We’re all more conscious of the ingredients in our beauty and hygiene products—and we should be! With the wealth of information available, there’s no reason to use products that include ingredients that are bad for your body or the environment. Still, it can be difficult to know if it’s necessary to avoid a certain component or not. And if you should, which products are your best options?
First, we’ll cover our picks for the best talc free eyeshadows on the market and then we’ll go over a few of the reasons you might want eyeshadows without talc as well as some frequently asked questions.
Our Picks For The Best Talc Free Eyeshadow
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Lavera Beautiful Eyeshadow Smokey Grey Quattro
This gorgeous Smokey Grey Quattro palette from Lavera isn’t just a beautiful way to get the perfect silvery-soft smoky eye look. It’s also talc-free and contains organic argan oil, coconut oil, and shea butter to further soothe and pamper your skin.You’ll find the hues complement one another wonderfully (and are great additions to your larger collection, too). They seem to last pretty well throughout the day, especially when you consider their very affordable price point. This is a must-have if you are a smoky eye addict!
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Gabriel Cosmetics Aubergene Eyeshadow
The Aubergene eyeshadow from Gabriel Cosmetics is one of our favorites this season because its so incredibly versatile. It’s a great transition shade, working fabulously with your autumn palettes and into winter—its warm mauve shade even makes a great early spring color, since it blends so well with icy pinks and blues.If you’re looking for talc-free eyeshadow to replace some of the heavy hitters in your eyeshadow collection, this is an exceptional option. Oh, and all of the eyeshadows from this brand are talc-free, so if you love this one, you’ll find plenty more to binge-spend on!
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PYT Beauty Warm Shimmer and Matte Shades Palette
Shout out to our vegan MUAs out there! It can be hard enough to find makeup that’s cruelty-free without also looking for talc-free eyeshadow on top of it. Don’t worry. We’ve got your back with P/Y/T’s Warm Shimmer and Matte Shades Palette.If you’re going straight from the office to a night on the town, this is a perfect addition to your bag, because you can build so many looks from these shades. From a sandy nude to a bold metallic rose, you’ll be ready for anything.
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Honest Beauty 10 Pigment-Rich Shades Eyeshadow Palette
Cruelty-free, talc-free, and dermatologist tested: Honest Beauty has outdone itself with this 10 pigment-rich shades palette. Like the P/Y/T palette above, this collection is wonderful for an easy day in-to-night out transition.Oh, and you’ll find these shades don’t contain any petrolatum, parabens, or silicones either, all well delivering some incredibly intense hues that blend easily. We don’t know how they do it, but we’re glad they do!
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Burt’s Bees Blooming Desert Palette
Exactly how long has Burt’s Bees been around rescuing us from additives we want to avoid while providing us with products that make us healthier, happier, and more beautiful? They’re so well known for doing exactly this, it’s no surprise their Blooming Desert talc-free palette is awesome.And yes, it’s even infused with their famous honey—not to mention bamboo and vitamin E. It’s also free of a bunch of other nasty chemicals, and of course, never tested on animals. This naturally inspired palette is bound to be one you reach for on a regular basis, both to look great and treat your skin better.
Is Talc Safe?
The answer isn’t all that simple. The short answer is “yes, for some people, some talc is probably safe.” You see, some talc has been linked to increased cancer risk. Another issue is that some people have an intolerance to this ingredient, even in its most highly purified forms.
Is Talc a Carcinogen?
One reason that talc is something of a controversial ingredient is that some studies indicate that in high enough amounts it can be a carcinogen. However, it’s not clear whether or not this is because, in its most natural form, talc can contain asbestos.
For obvious reasons, all cosmetic products sold in the USA are supposed to be free from asbestos. But with so many beauty products coming from overseas, or being made here with ingredients from other countries, it can be difficult to ensure these regulations are followed. Not least because these regulations are voluntary!
Are There Other Reasons to Look for Eyeshadows Without Talc?
You may be sensitive to makeup that contains talc and wonder if you are allergic to it, or you may have heard certain beauty influencers state that they are allergic to talc. This may not be technically true, since talc is not considered an allergen.
That doesn’t mean that it won’t cause reactions, however. We’ve already mentioned one common impurity in talc—asbestos—and the fact that the industry is more or less self-regulated when it comes to the purity of the talc they use. There can be other contaminants that you are allergic to.
Then there’s the fact that talc is just plain rough on sensitive skin. Talc is a naturally occurring mineral that is ground down to a fine dust, and while it feels soft, it can actually be quite sharp on the microscopic level, causing all sorts of irritation to sensitive skin. You might even find that talc in body powder doesn’t bother you, but it does bother the more sensitive skin around your eyes.
If you’re experiencing a reaction from eyeshadow and you’ve ruled out other ingredients, the best thing to do is try out some of the best talc free eyeshadows on our list. Whether it’s an actual allergy to talc, to a contaminant in talc, or just a reaction to this relatively harsh ingredient—your eyes will thank you!
Finding the Best Talc Free Eyeshadows for You
We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide. If you have a sensitivity to talc and have any other favorite brands, let us know! Some of the brands above formulate all of their products without talc; some just have certain products that are talc-free. Remember to always read ingredient lists to be sure.