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*updated October 2025
Is Physicians Formula clean makeup, or is it just marketed that way?
If you’re worried about toxic ingredients in makeup, you’ve probably heard of Physicians Formula as a “better-for-you” option. But is Physicians Formula a clean brand, or is that just clever marketing?
Physicians Formula gets a lot of praise online, and they advertise themselves as a healthy makeup brand. But are they more focused on being hypoallergenic or truly non-toxic? Let’s break it down.
How I Ended Up Researching Clean Makeup
Several years ago, my younger daughter came home with a note from school listing everything she needed for her school play: blush, lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner.
All things that I do not own.
I hadn’t worn makeup regularly in years. Once I had kids, my daily routine shifted from “done up” to throwing on mascara, and eventually not even that. When I decided to revamp my life and remove toxic products from our home, all my old makeup went straight into the trash. I knew safer makeup brands existed, but I hadn’t needed them—until that note came home.
At first, I considered grabbing some dollar store makeup and tossing it after the play. But we’d worked hard to switch to safer products, and I didn’t want to bring potentially toxic ingredients back into my house. So I started researching safer cosmetics.
I’d seen Physicians Formula in the natural foods section at the grocery store. With their price tags, I assumed they must be a clean brand. But before spending $20+ per item, I wanted to be sure their products were actually non-toxic.
What Physicians Formula Claims
According to their website, Physicians Formula uses ingredients that are “clean, effective, and high-performing, yet gentle on the most sensitive skin.” That sounds ideal, especially if you’re concerned about allergic reactions. But marketing claims and actual ingredient safety don’t always match up.
To find out if Physicians Formula is a clean brand, I turned to the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep database.
Checking the EWG Skin Deep Ratings
If you haven’t used it before, Skin Deep is a database that rates beauty products by hazard level.
They list ratings for companies, individual products, and ingredients. While not every item is included, their database is extensive.
Despite their marketing, Physicians Formula’s ratings weren’t as great as expected. The brand’s products fall between 1 and 7, meaning some of their products are in the red, or high hazard, zone. That was surprising for a company that claims to use clean ingredients.
Physicians Formula Product Ratings
Here is the breakdown of what I was able to find for Physician’s Formula’s safest rated products.
Concealer
The Physicians Formula concealers are rated between 3 and 7. The lowest-rated option is the Twins Cream Concealer, which still has one ingredient rated an 8.
Price: $14.
Foundation
The foundations ratings range from 3 to 7. The Healthy Foundation Brightening Complex Foundation is among the lowest hazard ratings at 2, with one ingredients rated a 7.
Price: $10.
Powder
There is a decent selection of powders, with overall ratings ranging from 2 to 7, though many are only a 2. The Mineral Wear Loose Powder is one of the best scores, with an overall rating of 2 and no ingredients over a 2.
Price: $13.
Blush
The blushes have an overall ratings between 3 and 7. The Organic Wear Dewy Blush Elixir has a of 3, and contains one ingredient rates a 3, one a 4, with the rest rated a 2 or lower.
Price: $18.
Brow Liners
There are a few brow liners, ranging from a 3 to a 7. The Eyebrow Retractable Slim Definer Brow Pencil is rated 3, with all but 1 ingredient (rated 3) being a 1 or 2.
Price $9.
Mascara
The mascaras range from 2 to 8. The safest option is the Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara, with one ingredient rated a 4, and the rest a 2 or under.
Price $11.
Eye Shadow
The eye shadows were rated between 2 and 6. The lowest rating was for the Extreme Shimmer Eye Shadow & Liner, with one ingredient rates an 8, one a 4, and the rest a 1 or 2.
Price $10.
Eye Liner
The eyeliners range from 2 to 5. The Organic Wear Precision Liquid Eyeliner has the lowest overall rating. Most ingredients were rated 2 or lower, with one 3 and one 4.
Price $19
Lip Gloss
The lip glosses range from 1 to 7. The two best options I found were the Crystal Clear Mineral Wear Diamond Gloss (only $7), rated a 1 with only one ingredient over a 2, and pH Matchmaker pH Powered Makeup Lip Gloss ($8), rated a 3 with one ingredient a 4, two a five and the rest a 1 or 2.
So, is Physicians Formula clean makeup?
Not entirely. While some of their products rank low on the hazard scale, many fall into the moderate range, and a few contain high-hazard ingredients. This means you’d need to research each product individually before buying to know what you’re really getting. That’s not what I’d expect from a brand that markets itself as clean.
Comparing to Other Brands
To put this in context, I looked at other brands available at Walmart. Some conventional makeup brands have just as safe or safer ratings than Physicians Formula. One brand that kept popping up with consistently low ratings was e.l.f. Cosmetics. According to their website there products are all 100% vegan and cruelty-free, free from phthalates, parabens, nonylphenol ethoxylates, triclosan, triclocarban, and hydroquinone.
For nearly every product, I found an e.l.f. alternative rated 2 or under, with many rated 1. Though their prices have increased and Physicians Formula’s have decreased slightly since the first time I researched them, e.l.f products are still a bit more affordable.
e.l.f. Product Ratings
Concealer
16 Hr Camo Concealer: Rating 2, most ingredients 2 or under, with one being a 4..
Price: $8.
Foundation
Soft Glam Foundation: Rating 2, most ingredients a 1, with three 2’s and a 3.
Price: $9
Powder
Halo Glow Setting Powder: Rating 1, with one ingredient rated 2, one 3 and the rest 1.
Price: $8
Blush
Primer Infused Matte Blush: Rating 2, with one ingredient a 3, one a 2, and the rest a 1.
Price- $8
Brow Liner
Instant Lift Brow Pencil: Rating 1, with all ingredients a 1 or 2.
Price $4
Mascara
Big Mood Mega Volume & Lifting Mascara: Rating 2, with one ingredient a 3, two a 2, and the rest a 1.
Price $7
Eyeshadow
No Budge Shadow Stick: Rating 1, with two ingredients a 2 and the rest a 1.
Price $5
Eyeliner
H2O Proof Inkwell Eyeliner: Rating 2, with all ingredients a 1 or 2.
Price $8
Lip gloss
Hydrating Lip Shine: Rating 2, with one ingredient a 4 and the rest a 1 or 2.
Price $8.
In the end, I bought everything I needed for under $40. If I’d chosen Physicians Formula, the total would have been around $150, and even Cover Girl would have cost about $80. That was back in 2018, though. With today’s prices, the same products would cost about $65 (roughly the same as Cover Girl now) compared to $112 for Physicians Formula.
So, is Physicians Formula a clean brand? It depends on which products you choose. But overall, the brand is not consistently clean or non-toxic across the board.
For me, switching to e.l.f. made more sense: safer ingredients, lower prices, and no greenwashing.
Now that I’ve built a safe, affordable makeup kit, it’s time for this mom to learn stage makeup.
Have you used Physicians Formula or e.l.f. products? Which clean (or cleaner) brands do you love? Share in the comments below.
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This is so interesting! Have you checked out Lush yet? I am wondering how they are rated…..and BareMinerals!
I have looked into Lush a little bit (mostly just their bath bombs) and their products range from a rating of 1-6 on EWG. I plan on looking into them more and doing a post on it soon. BareMinerals I hadn’t heard of. I just looked them up on EWG and their products range from 1-7.