Which Makeup Brands Are Cruelty Free

PeopleImages Getty Images

If y'all care about animate being welfare, maybe yous've gone vegan, stopped wearing leather, or even simply tried to be flexitarian (any little chip counts!). Just in that location's one sneaky place that fauna-derived ingredients may be hiding: Your makeup products. Not simply that, but some brands may test on animals — even if the ingredients are technically vegan.

Animal ingredients in your lipstick or eyeshadow are actually much more than common than you might think. Some products are made with animal fats similar tallow (for hydration), beeswax (which acts every bit a structurant to help make formulas occlusive), or even more blench-worthy ingredients similar carmine, a deep crimson pigment fabricated with insects found in many red lipsticks.

As for testing on animals, many companies have begun phasing out the practice, simply unfortunately, it still happens. Here's what you demand to know about vegan and cruelty-free products:

Vegan makeup describes makeup that hasn't been formulated with any animal products or byproducts.
Cruelty-free means that the product itself hasn't been tested on animals, and that whatever raw materials used in making it weren't tested on animals, either.

While many big-proper name brands aren't vegan or cruelty-free, that doesn't mean that vegan and cruelty-gratuitous makeup is whatever less efficacious or exciting.

How exercise you lot know that a brand is truly vegan?

It can be challenging to find vegan makeup, and even more challenging to find brands that take committed to being completely vegan. Some brands may merits veganism only withal sell products that contain animal-derived ingredients similar manuka honey. Most vegan brands also don't have whatsoever third party certification to support their claims of veganism and keep them accountable. Finding truly vegan brands takes a fleck of research and digging — which is exactly what nosotros've done beneath.

What well-nigh cruelty-free?

Unlike vegan brands, it's much easier to find cruelty-free products, thanks to third party certifications that clinch consumers their practices do not involve animal testing. A Leaping Bunny certification demonstrates to consumers that neither the production nor its ingredients are currently being tested on animals. As such, nosotros at Adept Housekeeping consider this the gold standard of cruelty-free certifications.

Proceed in listen: Many vegan brands are also cruelty-free, but information technology doesn't e'er go the other way effectually.

How we tested

The Good Housekeeping Constitute has a century-plus-long history of keeping brands accountable and conducting independent research to debunk marketing claims. In this example, we reached out to pop "vegan" brands to run across if each could verify its claims of veganism and support with testify. We asked each brand its definition of vegan makeup, how information technology ensures that products meet these standards, and why veganism is important to the brand'south ethos. Out of the 14 brands nosotros reached out to, we heard dorsum from eight — and one told us it wasn't fully vegan.

We asked each cruelty-free brand its definition of cruelty-free, as well as evidence of a Leaping Bunny certification as proof. Every bit such, we have just included cruelty-free brands that have Leaping Bunny certifications. We reached out to 11 brands, and six provided us with sufficient evidence.

Below, we rounded up our favorite, trusted vegan and cruelty-complimentary brands — some of which you may not have even known were vegan or cruelty-gratis. Each brand has been vetted by the GH Institute, so you can be sure that what yous're buying lives up to its promises:

Chances are yous've picked upward i of e.l.f.'s products from your drugstore before. Not only is eastward.l.f. loved by dazzler editors and bloggers, it's besides i of the most affordable brands out there, with tons of picks under $10. The brand's motto is "guilt-free beauty," and it omits the banned ingredients by the Eu regulations and formulate with those that follow the Ulta'due south "Make clean" designation.

Cruelty-Free

Vapour Dazzler

Vapour Beauty creates clean cosmetics that are inspired by Taos, New Mexico — and its elementary, dusty color palettes show it. For Vapour Beauty, being cruelty-free isn't just about caring for animals: It'due south besides nearly respecting and caring for the surroundings. "Living in harmony with our Earth, plants, animals, and natural resource is who we are," says a brand spokesperson.

iii

Vegan & Cruelty-Free

Aether Beauty

Ex-Sephora product developer Tiila Abbitt, founder of Aether beauty, makes certain she does non include beast derived ingredients like carmine, lanolin, and more than in her formulas. Instead, she ensures information technology used found-derived or synthetic-but-sustainable ingredients. "At that place is admittedly no need to have whatsoever beast derived ingredients in beauty products" says Abbitt. The brand also tries sourcing its ingredients from organic, fair trade suppliers, and has 100% recyclable packaging. Abbitt adds that Aether has alternative raw materials that can give "fantastic shade ranges and formulations." See the make'south guide for how to tell if makeup products are really vegan.

ILIA is a clean dazzler line that blurs the line between makeup and skincare, using proficient-for-your-pare ingredients in every product. ILIA attempts to exist conscious in all of their formulating. While the make is not entirely vegan, "virtually all of our formulas are vegan, with the exception of a few that apply organic beeswax, which is ethically and sustainably sourced without harming bees," says a brand spokesperson. The brand does concur the Leaping Bunny Certification for being cruelty-free.

