Concealers (Cream)
Description
November 1, 2022
By Lisa Petrison
The concealer sticks and other solid cream concealers discussed on this page seem designed to blend into the skin when used on their own for spot coverage, without an overall foundation being needed to finish the look.
They thus seem especially suited for use with the current trend of having the face look as natural as possible, with actual skin being evident.
I think that these kinds of concealers tend to be especially well-suited to the issues of more mature women, who may find that many traditional foundations make their wrinkles or other textural issues look worse but who still may want coverage of problem areas such as dark spots, redness or blemishes.
I personally tend to use these kind of concealers interchangeably with foundation sticks, which also tend to be well-suited for spot coverage.
The main difference is that while foundation sticks could be used for overall coverage if desired, these cream concealers are thicker and not intended for anything other than “micro-editing” of the face.
I have been rather amazed at how my face can look much better without it seeming that I am wearing any makeup at all when I use these products.
The fact that they take me almost no time to apply is an added bonus.
TOP PICKS
♣ Living Clean Superstars:
Glossier Stretch Concealer ($20)
Jones Road The Face Pencil ($25)
Merit The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick ($38)
+Rituel de Fille The Ethereal Veil ($34)
+RMS “Un” Cover-up ($36)
♦ Additional Possibilities:
Bobbi Brown Skin Concealer Stick ($32)
♥ Lisa’s Choice:
Bobbi Brown Skin Concealer Stick ($32)
√ Jones Road The Face Pencil ($25)
Merit The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick ($38)
Notes:
1) Living Clean Superstars – Products with high scores on both Performance Rating (5) as well as Ingredients Rating (4/5). + Clean Pick (Ingredients Rating = 5).
2) Lisa’s Choice – Products that I would purchase for my own personal use. √ Lisa’s Favorite
Note: The following section contains affiliate links, which means that Living Clean in a Dirty World may receive a commission if readers click on these links and then purchase products. Living Clean in a Dirty World also may accept product review samples but receives no other compensation from companies mentioned on this website.
Bobbi Brown Skin Concealer Stick – $32
♥ Lisa’s Choice
Living Clean Rating: 8 out of 10
Performance Rating: 
(5 / 5)
Ingredients Rating: 
(3 / 5)
Lisa Irritation Level: None
Processed Fragrance: Coffee Seed Oil
Silicone Level: None
The description of this product reads, “Our first-of-its kind transformative stick makes great-looking skin look easy. This long-lasting concealer is a natural at instantly reducing the look of dark circles, discoloration, and imperfections for a skin-fresh look. The creamy, emollient-rich formula blends into skin for 12 hours of crease-proof, color-true comfort and layers seamlessly under or over foundation.”
This concealer stick was introduced in 2022.
Compared to the Bobbi Brown foundation stick (which I also like), this product is slightly firmer and designed only for spot use.
It does not contain any silicone and also does not seem to have any appreciable scent.
While I like the Jones Road Face Pencils somewhat more, I think that this product looks good on my face and have gotten some use out of it.
Having the product be stored in a twist-up container and thus not need to be sharpened is a definite plus.
The inclusion of coffee seed oil is interesting since I think that this ingredient may help to address facial puffiness, which has been an issue for me.
The product does contain BHT (a fat preservative), which I do not believe to be a particular problem in products being used on my skin but would prevent the product from being sold by Credo.
The preservative phenoxyethanol (used in many “clean beauty” products) is also included.
There are 18 shades available, most for lighter skin tones.
I have the shade Warm Ivory (“fair beige with light yellow undertones”) and feel that it has worked well for me.
Size: 0.11 oz.
Sephora Rating: 4.6 Stars (434 reviews)
Credo Clean: No
Clean at Sephora: No (Meets Criteria)
Drunk Elephant Clean: Meets Criteria
EU Compliant: Meets Criteria
Pregnancy Pick: Maybe (BHT, Phenoxyethanol)
EWG Ingredient Rating: 4 (yellow)
EWG Problem Ingredients: Tocopheryl acetate (3), BHT (3), Phenoxyethanol (4), Titanium dioxide (3)
Fragrance Ingredients: Coffee seed oil
All Ingredients: Glyceryl Triacetyl Ricinoleate, Octyldodecanol, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Ozokerite, Kaolin, Polyethylene, Barium Sulfate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Commiphora Mukul Resin Extract, Coffee Seed Oil, Lecithin, BHT, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Bismuth Oxychloride.
