By Megan Prowd

Oh the magic of a (natural) highlighter. It’s the perfect tool in your beauty bag of tricks to layer over makeup or to wear alone for golden, glowing and sun-kissed skin all year round. The part we love about opting for a natural product is they’re not just good to get your glow on, but also nourishing and anti-ageing if you choose the right one. 

Gone are the days of ultra-shimmery and glittery highlighters, today’s breed of grown-up highlighters blur the lines between skin care and makeup, and promise youthful-looking, luminous skin without the glitter. Best of all, there’s a whole host of clean and natural beauty options on the market to choose from. Read on for our guide to the five best natural highlighters for all occasions. 

Axiology Beauty Balmies 

There’s a lot to love about the planet-forward, low-waste brand Axiology. One of its star products is vegan Balmies, a super simple convertible colour stick wrapped in paper instead of plastic. These award-winning multi-use crayons are completely plastic-free and come wrapped in recycled paper and packaged in compostable boxes made of 100 per cent recycled paper waste from rubbish collected in Bali. Although they look tiny, Axiology’s marketing will tell you they contain the same amount of product you can expect to receive in a traditional lip colour, just minus the excess nasties (mainly plastic) found in the dispensers and packaging of most beauty brands. 

The highlighter Balmies come in four shades, from frosting, to champagne and caramel tones, which glide onto skin and can be used as a cheek, lip and eye colour, as well as a highlighter. While you’re shopping Axiology highlighters, take a look at their convertible lip to cheek colours, another hardworking hero product.

Best for: zero waste 

RMS Beauty Living Luminizer

With a base of skin-healing ingredients like vitamin E, organic coconut oil, rosemary leaf extract, castor seed oil and the RMS hero ingredient wild Burriti oil, the RMS Living Luminizer ticks some serious boxes as a hydrating, good-for-your-skin option that works equally well layered over makeup or alone on no-makeup days. With natural, subtle sheen and just the right amount of shimmer (even for oilier skins), this cream highlighter leaves skin looking dewy, while also delivering hydration and sealing in moisture. We love the creamy consistency, which makes it easy to blend in, and the range of colours – there’s the best-selling Living Luminizer (the lightest shade) as well as everything from Champagne Rose, to Peach, Magic, Amethyst Rose and Gold. Like other RMS products, the luminizer comes housed in a recyclable glass pot, and a little goes a long way, making this one worth the investment. 

Best for: Combination skin 

KORA Organics Rose Quartz Luminizer 

Perfect for adding a natural, glowing-from-within glow with subtle rose tones, the KORA Organics Rose Quarts Luminizer will get a workout in your beauty routine, as an everyday cheek colour, as well as a highlighter. You can build up the subtle pinky glow to take it from day to night, or blend a little in with your foundation for a warm, all-over shimmer. Certified organic, cruelty-free , vegan and fragrance-free, the formula stars ingredients like noni-extract (the antioxidant-rich superfood that is the key ingredient in all KORA Organics products), organic coconut oil, rosehip oil and crushed rose quartz crystal powder. The result is a rosy-toned, youthful glow that is a real win for tired or dull skin. 

Best for: Everyday wear 

ILIA Liquid Light Serum Highlighter 

We just love a good multi-tasking natural beauty product (who doesn’t?!), and this liquid, gel-serum highlighter makes the cut for its host of skin-healing benefits like hydration and bacteria-controlling properties, thanks to the blend of natural botanicals and marine actives, which also protect against UV light and blue light. Blend this anti-pollution formula in with your foundation, primer or base for a warm, naturally sun-kissed look (without the UV damage), use it for a wash of colour over eyelids, or dab it onto brow and cheekbones for highlighting. It comes in three, universally-flattering shades, with shimmery undertones ranging from gold, to pink and rose gold. 

Best for: All-over glow 

Eco Minerals White Light Illuminate 

Lovers of mineral makeup will adore this eco-friendly pure mineral highlighter, which sweeps onto skin easily and is more blendable than most mineral makeups. The smooth, translucent powder formula is perfect for wearing on bare skin or over a base of foundation, and leaves a natural, all-over shimmer and highlights in all the right spots. We love this brand for their eco-credentials, with products that are 100 per cent natural, cruelty-free, vegan and made in Australia. Eco Minerals also offer Eco Refills of their mineral powder formulas (as well as smaller product samples to try before you invest), which come in recycled paper packaging meaning you can refill your plastic containers again and again and save them from ending up in landfill. 

Best for: Refillable packaging 

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