7 Sustainable Makeup Remover Brands Keeping Your Pores Clear & Eco-Friendly (2024)

Activist Skincare Cleansing Balm

Activist Skincare offers several luxurious, sustainable makeup remover alternatives in oil, gel, or balm form.

We’d suggest the soft, supple shea butter and grapeseed oil in the Deep Moisture Cleansing Balm, which provides a highly moisturizing method for makeup removal.

If your face is prone to oily breakouts, though (we’ve been there), the Sea to Skin Cleansing Gel is probably more your speed.

For a zero waste oil-based eye makeup remover, try Botanical Cleansing Oil.

All three come in eco-friendly glass jars and do not contain artificial colors or fragrances, formaldehyde, lanolin, mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, silicones, sulfates, and more.

About Activist Skincare

As a small woman-owned zero waste skin care brand with a conscience, Activist Skincare are activists in the beauty space.

Not only members of 1% for the Planet, they also support Rainforest Trust, Earthjustice, and the Environmental Defense Fund.

Ingredients for all formulas are exclusively those approved by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Environmental Working Group.

Their entire line is non-GMO, most of it is certified organic, and just two products contain RSPO palm oil.

All Activist Skincare products are sold in reusable/recyclable glass bottles with minimal plastic waste (i.e. droppers). And we love that these are refillable via their refill pouches, which can be sent back to Activist or to TerraCycle for proper recycling.

These refill pouches (just by the way) lessen CO₂ emissions by 99% compared to their heavier glass counterparts.

All shipping is from their studio-lab in LA in paper-based materials.

My Personal Review of Activist’s Sea To Skin Cleansing Gel:

“After trying several Activist products, the Sea to Skin Cleansing Gel is definitely one of my faves. I love the striking blue from its spirulina extract, which cleans my pores without stripping away any essential skin moisture. It triples as a make-up remover and moisturizer, and I find it fully absorbs in about an hour. I like to use it as part of my pre-bedtime cleansing and moisturizing routine.”

Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content

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Eu’Genia’s Alt Makeup Remover

It’s all about plant power with Eu’Genia’s Everyday Strength Unscented Shea Butter.

Wait, isn’t shea butter a moisturizer?

It sure is, but this “wonderbalm” is also one of the best sustainable makeup removers for all skin types—including sensitive, dry, mature, blemish-prone, combination, and normal.

In Ghana—where shea butter is sourced—it is celebrated for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidizing, and antifungal properties thanks to being rich in vitamins A and E.

Simply warm in your hands, apply to your face and eye area, and wipe with a warm, damp cloth.

This 80% unrefined shea butter formula also includes Moringa Oil and antioxidant-rich Baobab Oil to leave your skin with an added natural glow.

They also offer scented varieties that utilize essential oils, but be sure to only use the unscented variety as an eco-friendly eye makeup remover, as essential oil may lead to eye and skin irritation.

About Eu’Genia

Eu’Genia was started by Naa-Sakle Akuete, a former Wall Street analyst and her mother, the former head of the Global Shea Alliance.

No wonder they’re committed to using the best shea butter on Earth.

Eu’Genia is also a social enterprise, and commits to fair wages and increasing opportunities for their female workforce in Ghana, where the shea butter is farmed and formulated.

They donate 15% of their profits back to their workers through an education fund.

Everything is sold in recyclable and eco-friendly tin packaging.

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Plant Makeup’s Makeup Remover

Watch your beauty blossom thanks to the botanicals in Plant Makeup’s low-waste makeup remover liquids.

The Herbal Cleansing Oil is made with olive oil, argan oil, lavender, and chamomile. It’s gentle and restorative while remaining powerful enough to remove thick makeup like stubborn, waterproof mascara.

To use, apply some of the oil to your favorite reusable makeup remover pads and gently wipe your makeup away.

Plant Makeup also offers Pore Hug facial mist, an astringent with moisturizing properties.

With lilacs, elderflowers, linden, lemon balm, calendula, helichrysum, yarrow, chamomile, and lavender all as ingredients, your face will be soft and gorgeous as a petal.

