Truth In Aging

My main criteria for a lipstick are that it should contain no evil, be comfortable to wear and have lasting color. An added bonus is that it may even do some good. Hynt Aria Pure Lipstick ($29) passed muster on all levels and could be one of the best “natural” lipsticks I have ever used.

The first thing that I noticed about Hynt Aria Pure Lipstick is that it has the kind of dense pigmentation of a great, classic lipstick. My tester’s shade of Passion Plum was not really for me, but for my review process this is beside the point. If it meets my criteria then it is simply a matter of finding the right tone for me amongst the four available.

Smearing it over my lips, I loved the velvety texture. No gloopiness, or dryness. Just a perfectly comfortable lipstick. As for staying power, it passed the drink of water test, leaving nothing more than a faintly greasy smear with all the color still on my lips.

This kind of performance is rare in a natural lipstick. A lot of chemicals go into making sure that texture, pigmentation and time-to-top-up are acceptable. Looking at Hynt’s ingredient list, it is surprising to me that it works so well with — apparently — so little. There isn’t much to the formula besides organic waxes and oils.

A couple of useful additions also put this lipstick in the rarely filled category of makeup that’s good for you.Tribehenin is a typically a mixture of glycerin and a plant derived fatty acid that conditions and is a penetration enhancer. There is also a polyglyceride complex that is a natural alternative to silicones and lanolin and it moisturizes and improves the skin barrier function. Rice bran oil is a useful antioxidant.

This lipstick has been a great introduction to Hynt, a color cosmetic line that I am looking forward to getting to know. Hynt formulates with the following principles (according to its website): free of everything unwanted, honesty, complexion care color, only the best ingredients. Now who could argue with that?