Is RMS Beauty Clean? We Analyzed Them To Find Out
Last Updated: April 2, 2023
In an age where the cosmetics industry is rife with questionable ingredients and practices, RMS Beauty emerges as a brand claiming to prioritize clean beauty.
Founded in 2009 by makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift, the brand aims to address the growing concern for safer ingredients in skincare and makeup products. With David Olsen as its CEO since 2021, RMS Beauty has made its mark in the global market.
Offering a wide range of cosmetics, skincare products, and probiotics, RMS Beauty has garnered attention for its commitment to “clean beauty.” Today, we’ll delve into an in-depth analysis of RMS Beauty to determine if it truly lives up to its clean beauty claims.
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: Good)
RMS Beauty is transparent about the ingredients used in their cosmetics. They have updated formulations since 2018 to take fragrances out of their products. Their ingredient lists are free from talc, as they claim on their website. Many of their formulas contain ingredients that have low safety concerns.
While reviewing RMS Beauty’s cosmetics products, we came across several ingredients we recommend avoiding.
- Some products are synthetic dyes, like Blue 1, Red 40, and Yellow 5, which have low-to-moderate concerns about cancer, allergies, and immunotoxicity.
- Some products contain licorice leaf extract, which can cause cardiac symptoms, high blood pressure, headaches, and fatigue when taken in high doses.
- Another ingredient of concern is titanium dioxide. A 2020 study confirmed titanium dioxide’s toxic effects on rats’ lungs and kidneys, lending to the conclusion that it is harmful to humans.
- The brand’s 2018 nail polish includes a cosmetic colorant, D&C Black No. 2 (Ci 77266), and aluminum powder. These ingredients have moderate concerns about cancer, allergies, and organ toxicity. The nail polish is discontinued from the website, although third-party sellers still sell it.
Sustainability (Rating: Good)
RMS Beauty shows strides toward a sustainable future. They bottle some products in recyclable glass containers. The brand’s recently launched primer is the first refillable product. On their website, RMS Beauty reports that they intend to expand their line of refillable products.
The company has other sustainability initiatives in place. They acknowledge plastic is used in their packaging but integrate as much post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials into plastic as possible. The minimalist packaging is 80% recycled paper.
RMS Beauty is a member of the Pact Collective, a nonprofit organization that collects packaging that’s challenging to recycle. However, any brand that wishes to pay a membership fee can be a member of the collective and use “Pact Collective” in its marketing.
Animal Welfare (Rating: Good)
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-Free Kitty reports that RMS Beauty is a cruelty-free brand. The company does not test ingredients or products on animals. RMS Beauty does not sell merchandise in places that condone animal testing. Their suppliers also follow cruelty-free practices.
Vegan
Some of RMS Beauty’s products are vegan. However, some products have non-vegan ingredients listed in the formulations. RMS Beauty confirms beeswax, a non-vegan ingredient, is present in some products.
Final Brand Ratings
Our rating scale ranges from “Best” (for having the best practices) to “Bad” (for having unacceptable practices). We rated RMS Beauty as follows.
| Pillar | Rating | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | Good | RMS Beauty is transparent about the ingredients used in their cosmetics. They have updated formulations since 2018 to take fragrances out of their products. Their ingredient lists are free from talc, as they claim on their website. Many of their formulas contain ingredients that have low safety concerns. However, some products contain synthetic dyes, licorice leaf extract, and titanium dioxide, which have various health concerns. The discontinued 2018 nail polish also contains cosmetic colorants and aluminum powder. |
| Sustainability | Good | RMS Beauty shows strides toward a sustainable future, using recyclable glass containers and minimalist packaging with 80% recycled paper. The brand recently launched a refillable primer and plans to expand their line of refillable products. They integrate post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials into their plastic packaging. RMS Beauty is also a member of the Pact Collective, a nonprofit organization collecting challenging-to-recycle packaging. |
| Animal Welfare | Good | RMS Beauty is a cruelty-free brand, as reported by Cruelty-Free Kitty. The company does not test ingredients or products on animals, nor do they sell merchandise in places that condone animal testing. Their suppliers also follow cruelty-free practices. However, not all RMS Beauty products are vegan, with some containing beeswax, a non-vegan ingredient. |
Overall Rating: Good
RMS Beauty is a good brand overall. The company promotes itself as a clean beauty brand. However, there is no legal definition of “clean beauty,” and some of its products contain synthetics, as acknowledged by the company on its mission page.
RMS Beauty’s is a cruelty-free brand. While the company includes vegan ingredients in many products, some formulations contain non-vegan ingredients.
In May 2020, RMS Beauty was involved in a controversy on Instagram. When consumers asked for a company statement supporting the Black Lives Matter Movement, RMS Beauty’s Instagram responded, “In all fairness, we did not know there is an expectation date for showing support and our team will be in the office [Monday] 9:00 [EST]. We feel the exact same way as you all do. All love no hate.”
Rose-Marie Swift apologized for the statement on June 1, 2020, pledging $25,000 in donations to three organizations: Black Lives Matter, NAACP, and The Bail Project.
While RMS Beauty has experienced some controversy regarding its brand values, it is transparent about its ingredients and sustainability practices. For these reasons, RMS Beauty receives a rating of Good.
