River Organics (vegan cosmetics from North Carolina)

Zero waste vegan cosmetics use sustainable ingredients with no beeswax, lanolin or carmine (from insects, used in red/pink cosmetics). Powders are also free from talc (linked to ovarian cancer).

River Organics (sold in the UK at Pure Nuff Stuff) is a lovely cosmetics company founded by art historian  Corinne and her late husband Fabien, a French chemist who worked with Chanel.

Use with vegan make-up brushes and reusable make-up remover pads.

Avoid shea butter for latex allergies. Cosmetics contain cocoa butter and zinc/titanium oxide, so wash your face before letting pets kiss you!

These cosmetics are not just vegan-friendly and cruelty-free, but are sold in compostable packaging with sugar-cane labels, and shipped in eco-enclose envelopes. It ships outside the USA and is hopefully soon to launch in England.

The range includes:

• Lip Tints are in a wide range of natural colours, to leave lips hydrated and moisturised. Sold in compostable paper tubes, just open the cap and push the tube gently up from bottom. Choose from sand, nude, rose-gold or rouge (sheer glossy tint).
• There are also lip stains in fig or pomegranate, plus creamy blush sticks made with safflower and jojoba oils.
• The concealers are suitable for under-eye circles or small blemishes, and contains oils of moringa, apricot kernel and camellia seed. With buildable coverage, the conscious packaging is made from compostable paper.
• The mascara is sold in sustainable packaging, applied with a brush. It contains nourishing castor oil to enhance and condition lashes.
• The eyebrow tint is sold in sustainable packaging, and ideal to give a natural feathery look.