’s some more websites with lists of cosmetics, makeup, and beauty products made in the USA.

One way to find deals on products made in the USA is you can search for Made in USA makeup on Overstock. Happy shopping!

Clean Beauty Made in the USA – This is a long list of all kinds of beauty and personal care products made in the USA.

American Made Beauty Brands – Even more!

Cosmetics Made in China

People have lots of reasons why they do or do not want to purchase cosmetics made in China.

Pros of Manufacturing Cosmetics in China

The cost of manufacturing is much cheaper in China vs. Europe or USA so brands can keep the cost of goods down if they outsource.

Cons of Manufacturing Cosmetics in China

When you outsource manufacturing to countries with different economic structures it can sometimes (but not always!) lead to poorer quality control or poor working conditions. Poor quality control and working conditions can occur in any country and it’s up to the brands to ensure they are doing regular inspections and being transparent to their consumers about the conditions for workers.

Animal Testing for Cosmetics in China

Another major controversy about cosmetics made in China is related to animal testing. Companies that sell cosmetics in China sometimes have to show animal testing results to prove safety. Not all cosmetics that are made in China are sold in China though, so just because something is made in China does not guarantee it has been tested on animals.

“PRC” means Made in China (People’s Republic of China)

Sometimes cosmetics companies will put “PRC” instead of “Made in China.” I’m not sure if this is a marketing distraction because of consumers negative associations with products made in China or what.

Asian Cosmetics Standards

You can read all about the details of Asian Cosmetics Standards and the ins and outs of this complicated issue on the blog kinseng.

Thank you so much for reading! If you want some more information on being a mindful consumer check out my blog post Earth Day How to Recycle Makeup

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more about what that means and how it works on my Disclosure page.

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