My Favorite Cruelty Free Makeup Brands

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Finding high-quality cruelty free makeup that you can actually trust shouldn’t be a guessing game. I love using natural, eco-friendly products, but I’ve learned that ‘all-natural’ doesn’t always mean ethical. Recently, I was browsing lip balms and was shocked to find products described as organic that actually contained beef tallow. After being thoroughly grossed out at the thought of putting animal fat on my lips I decided I needed to do a little homework and take a closer look into my favorite makeup brands. I was happy to find out that most of the products I was using were in fact cruelty free and mostly vegan.

Is Cruelty Free The Same As Vegan?

We live in a world where it’s getting harder to read labels and interpret what they mean. Vegan means no animal ingredients, cruelty free means no animal testing. Unfortunately both are not always true. A product can be vegan but still test on animals, and a product can say cruelty free yet still not have vegan ingredients. So how do you choose? You do your research and make the best decision for yourself. Not all of the products I use are vegan and cruelty free but I want to feel good about the brands I chose to support so I am picking my battles and slowly replacing some items I previously used. I’m not going to drive myself crazy with this. I’m just going to try my best.

Looking for more vegan makeup brands? To make your shopping trip a little easier, I’ve rounded up my favorite picks in this list of the 10 Best Vegan Makeup Brands.

How To Research Brands

Two of the best resources to check out are the Leaping Bunny Program and Peta’s Ultimate Cruelty Free List. Both of these programs verify that brands are not testing on animals. Both have similar bunny logos that companies can use on their labels to show that they are cruelty free. Looking for the bunny logo makes reading labels a little easier. I have noticed these being used more frequently in the past few years. Even big companies like Dove and are paying attention to consumer concerns and incorporating these into their product labels. I use Dove bodywash and deodorant and the Peta approved bunny logo is on the back of both those products.

Cruelty Free Makeup Brands To Try

Ready to upgrade your vanity without the guilt? Swapping out your go-to products can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to happen overnight. To help you skip the stressful research phase, I’ve rounded up the top ten tried-and-true brands that have earned a permanent spot in my daily routine. From high end cult classics to budget friendly holy grails, here are the cruelty free makeup and beauty brands I absolutely love and exactly why they’re worth a try.

Summer Fridays | Best For: The Perfect Tinted Pout

All Summer Fridays products are vegan and cruelty free. They also support reducing packaging waste and have a cool recycling program. I especially love their Lip Butter Balm because it’s not overly sticky like other products. It has just a hint of color and comes in multiple tints with amazing scents.

Merit | Best For: Easy Daily Makeup Routines

Merit is another vegan and cruelty free brand that I love. I use several of their skincare products including moisturizer and glow serum. I basically live in their lipstick because it is lightweight. My go to daily shade is the Ginger, its a soft peach shade. The first product I tried from this brand was the Flush Balm cheek color. It is a cream tint that is buildable so you can tread lightly or go heavy. It blends into my skin easily with my finger or a brush.

Charlotte Tilbury | Best For: Dramatic Day to Night Makeup

Charlotte Tilbury is a brand that already has a strong following. It feels like a lot of women I know are obsessed the them. They are cruelty free and some of their product are vegan. They have a full list on their website showing which products are vegan. I have found that their products are very long lasting. I love the Matte Revolution Lipstick. Pillow Talk is the shade with the cult following but I prefer Sexy Sienna which is more of a coral color. I love the smell of it too!

Megababe | Best For: Summer Survival

Megababe is a personal care brand that is cruelty free and vegan. They sell a wide range of products including deodorants and shaving products. I love the Quick Shave stick for touch ups. That’s been a game changer! Megababe is most recognized for anti chafe products their Thigh Rescue stick is great in the summer when it’s crazy hot outside here in the South. I discovered this product when I first started to get into running. So many people were recommending it in online running groups as a solution for friction and rubbing so I had to try it and yes it works.

Aveda | Best For: Vegan Salon Hair Care Routines

Aveda is vegan and cruelty free beauty brand. They are known for their hair salons and hair care products but they also have a makeup line. I love the rosemary mint scent they use in some of their shampoos and lotions. I use several of Aveda’s hair products but my favorites are Nutriplenish leave in conditioner spray and the Air Control hair spray because it’s not sticky on my fine hair.

Poppy & Pout | Best For: Eco Friendly Lip Balm

Poppy and Pout is cruelty free lip balm. They are Leaping Bunny certified. Their eco friendly lip balm is packaged in a cute plastic free cardboard tube. They use natural ingredients but are not vegan because they do use ethically sourced beeswax.

Amika | Best For: Perfectly Styled Hair

Amika is another cruelty free haircare brand that I use. I am obsessed with the shield anti humidity spray. It’s a heat protectant and style extending spray that really does help fight against humidity. If I’m taking the time to style my hair I want the volume to last. Here in the South we need all the help we can get to fight humidity and frizz!

Milk Makeup | Best For: Fun Clean Beauty

Milk Makeup is a vegan and cruelty free brand. Their product feels lightweight on skin and the sticks are fun and easy to use.

Herbivore | Best For: Taking Your Skincare to the Next Level

The skincare brand Herbivore is vegan and cruelty free. They have amazing facial oils and serums. I also like their facial moisturizer Tremella.

EOS | Best For: Budget Friendly Lip Balm

EOS is a lower price point brand that is cruelty free. Most of their products are vegan but some of the lip balms are not because they contain beeswax. I use EOS almost everyday and have several of their lip balm sticks stashed different places including in my car. I don’t know why but I have to put this on before I go to the gym. It’s just part of my daily routine.

What cruelty free makeup brands to you love? This is just a short list of my top favorites so I know I am missing some. What didn’t make the list that you think I should try?

I’m still learning and swapping out products as I go, but if you want to skip the research phase, I’ve already done the homework for you! Check out my top 10 Best Vegan Makeup Brands for high-performing, ethical beauty staples.