Glossier Stretch Concealer – $20
♣ Living Clean Superstar
Living Clean Rating: 9 out of 10
Performance Rating: (5 / 5)
Ingredients Rating: 
(4 / 5)
Lisa Irritation Level: None
Processed Fragrance: None
Silicone Level: Low
The Glossier website description of this product reads, “Undetectable, flexible coverage – a concealer that flexes to fit your needs. A buildable concealer that covers everything from dark circles to blemishes and redness, with a dewy, glowy finish. Adaptable mineral pigments give a brightening effect and blend seamlessly into skin for natural-looking coverage. Elastic micro waxes move with your skin instead of caking on top of it. Comes in 12 shades developed to enhance and—most importantly—disappear into a wide range of skin tones.”
I have found that this concealer does a good job of providing some coverage on my face without making my wrinkles look worse.
It contains phenoxyethanol (a preservative) and some artificial colors, but has not irritated my face even when used under my eyes.
It goes on with moderately sheer coverage but can be built up.
It seems to dry down pretty well, but I still would not consider this as an eyeshadow base.
The concealer is available in 12 shades. I have G9 (“warm medium”), which is a little dark for me but seems to work okay during the summer.
Size: 0.17 oz.
Glossier Rating: 4.2 Stars (2481 reviews)
Credo Clean: Meets Criteria
Clean at Sephora: Unclear
Drunk Elephant Clean: No
EU Compliant: Meets Criteria
Pregnancy Pick: Maybe (Phenoxyethanol, Problematic Colors)
EWG Ingredient Rating: 5 (yellow)
EWG Problem Ingredients: Phenoxyethanol (4), Tocopheryl acetate (3), Ultramarines (3), Yellow #5 (6). (Also contains Triethoxycaprylylsilane.)
Fragrance Ingredients: None
All Ingredients: Octyldodecanol, Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate/Hexastearate/Hexarosinate, Polyethylene, Beeswax, Cocoa Seed Butter, Avocado Oil, Lecithin, Microcrystalline Wax, Silica, Mica, Jojoba Esters, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarines, Yellow 5.
Jones Road The Face Pencil – $25
♥ Lisa’s Choice
♣ Living Clean Superstar
Living Clean Rating: 9 out of 10
Performance Rating: (5 / 5)
Ingredients Rating: (4 / 5)
Lisa Irritation Level: None
Processed Fragrance: None
Silicone Level: None
The description of this product reads, “A makeup artist’s dream…but simple enough for a newbie to master. Cover redness and dark spots, correct discoloration, and lighten dark circles- while remaining virtually undetectable. Formulated with a clear base for no chalky undertones.”
These face pencils from Jones Road are likely my favorite makeup product of all and one of the few that I feel sure that I will continue to repurchase on a regular basis.
Even more than the other products on this page, these sticks totally blend into my skin, making it look like I am not wearing any makeup at all.
I think that their use of a clear base may be part of why they disappear into my skin more than the other complexion sticks that I have tried.
They have worked very well for me both for covering larger areas (including the dark circles under my eyes) and for spot concealing (such as addressing small amounts of redness around the edges of my nose).
Although having to sharpen these by hand is slightly annoying, the fact that it is not necessary to have a sharp point to use the pencils minimizes the time spent on sharpening and helps the pencils to last longer.
The sticks are available in 25 shades, with many of them appropriate for those with darker skin tones.
I have been using #4 (“light with yellow undertones”) in winter and #9 (“light/medium with yellow undertones”) in summer.
I also use #6 (“light with peach neutralizer”) as a corrector for dark circles under my eyes.
Size: 0.1 oz.
