The 2025 Clean Beauty Makeup Awards: Leading Products and Trends
Explore the standout makeup winners, clean beauty innovations, and emerging trends from the 2025 Clean Beauty Awards in cosmetics.
The 2025 Clean Beauty Makeup Awards: Winners and Innovations
Every year, the Clean Beauty Awards spotlight the best in non-toxic, sustainable, and performance-driven beauty products. The awards for 2025 continue this tradition, honoring the top innovators and most effective products in the clean makeup space. From groundbreaking lipstick formulas to eyeshadow palettes engineered for both artistry and eco-conscious consumers, this year’s winners reflect an industry that beautifully marries performance with values.
What is Clean Beauty?
Clean beauty represents formulas free from harsh chemicals, toxins, and ingredients considered harmful to people or the planet. Products often emphasize plant-based actives, recyclable or refillable packaging, transparency, and cruelty-free or vegan certifications. As consumer awareness and demand for ethical products soars, clean beauty has shifted from a niche to the mainstream, especially in makeup.
Top Awards: Makeup Category Highlights
Let’s explore the major makeup winners from the 2025 Clean Beauty Awards, including what sets each product apart and why they lead the field.
Lipstick
- Winner: Denoir Cosmetics – Golden Hour
The Golden Hour lipstick stands out for its buildable pigment and creamy, long-lasting finish. Its blend of nourishing oils ensures a smooth application and comfortable wear, giving users flexibility for subtle daytime looks or bold evening statements. Its commitment to clean ingredients and a weightless feel put it at the top of the industry’s list for 2025.
Eye Colour
- Winner: Zakiella – Sand Dunes Eyeshadow Palette
Zakiella’s Sand Dunes palette draws inspiration from sun-kissed deserts, offering a selection of velvety mattes and shimmering metallics in warm, earthy tones. The palette is free of talc, PFAS, and microplastics, formulated with sustainably sourced natural and organic colorants. With its replaceable pans and magnetic base, it sets a new standard for sustainability and customization in eye makeup.
Lip Care
- Winner: Whish Beauty – Tinted Lip Balm with Bakuchiol
This tinted balm from Whish Beauty is infused with bakuchiol, a plant-based alternative to retinol. It soothes, hydrates, and visibly reduces fine lines around the lips, providing a natural-looking shine with a subtle tint. The formula delivers retinol-like results without irritation, making it ideal for daily use and those sensitive to traditional anti-aging ingredients.
Face Awards: All-Star Skincare Essentials
While the makeup category takes the spotlight, several face care products also received high honors, reflecting the growing intersection between beauty and skin health. Here are the essential face care winners:
- Face Cream: Orpheus Skincare – Resurrection Bio-Shield Cream
- Face Wash: Jessica Wellness Skincare – Cleansing Oil 20% Ultra-Nutrition
- Face Scrub: Seaflora Skincare – Refining Facial Polish
- Face Mask: Dianne Caine Australia – Miracle Marine Mask
- Sun Care: Pevonia Natural Skincare – After-Sun Soothing Gel
Orpheus Skincare – Resurrection Bio-Shield Cream
This cream uses a blend of antioxidants, stem cells, and barrier-strengthening ingredients to deliver intensive repair and moisture retention. It not only boosts hydration but also protects against environmental damage, making it a leader among modern “skinimalist” face creams.
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Jessica Wellness Skincare – Cleansing Oil 20% Ultra-Nutrition
The cleansing oil removes makeup and impurities while supporting barrier function and providing deep hydration. Its plant-based oils and antioxidants are suitable for all skin types, including oily and acne-prone complexions.
Seaflora Skincare – Refining Facial Polish
Seaflora’s polish offers gentle physical exfoliation from ocean smoothed sea mud granules, combined with kelp extracts and nourishing oils, for a smooth, radiant complexion without irritation.
Dianne Caine Australia – Miracle Marine Mask
The Miracle Marine Mask is praised for its mineral-rich marine botanicals and clays that nurture, detoxify, and hydrate the skin, providing instant glow and comfort.
Pevonia Natural Skincare – After-Sun Soothing Gel
This gel calms sunburned or irritated skin with a blend of water lily, green tea, and proline. It’s recommended post-exposure, post-waxing, or whenever skin needs gentle restoration.
Clean Beauty Trends in 2025
The 2025 awards reveal several key trends shaping clean beauty’s evolution:
- Sustainable Packaging: Refillable and recyclable containers, including magnetic and replaceable makeup pans, are industry leaders.
- Innovative Natural Actives: Ingredients like bakuchiol, marine botanicals, and antioxidant-rich plant extracts are prioritized for performance and gentle efficacy.
- Transparency & Testing: Brands provide comprehensive ingredient lists and clinical results (e.g., Orpheus Skincare’s measured moisture retention claims).
- Multifunctional Makeup: Products offer skincare benefits (hydration, barrier repair, anti-aging) in addition to color payoff—consumers expect more from every step.
- Clean Beauty for All Skin Types: Formulas are gentle, non-comedogenic, and universally suitable, appealing to a wide user base.
