Makeup! Whether a creative outlet, a pick-me-up, or just part of your everyday routine, it’s often an overlooked lifestyle element when making the plant-based switch. But suppose you’re interested in minimizing animal cruelty or taking steps towards a vegan lifestyle. In that case, reviewing your makeup purchases is a great place to start.
Unlike food, going vegan in your makeup and personal care products doesn’t require much research or effort to change your daily habits. Another bonus is that it won’t attract attention or unwanted opinions. While the argument of a vegan vs. omnivorous diet may rumble for years to come, it’s hard to justify the exploitation of animals in an industry that is enhancive rather than essential.
To be considered completely vegan, a beauty product must be:
1. Cruelty Free
2. Vegan
So… What’s the difference?
Cruelty-free means that the ingredients and the final product have not been tested on animals at any point.
Vegan means that the product does not include any ingredients derived from animal products.
These terms can often get confusing, as a product may be Cruelty-Free but not Vegan. To make choices that minimize animal suffering, you must ensure both boxes are ticked!
Thankfully, like vegan food products, the landscape of vegan makeup has changed enormously over the last few years. It’s no longer a mix of essential-oil-scented, poor-performing health store brands but trend-driven, market-leading beauty brands that are also vegan. There’s no missing out and no compromises, with products to suit every budget and style.
My Top 15 Vegan-Friendly Makeup Brands for Every Budget
1. E.L.F. Cosmetics – $
Founded in 2004 with the mission to create high-quality, affordable beauty products, E.L.F. is famous for great value, with most products less than AUD 16 and many just AUD 6. E.L.F. stands for “Eyes, Lips, and Face” and is 100% cruelty-free and vegan. They have a wide range of cosmetics, beauty tools, skincare, and suncare products. EL.F. is widely available at major department stores and pharmacies across the U.S.A., Australia, and Europe.
2. Covergirl – Clean Fresh Collection – $
The big mama of makeup brands! Covergirl is leading the way in the mainstream market, achieving cruelty-free certification in 2018. Unfortunately, not everything from Covergirl is vegan, as some contain animal-derived ingredients like beeswax. However, the entire collection of Covergirl’s ‘Clean Fresh’ products is plant-based. You can find the range at most pharmacies and drugstores across the USA, Australia, and Europe.
3. Mecca Max – $
One of the few trustworthy private-label beauty brands, Mecca Max, is a collection of affordable yet high-quality products from the wildly successful Australian beauty retailer Mecca. They offer first-class in-store experience with their sales assistants and makeup artists, who have excellent brand knowledge and are all passionate beauty aficionados. The Mecca Max range was developed with this intimate knowledge of their customer’s needs, providing all the go-to beauty and skincare essentials at an average price of just AUD 20. The range is 100% vegan and cruelty-free and has incredible value. You can find Mecca Max in Australia at all Mecca stores. Unfortunately, the brand isn’t readily available for those outside Australia. Still, the Mecca team can help arrange international shipping via their contact page. My favorite product of the day is their Brow Guru Super Soap to get that fluffy textured brow look.
4. Bite Beauty – $$
For all the lipstick lovers out there, this one’s for you! Bite is hyper-focused on lip products and makes some of the best lipsticks available: vegan, clean-label, cruelty-free, and gluten-free. Bite lipsticks are bold with intense pigments but are comfortable to wear, and the lip balms are known to be soothing. Try the Power Move Lip Crayon or the Agave Lip Mask as a starting point. You can find Bite products at Sephora and online in the USA, Australia, and Canada.
5. Kester Black – $$
‘Australia’s most ethical beauty brand,’ Kester Black, is a heart-led business driven by a purpose of sustainability and ethics. Kester Black specializes in two types of products: lipstick and nail polish. Kester Black is certified carbon neutral, 100% vegan, and cruelty-free, with clean, long-lasting formulas in various colors.
6. Cover FX – $$
Created by the former chief chemist at MAC Cosmetics, Cover FX has been committed to effective, clean, vegan products since its launch. The brand is based on the idea that makeup isn’t one-size-fits-all, and the products are made to mix and match based on what works for you. This is most apparent in the primers, specially formulated for every skin type, and in the Custom Enhancer Highlighter Drops, which you can mix into any desired product. You can find it online or at Sephora in Australia and the USA.
7. KVD Vegan Beauty – $$
As a long-time vegan herself, celebrity tattoo artist from the reality TV series LA Ink, Kat Von D, created a line of 100% vegan cruelty-free makeup. She credits her makeup as suitable for beginners and ‘makeup junkies.’ You’ll find everything you need here, especially if you want a bold, full coverage and unforgettable look. You can find KVD at almost any USA and European makeup store. In Australia, it is available online and at Sephora.