Both products are all-natural, ethically sourced, cruelty-free, and vegan.

About Plant Makeup

One of our favorite eco-friendly makeup brands, Plant Makeup is the solo initiative of artist, musician, aesthetician and all-around creative indie goddess Jes.

After discovering her passion for plants, Jes began blending herbal teas. This led to the magic alchemy of turning plants into makeup, skincare, haircare, incense cones, and perfume.

Based in Massachusetts, Plant Makeup is a thriving artisanal apothecary that uses local or organic ingredients, all completely non-GMO, sustainably sourced, and made fresh in small batches.

When it comes to packaging, Jes uses recycled and compostable materials and whimsical, ornate labels that Jes draws herself.

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Ethique’s Makeup Remover

Ethique keeps it simple with their Bliss Bar.

The plastic-free makeup remover bar gently works as an everyday general cleaner and moisturizer.

It’s suitable for all skin types but works especially well on dry ones.

The Bliss Bar is made from richly moisturizing creamed coconut butter and soothing kaolin clay—among other non-toxic, non-greasy, and sustainable ingredients.

It’s not tested on animals, is totally vegan, and is certified palm oil-free.

About Ethique

Ethique creates an array of natural products for the body and home alike—zero waste cleaning products, anyone?—and they keep our planet pretty clean, too.

This Certified B Corp was one of the first companies to revolutionize soap and shampoo by getting rid of the bottle altogether.

Everything in their product range comes in the form of a 100% plastic-free bar or compostable cardboard tube—preventing the use of millions of plastic bottles.

They also plant a tree for every online order and donate 20% of their annual profits to charity.

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Leafology Makeup Remover

Among Leafology’s impressive skincare clays, serums, cleansers, and face food, their zero waste eye makeup remover is one of their most versatile products.

It rids your mascara eyes from looking like a bandit by lifting away makeup, rather than smearing it all around your face—all while moisturizing.

The Eye & Lip makeup remover is non-irritating, unscented, lightweight, and nourishing thanks to a fruit sugar-derived and coconut emulsifier.

All options come in a recyclable glass jar with an aluminum lid.

About Leafology

Leafology is all about “pure naked plant knowledge”.

The brand was started by Ella, who spent a decade traveling around the world and using her approach to natural beauty in various fine art photography projects.

This UK-based and award-winning skincare brand features a handcrafted range of vegan products for our skin, hair, and home.

All products are free of synthetic fragrances and colors, preservatives, petrochemicals, PEGs, sulfates, and parabens.

The products are made fresh by Ella and tested on friends, not animals.

Everything is packaged in a recyclable glass bottle or metal, with paper bag refills for powdered products.

Shipping is 100% plastic free and one tree is planted through TreeSisters per order.

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Andrea’s Organic Market’s Makeup Remover Substitute

Andrea’s Organic Market offers a refreshing and nourishing astringent zero-waste makeup cleanser with witch hazel and aloe.

The Luminous Skin Facial Cleansing Astringent is a gentle vegan facial cleanser and makeup remover combo that retains your skin’s natural oils to leave it feeling soothed, soft, and clean.

It’s perfect for all skin types, especially those with sensitive skin or damaged skin.

It comes in a glass bottle with options of dropper, pump, or plain cap tops, so you don’t need to waste droppers and pumps on reorders.

There are a variety of other scrubs and cleansers to choose from that contain some of Earth’s finest medicines—cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil, matcha green tea powder, raw wildflower honey, aloe vera juice, and more.

They’re all cruelty-free and vegan, with exception to the Acne Scrub, which contains goat’s milk by default but can instead be formulated with coconut milk.

About Andrea’s Organic Market

Andrea’s Organic Market is a sustainable skincare brand that creates products that harness the power of nature.

Everything is made with organic, chemical-free, non-GMO, palm oil-free, and non-synthetic ingredients, sourced fair trade when possible.

Only glass containers are used, and she accepts containers for refills or offers biodegradable refill pouches for certain products.

You’ll receive your eco-friendly makeup remover in 100% recycled paper cushioning and labels, compostable packing peanuts, and biodegradable hemp string and tape.

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