Best American Made Beauty and Makeup Products at Ulta

Cleansers are an essential part of any skincare routine, as they help remove dirt, oil, and makeup from the skin. There are various types of cleansers available, including foaming cleansers, gel cleansers, and oil cleansers. My daughter-in-law raves over Cocokind products. She especially likes the AHA Jelly Cleanser and for good reason. This facial cleanser contains 4% AHAs (from hibiscus and fermented grape extract) to unclog and minimize the appearance of pores. It also gently removes dead/dull skin, leaving your face smooth, hydrated, and even. Find this and other products in regular or travel size.

Toners are often used after cleansing to help balance the skin's pH and prepare it for the next steps in the skincare routine. Toners can also help hydrate and smooth skin and provide additional benefits such as exfoliation or brightening. INDIE LEE CoQ10 Toner is a vegan, clean, and cruelty-free product that’s great for all skin types. Key ingredients include coQ-10, one of the most amazing face products, which provides nutrients and antioxidant benefits, and hyaluronic acid which provides continuous moisture without oil. Aloe, papaya, and sage ingredients help smooth and clarify. The INDIE LEE beauty brand was created after its founder conquered a life-threatening brain tumor that pointed to environmental toxins as the culprit.

OSEA is a family-run and operated cruelty-free beauty business that’s been around since 1996. This company offers some of the most amazing products in the natural skincare marketplace. OSEA offers items containing a natural blend of potent organic seaweed concentrates combined with lush botanicals and essential oils. If you’re looking for an eye cream, check out OSEA’s Ocean Eyes Age-Defying Eye Serum. It hydrates the delicate skin around the eyes while also reducing lines and puffiness. It has a cooling roller ball applicator to help awaken the eye area.

Facial serums are concentrated formulas that are designed to target specific skin concerns, such as fine lines, dark spots, or dehydration. Serums can contain a variety of active ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, or retinol. I love Mad Hippie! This brand makes a serum that feels creamy and luxurious on my aging skin, without making my already-oily areas oilier. The Corrective Peptide Serum combines peptides to reduce the appearance of large pores and fine lines. Mad Hippie is a vegan, cruelty-free brand that also uses sustainable packaging. This serum will become your absolute favorite!

Moisturizers are an essential step in any skincare routine, as they help hydrate and protect the skin from environmental stressors. Moisturizers can come in various textures, such as creams, lotions, or gels, and can be formulated for different skin types, such as oily, dry, or combination. Dermalogica is a luxury brand that makes all its products in California. This company formulates products with potent but not harsh ingredients that correct and protect. You’ll not find lanolin, SD alcohol, mineral oil, or artificial colors or fragrances in Dermalogica products. If you have normal to oily skin, check out Dermalogica’s Active Moist oil-free moisturizer. It’s a sheer, easy-to-apply product that contains a combination of prebiotics and plant extracts. If you have dry skin, try the Skin Smoothing Cream. It combines a hyaluronic acid complex with mallow, cucumber, and arnica to lock in moisture for 48 hours. Antioxidant ingredients include grape seed extract, vitamin C, and vitamin E. This company has a strong sustainability ethic.

No matter your age, an absolute essential part of your skincare routine is sunscreen to avoid sun damage. If you want a tan look for your face, you can contour and highlight with makeup, or you can use a self-tanner made specifically for the face. When you choose a sunscreen, choose one made specifically for the face. We recommend made in the USA’s Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen. Made for all skin types, this cult favorite has an SPF of 40, it’s clean, and it has a natural finish. The antioxidant-rich formula glides onto the skin and doubles both as a primer AND a sunscreen.

Using a face mask every few days or even once a week turns your skincare routine up several notches. Masks are a great way to give your skin an extra boost of hydration, exfoliation, or detoxification. Masks can come in various forms, such as sheet masks, clay masks, or overnight masks. A good mask, like this one from the American-made company Drunk Elephant, is a multi-tasker. It has azelaic acid to brighten, soothe, and even skin; salicylic acid to exfoliate, unclog pores, and improve texture; and a triple antioxidant brightening complex to even skin tone and reduce hyperpigmentation. Welcome to your happy place!

I rarely used a primer before foundation…until I found the perfect one recently. A primer “primes” your skin for the makeup you’re about to apply, making it among the few must-have products for your makeup routine. It creates a smooth palette, and it keeps your makeup on longer. Colourpop is a popular brand Ulta carries that’s made in Los Angeles, California. Its No Filter makeup primer creates a silky smooth canvas for your foundation to adhere to. It’s an oil-free primer that blurs the look of pores and imperfections. It’s infused with rose and chamomile extracts, vitamin E, and marine extracts, making it a great selection. Plus, this brand is very reasonably-priced. I also have selected Colourpop for its amazing eye shadows. Read more about that below!

Juice Beauty is a popular beauty brand you can find at Ulta, but what many people don’t know is this conscious beauty, organic skincare line is made in the USA. Juice Beauty, a California maker, has been around since 2005 and uses certified organic ingredients with a farm-to-beauty approach. The company chooses made-in-the-USA, among many reasons, because it wants to limit petroleum transportation use, so it doesn’t ship from overseas. Juice Beauty Stem Cellular CC Cream comes in seven shades, and it has sunscreen with an SPF of 30. Key ingredients include aloe leaf juice, coconut oil, and resveratrol.

