Are you allergic to regular makeup? Do you suffer from sensitivities, or simply want to avoid certain ingredients? You’re not alone! If you’ve landed on this post, it means that you’re also doing your research to avoid purchasing yet another product that makes your skin go red and angry. That is why I was so excited to test Omiana, a nontoxic skincare and makeup line catering to sensitive skin.
Founded by women who wanted to give other women an easy solution to their beauty woes without compromising on what they put on the formulas, Omiana’s products are free from all the ingredients that I personally avoid for health reasons, chiefly parabens, nanoparticles, propylene glycol, and the like. What’s more, Omiana has a completely transparent policy with regards to its ingredients, and their website certainly has the coolest feature: A search wizard that allows you to filter their products based on the ingredients you want to avoid, both natural and synthetic. At the end, you can peruse a totally tailor-made list suited to your skin type, skin tone, and skin conditions.
Specialized in creating titanium dioxide-free makeup and mica-free makeup, Omiana has a completely transparent ingredient policy with full disclosure of what’s in their products. And yes, you guessed right: You can see the ingredients listed under the description of each product and not lost somewhere in the deep web. This makes life extremely easy for people with specific skin allergies or those willing to understand what they put on their face. Plus, Omiana’s formulas are very clean and most of them score a 1 or a 2 on the EWG Skin Deep database, which means they are free from potentially worrysome nasties.
Click on the read more button to get all the juicy deets of my experience with Omiana!
The Challenge
Omiana sent me a few sample products so I could test their claims for myself. As I have very dry and sensitive skin, winter is when my skin gets angrier and reacts worse to new products. As many of you with sensitivities, I usually learn when I’m allergic to something the hard way: I end up looking like a giant candy cane, all red and flustered.
As I’m slowly adapting my beauty regime to be mica-free, it is difficult for me to find formulas that perform well without that ingredient. Many so-called mineral makeup brands use mica practically everywhere, which can pose a health hazard if inhaled repetitively over the years. Considering that makeup in its powder form is very easy to breathe in, it is one of the ingredients that I keep on my black list. To be honest, I was at first skeptical that Omiana could produce beautiful and shimmery colors without this component, but boy was I wrong! To my surprise, my skin LOVED the Omiana makeup products and they looked as good as my regular, mica-ladden products. Yay!
The Products
{Nontoxic Eye Makeup}
Of all the Omiana product range, the Adaptive Concealing Cream ($29.99) was the biggest surprise. I have been looking for a good nontoxic concealer for about two years now, and although I have tested quite a lot of things on the market I have to admit that some of the natural formulas that I’m already using sometimes do not have the concealing strength that I need. For some reason, I was born with very dark under eye circles that turn from green to purplish depending on my levels of stress.
The Omiana Adaptive Concealing Cream has quite a clean formula; it’s made from all-natural ingredients, plus iron oxides and non-nano titanium dioxide for coverage and SPF. Quite surprisingly, it is also very effective: It has a somewhat dewy effect on the skin with a medium-to-full coverage. To top it off, it’s vegan and cruelty-free from source to shelf.
To complement my new dewy eyes, I wanted to test an eyeliner that was as gentle as possible. I have very sensitive eyes, and many eyeliners and mascara irritate my eyeballs if they come into contact with the surface of my eyes. Steel is a mica-free and titanium dioxide-free superhero of an eyeliner that leaves behind a grayish matte color with hints of blue. This Mineral Pencil Eyeliner ($17.99) is extremely flattering on brown eyes and boasts a pretty clean formula composed of all-natural ingredients and iron oxides. Plus, it stays put the whole day unlike many synthetic counterparts, and is so creamy that it glides in my waterline like a dream.
{Insider green tip}: Iron oxides in cosmetics are usually created synthetically, so that is why I don’t consider this product as 100% natural. However, iron oxides are considered pretty safe and score a 2 on the EWG Skin Deep Database, so I personally tolerate them on my natural beauty regime and that is why I consider this product nontoxic.