Quick Reference Table: Key Makeup Winners
| Category | 2025 Winner | Standout Features |
|---|---|---|
| Lipstick | Denoir Cosmetics – Golden Hour | Buildable, long-lasting, creamy, nourishing oils |
| Eye Colour | Zakiella – Sand Dunes Palette | Warm neutrals, sustainable, talc/PFAS free, refillable |
| Lip Care | Whish Beauty – Tinted Balm with Bakuchiol | Hydrating, anti-aging, shine, natural color |
| Face Cream | Orpheus Skincare – Resurrection Bio-Shield | Barrier strength, antioxidants, pollution defense |
| Face Wash | Jessica Wellness – Cleansing Oil 20% | Deep cleaning, hydrates, suitable for all skin types |
| Face Scrub | Seaflora Skincare – Refining Facial Polish | Gentle exfoliation, organic kelp, sensitive skin safe |
| Face Mask | Dianne Caine Australia – Miracle Marine Mask | Marine minerals, soothing clays, instant hydration |
| Sun Care | Pevonia – After-Sun Soothing Gel | Calms, reduces redness, post-sun or irritation care |
Why Do These Products Stand Out?
Each of the 2025 Clean Beauty Award winners offers a balance of safety, efficacy, and user experience. Brands are increasingly expected to deliver formulas that not only meet clean ingredient standards but also compete with conventional products for performance. This year’s awardees show:
- Impressive color payoff and wear (like Denoir’s lipstick and Zakiella’s palette)
- Clinical backing for skincare claims (as seen with Orpheus Skincare)
- Customization and longevity, for both user experience and environmental benefit
- Ingredients that offer skincare benefits beyond the surface—strengthening, hydrating, and repairing the skin barrier
Expert Panel & Selection Process
The Clean Beauty Awards rely on an independent panel of industry professionals—makeup artists, dermatologists, beauty editors, and influencers—to test and evaluate hundreds of international submissions. Criteria include:
- Ingredient safety (free from parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance, and other controversial chemicals)
- Performance (pigmentation, blendability, texture, longevity)
- Efficacy (visible improvement in skin health, claims substantiation)
- Ethical/sustainable standards (packaging, sourcing, cruelty-free status)
Winners represent the best overall performance within their respective categories, meeting rigorous requirements for both clean formulation and real-world usability.
Emerging Clean Makeup Ingredients of 2025
- Bakuchiol: Plant-derived retinol alternative for anti-aging and gentle resurfacing
- Marine Botanicals: Sea kelp, algae, and other ocean extracts for hydration and barrier support
- Peptide Complexes: Used to visibly firm, renew, and protect the skin in cream-based products
- Natural Oils: Chia, jojoba, and other seed oils that nourish without clogging pores
- Mineral Pigments: Sourced for color while avoiding talc and microplastics
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What defines a product as “clean” beauty?
A: Clean beauty is defined by ingredient safety (no known toxins or harsh chemicals), ethical sourcing, non-irritating formulas, and a focus on both personal and environmental well-being. Standards may vary by brand but universally emphasize avoiding ingredients linked to health or environmental risks.
Q: Are clean beauty products as effective as traditional ones?
A: Yes, many modern clean beauty products now rival or outperform conventional options, delivering on pigment, longevity, and skincare benefits thanks to advances in formulation science. 2025’s award winners showcase these advances in action.
Q: Is there a certification for clean makeup?
A: While there is no single global certification, certifications like COSMOS, EWG Verified, and Leaping Bunny offer reassurances about organic content and cruelty-free claims. Brands often publish full transparency on ingredient sourcing and safety.
Q: Can clean makeup work for sensitive skin?
A: Absolutely. Leading products use non-irritating ingredients and often avoid common allergens like synthetic fragrances, drying alcohols, and sulfates. Always conduct a patch test before new products.
Q: How can consumers spot greenwashing?
A: Greenwashing occurs when brands make misleading claims about “natural” or “organic” content. Look for full, transparent ingredient lists, third-party certifications, and detailed sustainability claims—beyond broad marketing buzzwords.
Q: Where can I purchase the 2025 Clean Beauty Award winners?
A: Most are available through direct brand websites, clean beauty specialty retailers, and select department stores. Check each brand’s website for detailed stockist information.
How to Choose Clean Makeup: A Quick Guide
- Read ingredient lists & look for certifications.
- Research the brand’s sourcing and packaging sustainability policies.
- Check real-world reviews for performance proof, especially regarding color payoff and wear.
- Match formulas to your skin’s specific needs and sensitivities.
- Prioritize products that provide multi-benefit results (makeup + skincare).
Final Thoughts: The Future of Clean Makeup
The 2025 Clean Beauty Awards highlight a beauty landscape where high performance and ethical responsibility go hand-in-hand. Today’s top products prove you can have color, comfort, and advanced skincare in a sustainable package. As consumer expectations grow and technology evolves, next year’s contenders will no doubt raise the stakes even further for what clean beauty can accomplish.
References
- https://www.cleanbeautyawards.com/blog/the-official-winners-of-the-2025-clean-beauty-awards
- https://www.globalmakeupawards.com/natural-winners-global-green-beauty-awards
- https://www.cleanbeautyawards.com/winners/
- https://www.cleanbeautyawards.com
- https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/a63642010/2025-clean-beauty-awards/
- https://www.rmsbeauty.com/collections/award-winning-clean-beauty-must-haves
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