BeautyCounter manufactures its products in the USA from globally-sourced ingredients except for its eye pencils. BeautyCounter offers a great shade range in its Skin Twin featherweight foundation with buildable coverage. Key ingredients include hyaluronic acid, jojoba esters (a non-greasy emollient), and hydrophobic pigments. This foundation has won numerous awards and is EWG Verified, cruelty-free, and its ingredients are clean. It also packages its products in recyclable packages.

bareMinerals blush is amazing and is one of Ulta's top brands. It comes in a loose powder form, so you’ll want to use a brush to apply it. An added benefit to the loose powder is you can mix a couple of shades to customize a color that’s just right for you! You’ll find colors appropriate for highlighting, contouring, and accentuating your cheeks. These are mineral-infused, pigmented colors from a cruelty-free, vegan cosmetics company. It’s also talc-free. You’ll find four shades at Ulta. If you like mineral or a loose powder foundation, check out bareMinerals foundations, too.

Those little brush touches at just the right places on your face can make a big difference in your skin's appearance. Jane Iredale combines some ideal colors for both highlighting and contouring into one with the PureBronze Shimmer Bronzer Refill (compact sold separately). Choose from four different compact refills of four different shades. You’ll find two shades that highlight and two shades you can use as a bronzer, or for a sunkissed look all over, just swirl your brush in all the pretty colors. Then, lightly blend. Shown is the Moonglow bronzer. Note: Ulta carries Jane Iredale products online only. This brand is on the short list of makeup lovers for around 30 years and is a choice brand in dermatologists' and estheticians' offices.

I’ve been using Colourpop’s blush for years, so I know this California company makes great cosmetics! You’ll enjoy its multi-faceted eyeshadow selections, from glimmer to natural, “Super Shock Shadow” to “Jelly Much” eye shadow. You’ll even find a couple of palette offerings like That’s Taupe Eyeshadow Palette that’s neutral enough for any eye color! Colourpop is very reasonably priced, which is good for these makeup essentials.

TBH, I have no plans to try to keep up with the Kardashians, but I am thrilled to say Kylie Cosmetics are 100% made in the USA! The company confirmed this news, and they did so promptly. I’ll soon be trying out the Kylie gel eyeliner, as I desperately need a new one! This selection comes in 15 different shades. I only need two shades, but if you like going bold, try some more interesting colors this brand offers. Kylie Cosmetics also has a liquid eyeliner, if that's your preference. Kylie Cosmetics has reformulated all its products to be clean, vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and gluten-free. The only thing left are ingredients that are good for your skin! The prices aren’t as expensive as one would think, either. Who knows: I just might become one of Kylie's many beauty mavens!

I have tried several Pacifica products and have liked them. This American company makes six different mascaras; I’m highlighting one of its newer ones, the Vegan Collagen Fluffy Lash Thickening & Lengthening Mascara. If you’re looking for a mascara with buildable volume AND fibers, this one is the perfect product for you. Not only that, it’s vegan, meaning no animal by-products have been used (such as beeswax). All you do is apply a coat and the fibers adhere to your natural lashes. Pacifica is cruelty-free and uses only clean ingredients. If you’re not looking for a fiber mascara, or if you’re looking for a waterproof mascara, give another one of Pacifica’s options a try. The only frustrating part about this brand is that a few of its products are not made in the USA, but the only way you know that is by looking at the packaging for the country of origin. Read those labels!

This lip lacquer from bareMinerals shines like a gloss but feels more like butter gloss, and it’s great for all skin tones. It offers full-coverage color and glossy shine. bareMinerals products are 100% cruelty-free, and free of parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, chemical sunscreens, and petroleum-based products. bareMinerals is a USA company that also makes its products stateside.

Mario Badescu Skin Care has been around since 1967 when the chemist and pharmacist with the same name immigrated from Romania to the USA. Located in New York, the 60-year-old company has a worldwide brand many people enjoy, from the girl next door to the rich and famous. The Facial Spray with aloe, herbs, and rosewater is ideal for all skin types, making it a great choice for either oily or dry skin. Its ingredients include mineral-rich seaweed extract, along with aloe vera, gardenia extract, thyme extract, and of course, rose. The spray gives a touch of radiance to the face without making it oily. Use it as a setting spray or as a toner. Mario Badescu, in spite of its popularity and being a beauty lovers favorite, remains at a reasonable price point. My daughter used this product while in high school and college, and she loved it!

COOLA is a popular brand that offers numerous sunscreens and skin care products. If you like a tan glow year-round, skip the skin-harming tanning beds and go for COOLA’s Organic Sunless Tan Firming Lotion. This EcoCert product is made with over 70% certified organic ingredients and 99% natural ingredients. The green caffeine helps the skin look firmer. You’ll enjoy a light fragrance derived from natural ingredients without that DHA lingering odor. While you’re looking, check out other COOL sunless tanning products for both the body and the face. Note: Sunless tanning products are not a substitute for sunscreen. Ideally, sunscreen and self-tanner should be applied 12-24 hours apart.