{Pretty Lips And Cheeks Without Titanium Dioxide}
Although I don’t like playing favorites, I think Omiana’s lip products are definitely at the top of my list. The Creamy Mineral Lipstick in Matte Ruby Red ($24.99) is formulated without titanium dioxide, carmine (aka crushed beetles), gluten, and other allergens. A vivid rich red, it is creamy, long-lasting, and has a deep color ideal for any office-to-holiday looks. Plus, this very color is formulated without mica for those of you looking to avoid that particular mineral, and still has an outstanding color payoff.
If you prefer lip glosses to traditional lipsticks, Omiana has an extensive selection of vegan mineral lip glosses without titanium dioxide and, in some instances, without mica. As I personally like a bit of shimmer and mica is one of the safest ways to achieve this, I decided to try the shade Vivid Crimson Vanilla Shimmer ($21.99.) It is a beautiful and subtle red that reminds me a lot of lip stains, with the appeal and the hydrating properties of a gloss formula. An understated color that you can build up depending on how much you want to amp the volume of your pretty pout, it looks great on my everyday looks—and is the perfect finishing touch to the Creamy Mineral Lipstick.
{Insider green tip}: On a side note, and although I support the use of non-nano titanium dioxide
in natural sunscreens, I think it is important to avoid it on the lips
precisely because you’ll end up eating what you put on your pout.
Finally, a blush is always the finishing touch that rounds up a great look. Omiana
has a great range of mineral blushes made without mica that score the
highest on the EWG ratings (a 1, which is given to the cleanest
formulas.) The Loose Powder Blush in Easy-Going ($29.99)
is a playful and neutral muted pink that works great with golden-brown
undertones like mine. Enticingly subtle, it is perfect to give an effect
of radiance and subtle elegance to day and night looks.
{Insider green tip}: To make your life easier, Omiana has a very generous sampling policy by
which you can purchase sample sizes of some of their bestselling
items, including their wondrous blushes and powder foundations,
at a deeply discounted price. Don’t hesitate to do that before you place
your first order so you get a chance to find out what works best for
you, especially if you have sensitive skin!
{EWG Top-Rated Makeup and Blushes}
 |
| The Three Flawless Musketeers: Omiana Natural Vegan Primer, Intense Coverage Foundation, and Adaptive Concealing Cream |
Omiana became famous in the green community for its very clean mineral foundations that could be customized depending on the different sensitivities that you might have. I wanted to test if their products really lived up to the hype they created, so I have been using their Intense Coverage Matte Liquid Foundation ($39.99) in Almond for two weeks straight.
This product went beyond my expectations. As the proud owner of dry skin, I also suffer from the reptile syndrome: My forehead literally sheds when I apply foundation. Every. Single.Time. This product is one of the precious and rare exceptions! It is very comfortable to use, provides high coverage with a matte finish, and yet looks like a good night’s rest. Composed of over 90% organic ingredients, it is one of the cleanest formulas available on the market and scores a 2 on the EWG scale. Without mica, talc, nanoparticles of any type nor the worst offender nasties, it offers buildable coverage with a natural finish.
Finally, if you have ever tried to find a good skin primer without the nasties, today is your lucky day. Omiana has a Natural Vegan Primer ($38)
that can be used on the eyes and on the face. Designed to be gentle
enough for all types of skin, it works wonderfully well to prep my very
dry skin before I apply the foundation. The milky white fluid texture is
tremendously light and becomes translucent with a mattifying effect
that lasts for hours. This means you can even wear it alone if you have
combination skin. Although I do not follow with a setting powder (that is too much with my skin), I have found that using the Intense Coverage Matte Liquid Foundation paired up with the Natural Vegan Primer makes the product last all day.
The
formula is practically everything-free and has only a bunch of
ingredients, most of which are either 100% natural or naturally-derived.
I was personally very impressed by the great performance of this
product given it literally has no silicones on its formula, and aside
from easing my foundation application, it helped my all-natural
eyeshadows and my blush last from day to night.
