The Best Clean Eye Color Products of 2025
NoneYour eyes are not only your most expressive feature – they're also surrounded by your most delicate skin. The eye area's skin is about 0.5mm thick (compared to 2mm elsewhere on your face) and has the highest absorption rate of any facial zone. This makes the ingredients in your eye makeup particularly important to consider.
The journey to truly clean eye makeup is ongoing, with each year bringing new understanding of ingredients and their impacts. It's a category where the pursuit of "clean" requires careful navigation – identifying which chemicals to avoid first, finding safer alternatives that still perform, and continuing to refine formulations as new research emerges.
Take heavy metals, for instance, which appear in conventional eye shadows from three main sources: natural mineral pigments used for color (like iron oxides and ultramarines), the manufacturing process itself, and raw material impurities such as those found in mica for shimmer effects. While some level of heavy metals may be unavoidable even with good manufacturing practices, clean beauty brands are setting new standards through rigorous testing of raw materials, carefully refined ingredients, and strict quality control measures.
Similarly challenging are PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), often called "forever chemicals." These compounds, which can make eye products more durable and water-resistant, are particularly difficult to avoid because they're not always listed on labels – they can be present as manufacturing byproducts or from packaging materials. Recent studies have detected PFAS in numerous conventional eye makeup products, particularly those marketed as "long-wearing" or "waterproof."
The complexity continues with ingredients like talc, a common base ingredient in powder shadows that has been under FDA investigation due to potential asbestos contamination risks, and synthetic pigments used for intense colors that have raised concerns among researchers about long-term use around the sensitive eye area.
When you consider that the average person applies eye makeup five days a week and keeps products for up to two years (well beyond recommended use periods), the importance of continuing this journey toward cleaner formulations becomes clear. It's not about finding perfect solutions immediately, but about making informed choices and supporting brands that prioritize safety while continuing to innovate.
As part of the 10th annual Clean Beauty Awards program, our independent panel of clean beauty experts conducted extensive testing of eye colors across multiple formats – from shadows to cream pigments. The evaluation process recognizes products that are leading this journey toward cleaner eye makeup, ensuring that products deliver exceptional performance.
Evaluation Criteria
Performance
- Color payoff
- Blendability
- Wear time
- Creasing resistance
Ease of Use
- Application ease
- Tool compatibility
- Buildability
- Packaging functionality
The Top Recommendations
#1: Zakiella - Sand Dunes Eyeshadow Palette - $52
Zakiella Sand Dunes Eyeshadow Palette is inspired by the serene beauty of sun-kissed deserts, offering a range of rich, velvety mattes and shimmering metallics in warm, neutral tones. This palette includes soft beiges, sunlit ambers, and sultry browns, providing a versatile selection for both everyday looks and dramatic evening styles. Formulated with natural and organic ingredients, free from talc, PFAS, and microplastics, it delivers exceptional color payoff while supporting your values. The magnetic base allows you to replace empty pans, making it a sustainable and long-lasting beauty essential.
Expert Notes:
"What I love about this eyeshadow palette, including the cute case with a mirror, is that it's clean beauty but still feels luxurious. The shadows apply so smoothly and have great staying power throughout the day. The neutral palette is perfect for everyday use. Love!" - Jessica Brown, @thejesslbrown
#2: MisMacK Clean Cosmetics - ART Shadows - $17.95
MisMacK Clean Cosmetics ART Shadows offer endless possibilities for your beauty routine. These versatile powders can be used not only on your eyes, but also on your cheeks, brows, lips, or wherever else you feel creative. You can dampen the shadow to create a liner or lip stain, or add a touch to the high points of your lips for extra dimension. With these shadows, the options are limitless, allowing you to explore your unique beauty expression.
Expert Notes:
"Love the funky, fun palette these colors come in. Super pigmented and bright, fun colors. These had great staying power and were super smooth to apply." - Jessica Brown, @thejesslbrown
"I really loved this product, the shimmers and to pigmentation is perfect." - Dana Fong, @ecoartsy
"These shadows are so pigmented and beautiful! They have a variety of single shadows to pick from. My favorite was Moonstone, an iridescent color. Great to blend in or wear alone." - Crystal Pena, @cleanbeautycraze
Eye makeup is one of the most complex categories in clean beauty, requiring brands to balance safety, performance, and ingredient transparency. This year’s best clean eye color products set new standards, delivering rich pigment and lasting wear without compromising on formulation integrity.
But if eye makeup is a daily essential, lipstick is just as much a statement—one that should feel as good as it looks. Next, we reviewed the best-performing clean lipsticks of 2025, uncovering formulas that offer vibrant color, comfortable wear, and ingredient integrity.
Follow us on Instagram (@CertCleanInc) for more clean beauty recommendations from this year’s judging panel. You can also subscribe to our newsletter and grab your free copy of the 2025 Clean Beauty Awards Ultimate Guide, a full rundown of this year’s top-performing products!
