Even Better Makeup vs Studio Fix Powder Foundation Refill 129: which is safer?

Mac Studio Fix Powder Foundation Refill 129 is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Clinique Even Better Makeup

Clinique

Even Better Makeup

PFAS grade

Excellent 75/100

Overall grade

Poor 43/100

Verdict

Buy with care

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Pigments, oils, waxes, polymers (typical liquid foundation/makeup base)

Confidence

72%

PossibleFormaldehyde-releaser preservatives

ReportedFragrance allergens (undisclosed components)

LikelyApplicator sponge bacterial growth

Our pick

Mac Studio Fix Powder Foundation Refill 129

MAC

Studio Fix Powder Foundation Refill 129

PFAS grade

Excellent 75/100

Overall grade

Good 67/100

Verdict

Buy with care

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

talc, mica, iron oxides, pigments (powder cosmetic)

Confidence

72%

PossibleTalc and asbestos contamination

PossibleMica sheet silicate toxicity

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Formaldehyde-releaser preservatives, Fragrance allergens (undisclosed components) and Applicator sponge bacterial growth on the Clinique and not on the MAC.
  • We flag Talc and asbestos contamination and Mica sheet silicate toxicity on the MAC and not on the Clinique.
  • The Clinique is Pigments, oils, waxes, polymers (typical liquid foundation/makeup base) where the MAC is talc, mica, iron oxides, pigments (powder cosmetic), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More makeup: see the full ranking