PFAS in Cosmetics, Seven Products and Only One Brand Statement

We graded seven cosmetics products across mineral makeup, "clean" formula makeup, everyday makeup, mass-market foundation and two generic waterproof products. bareMinerals Mineral Makeup leads at 100 on a mineral base and a brand statement. RMS Beauty and Ilia Beauty follow at 75 on a material credit alone, since neither brand says anything about PFAS. Glossier sits at 65 on vague safety language with no material credit. L'Oréal Foundation grades 40 on an undisclosed coating, and generic waterproof mascara and eyeliner grade 30 on a named water-resistant treatment.

The pattern across this small set matches the wider makeup category, where waterproof and long-wear claims are the strongest signal for a fluorinated finish. If you're comparing base makeup specifically, our foundation and primer finder covers a much larger set.

Summary comparison table

Product	PFAS grade	Material as recorded
bareMinerals Mineral Makeup	Excellent, 100/100	Mineral powder base, brand statement on PFAS
RMS Beauty Organic Makeup	Excellent, 75/100	Organic oils and plant-derived emollients, no PFAS statement
Ilia Beauty Clean Makeup	Excellent, 75/100	Mineral pigments, no PFAS statement
Glossier Makeup	Good, 65/100	Lightweight formula, vague safety language only
L'Oréal Foundation	Poor, 40/100	Liquid foundation, coating of undisclosed chemistry
Generic Waterproof Mascara	Poor, 30/100	Water-resistant treatment named
Generic Waterproof Eyeliner	Poor, 30/100	Water-resistant treatment named

How we graded these

Every grade here is a model-based estimate built from publicly available product information and manufacturer disclosures, not a lab test performed by our team. A high score means lower concern based on reviewed sources, never PFAS-free and never safe. Across these seven products the spread is one at 100, two at 75, one at 65, one at 40 and two at 30. Look up any product in our PFAS product finder.

A correction to this guide

An earlier version of this guide graded RMS Beauty and Ilia Beauty at 100, describing a PFAS-free position for both. We could not confirm a PFAS statement or certification from either brand, and we corrected both to 75 on 17 September 2026. A separate version of this guide also listed a generic mascara record at 25, citing a lab result that detected PFAS. We could not find that result in any published testing and removed the listing the same day.

Why bareMinerals grades 100

bareMinerals Mineral Makeup earns a material credit for its mineral powder base, built around mica, iron oxides and titanium dioxide, and bareMinerals states that it does not intentionally add PFAS. That is a brand statement, not a third-party certification, and we record it as unverified, but it is the only product in this set with any PFAS-related statement on file.

Why RMS Beauty and Ilia Beauty grade 75

Both brands earn the same material credit as bareMinerals for their mineral- and plant-based formulas, but neither has published a PFAS statement or certification we could confirm. Our model treats silence the same way for every brand, so both land at 75 rather than 100.

Why Glossier grades 65

Glossier's formula sits between mineral-based and heavier mass-market emulsions and does not earn the material credit the products above get. The brand's record carries only vague safety language with no specific PFAS statement, which our model scores the same way it scores silence.

Why L'Oréal Foundation and the generic waterproof products grade lowest

L'Oréal Foundation is recorded with a coating of undisclosed chemistry, which is the main reason it grades 40. Generic waterproof mascara and eyeliner grade lower still, at 30, because both are recorded with a named water-resistant treatment, the pattern most associated with fluorinated finishes in cosmetics generally. As unbranded products, there is no company behind either to make any PFAS statement at all.

What to avoid

Waterproof and long-wear claims without ingredient transparency, the strongest pattern in this dataset.
Treating "clean" or "organic" marketing language as equivalent to a lab-verified result. RMS Beauty and Ilia Beauty both grade well here on their materials alone, not on any certification.
Buying long-wear cosmetics without checking a current grade, since formulas change over time.

For a larger set of foundations specifically, see our foundation and primer guide.

Our pick

Based on available materials and data, bareMinerals Mineral Makeup is the only product here with any brand statement on PFAS, though it remains unverified. RMS Beauty Organic Makeup and Ilia Beauty Clean Makeup grade just as high on their materials alone. All three represent lower concern than the waterproof and undisclosed-coating products in this comparison, though none of this is a lab certification of zero PFAS content.

FAQ

Does a high PFAS grade mean a cosmetic is guaranteed PFAS-free?

No. A high grade like the Excellent 100 for bareMinerals or the Excellent 75 for RMS Beauty and Ilia Beauty reflects a model-based estimate built from disclosed materials and public data, not a certified, lab-confirmed guarantee that zero PFAS is present.

Why do waterproof mascara and eyeliner grade worse?

Waterproof and long-wear performance in cosmetics is commonly achieved with film-forming and water-resistant compounds, a category where fluorochemicals have historically been used industry-wide. Generic waterproof mascara and eyeliner both grade 30 here for exactly that reason.

Are bareMinerals, RMS Beauty or Ilia Beauty cosmetics PFAS-free?

We do not call any product PFAS-free ourselves. bareMinerals has an unverified brand statement on file, and RMS Beauty and Ilia Beauty have no PFAS statement at all. All three grade well on their materials, which is a different thing from a certified PFAS-free claim.