I’ve tried a bunch of non toxic highlighters over the last five years and I’m sharing the best ones that give a natural lit-from-within glow without microplastic glitter. The best highlighter is made with nourishing plant ingredients and without any questionable or harmful ones.

Types of Non Toxic Highlighters

• Cream stick: the most convenient hands-free way to apply highlighter
• Cream pot: also a solid form but you need to use a brush or your fingers to apply
• Liquid: the most concentrated and can give the boldest highlighting effect
• Powder: gives a subtle effect and can be applied all over the face for a matte look

Ways to Use Highlighter

I love how versatile highlighter is, especially in liquid form, to instantly brighten and create a glowy look.

For face:

• Highlight the areas where the sun naturally hits your face like cheekbones, brow bone and bridge of the nose.
• Mix liquid highlighter with your foundation or face cream for a lit-from-within glow

For body:

• Mix liquid highlighter with body lotion and apply to arms, legs, and décolletage.

For eye area:

• The best hack for brightening the eye area is applying highlighter to the inner corners of the eyes and the center of the eyelid to make them look larger.
• Mix liquid liquid highlighter with concealer to brighten undereyes

For lips:

• A hack for fuller looking lips is applying highlighter on the cupid’s bow just above the

I tried Westman Atelier Lit Up Highlight Stick

Westman Atelier’s Lit Up Highlight Stick is the most luxurious highlighter in the clean beauty scene and is made without silicones, PEGs, parabens, or phthalates. This really does give a glassy finish and instantly brightens up skin while looking totally natural. It’s a solid gel consistency that feels hydrating and not at all heavy or greasy. Sadly, it’s not the purest in terms of ingredients and doesn’t contain nearly as many skin nourishing ingredients as some of the all-natural highlighters in my list. I thought Petal would be more of a baby pink but it’s closer to a nude mauve-y pink. It also multitasks as a lip balm with some shimmer!

Price: $48 for .17oz
Finish: subtle wet glassy look
What I like: performs like a professional makeup product with a natural glassy finish
What I didn’t like: does not have a skincare focus and has the least natural ingredients list
Colors: 6
Other types: Liquid Super Loaded Tinted Highlight, Super Loaded Tinted Highlight (powder)

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I tried Typology Illuminator Glow Drops T31

Typology’s liquid highlighter is the most skincare-focused illuminator I’ve tried. The formula is 98% naturally derived with skincare actives like 5% Vitamin C, aloe vera and glycerin. There’s just 15 ingredients and 2 pigments. Typology’s is also the BRIGHTEST highlighter in clean beauty. It’s very iridescent and buildable to a very bold look. I find it feels hydrating and not at all heavy or oily. I only need the tiniest amount to dab on the high points of my face or I can mix in half a dropper to my organic foundation for an overall glowy base. It’s got a very lightweight consistency that’s liquid-like.

Price: $39.50 for .5oz
Finish: bright highlight
What I like: has actual skincare actives like Vitamin C and a 98% naturally-derived formula
What I didn’t like: pricey considering the actual amount of product you get
Colors: T31 and T35 Roseglow Drops

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I tried INIKA Organic Cream Illuminisor (cleanest!)

INIKA Organic’s Cream Illuminisor is the healthiest highlighter in my list with a 100% natural ingredients list. This is one of the only truly non toxic highlighters on the market. It’s a liquid highlighter with certified organic Aloe Vera as the base along with organic glycerin and mineral mica for a super simple and clean formula. The shade is a pearlescent pinkish hue that looks very natural and not at all sparkly. I find it to be very light and hydrating. I’d say it gives a subtle glow versus a bright one. Naturally as a liquid illuminator it’s super versatile and can be mixed into my foundation, concealer and even sunscreen. It only comes in one shade Pearl Pink and I love how the pink undertones also act as a color corrector for when my skin is looking dull.

Price:r $32 for 8ml
Finish: subtle brightening shimmer
What I like: 100% natural ingredients and no synthetics

I tried INIKA Organic Baked Mineral Illuminisor

For a more subtle powder luminizer that I can apply all over my face, I like to use Inika’s Baked Mineral Illuminisor. This also has a 100% natural formula and is made with Magnolia Bark Extract, olive-derived Squalane and Sugarcane. Dewdrop is a light golden shimmer while Starlight is a light pink. The powder is great if you want a matte finish to your makeup look. It gives the most gorgeous subtle brightening effect and slight golden bronzing effect if you’re pale.