Jones Road Rating: 4.3 Stars (3819 reviews)
Credo Clean: Yes
Clean at Sephora: Meets Criteria
Drunk Elephant Clean: Meets Criteria
EU Compliant: Meets Criteria
Pregnancy Pick: Maybe (Myristyl Myristate)
EWG Product Rating: 1-2 (green)
EWG Ingredient Rating: 1-2 (green)
EWG Problem Ingredients: Myristyl myristate (3)
Fragrance Ingredients: None
All Ingredients (Shades 1, 2, 3, 5, 11; other shades differ slightly): Castor Seed Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride,Glyceryl Ricinoleate, Candelilla Wax, Beeswax, Carnauba Wax, Myristyl Myristate, Mica, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Shea Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-t-Butyl,Hydroxyhyrdocinnamate, May Contain: Iron Oxides
Merit The Minimalist Complexion Stick – $38
♥ Lisa’s Choice
♣ Living Clean Superstar
Living Clean Rating: 9 out of 10
Performance Rating: (5 / 5)
Ingredients Rating: (4 / 5)
Lisa Irritation Level: None
Processed Fragrance: None
Silicone Level: Low
The description of this product reads, “It’s not a foundation or a concealer, but it’ll replace both in your makeup bag. Now with 1.7x more product and redesigned packaging for durability on the go. Light-to-medium coverage that stays breathable all day. Fatty acids condition skin and lock in moisture. Sea daffodil extract helps diminish the appearance of pigmentation and dark spots. Doubles as a contour. To sculpt and define, choose a shade three shades deeper than your base shade and blend with Brush No. 1 for a seamless finish. Formulated without acne-triggering ingredients.”
Based on my experiences with this product, I think that it is best to consider it to be just a concealer rather than trying to use it as an all-over foundation.
For example, the stick has a narrow tip and a firm texture that allow it to target very specific areas of the face well but that seem to me inappropriate to cover larger areas.
The company re-released this product in new packaging in 2022. The new tubes hold more product and also claim to be more suited for “durability on the go.”
While I had not experienced any problems with this product, some consumers had complained about breakage and so hopefully the new packaging will help to keep that from happening.
In general, I think this product works well for spot coverage and that it disappears nicely into my face.
It contains a little silicone (dimethicone), which can make products go on more smoothly but which some people try to avoid.
Although I am not crazy about having silicone in my foundation products, this product does not feel very silicone-y to me and does not seem to impede the ability of my skin to sweat normally.
Another controversial ingredient is BHT, which is on Credo’s “dirty” list.
I don’t feel like I have had problems with any otherwise clean products containing BHT and think that its ability to preserve fats in cosmetics may be useful in keeping them from going rancid.
I therefore don’t have a particular problem with its usage here, even though I know that some other people may disagree with me about that.
The fact that this product is labeled as “Clean at Sephora” means that the amount of BHT is a maximum of 0.1% of the formula, and I thus have given this product an Ingredients Rating = 4.
Overall, I think that this product feels pretty clean to me and that it works pretty well (though not quite as well as the Jones Road face pencils) for spot touchups on my face.
I have the shade Cream (“fair with warm undertones”), and it is a little lighter than would be ideal for me even in winter.
Size: 0.23 oz.
Sephora Rating: 4.0 Stars (437 reviews)
Credo Clean: No
Clean at Sephora: Yes
Drunk Elephant Clean: No
EU Compliant: Meets Criteria
Pregnancy Pick: Maybe (BHT)
EWG Ingredient Rating: 4 (yellow)
EWG Problem Ingredients: Tocopheryl acetate (3), Dimethicone (3), BHT (3), Titanium dioxide (3). (Also contains Triethoxycaprylysilane)
Fragrance Ingredients: None
All Ingredients: Hydrogenated Polydecene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, Silica, Polyethylene, Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate/Hexastearate/Hexarosinate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Carnauba Wax, Synthetic Wax, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Microcrystalline Wax, Sorbitan Isostearate, Pancratium Maritimum Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Propylene Carbonate, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Glycerin, Water, Mica, BHT, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide.
Rituel de Fille The Ethereal Veil Conceal & Cover – $34
♣ Living Clean Superstar
Living Clean Rating: 10 out of 10
Performance Rating: (5 / 5)
Ingredients Rating: (5 / 5)
Lisa Irritation Level: None
Processed Fragrance: Frankincense Oil
Silicone Level: None
The description of this product reads, “This product is a buildable cream concealer with a soft, natural silk finish available in twelve shades. Good for spot concealing, under-eye brightening and full-face complexion enhancement. Rituel de Fille The Ethereal Veil Conceal and Cover adapts to your undertones and offers a softly diffused, natural silk finish. Through carefully balanced composition including jojoba oil, frankincense, castor oil and lanolin, The Ethereal Veil Conceal and Cover naturally moisturizes the skin as it evens skin’s color and tone.”
