As a skincare and makeup junkie, there are very few brands I haven’t tried. However, there’s one brand that I was wary of trying for a while: Crunchi. I had heard that their products didn’t apply well or stay on for long, and considering I have high standards when it comes to makeup, I wasn’t interested. Yes, I prefer clean and safe products, but they must perform as well as my non-clean makeup. And in my experience with Beautycounter (another clean, non-toxic brand that recently shut down) the makeup didn’t last very long or look very good (with a few exceptions like the foundation and lipsticks).
So when a friend of mine sent me some Crunchi makeup to try, I was skeptical. It’s rare that a product blows me away, so I’m shocked to admit that there are now a handful of Crunchi products that have made their way into my daily makeup routine. I really like these products. I applied them for the first time on camera in this reel.
In this post, I’ll share some background on Crunchi, including what makes it a clean brand, what kind of products they carry, and how shopping from Crunchi works. I’m also sharing a detailed review of the products I’ve tried and my recommendations for what you should buy and skip.
Let’s jump in.
Yes! Crunchi is known for being a squeaky-clean beauty brand. They test every ingredient they use, and everything in their products has been validated as “safe” via a 30-step screening process. They have a long list of “banished” ingredients you’ll never find in their products. See the Crunchi banished ingredients listed on their website here. The US doesn’t have a standard definition of “toxin-free” in the beauty industry. Still, Crunchi has defined “toxin-free” this way: It does not contain any ingredients known to cause harm or health hazards, based on available ingredient data and research. Non-toxic makeup is better for you because it reduces the risk of skin irritation, allergies, and long-term health issues. It’s also generally safer for the environment.
Every single Crunchi product is vegan (with one exception- the Hydrogloss Lip Oil contains organic beeswax) and gluten-free. And while almost every ingredient is natural, Crunchi does include a few synthetic ingredients (safety tested, of course) to help with performance, efficacy, and longevity. One of my favorite things about Crunchi is that its products are made here in the USA. Read more about Crunchi’s mission and safety standards on this page.
Okay, let’s get to the good stuff now!
I haven’t tried any Crunchi skincare, but if and when I do, I’ll report back on that as well. Today, I’m breaking down the best (and worst) Crunchi cosmetics, along with my recommendation of buy, maybe buy, or don’t buy. I also have a Crunchi promo code at the bottom of the post, if you decide to buy anything!
Technically, I guess this Sunlight® Facial SPF 30 isn’t really a makeup item, but I wear it daily underneath my makeup, so I include it in this review. The Sunlight® Facial SPF 30 is the best non-toxic face sunscreen I’ve ever found. Before Beautycounter shut down, I used their Daily Sheer every day and was sad to see it go. This is the best replacement, and I like it better! I find it more hydrating and it doesn’t leave a white cast like so many clean SPF options do.
I’ve started wearing this Smart Primer under my foundation almost daily and I feel like my skin looks SO good. It smooths my fine lines and pores and gives my skin a really smooth canvas. It also helps my foundation to last all day long, which can be a challenge with clean products!
The Beautifully Flawless Foundation makes my skin look really good. It’s a medium to full coverage foundation (more on the full side). I’ve found it challenging to find a non-toxic full-coverage foundation, and this isn’t perfect. I don’t love how it feels on my face for the first 30 minutes after I apply it – it’s heavy until it settles in. I think this is an excellent option if you’re looking for a non-toxic, full-coverage foundation, but I still reach for other foundations in my bag more often.
The main ingredients in this foundation are snow mushroom, organic botanical sunflower and aloe. The Snow mushroom hydrates, smoothes, and plumps the skin, while the sunflower and aloe give you a smooth, buildable texture. I use shade 2.5.
The Sunlight® Tinted SPF 30 is a definite yes. This is my favorite Crunchi product by far, since it’s the perfect tinted moisturizer! Not too much coverage, not too little, not too greasy, not too drying. I’ve tried many different brands (Beautycounter, Ilia, Elta MD, Wonderscreen, Tarte) and I like the Sunlight® Tinted SPF 30 the very best. If you buy just ONE thing to start, get this
It’s hydrating, and the SPF does not dry me out (rare for tinted moisturizers). The coverage is better than the other clean-tinted moisturizers I’ve tried. It also doesn’t have any weird smells, unlike my other favorite tinted moisturizer (Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint, which I’ve also reviewed) and it doesn’t leave my skin looking greasy (like Dime Beauty Wonderscreen, another clean brand I’ve reviewed).