As the formula contains water, Omiana uses Phenoxyethanol as
a preservative. I’m personally not sensitive to this ingredient, but I
understand some of you might want to avoid it as it’s irritant and not a
natural component (EWG scores this ingredient as a 4.) However, the
brand is very straightforward about the ingredients and allows you to
see every single thing they used before you make your purchase. Plus, I personally haven’t found yet another primer with such a clean formula, so I’m personally very happy I found this one.
{Insider green tip}: To make sure I’m being accurate in my opinions, I built a personalized report using the EWG tool and the Natural Vegan Primer scores a 2,
which keeps it in my personal safe zone. However, and despite the name,
please note this is not a 100% natural product if that’s what you’re
looking for. Omiana does disclose in full the ingredients list so don’t
hesitate to check them if you have any personal requirements.
My Verdict
Whether you’re looking to greenify your beauty routine or simply avoid
some ingredients that wreak havoc on your skin, I honestly recommend you
to try Omiana. I have personally loved Omiana and all the products that I have been able to test. As I’m not a heavy foundation user, my heart always goes to the makeup products, especially the lippies and the blush without mica. Although not all their formulas are 100% natural, they are overall quite clean, use mostly natural ingredients, and boast “green” scores on the EWG ratings (mostly either a 1 or a 2), which makes Omiana’s products the perfect candidates for my cleaner beauty bag.
Furthermore, Omiana’s honest and transparent ingredient policy makes it very easy to shop nontoxic makeup products avoiding certain ingredients, and their website is a dream come true for ladies with skin allergies.
To learn more about all their range, please click on the bold pink links on each description or visit Omiana’s official website at www.omiana.com.
Have you ever tried Omiana beauty products?
Disclosure level 1: The author received NO compensation
to write this post. The author received a sample of some of the
products featured for editorial consideration. Receiving a sample didn’t
influence the decision to feature a brand nor the opinions expressed by
the author. All links provided in the article are for information only
and are not part of any affiliate marketing program.
Thanks. I agree totally! and as a hay fever sufferer, I was glad to find products without botanicals (or most without them)
I am glad you found what you were looking for, Bev! As every person is different, I was very happy to find a brand like Omiana that catered to specific ingredient intolerances 🙂 What is your favorite product?
thanks so much for the post, would very much appreciate swatches!! really hard to find for omiana.
Thanks for touching base! As this post is a bit old I cannot do swatches as the products expired, but I'll make sure to contact Omiana so we can try to refresh the post with swatches 🙂
I love Omiana, and I have tried and have some of their products, in my case, one of the most important things, among with the exclusion to toxic ingredients and lack of ingredients who give me allergy is the mica-free option, since Mica uses forced child labor for the extraction and 99% of the cosmetic brands worldwide, ecofriendly or not, vegan or not, or any of the regular ones use it, and in my opinion it should be BANNED. I do care about environment, and for years I have been using products accordingly to that, even though I still see lots of plastic containers in eco friendly brands, but I’m also pro human rights person, and contributing to benefit anyone who uses child labor, in clothes, makeup or skincare or any other product…NO WAY.
Author
Hi Marta! Thank you very much for visiting us and leaving a comment. You raise a very valid point. There are many studies about how mica involves, most of the time, forced child labor. And here’s when it gets tricky: Banning or boycotting this ingredient could not be the most straightforward solution and backfire on the communities that rely on mica. In an article at The Guardian, the director of the NGO Anti-Slavery International, was quoted explaining that boycotts are not generally the best approach as “the livelihoods of many poor people can be threatened”. Many companies are rather creating “child-friendly” villages in the areas affected and work with local NGOs and governments to encourage families to send children to school and not to work. While my gut tells me to advocate for a ban of this mineral, it is true that the solution can be a bit more complicated than that.
This said, I also have a tendency to avoid mica because it can be dangerous if you breathe it in. The particles have rough edges that can create scarring in your respiratory system, so I am overly cautious in this aspect.
Thank you, once again, for visiting and sharing your insights with us! Children deserve so much better, and it is clear that this is a conversation that matters and should be at the forefront of the beauty industry’s efforts towards sustainability.