Like other Rituel de Fille products, this concealer contains only natural ingredients (including natural coloring agents) and performs admirably well.
I really like the way that this looks and feels on my skin.
It provides nice coverage without emphasizing my wrinkles or irritating my skin at all.
The product does not dry down entirely, however, and so it therefore does not provide a great base for eye shadow as far as I am concerned.
These concealers contain frankincense oil and have a very slight smell of it that I have found pleasant.
I have experimented with three shades of this product: Metis (“light/medium sandy”), Ceres (“light neutral”), and Galatea (“light yellow”).
Metis is the shade that a Rituel de Fille makeup artist recommended to me based on a photograph, and I agree that has been the best shade.
Ceres seems to have worked a little better as an undereye concealer.
All in all, I feel like this product is pretty similar to the stick complexion products that I usually use and that I would probably get a lot of use out of it if I didn’t have so many other products that I was trying out.
Size: 0.19 oz.
Contains Silicone: No
Credo Rating: 4.6 Stars (120 reviews)
Credo Clean: Yes
Clean at Sephora: Meets Criteria
Drunk Elephant Clean: No
EU Compliant: Meets Criteria
Pregnancy Pick: Yes
EWG Product Rating: 1 (green)
EWG Ingredient Rating: 4 (yellow)
EWG Problem Ingredients: Titanium dioxide (3), Zinc oxide (3), Boron oxide (3). (Also contains Frankincense Oil.)
Fragrance Ingredients: Rosemary leaf extract, Frankincense oil
All Ingredients: Jojoba Seed Oil, Castor Seed Oil, Lanolin USP, Candelilla Wax, Carnauba Wax, Beeswax, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Frankincense Oil, Tocopherol. May Contain: Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Silica, Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Nano)*, Tin Oxide, Carmine, Bixa Orellana, Zinc Oxide, Sunflower Seed Oil, Boron Nitride, Boron Oxide, Bronze Powder, Copper Powder, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Zinc Powder, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid. *Titanium Dioxide (nano), a very finely milled mineral powder, used to appear in some of our colors. It is no longer present in any of our formulas, but may appear in the “may contain” section as we phase out the previous version of our retail cartons.
RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-up – $36
♣ Living Clean Superstar
Living Clean Rating: 10 out of 10
Performance Rating: (5 / 5)
Ingredients Rating: (5 / 5)
Lisa Irritation Level: None
Processed Fragrance: None
Silicone Level: None
The description of this product reads, “RMS ‘Un’ Cover-Up is a lightweight and hydrating concealer that leaves you with a flawless finish and healthier looking skin. The ‘un’ cover-up will help minimize the appearance of pores and help to rejuvenate the complexion to enhance youthful and radiant skin. This natural concealer is designed for use as a foundation or a light concealer to help hide blotches and redness. This concealer is formulated to melt into skin, while providing even, moisturizing buildable to medium coverage for flawless, dewy looking skin.”
This is an oil-baed concealer with the main ingredients of coconut oil, castor oil, beeswax, cocoa butter and jojoba oil.
It’s highly pigmented and has worked well on my skin in terms of providing coverage while disappearing into my skin.
I have not had problems with this product irritating my skin or emphasizing my wrinkles.
Some people who cannot tolerate coconut would not want to choose this product, though.
The product is available in 16 shades, with most of them leaning slightly warm.
The exceptions are 11.5, 22.5 and 33.5, which have more of a “salmon color” and are suggested by RMS for use in covering up the blue in undereye circles by those with lighter skin tones.
Those with darker skin tones are advised to use a shade that is slightly lighter than their actual skin tone to cover dark circles.
I think this advice has worked well for me, with Shade 11 (“ivory with a slight golden base”) being a pretty good match for overall concealing and Shade 11.5 (“a buff beige with neutral undertones”) working better for undereye coverage.
Shade 22 (“our biggest seller, with its yellow base, this shade is great for light-medium skin tones”) was too dark for me.
Size: 0.2 oz.
