12 Best Vegan Makeup Brands For An Ethical Glow Up (2024)

vegan makeup foundation

03/01/2024

Konstantina Antoniadou

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Are you searching for the best vegan makeup brands that only use clean, certified organic, fair-trade, and ethically sourced ingredients? You are in luck!

We are on a mission to help you find your next favorite 100% vegan makeup. Go ahead and take a look at our trusted cruelty-free makeup finds below.

vegan makeup brands

Let’s not sugarcoat it. Many brands out there slap the “plant-based” or “animal-friendly” labels to make us quiver with excitement about their new launches.

However, vegan makeup goes far deeper than that.

Ethical cosmetic brands that are vegan don’t use any animal by-products or animal-derived ingredients.

Instead, they enrich their formulas with plant extracts and natural minerals to serve us with that coveted glow.

On top of that, they closely monitor their supply chain, use recyclable or refillable packaging, and try their best to minimize their carbon footprint in the process. 

Many people also confuse the terms vegan and cruelty-free beauty.

To put it simply, cruelty-free makeup brands can still use animal-derived ingredients that weren’t tested on animals.

So you need to make sure that your clean beauty products come from a reputable, 100% vegan, and cruelty-free makeup brand with a holistic approach to sustainability. 

To make your quest to find the best of the best beauty products that are safe and clean while also supporting vegan makeup brands on a mission to make an impact a breeze, we made a list of 100% vegan makeup brand options for you, ahead.

What does “cruelty-free” makeup mean?

Granted, the FDA hasn’t introduced a standard definition of what “cruelty-free makeup“ actually means which leaves much room for brands to make all sorts of claims.

Nonetheless, for ethical cosmetic brands and consumers alike, “cruelty-free” refers to products that have not been tested on animals at any stage of their development.

Thus, makeup products can be cruelty-free without being vegan while vegan products can sometimes not be cruelty-free.

The two most prominent symbols you should look for on a website are the Certified Leaping Bunny Cruelty-Free and the PETA cruelty-free certification badges. Australian and international brands can also have the Choose Cruelty-Free [CCF] badge.

What makes a makeup product “Vegan”? ​

The best vegan makeup brands use absolutely no animal by-products or animal-derived ingredients in their clean beauty formulas. That includes honey, beeswax, lanolin, collagen, and many more.

Additionally, a 100% vegan makeup brand must not use animal testing as well.

So, to put it simply, plant-based makeup brands that use certified organic and natural ingredients like oils and nut extracts or minerals and do not test on animals are, in fact, completely vegan.

We’ve listed some amazing 100% vegan and cruelty-free makeup brands below for you.


Best Vegan Makeup Brands of 2024


1. Axiology

Vegan makeup

Looking for 100% vegan lipsticks with only 10 certified organic ingredients?

Axiology aims to put a “100% evil-free” color in their clean beauty routine channeling the skin-loving powers of avocado, coconut, and grape seed oil – just to name a few.

Like all the best vegan makeup brands, they are PETA-certified and cruelty-free.

Opt for the award-winning, plastic-free balmies and highlighters “dressed” in recycled paper and send them back to Axiology to recycle your beauty empties!

Price Range: $

Discount Code: SKL20 for 20% off at checkout

Ethics: Certified Organic, PETA-Certified, vegan, cruelty-free, ethical sourcing, 100% plastic-free, 50% post-consumer recycled plastic, donations

Location/Shipping: United States, ships worldwide


2. River Organics

vegan foundation makeup

River Organics is a 100% vegan makeup brand for handmade plant-based cosmetics crafted from EWG-verified and organic ingredients.

No matter if you need a clean beauty blush, bronzer, concealer, highlighter, lip gloss, or eye shadows and makeup sets, they’ve got you!

Some noteworthy ingredients are lab-made conflict-free mica, organic cacao butter, macadamia nut oil, and more.

Like all of our trusted ethical cosmetic brands, River Organics uses recyclable zero-waste packaging, paper product packaging, and sugarcane-based labels.

