Makeup

90 products ranked by Scout score

Best makeup right now

Primally Pure Lip Stick SPF 15 Lavender Mint 100/100
Scout's analysis: Primally Pure Lip Stick SPF 15 Lavender Mint scores 100/100.
Fierce Nature Clear Sun Glow Tallow Skin Tint 100/100
Scout's analysis: Fierce Nature Clear Sun Glow Tallow Skin Tint scores 100/100. A tallow-based skin tint, sold as Clear Sun Glow. Its four ingredients are beef tallow, MCT coconut oil,…
100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Full Coverage Water Foundation 99/100
Scout's analysis: 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Full Coverage Water Foundation scores 99/100. A full-coverage water foundation labeled as fruit-pigmented. Zinc oxide and vitamin E are the…

What to skip

Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Waterproof Mascara 18/100
Scout's analysis: Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Waterproof Mascara scores 18/100. Contains PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), a PFAS 'forever chemical,' as the 3rd ingredient — an…
Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara 22/100
Scout's analysis: Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara scores 22/100. Contains PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), a PFAS 'forever chemical,' as the 5th ingredient — still a significant…
L'Oréal Voluminous Waterproof Mascara 28/100
Scout's analysis: L'Oréal Voluminous Waterproof Mascara scores 28/100. Contains PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), a PFAS 'forever chemical,' confirmed via independent lab testing — in a…

Independently lab-tested makeup

One of the 90 products ranked here has a lab panel on its page — each measured amount, the level it falls in and the report it comes from.

Burt's Bees Nourishing Mascara 30/100

Ingredients to watch in makeup

The flagged ingredients that show up most often across these 90 products. Each link opens Scout's analysis of the ingredient.

Phenoxyethanol in 32 of 90
Synthetic Fragrance in 18 of 90
Nylon in 17 of 90
Dimethicone in 16 of 90
Parabens in 16 of 90
Potassium Sorbate in 10 of 90

What the better makeup have in common

Mica in 28 of 90
Glycerin in 20 of 90
Tocopherol in 13 of 90
Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499) in 11 of 90
Tocopherol (Vitamin E) in 10 of 90

Common questions about makeup

What scores highest in makeup on Scout?

Primally Pure Lip Stick SPF 15 Lavender Mint leads Scout's makeup ranking at 100/100, followed by Fierce Nature Clear Sun Glow Tallow Skin Tint (100) and 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Full Coverage Water Foundation (99). Scores compare products within the category on ingredients, processing, packaging and any lab results.

What should I avoid in makeup?

Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Waterproof Mascara scores 18/100, the lowest of the 90 products Scout has analyzed in makeup; next lowest are Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara (22) and L'Oréal Voluminous Waterproof Mascara (28). Each product page lists the ingredients behind the number.

What drags scores down in makeup?

Across these 90 products the most common flagged ingredients are Phenoxyethanol, Synthetic Fragrance, Nylon, Dimethicone, Parabens, Potassium Sorbate. Each appears in at least two of the products ranked here.

Is anything in makeup independently lab tested?

One of the 90 products on this page carries independent lab results — Burt's Bees Nourishing Mascara. Its product page shows each measured amount, the level it falls in and the report it comes from.

How does Scout score makeup?

Every product in makeup gets one 1–100 score for comparison within its category: the full ingredient list judged by a category-specific framework, the published processing level, the packaging, and any credible lab results. Lab results are disclosed, not scored. Scout takes no payment for scores or placement.

How Scout scores makeup

One 1–100 score per product, judged within its category: every ingredient on the label through a category-specific framework, the published processing level, the packaging, and any credible lab results. No brand pays for a score or a position on this list. Read the full methodology →