Top Five: French Eco Brands

France is pretty well catered for when it comes to natural and organic make-up and to be honest it was pretty tough trying to narrow this months global make-up trip around the world to just five products – so I may have stretched it slightly…

Here are my Top Five French eco make-up brands…

Avril (some V)

Launched in 2012, the Avril (April in French) is a budget make-up range which has recently made its way onto these shores. One of my go-to brands for low cost make-up, Avril are certified organic by Ecocert  and ome of the products are vegan friendly and all are cruelty free. The collection is small but covers all the basis in terms of products. The low price point makes it an ideal choice for green teens too!

I really like the eye pencils and foundation but my favourites are the eyeshadows.

Une Beauty (V)

Developed by French cosmetic house Bourjois, UNE is the result of their quest for a 100% natural alternative to their existing collections; certified natural by Ecocert and much of the range is also organic. The products have been designed to enhance and flatter your natural beauty with a neutral colour palette. The packaging boarders on being over-engineered for such a low-priced range; sleek and  yet incredibly simple and economical – it is a delight to the the palates and compacts. Once found in many Superdrug and Boots stores, UNE is not as widely stocked as it was a couple of years ago.

My favourites from the range are the lipsticks and Breezy Cheeks cream blushes.

Studio 78 Paris (V)

Creator Margareth Halfon’s background as an Assistant Product Manager for Guerlain make-up and Brand Manager for Rouge Basier has resulted in products that combine innovation with quality. Certified by EcoCert, Studio 78 Paris is a natural range (with 10%-44% organic ingredients) with beautiful packaging inside which is a collection with beautiful textures and a modern colour palette.

Stand out products for me are the We Evade Bronzing Powder and eyeshadows.

Couleur Caramel (some V)

Anyone who has been reading my blog for a while will most likely be aware of my love for this French brand and you can almost guarantee that any make-up I do will have involved at least one product from their extensive line. A favourite of European Make-up Artist’s working in film and TV, Couleur Caramel is a certified organic range produced using ethically sourced raw mineral material and organically grown plant based ingredients.

I love the eyeshadows and lipsticks and the mattifying velvet primer is one of my go-to products for male grooming!

ZAO (some V, GF)

Founded by Organic Make-up mastermind David Reccole (creator of Elysambre and Couleur Caramel) after he was inspired by a bamboo gift from a Taiwanese friend, ZAO is a completely natural, talc-free make-up range enriched with active organic ingredients. Housed in simple, refillable bamboo packaging (there in lies the inspiration) the range also includes Bamboo in many of its products it contains high levels of silica. The name ZAO come from Zen Buddhism (a school of Mahayana Buddism strongly influenced by Taoism); ZAO being a combination of Zen and Tao.

My favourites are the Liquid Silk foundations, Cream eyeshadows and mascara.

Just because I couldn’t whittle it down any further (plus it’s my blog so I can ;) here is the sixth in my Top Five…

Boho Cosmetics

Inspired by the trends of the 1960’s, award winning Boho Cosmetics was created by two Make-up professionals who wanted to create a collection of beautiful products with a simple philosophy: Quality, ethical commitment, eco-design and societal activism. The Boho range combines earthy colours with vibrant shades and rich pigments. As well as a range of very pretty product the meet their ethical statement too: annually gifting 1% to charity and also supporting French reforestation through nail polish sales.

I have only tried on a couple of occasions and so am anxious to try some more of the range.

Have you tried any of these brands? Do you have a favourite French company?