Cover FX is a high-performance brand dedicated to clean ingredients and makeup that's likewise good for your skin. Products are formulated without using any animal-derived ingredients or fauna testing. The make only works with select number of trusted labs and manufacturers, carefully vetted and strictly adhering to the make's vegan production development standards. Encompass FX ensures that lab partners provide all documentation that substantiates the vegan claim for each new product launch. "A big part of our brand ethos is a dedication and responsibility to care for all living things." says a brand spokesperson. For the brand, beauty means not just taking care of yourself only as well the world around you. The brand volition soon exist role of Ulta's Conscious Beauty Initiative.

Cruelty-Complimentary

Arches & Halos

Co-created past celebrity brow magician Tonya Crooks, Arches & Halos is dedicated to making sure everyone can accept the absolute best forehead day, every day. "The ethos of Arches & Halos is to exist kind and compassionate to all living beings," says a brand spokesperson. "We strongly believe in treating our planet and its inhabitants with respect and dignity. It's important to us to develop ethical products while still serving our consumer high quality conception without testing on animals."Arches & Halos is Leaping Bunny certified and makes sure every new production adult upholds this standard.

vii

Vegan, Organic & Cruelty-Gratuitous

Juice Dazzler

This Gwyneth Paltrow-approved brand is non only committed to using no animal byproducts and not testing on animals, but information technology also but uses plant-based pigments in makeup formulas. PETA has awarded Juice Beauty a Courage in Commerce award for staying out of Prc's brick and mortar stores known to test on animals. Juice Beauty has legally agreed to not behave or be party to any creature testing on products or any ingredients. Additionally, the brand claims to have developed a supply chain monitoring arrangement to assure that no beast testing takes identify with any of its ingredient suppliers. At Juice Beauty, the belief is in the ethical treatment of animals, as harming animals is non only savage but harms the planet, its ecosystem, and ultimately humans.

Beauty giant CoverGirl is committed to being cruelty-free. Not only is CoverGirl a GH Seal star, no CoverGirl products or ingredients take been tested on animals, neither past the brand nor suppliers. "Too often, consumers face a high price tag for beauty products that friction match their most of import values," says a brand spokesperson. In 2018, CoverGirl became the largest makeup brand ever to be awarded Leaping Bunny blessing, making cruelty-gratis products available at an accessible toll point and in retail locations nationwide in hopes of setting a new standard for the industry and pave the way to lasting change.

Mented Cosmetics is committed to having its products without animal products or byproducts. The brand says it works with manufacturers in the U.S. and away to ensure all ingredients are vegan and cruelty-free. Information technology strives to evangelize on consumers' expectations of high quality ingredients, and being a vegan brands helps them deliver on that. Mented isn't but vegan: It'due south too a black-endemic brand that consistently paves the way for makeup that works on every pare tone.

Cruelty-Free

Smith & Cult

Known for highly pigmented and high quality nail smoothen, Smith & Cult is too cruelty-free. Smith & Cult is all most celebrating life experiences and being the all-time version of yourself. Because of this, the brand says that testing on animals goes completely against what information technology stands for. "Nosotros believe that any kind of testing on animals brings them unnecessary damage," says a spokesperson.

KVD prides itself equally having "100% vegan ingredients" which means products "having no animal byproducts and not tested on animals." The whole line was reformulated and relaunched in 2018 to fit the mission of the make, which is known for its high-paint and long-lasting performance. It avoids ruby, uses found-based fats and oils such as sunflower oil, and plant-based waxes instead of beeswax. The brand thinks that the futurity of beauty is not but clean, merely vegan, particularly as consumers become increasingly conscious about creature cruelty, greenhouse gas emissions from raising farm animals, and "the contradiction betwixt the love of their pets and products being tested on animals."

Cruelty-Complimentary

Beautycounter

Honey past skincare fanatics and makeup gurus akin, Beautycounter offers one more reason to love the brand: Its commitment to cruelty-complimentary dazzler. "Simply put, Beautycounter has been cruelty free since we launched, as testing on animals is not necessary and ethically questionable," says a brand representative. "If we tin can accept rubber ingredients and products without testing on animals, why would we?"

Beauty newbie Vesca has arrived on the scene adamant to increase inclusivity in the beauty world. Oft, when brands tout wide shade ranges, it's just referring to foundations and skin products but Vesca aims to alter that with highlighters and bronzers for all skin tones. Vesca is likewise committed to existence vegan: "We found we could create beautiful, high-quality formulations without whatever animate being-derived ingredients and byproducts," says a spokesperson.

Katie Berohn Katie Berohn is the Beauty Assistant at Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day and Prevention magazines, all function of the Hearst Lifestyle Group.

Birnur Aral, Ph.D., Good Housekeeping Institute Executive Director, Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab Birnur Aral is the executive director of the Beauty, Wellness & Sustainability Lab at the Proficient Housekeeping Found, where she oversees all Lab tests and applications for the GH Seal, the Light-green GH Seal and the GH Innovation keepsake.