Natural Makeup That Works? PHB Ethical Beauty Review (2023)

PHB are a family-run company based in Brighton that sell a revolutionary range of ethical beauty products. Unlike many brands that are pumped full of harmful synthetics with plastic packaging destined straight for landfill, PHB offer natural, vegan and cruelty-free makeup – all of which is lovingly handcrafted in the UK and Canada.

Their makeup has won many industry awards in the space of 5 years. They are also rated an incredible 99/100 via The Good Shopping Guide, which independently assesses brands in areas such as human rights, environmental impact and animal welfare.

PHB describe themselves as ‘purity pioneers’ – they only use 100% naturally derived ingredients and blended organic superfoods in their formulations. All of their makeup is free from palm oil, harsh alcohols, GMOs, animal ingredients, plus cheap fillers and toxic chemicals (such as parabens, SLS, parfum, etc).

If, like me, you’ve traditionally suffered with sensitive skin, eczema or allergies, then this is the perfect choice. PHB products are really gentle because they don’t contain many of the common irritants found in conventional makeup products.

Often, people don’t realise that some of the biggest names in the beauty industry are still using animal-derived ingredients in their makeup ranges, including animal fats and oils. Ingredients like glycerin, stearic acid and carmine are ones to watch out for.

PHB never use animal extracts, instead opting for plant-derived alternatives. They have certification from The Vegan Society and are cruelty-free approved by Leaping Bunny – something which is important to me as I lead a vegan lifestyle.

All of PHB’s products have been thoughtfully designed to be low-impact and minimise waste. In 2021, they launched a huge selection of reduced plastic and zero-waste makeup. The vast majority of their product packaging is now fully recyclable, including glass jars, PET bottles and aluminium lids.

I also appreciated the minimal packaging my order arrived in – just a recyclable paper bag with no excess leaflets or plastic.

When you support PHB by purchasing their products, you are making a positive choice for your own health. But the further good news is that you are also helping to improve the lives of others.

A huge 20% of net profits are donated to grassroots charities that support people and animals in the UK and further afield. Two of their main causes are Wild at Heart and Farm Animal Rescue Sanctuary (you can read more about their charitable work here).

I’ll be honest, the shopping experience was actually my least favourite part. The website doesn’t have the best user interface – particularly the checkout. But in the end, I made my payment and received my order confirmation as expected (no dramas!).

I also didn’t realise that they only pack orders on Tuesdays and Fridays. Typically, I ordered on Tuesday night so quickly realised that (disappointingly) I’d be waiting at least a week to receive my order. I ordered a few other bits around the same time and these all arrived within a couple of days, which only highlighted the delay.

However, we live in an age of Amazon Prime where we expect instant gratification, so whilst I felt impatient, I consoled myself that this was a good lesson in slow fashion (quite literally!).

Most importantly, the order arrived exactly as expected with updates at every step of the way, so I can’t really complain too much!

Now that you’ve got a better understanding of PHB as a brand, let’s take a look at each product in a bit more detail.