This tinted moisturizer’s SPF is non-nano mineral zinc oxide, a safe form of SPF. It also contains vitamin C and niacinamide to brighten the skin and minimize the appearance of pores. Squalane and hyaluronic acid help hydrate and lock in moisture.
Definite yes. The My Alibi® Liquid Concealer brightens and covers so well – it even covered my dark circles flawlessly on a particularly hard day, after being up all night with my baby. I love the small packaging too. I’ve been grabbing this over my Tarte concealer (reviewed here) and ILIA concealers. It’s made with a superfruit oil blend, which hydrates, smoothes, and depuffs the under eyes. It also contains snow mushroom, which gives it that smooth texture and helps brighten the area under the eyes.
I’ve been loving the Solarise® Bronzing Duo lately, but not that it’s VERY pigmented. I use a super fluffy brush to diffuse the product, and I love the sunkissed glow it gives me. This bronzer comes in a two-shade pan, and its talc-free.
Absolute yes. The Cheekmate® Liquid Blush is the second-best Crunchi makeup product I’ve tried (or maybe tied with the concealer!). It’s super pigmented and looks fantastic once you buff it in. If you’re new to liquid blush, however, it may take a bit to get used to. You only need a tiny dot of product and blend it very well with a fluffy brush, since it’s easy to overdo it.
The pigment is made of 100% pure earth pigments that are naturally derived and long-lasting. Plant squalane gives it a smooth, lightweight texture. Snow mushroom and meadowfoam seed oil hydrate and plump the cheeks, and licorice root extract is a natural antioxidant that protects the skin from environmental stressors.
The Nutribrow® Eyebrow Pencil is another definite yes for me. The color is the best I’ve ever found in a brow pencil and easy to apply. However, it doesn’t have any fancy frills that other brow pencils do (you have to sharpen it yourself, and it doesn’t have a spoolie on the end), but I still find myself using it over my other brow products and just grabbing another spoolie to brush after applying.
This pencil is made with fruit waxes, which keep the brows defined and sculpted.
The Everluxe® Lip Crayon is a “maybe” for me. I like how it looks and applies, but it has a very weird smell that turns me off. I rarely use it for that reason, but when I do, I love how it looks. This crayon is made with 100% pure earth pigments that are naturally derived and long-lasting and fruit waxes that give it a natural glide.
I am not a huge gloss girl in general, but this Hydrogloss Lip Oil applies well and looks nice. It’s not sticky, and I like the shade options. This is more a preference than a true opinion, since I’m not a gloss person.
This gloss is made with organic beeswax which gives it high shine, an organic fruit blend for hydration, and 100% pure earth pigments for natural color.
HARD pass. This Highliner Pencil Eyeliner has a very stiff consistency and is very difficult to use. It required so much effort to apply that it actually irritated my eyes. If you really want a safe eyeliner, I suppose you could use this, but you may need to warm it up under a blow dryer to get it to work. I’d buy Ilia’s Gel Liner instead.
This eyeliner is made with sunflower seed oil for a creamy smooth application (I did not think it was smooth), and fruit waxes for smudge-proof wear.
Hard pass on this, too. I reacted to the Shadow Bar Enchanted Neutrals eyeshadow (which I realize might not be the case for most), but I also don’t like the pigment or staying powder as much as other eyeshadows I have.
These shades are made of 100% pure earth pigments for long-lasting color (these are heavy metal tested) and organic olive and jojoba oils for smooth, buildable texture.
You can try Crunchi products for 30 days; if you aren’t happy with them, they’ll refund you. Unfortunately, you do have to pay for return shipping.
Crunchi makeup is only sold online and has a direct-sales business model. In this model, someone receives a commission when you buy Crunchi using their link (this is called affiliate marketing). Like a realtor makes a commission when they sell you a house, I’ll make a commission when you buy Crunchi using the links in this post (so thank you!).
I have been pleasantly surprised by Crunchi’s makeup. It performs better than expected, and I absolutely love the blush, tinted moisturizer, and brow pencil. Don’t forget that you can use the Crunchi Makeup coupon code ADVOCATE10 for 10% off orders when you use my Crunchi link.
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2 responses to “Crunchi Makeup Review (honest thoughts on this non-toxic makeup)”
I’m torn between the light vs light-medium color for the sunlight product. Any suggestions?
It depends if you think you’ll lose a little color in the cooler months or if you don’t have much of a tan to begin with. You can always add bronzer and blush to warm things up if the light is too light. The good news is that it’s sheer so either one should be fine!