Price: $52 for 8g
Finish: matte
What I like: 100% natural ingredients and no synthetics

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use OBL for -15%

I tried Merit Beauty Day Glow Highlighting Balm

Merit’s Highlighting Balm is surprisingly thoughtfully formulated and great if you’re into a glassy finish. This is not a super bright highlighter and looks similar to the glassy effect that Westman Atelier’s provides just with more shimmer. I was surprised that Merit’s highlighter is actually nourishing for skin and has a squalane and Olive Fruit Oil base. I love that there’s even phytosterol and amino acids to actually nourish skin.

Price: $32 for .14oz
Finish: subtle wet glassy look
What I like: has actual skincare actives like phytosterol and amino acids
What I didn’t like: gives more of a wet gloss look that subtly illuminates
Colors: 4

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I tried Saie Glowy Super Gel Over Luminizer

Saie’s liquid highlighter is the watery-est highlighter I’ve tried and gives a very hydrated looking lit-from-within glow. It comes in a giant glass bottle that houses a full fluid ounce of product and has a number of skincare actives like papaya seed oil and lactic acid. This is very iridescent but surprisingly quite subtle when applied. The shimmer feels less concentrated than Typology and Merit. I like to add an entire few pumps of this on its own under my foundation to begin with a brighter base. It does contain polysorbate as a preservative to keep the product from going bad.

Price: $29 for 1oz
Finish: subtle hydrated look
What I like: Papaya seed oil, Rosa canina fruit oil and Lactic acid
What I didn’t like: large heavy bottle isn’t travel friendly
Colors: 4
Other types: Glow Sculpt Multi-Use Cream

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I tried rms Living Luminizer

Living Luminizer was the first all natural highlighter I tried a decade ago, so I’ve gotta include this OG. It’s actually my least preferred in this entire list as I find it pretty basic compared to the others. But clearly the people really really love this one. This comes in a pot so you need to use your fingers and I personally find it pretty oily since it’s made in a castor seed oil and coconut oil base. The ingredients are very minimal and is just a few oils and butters with Rosemary leaf extract (iron oxides for the colored versions).

Price: $42 for .17oz
Finish: dewy shimmery look
What I like: very dewy finish if that’s what you like
What I didn’t like: feels oily to me and expensive for what it is in my opinion
Colors: 5
Other types: ReDimension Hydra Dew Luminizer (powder)

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use OBL20 for -20%

I tried 100 Percent Pure Fruit Gemmed Luminizer

100 Percent Pure’s Gemmed Luminizer is a powder highlighter with an updated 95-99% naturally derived formula. They now combine mica with natural oxides to provide a more professional looking finish and high-performance pigment. Overall, there’s still no other highlighter in clean beauty with as many plant botanicals and extracts as 100 Percent Pure. This luminizer has Strawberry, Beet, Pomegranate, Dragonfruit, Bilberry Fruit, Acai, Blueberry, Blue Spirulina, Turmeric, Carrot, Matcha Green Tea, Plant Chlorophyll, Cocoa, From Beets, Vitamin E, Avocado, Apricot, and Rosehip. So cool that it also has Pyrite, Sunstone, Moonstone, Pyrite, Australian Opal and Labradorite so I’m wearing crystals on my face. I find that it gives a very subtle illuminating effect that’s matte and great for an all over glow.

Price: $40 for .32oz
Finish: matte
Colors: 3

I tried River Organics Creamy Vegan Highlighter Stick

For my super crunchy gals, let me put you onto River Organics zero waste vegan makeup. This has a completely natural and organic formula of under ten ingredients including certified organic Cacao Butter, Shea Butter and Rosehip oil. It also comes in zero-waste, plastic-free, and compostable packaging that’s actually sturdy and durable. This has a pearlescent shimmer to it, but it does feel waxy. Just keep in mind it won’t feel or perform like conventional highlighter but if you prioritize sustainability and clean ingredients over performance, River Organics is a great line to look into.

Price: $22.99 for .5oz
Finish: soft sheen
Colors: 2