Best Nontoxic Beauty Gifts for Kids and Tweens
Toys, clothes, and electronics are solid go-to holiday gifts for kids. But what could make a little one feel more grown up than his or her own stash of personal beauty products — especially those handpicked by you and free of icky toxins? Here’s a lively, wholesome sampling to get you started.
Piggy Paint
One of the first ways little girls — and boys — delve into the magical world of makeup is by expressing themselves through painted nails. But common toxic polish additives — such as toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate — are toxic, making some parents wary of the practice. Enter Piggy Paint, the adorably packaged, nonstinky, nontoxic, water-based alternative that’s “natural as mud,” in bright colors from pink and purple to mint green and sunshine yellow. It doesn’t stay on as long as your polish, but it’s so clean you won’t mind reapplying.
Get it: $8 each, piggypaint.com
Pokébomb by Pearl Bath Bombs
Bath bombs from Pearl are pretty much the ultimate fizzy bombs — they’re huge, colorful, and disintegrate to make bright bubbles and reveal hidden prizes inside, including rings, a lucky handful of which are worth redeemable rewards of up to $5,000. And while their price point can add up to one very expensive bath for your kid, the Pokébomb version — in which a collectable Pokémon figure replaces jewelry — is really worth the splurge. Pure, vegan ingredients include cornstarch, witch hazel, and almond oil, with only two questionable additives — polysorbate 80 (an emulsifier) and red 40 lake (a dye) — posing very low risks, according to EWG’s Skin Deep.
Get it: $10.95 each, pearlbathbombs.com
3 Girls’ Holistic Perfume Variety Pack
It’s true that little girls have a sweet enough scent all on their own. But when they want to play dress-up and add a spritz of perfume just for kicks, you might want to think twice about handing over your chemical-laden grownup scents. This company’s philosophy — that you “shouldn’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t want to have inside your body” — seems way more apropos, as does this four-pack of roll-on perfumes. All are free of toxins and alcohol, and contain nothing but oils, including base oils from apricot kernel, grape seed, and coconut, and essential oils of lavender, vanilla, bergamot, and more.
Get it: $29, 3girlsholistic.com
Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm
Think of this pucker moisturizer, with just a hint of color, as starter lipstick for your wee one. It’s enriched with shea butter, as well as oils of sunflower and soybean, and its one questionable additive — titanium dioxide, a colorant — scores a low warning level on EWG’s Skin Deep and is the last ingredient listed. Its gentle, flower-themed hues include Hibiscus, Rose, and Sweet Violet.
Get it: $5, burtsbees.com
Luna Star Naturals Klee Girls Makeup
This one-stop shopping spot for nontoxic, paraben- and cruelty-free kids’ and teens’ products has everything from face paint and starter makeup to gentle shampoos and body lotions. The Magical Hair and Body Care Collection includes Regal Body Wash, with soothing calendula and royal jelly, and Dazzling Body Lotion, rich with argan oil and honey. There’s also water-based nail polish, bright tubes of wholesome face paint, Sparkli Naturali play makeup for kids, and for budding teens (boys or girls, so don’t mind the name), mineral makeup, with brightly packaged and super-safe eye shadow palettes, pots of blush, and flavored lip glosses. There are full sets (pictured above) and holiday bundles, which contain well-priced samples for the undecided.
Get it: Holiday Bundles $28–68, Hair and Body Care $7–16, Mineral makeup $7–30; lunastarnaturals.com
EcoPrincess Play Makeup Set
This crunchy take on beauty is perfect for parents who are okay with makeup play but against all of the skin-irritating junk that comes with it. Each kit, intended for kids 3 and up, contains two eye shadows, one blush, pink lip shimmer, a water-based nail polish, and two applicators — all in its own little candy-pink tote. All items are organic and gluten-free, and packed with wholesome ingredients like coconut oil, beeswax, and shea butter.
Get it: $25, organicbeautynow.com
The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty
Kids love science projects. Why not combine that ethos with their want for beauty products — and the need to fill chilly winter-break afternoons — with some DIY cosmetics? This colorful, easy-to-follow how-to from co-author Sunny Subramanian (of veganbeautyreview.com) is packed with clean-enough-to-eat recipes for hand cream, lip and cheek stain, lip balm, hair serum, hair masks, and body butters, made with amazing blends of essential oils, sugar, salt, nut oils, fresh fruits, and more. Hand it off to your tween and let her go crazy, or make a day of it with your little one. Guaranteed you’ll want to use what you make too.
Get it: $25, veganbeautyreview.com
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