Price Range: $

Discount Code: SKL15 for 15% off

Ethics: Leaping Bunny Certified, certified organic products, 100% vegan ingredients, conflict-free ingredients, eco-friendly packaging, compostable packaging 

Location/Shipping: United States, ships worldwide


3. Elate Beauty

what does vegan makeup mean

The Canadian B Corp Elate Beauty is one of the best vegan makeup brands that puts fair trade ingredients above all else.

Their fantastic range of brow balm, lipstick, eyeliner, eye-colored pencils, pressed powder, and mascara products are not only certified Leaping Bunny Cruelty-Free but also PETA vegan and gluten-free.

Think jojoba oil, carrot seed oil, coconut, RSPO-certified palm oil & more.

Currently, their vegan beauty products are compostable or recyclable and 75% of them are also plastic-free.

Price Range: $$

Ethics: B Corporation Certified, Cedar Wood Certified Pefc Wood, safe & fair labor, FSC Certified bamboo packaging, sustainable packaging, carbon-neutral, cruelty-free, vegan

Location/Shipping: Canada, ships worldwide


4. ATHR Beauty

vegan makeup brands

For an organic and vegan alternative to an animal-tested makeup brand, have a look at ATHRBeauty.

You might know them for their award-winning zero-waste eyeshadow palettes that are infused with crystal gemstones.

Nonetheless, the 100% vegan makeup brand also offers lip crèmes, refillable foundations, and highlighting oils as well.

Using the best organic, fair-trade, non-GMO, and ethically sourced ingredients, their cruelty-free makeup serves long-lasting wear and continuous high performance!

Price Range: $$

Ethics: Leaping Bunny Certified, PETA Vegan Approved, FSC Certified recycled palettes, organic & fair trade plant-based ingredients, sustainable packaging, 1% for the planet

Location/Shipping: United States


5. Dab Herb

vegan natural makeup

Apart from their fantastic affordable clean skincare products, Dab Herb is also one of the best vegan makeup brands with certified organic ingredients.

Their cruelty-free makeup includes zero-waste mascara, eyeshadow, and eyeliner products as well as tinted moisturizers, natural foundations, contour powders, blushes, glosses, and more.

The 100% vegan makeup brand produces its ethical cosmetics in micro-batches.

On top of that, they are packaged in sustainably sourced and reusable wooden jars – how amazing!

Price Range: $

Ethics: USDA Certified organic sustainable farmers, Certified organic ingredients, cruelty-free, handmade, small batches, biodegradable wooden jars, donations

Location/Shipping: Worldwide


6. Inika Organic

100 vegan makeup brands

Known as one of the best vegan makeup brands Australia has to offer, Inika Organic’s award-winning cruelty-free beauty products are all the rage!

They put their trust in ethically sourced, certified organic ingredients covering everything from primers and foundations to eyeshadows, eyeliners, mascaras, and lipstick.

Also, they are the world’s first Certified Plastic Neutral makeup brand!

All clean beauty formulas are certified cruelty-free and vegan with 90% of their packaging made from sustainable & reused materials.

Price Range: $$

Ethics: Certified Organic, Plastic Neutral Certified Product, COSMOS Organic, government-approved organic food chain, Certified By Choose Cruelty-Free Australia, vegan 

Location/Shipping: Australia, ships worldwide


7. Juice Beauty

vegan makeup brands

The 100% cruelty-free, vegan makeup brand Juice Beauty has developed an award-winning collection of high-performance beauty products made with EWG-verified organic ingredients. 

Primers, blushes, eyeliners, lipsticks, foundation – you name it, they have it!

To create those gorgeous shades, Juice Beauty uses vibrant plant pigments instead of synthetic dyes, parabens, or sulfates. 

Take their foundation, for example. The sustainably-packaged formula is overpacked with hydrating coconut alkanes and antioxidant-rich technology to leave the skin looking radiant. 

We absolutely love their “farm to beauty” approach too. The company has recently purchased a sustainable farm located in the heart of the Sonoma Wine Country in Healdsburg, California, where they grow their own ingredients.

