Top Five: German Make-up Brands

Living in the UK is a blessing and a curse when it comes to natural and organic beauty products. We have many fabulous homegrown brands here and we have some equally fabulous importers, stores and distributors who make brands from further afield available to us. Obviously not every line makes it across the pond so we do miss out on a good proportion of the wonders out there.

I have put together my some of favourite natural and organic make-up brands from around the world - in part so you can see what is out there (whether readily available to you or not). Many of the brands I am sure you will have heard of but hopefully there will be one or two less familiar faces in the ranks.

I've broken the list down by country as this appears to be the easiest way to organise them and am kicking off with Germany - for no particular reason other than (at time of writing) I am at work on the football and its the first one that came to mind.

So here we go, my Top Five German Make-up Brands...

SANTE Naturkosmetik

Hannover based SANTE produce a mid sized, budget range of make-up (in addition to a wide variety of skin, hair, oral health and family products) which carry BDIH certification. The range is fairly comprehensive and formulated using botanical extracts and oils and free from mineral oils, synthetic preservatives and colours and parabens, plus the majority of the range is gluten free and/or vegan.

I am a massive fan of the nail polishes (they have go on and wear really well), and the children's face paints; sadly these no longer appear to be on the website so I am not sure if they are still available.

Dr Hauschka

A stalwart of the clean beauty world, the Dr H story can be traced back to the mid-thirties, however Hauschka as we know it began life back in the 1960's. Free from silicone, PEG, parabens, mineral oils and synthetic fragrances and preservatives (some products contain talc), the mid-priced range is certified natural/organic to NATRUE and/or BDIH standards and covers most the bases in terms of colour cosmetics.

My favourites of the range are the Natural Mascara, Liquid Eyeliner and the 4-shade eyeshadow palettes.

Lavera

With over a quarter of a century behind them, Lavera have proved to be beauty favourite in health food stores around the UK and beyond. Certified by NATRUE and BDIH, the company offer a range of products all of which are free from the usual suspects such as parabens, synthetic fragrances and colours and mineral oils. Many of the products are vegan friendly.

*The one down side is that a number of the products (not all) do contain Bismuth Oxychloride (an ingredient I try to avoid where possible) so do check before you buy if this is an issue for you.

I have a number of Lavera products in both my personal and professional kits. Some of my favourites are the Lavera Lip Pencil, brow styling gel and liquid eye liner.

Alverde Naturkosmetik

I love a budget brand and this one was a real find. Sold only (I believe) in the healthcare store DM-Drogerie Markt (if you know of anywhere else that stocks it then do let me know), the Alverde products are all priced under €6! Carrying NATRUE certification, the range (much of which is vegan friendly) is quite expansive with everything from lash conditioners and tinted brow gels to two shades of highlighting fluid.

I have only tried a handful of products from the range and although those I have may not have made it into my pro kit, I wouldn't hesitate to use them myself - who wouldn't at that price!

Benecos

My second wallet friendly choice is Benecos. Launched in the UK a couple of years ago, is a brand who have a great range of products to suit all ages (despite their seemingly youthful appearance). BDIH certified and free from mineral oils, PEGS (and their derivatives), synthetic colure and fragrances, Benecos offer a range of make-up, skin and nail products starting from just £3.95! Many of the products are vegan friendly and all are cruelty, soy and gluten free.

I am a massive fan of the eyeliner pencils (post coming soon) along with the lip colours and the brushes - the latter are so super soft!

I was in two minds about the sixth inclusion in my Top Five, but here goes...

Börlind

Established by Annemarie Börlind in 1959, this Black Forest based cosmetics company ticks all the boxes when it comes to ethics. Formulated using mostly organic ingredients, the Börlind make-up range is small but has some lovely products, free from petroleum derivatives, GMOs, silicones and animal ingredients. Unfortunately a number of the products do contain Phenoxyethanol, an ingredient that where possible I try to avoid in products - both in my professional and personal kits.

 

Unfortunately all of the companies listed above are distinctly lacking in products for darker skins. In this day and age, this is really unacceptable and I do hope that all are taking steps to increase their ranges to be inclusive to a greater variety of skin tones.

Do you have any favourite German brands? Do you know of any I haven't mentioned?