From award-winning mascara to SPF-infused lipsticks, Thrive Causemetics has quickly become a powerhouse in the clean beauty space. But for founder Karissa Bodnar, the real victory will come when the company donates $1 billion to charity.
Unlike traditional beauty conglomerates that have only recently pivoted toward cleaner formulations, Thrive Causemetics was built from the ground up with transparency and purpose at its core. Karissa Bodnar, who founded the brand over a decade ago in honor of a friend lost to cancer, channeled her background in product development into creating makeup and skincare that would be as safe as they are effective, without compromising on pigment, payoff, or performance. The brand’s guiding ethos — “Beauty with a Purpose” — isn’t just a slogan. With every product sold, Thrive donates to nonprofits supporting women experiencing homelessness, domestic abuse, cancer, and other systemic challenges. It’s a philanthropic engine disguised as a mascara brand.
Thrive has also set a high bar for ingredient integrity. Its formulas are vegan, cruelty-free, and free of over a thousand ingredients banned in the European Union but still common in many American cosmetics. That commitment to safety and transparency has helped it stand out in a market crowded with greenwashing. And while “clean” has become a buzzy marketing term, Thrive’s credibility is rooted in its early adoption of rigorous formulation standards and its refusal to follow trends for the sake of optics. Paired with sleek, Instagram-friendly packaging and a direct-to-consumer model that encourages community feedback, Thrive has tapped into what modern consumers crave: authenticity, results, and a sense of impact that extends beyond the bathroom mirror.
Thrive’s clean ingredients
Bodnar was inspired to start the cosmetics brand after losing her close friend Kristy LeMond to cancer at age 24 — only a year after she was diagnosed. LeMond was a makeup artist who had always been passionate about creating beauty products that not only made women look good but also made them feel good about themselves. After LeMond’s death, Bodnar decided to continue her legacy by creating a beauty brand that would help women feel beautiful and also contribute to a good cause.
“Even though she was only on this earth for 24 years, she packed so much thriving into her life and so much purpose,” Bodnar told Forbes. “I remember sitting at her funeral, being so confused and mad, thinking her life meant something. There was this piece of me that was missing and it was philanthropy, and that was where the idea for Thrive Causemetics came. Her family is still really involved with the company.”
Thrive, and its commitment to clean, non-toxic, and vegan ingredients, was born. The brand quickly gained a cult-like following due to its commitment to clean ingredients and sustainability practices. “When I started Thrive, I saw a need for clean beauty that didn’t compromise on performance. Women deserve makeup that is both safe and effective,” Bodnar told Refinery29. “Our products are formulated with clean, high-quality ingredients that not only enhance your natural beauty but also nourish your skin.”
Bodnar grew up creating cosmetics in her kitchen using items from her family farm, including sunflower seeds and flower petals. “My parents fostered that creativity in me, which is such a privilege,” she said. From there she studied chemistry and worked with beauty brands including Sephora and Clarisonic, which helped to lay the foundation for stepping out on her own.
Clean, sustainable ingredients
Thrive’s rise to cult status can be traced back to more than just its viral mascara or sleek turquoise packaging — it’s the brand’s unwavering stance on clean ingredients that’s struck a nerve with modern consumers. At a time when “clean” has become both a marketing buzzword and a battleground, Thrive distinguishes itself with real rigor. While retailers like Sephora have helped define the space with initiatives like Clean at Sephora, and platforms like Credo Beauty continue to raise the bar, Thrive set its own from the outset. Bodnar says the brand follows a “strict list” of over 2,000 ingredients it refuses to use, including parabens, sulfates, and phthalates — substances long scrutinized for their potential health risks. In an industry where claims of transparency often fall flat, Thrive’s no-compromise approach has helped build a level of trust that’s rare in beauty.
Thrive also uses a variety of natural and organic ingredients in its products. For example, the Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara is made with orchid stem cell complex, which helps to promote healthy lashes, and the Buildable Blur CC Cream is made with hyaluronic acid, which helps to hydrate and plump the skin. The Brilliant Eye Brightener is made with Macadamia Seed oil, which provides nourishing hydration to the delicate skin around the eyes.
Thrive is also committed to sustainable practices. The company uses eco-friendly packaging and ships its products in 100 percent recyclable materials. Bodnar says the company is constantly looking for ways to reduce its carbon footprint and increase its sustainability efforts. “We recently launched our new recyclable aluminum packaging for our eye and lip products, which is a huge step forward for us,” she told Refinery29.
Thrive ‘Cause’metics
“We believe that makeup should be about enhancing your natural beauty, not covering it up, and we also believe that beauty products can be a force for good in the world,” Bodnar told Forbes. Thrive’s mission lives up to its intentionally misspelled brand name. It puts the cause in cosmetics, with efforts supporting causes including RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), LGBTQIA rights, racial justice, military families. It has also saved more than 4.2 million trees. In 2022, Thrive made a cash donation of more than $100k to the Breonna Taylor Endowed Nursing Scholarship at the University of Louisville and sent student Kaelyn Goatley to nursing school.
In 2022, the company launched its first sunscreen, Sunproof 3-in-1 Invisible Priming Sunscreen SPF 37. According to Thrive, the sunscreen was inspired by the Los Angeles nonprofit, Beauty 2 The Streetz founder, Shirley Raines. It provides a range of necessities to unhoused people in the city including body-and hair-care products. Sunscreen is an often-overlooked necessity for people living on the streets.
“They are out in the elements 24 hours a day; there’s no protection for their skin,” Raines said at the time of the launch. “Imagine people having no escape from the sun whatsoever. Their whole lives are outside in the sun and the cold. Sunscreen is really important, because we know that the sun can cause cancer. I’m really fascinated with the 3-in-1 because with the homeless, they don’t have access to a place to keep things, so a 3-in-1 product is better than having three bottles,” Raines said.
In March, to mark its tenth anniversary, Thrive Causemetics announced a limited-edition Vault Collection celebrating a decade of clean beauty and social impact. The brand has become a philanthropic force in the industry, donating over $150 million in products and funds to more than 600 nonprofits. “I’m so proud that we’ve stayed true to being woman-owned, backed by a community who believes every beauty choice can make a real difference,” Bodnar said in a press release, noting her “greatest dream: is to someday give away a billion dollars.
“Our cause has grown bigger than I ever thought it could,” Bodnar told Forbes. “It’s really community-driven. Something that’s really important to me is that there is no charity too small or too large for Thrive to work with. In fact, it was the small charities that have helped our cause really accelerate at the local level, so some of our best giving partners are the ones where it’s a couple of volunteers that are doing this in addition to their full-time job because they’re led by their purpose. We meet our best giving partners through the Thrive Causemetics community.”
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