8. Inika Organic – $$
Inika is an Australian beauty brand that is certified organic, vegan, halal, and cruelty-free. Founded in 2006, Inika’s mission is to create natural, botanical, mineral-based makeup and skincare products that are safe and good for your skin and the earth, with zero synthetic ingredients. Although its shade range is limited (right now, its Liquid Foundation with hyaluronic acid is only offered in eight shades), it still gets top marks for health, sustainability, and ethics. Available in Australia at David Jones, Myer, and selected pharmacies. Inika is available online in the USA and UK.
9. Jeffree Star Cosmetics – $$
Jeffree Star is a famous and often controversial beauty YouTuber with millions of subscribers. He’s an expert and artist in the makeup world, with high standards – when a product meets his approval, you can be sure it’s good quality. His makeup line, Jeffree Star Cosmetics, is 100% cruelty-free and vegan. The prices are mid-range, and bestsellers include the eyeshadow palettes and concealers. Jeffree Star Cosmetics can be bought online at Showpo or Black Swallow in Australia, on his website in the USA, and at Beauty Bay in the UK.
10. Milk Makeup – $$
Milk is an innovator in the cosmetics space as a whole, especially as a vegan brand. The products are excellent, the packaging is gorgeous, and it offers unmatched peace of mind by keeping its list of blacklisted ingredients just as long as its list of approved ones. Milk’s marketing campaigns are on the pulse and inclusive, proudly featuring plus-size and LGBTQI models. Honestly, there’s not much more we could ask for! You can find Milk Makeup at Sephora in the USA and Australia and online at Cult Beauty in the UK.
11. Kosas – $$
Kosas is a darling eco-friendly brand of clean-label products. Developed by artist and chemist Sheena Yaitanes, the Kosas range is clean-label and designed with the minimalist in mind as a collection of all the necessary products with a particular emphasis on lip color. The Kosas range is certified cruelty-free, and while most products are vegan, a handful contains animal-derived ingredients – steer clear of the lip balm, lipstick, and mascara for the time being and double-check the label on new products. My favorites are their Lip Oil and Colour & Light Crème. Kosas is available in Australia at Mecca, Sephora in the USA, and online at Cult Beauty in the UK.
12. Haus Laboratories – $$
Haus Laboratories (HL) is a newly launched vegan makeup line by pop star Lady Gaga. HL started in September 2019 and is already impressing droves of fans with its 100% vegan and cruelty-free products. Gaga’s inspiration for the line came from when she was young, as she struggled to find a sense of inner and outer beauty. By experimenting with makeup, she ‘found the superhero’ inside herself. As you can expect, the colors and products are bold and punchy, especially the eyeliners, lipsticks, and eyeshadows. The Glam Attack Liquid Shimmer Powder has received great reviews. Haus Laboratories is available on Amazon in most countries.
13. Aether Beauty – $$$
#Goodvibesbeauty – vegan, organic, and the cleanest of ingredients. Aether Beauty takes sustainability to the next level, banning over 2700 environmental offenders from their products, offering carbon-neutral shipping, and using recycled materials to make its 100% recyclable packaging… they even remove mirrors and magnets from their packaging, because they can’t be recycled. Aether’s point of difference is their use of crystal-infused formulas in their eyeshadows to create vibrant color, promote wellness, and attract positive energy. Aether Beauty can be found online in Australia at Maruko Beauty, Sephora, and Anthropologie in the USA or Free People in the UK.
14. Ilia – $$$
Ilia Beauty was created in 2011 in Vancouver by former branding executive Sasha Plavsic, now dubbed ‘the queen of clean beauty.’ Driven by a personal interest in healthy living, Plavsic ensures Ilia makeup uses certified organic ingredients that are safe, effective, and natural yet provide long-lasting coverage. Ilia is focused on safety and strives to be as ethical and sustainable as possible; its packaging uses recycled glass, aluminum, and paper, and all products are cruelty-free certified. Unfortunately, not all Ilia products are vegan (some mascaras, eyeliners, and lip products use beeswax), but *most* products are suitable for vegans. To be sure, check the product description of each item on the Ilia website. Ilia is available in Australia at Mecca, Sephora in the USA, and online in the UK. My favorite product is the True Skin Serum Foundation.
15. Hourglass Cosmetics – $$$
Hourglass proves that sleek, sexy products and vegan-friendly formulas are not mutually exclusive. Hourglass is best known for its complexion products that provide that elusive lit-from-within effect, making it a favorite of supermodels like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who endorses the brand. Hourglass is certified cruelty free, and committed to becoming completely vegan by the end of 2020. There appear still to be some non-vegan products available on their website, though, so it is essential to double-check the product description before purchasing. Find Hourglass Cosmetics in-store at your nearest Sephora (USA, Canada, Mexico, UK, Europe) or Mecca in Australia. I’m currently using their Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil.
Did I miss any of your favorite vegan or cruelty-free brands? Let me know in the comments below.
For further reading and detailed information on all the cruelty-free and vegan personal care products, I highly recommend checking out the Ethical Elephant blog. Vy is an expert in vegan beauty and has detailed guides to help you make informed choices quickly.
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