Is Jones Road a Clean Beauty Brand? We Put Its Products to the Test
Last Updated: July 28, 2023
Dive with us into the world of beauty brand Jones Road, the brainchild of the renowned celebrity makeup artist and entrepreneur, Bobbi Brown. Bursting onto the scene in 2020, this is Brown’s audacious second act in the cosmetics industry, following the sale of her namesake company, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, to the cosmetics titan Estée Lauder, back in 1995.
Brown’s comeback in 2020 with Jones Road wasn’t a matter of chance but a result of a 25-year wait imposed by a non-compete clause she signed with Estée Lauder.
Brown wanted to create a cosmetics company that reflected the needs of today’s consumers. She envisioned more shade inclusion and cleaner ingredients than her previous makeup line. Brown states on Jones Road’s website that, “The world doesn’t need more beauty products. It needs better beauty products.”
The company’s tagline is “Cool. Clean. Makeup.”— Jones Road markets itself as a clean beauty company with safe ingredients. There is no standard definition for clean beauty, but Jones Road defines it in terms of non-toxic ingredients. The company aims to create “clean, strategic, high-grade formulations.”
Its packaging is simple and minimalist. Products are in solid, neutral-colored containers with Jones Road stamped across them. Jones Road’s product line claims to be suitable for every skin type and shade, demonstrating an inclusive company mindset. In addition to makeup, the brand also sells apparel with the Jones Road logo.
Are Jones Beauty’s products as clean as its advertising claims? We researched their current products to compare with other clean brands.
Our Methodology
At Better Goods, we rank brands on our three pillars: ingredients, sustainability, and animal welfare.
Brands are rated on the three pillars as follows:
This ranking is for the best of the best. Only exemplary brands will receive a ranking of best for any category.
This ranking is for brands that are typically quite good, but don’t go above and beyond like our best choices.
This ranking is for when we find something we find iffy. Not a good sign.
This ranking is reserved for the worst of the worst.
Ingredients (Rating: Iffy)
Jones Road’s mission is to create multipurpose, high-performance products that deliver results. Jones Road positions its brand as a clean beauty company.
The brand lists hazardous ingredients that are left out of its formulations like parabens, BHA, BHT, PEGs, phthalates, sulfates, petrolatum, cyclic silicones, EDTA, and formaldehyde releasers, among others. We did not find these harmful ingredients in the products we reviewed, so Jones Road adheres to its own policies.
However, while reviewing Jones Road’s ingredients, we found a few we recommend avoiding.
Phenoxyethanol, a preservative and antibacterial, is in some products. It may cause allergies and respiratory issues.
Synthetic dyes are present in many products. They have the potential to cause allergies or have carcinogens in them.
Hydrogenated cottonseed oil can be contaminated with mercury, arsenic, lead, gossypol (a plant pigment), or pesticides. A 2001 study concluded that hydrogenated cottonseed oil is safe for use in cosmetics, as long as there are restrictions for established limits.
Oils with rose geranium, orange peel, and peppermint can cause allergies.
Limonene and citral are scent ingredients that have potential to cause skin sensitivities and allergic reactions.
Natural flavor appears in some products. It’s an iffy ingredient because it’s usually made using a combination of substances to create or nullify a scent.
Mica is in some products. A 2018 report shed light on child labor and illegal mica mining practices in India and Madagascar. Jones Road has not publicly stated if its mica is sourced ethically.
Sustainability (Rating: Iffy)
On Jones Road’s website, the company states that its cartons and packaging come from 100% post-consumer fiber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Jones Road confirms its shippers are also made of recyclable materials.
While its sustainable packaging is a good start, Jones Road does not go into detail about its sustainability practices beyond cartons and packaging, which is iffy.
Animal Welfare (Rating: Good)
Jones Road states on its website that all of its products are cruelty-free. The company is transparent that it uses non-vegan ingredients. It admits that ingredients like beeswax and carmine are in some products because, “We find them to be the best options for creating formulas that are both high-performing and safe.”
Cruelty-Free
Cruelty-Free Kitty affirms that Jones Road is a cruelty-free company. The brand and its third-party suppliers do not test ingredients or products on animals.
Vegan
Jones Road is not 100% vegan. However, Cruelty-Free Kitty notes that the company sells some products that are 100% vegan, like The Mascara, Eye Fluffy Brush, and Eye Blending Blush. The company is transparent about the non-vegan ingredients it uses.
Final Brand Ratings
Our rating scale ranges from “Best” (for having the best practices) to “Avoid” (for having unacceptable practices). We rated Jones Road as follows.
| Pillar | Rating | Details |
| Ingredients | Iffy | Jones Road markets itself as a clean beauty company. It leaves parabens, BHA, BHT, PEGs, phthalates, sulfates, petrolatum, cyclic silicones, EDTA, formaldehyde releasers, and other hazardous ingredients out of its formulations. However, we also found synthetic dyes, phenoxyethanol, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, limonene, citral, and natural oils, and undisclosed natural flavors listed as ingredients. |
| Sustainability | Iffy | Jones Road’s cartons and shippers are made with recyclable materials that have fibers certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. However, the company does not cover sustainability practices for products themselves, which is iffy. |
| Animal Welfare | Good | Jones Road is a cruelty-free brand, confirmed by Cruelty-Free Kitty. The brand has some vegan options, but is not 100% vegan. |
Overall Rating: Iffy
Jones Road is a cosmetics and apparel company founded by cosmetics maven, Bobbi Brown. The company is shade inclusive. It provides a large range of shades for its products.
Its products are free from hazardous ingredients like parabens, phthalates, PEGs, sulfates, and others. However, some products contain ingredients that have the potential to cause skin irritation like phenoxyethanol and natural oils. Undisclosed natural flavors and synthetic dyes are also present in products.
The company is cruelty-free. Products are not 100% vegan, although there are some vegan options. Jones Road shows some strides toward sustainability in cartons and shippers. However, it does not have detailed, transparent sustainability initiatives like other cosmetics companies.
The brand experienced some controversy on TikTok. Some TikTok beauty influencers gave Jones Road’s What The Foundation negative reviews. TikTok beauty reviewer, Meredith Duxbury said, “It’s gonna be a no for me. I really wanted to like this.” Bobbi Brown responded with a parody TikTok video of her own, showing the influencers how to apply the product. While some viewed Brown’s video as humorous, other saw it as a defensive response to an honest review.
Jones Road also pays influencers for TikTok reviews as part of the Bounty app beta testing program, Fast Company reports. Paid reviews can harm the brand’s reputation.
For these reasons, Jones Road receives an overall rating of Iffy.