Contains Silicone: No
Sephora Rating: 4.1 Stars (817 reviews)
Credo Clean: Yes
Clean at Sephora: Yes
Drunk Elephant Clean: Meets Criteria
EU Compliant: Meets Criteria
Pregnancy Pick: Yes
Think Dirty Rating: 3 (green)
EWG Ingredient Rating: 2 (green)
EWG Problem Ingredints: Titanium dioxide (3)
Fragrance Ingredients: Rosemary extract
All Ingredients: *Coconut Oil, *Castor Seed Oil, *Beeswax, *Cocoa Seed Butter, *Jojoba Seed Oil, Tocopherol (non-GMO), *Rosemary Extract. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides. *Certified organic
Shopping List
This section lists products that seem that they may have potential and that I am hoping to try in the near future.
Readers are highly encouraged to bring other relevant products that they have tried to my attention so that I can add them to this list.
100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Long Last Concealer – $28
Alima Pure Cream Concealer – $32
Chantecaille Real Skin+ Eye and Face Stick – $62
Jillian Dempsey Spot Stick Concealer – $32
Mineral Fusion Concealer Duo – $26
About This Website
The Living Clean in a Dirty World shopping website is designed to provide guidance to those seeking out products that are relatively low in toxicity and that provide generally positive user experiences.
Although the skincare and makeup sections have a particular focus on products appropriate for women who are in their 40’s or beyond, the information provided may be useful for other people as well.
The products are curated by Lisa Petrison, who has been focused on helping people to improve their health by avoiding toxicity since 2008 and who heads the Paradigm Change organization.
Her Living Clean in a Dirty World blog site discusses a variety of topics of relevance to those who are working to pursue a more natural lifestyle with less exposure to harmful toxicity.
Lisa is the author of several books, including A Beginner’s Guide to Mold Avoidance (co-written with Erik Johnson).
She also runs the Paradigm Change website (focusing on issues related to toxic mold illness) and the Mold Avoiders Facebook group (designed for the discussion of all topics of interest to those pursuing the mold avoidance approach described in the “Beginner’s Guide” book).
Lisa was born in August 1964 and has yet to try cosmetic surgery, Botox or other cosmetic treatments requiring interactions with a physician, or beauty products containing retinoids.
In her former life, Lisa worked as a business school professor, as a marketing consultant to a variety of large companies, and as a reporter covering the advertising industry.
She holds a Ph.D. in marketing and social psychology from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University as well as B.S./M.S. degrees from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern.
Lisa would like to extend a special note of appreciation to Ellen Kleiman-Redden for her help in trying out products and discussing issues related to this project.
She also would like to thank the many members of the Mold Avoiders community who have shared suggestions of products to be included here.
A Note From Lisa
Products that I have tried or researched and that I have not found to be acceptable from a toxicity standpoint have been omitted entirely from the discussions on this website.
However, since a goal of this project is to introduce people to a range of options in terms of price and functionality, some products discussed on this site include ingredients that may not be appropriate for everyone.
It’s my hope that all individuals making their way to this site will find at least a few options from each product category that meet all of their own needs and wants from a variety of perspectives.
The vast majority of cosmetics marketers now offer affiliate programs in which Internet content creators may earn commissions if people who are referred to the companies’ sites by clicking on links end up making purchases.
I participate in quite a few individual affiliate programs as well as in the Sovrn/Viglinks program (which automatically converts regular links into revenue-generating links).
Links on this page that may result in affiliate income may include – but are not necessarily limited to – those from the following companies: 100% Pure, Alima Pure, Bare Minerals, Bobbi Brown, Credo, Glossier, Goop, Jones Road, Merit, Mineral Fusion, Pharmaca, Rituel de Fille, RMS Beauty, Sephora, Tarte, and Ulta.
Reader comments about products discussed on this website are very welcome.
Thoughts may be shared either by posting them in the comments section at the bottom of this page or by sending them directly to me at the following email address:
info at paradigmchange dot me
Companies that would like to offer me complimentary products to try out may contact me at this address as well.
Individuals who are seeking out less-toxic products or who are interested in pursuing a cleaner and healthier lifestyle may want to sign up to receive occasional email newsletters from Living Clean in a Dirty World.
Thanks very much for visiting the Living Clean shopping site!
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