Price Range: $

Ethics: Leaping Bunny Certified, PETA compliant, FSC Certified, Certified vegan, Certified organic ingredients, cruelty-free

Location/Shipping: United States, ships worldwide


8. PHB Ethical Beauty

vegan makeup products

As the name suggests, PHB Ethical Beauty belongs on the list of best vegan makeup brands for handmade, clean plant-based makeup.

They are certified cruelty-free and PETA vegan, as well as Vegan Society UK AND certified organic.

The brand’s range includes some gluten-free formulas and a slew of natural mineral foundations with SPF, lipsticks, glow powders, BB creams, and highlighters for sensitive skin.

Price Range: $$

Ethics: Members Of The Global Shea Alliance, plant-based ingredients, ethical sourcing, vegan & cruelty-free, plastic-free packaging, 20% profit goes to charity, family business

Location/Shipping: United Kingdom, ships worldwide


9. Zakiella

vegan makeup brands

Known as one of the most trusted cruelty-free makeup brands, Zakiella offers an array of lipsticks, lip glosses, and eyeshadows made with natural and organic ingredients. 

All zero-waste clean cosmetics are handcrafted in Canada. Think colourful clean beauty without any trace of microplastics. 

Whether you want matte lipstick with a bold, velvety finish or a gorgeous eyeshadow palette with rich, velvety mattes and shimmering metallics, there’s something for every preference.

Price Range: $

Ethics: Leaping Bunny Certified, cruelty-free, child-labor-free mica, certified organic ingredients  

Location/Shipping: Canada, ships to the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand &  South Africa


10. Neek Skin Organics

Cruelty free and vegan makeup brands

Neek Skin Organics is not only Certified Leaping Bunny Cruelty-Free and vegan but also adheres to Eco-cert standards.

Primarily, they are touted as one of the best vegan makeup brands for clean lipsticks in a slew of shades wrapped in bamboo twist tubes.

The colors glide on pretty easily and are packed with moisturizing benefits.

However, they also carry certified organic cream highlighters and jojoba oil lip glosses.

Price Range: $$

Ethics: Organic vegan & cruelty-free ingredients, recycled/recyclable packaging, donations

Location/Shipping: Australia, ships to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand


11. Adorn Cosmetics

vegan concealer

Packed with minerals & organic ingredients, Adorn Cosmetics deserves a spot in our best vegan makeup brands.

Their formulas are allergen-free and developed with our sensitive skin in mind.

So rest assured that your new foundation, concealer, BB cream, eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner, or lipgloss are made with clean and certified organic ingredients.

Through their refill program, they’ve successfully saved 20,162 Adorn pots & bottles from landfills.

Additionally, the 100% vegan makeup brand is certified Leaping Bunny Cruelty-Free but also PETA vegan.

Price Range: $

Ethics: Leaping Bunny Certified, PETA Vegan Approved, Certified natural beauty ingredients, small batch production, refillable & biodegradable packaging, donations

Location/Shipping: Australia


12. MOB Beauty

vegan makeup

The vegan makeup brand MOB Beauty formulates “clean, refillable makeup for a better world.” 

On their virtual shelves, you can find many PETA & Leaping Bunny certified cream foundations, hydrating lip balms, blushes, bronzers, and mascara

What’s even more amazing? MOB Beauty allows us to build our own, infinitely customizable, refillable, and reusable makeup palettes. 

All you have to do is choose your skin tone, select the size, and start adding your favorite shades. 

To top it all off, the packaging is sustainably made from PET and PP resin with at least 50% post-consumer recycled content. 

Price Range: $

Ethics: Leaping Bunny Certified, FSC Certified, vegan, refillable packaging, 50% post-consumer recycled

Location/Shipping: Canada, ships to the United States


From full-coverage foundations and vegan beauty powders to cruelty-free lipsticks and certified organic eyeliners, our best vegan makeup brands above will help you glam up completely guilt-free.

Long gone are the days when vegan makeup was synonymous with basic paper packaging and uninspired, muted colors.

Each 100% vegan makeup brand on our list offers high-pigmented formulas crafted from plant-based and wrapped in cute eco packaging.

If you enjoyed this article, check out these other community favorites below!

vegan makeup brands
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