ByKate Antoniades Hours Updated
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The Best Cruelty-Free Beauty Products (Reader Favorites!)

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the best cruelty-free makeupAfter putting together our Slow Fashion Shopping Guide and sharing more recent posts on brands offering stylish vegan shoes for the office and clothing and accessory brands for the stylish vegan professional, we thought it was time to take a look at cruelty-free makeup — so today we're featuring the best cruelty-free beauty products, as well as a list of resources to help you find even more. Labeling a product “cruelty-free” typically means that it hasn't been tested on animals, but you may also encounter other phrases: “not tested on animals,” “against animal testing,” etc. Here's another complicating factor: Animal testing within the U.S. has thankfully become rare, and the E.U. has banned animal testing of both cosmetic ingredients and finished products, but in China, imported cosmetics must be tested on animals. If, say, your company's mascaras are tested on animals, you can't sell them in Europe — but you can't sell them in China without testing them on animals, either by your company itself or by the Chinese government. To make it easier to find beauty products that are cruelty-free — and to check the brands you're currently using — we've listed many online resources at the bottom of this post. Psst: Have you seen our post on beauty empties — the products you finish and then buy again? Here are Corporette readers' picks for the best cruelty-free products, from drugstore to higher-end brands: *Brand's parent company is not cruelty-free. Beyond that, here are some resources that simplify the process of finding the best cruelty-free beauty products: What do you think are the best cruelty-free beauty products? Have you found any good cruelty-free substitutes for certain items that you once used? Where do you get your information on what to buy?  This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support! Picture via Stencil. You don't NEED makeup to look polished and professional -- but most career women do wear makeup and studies have shown it increases the perception of "competence." If you're concerned about the ethics of makeup, though, worry no more: we've done a roundup of some of the best cruelty-free beauty products (reader favorites!).

34 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this post. I hope it will encourage readers to be more conscientious about their buying habits!

    1. I ONLY buy products that do NOT involve animal testing. I live at the Body Shop! Only NATURAL PRODUCTS for me. No paraffins, or anything like that! FOOEY on paraffins. Perhaps that is why I look very natural, the manageing partner says I could be the IVORY girl–don’t I wish!!! But Dad says I could never be her with my tuchus–thanks a lot, Dad! Anyway, Rosa taught me about natural things and I don’t even use any toothpaste that is NOT natural 100%. I hope the HIVE reads this and understands this is important for the environment, too. YAY!!!!

    2. I’m going to be honest: I have a hard enough time finding products that are effective and non-irritating. I’ve ruled out so many products, brands, etc. already based on performance and their ability to irritate my reactive skin. If I add another filter to the list (cruelty free) — well, I won’t do it. Because I’ve wasted enough time and money on product and research as it is.

      1. Ok, that’s certainly your prerogative. You can lobby your preferred brands to stop testing on animals/selling in China.

        1. Wait you don’t want beauty brands to sell in China at all? Huh? How is that related to cruelty free?

          1. The article talks about that to legal sell products physically in China, they have to be tested on animals.

      2. I’m not Cruelty Free either, but as I was going through my collection 95% of my favorites happen to be Cruelty Free anyway. And probably close to 100% if you count the brands that are sold in China. The only products I own that I can’t live without that are not 100% cruelty free are (1) my NARS eyeshadow primer – NARS sells in China and (2) Benefit Roller Lash mascara – same issue.

  2. All cosmetics companies really need to get on this. I popped into MAC this weekend for some concealer and my teenaged daughter didn’t even want to walk through the doors. Those are your entry level consumers and they are very aware.

    Kat, you missed Glossier. My daughter and her friends are all obsessed with it, and it is cruelty free.

    1. I love NYX too! I use their lipstick, foundation, setting spray, and color-correctors.

      A lot of my makeup has transitioned over to NYX and Wet n Wild. I feel like I get a really good value in both brands.

      Milani is another cruelty-free drugstore brand, but I don’t have any products from them so I can’t speak to quality.

  6. Genuine question, so please no hate!

    How ARE these products tested if not on animals? I mean, I don’t want to be cruel, but I’d rather have a product tested on animals first rather than having it immediately released into the market only to find out it is an irritant or has some other crazy side effect. Is there an alternative way that these products are tested?

    1. When I worked in regulatory affairs and communication in cosmetics, we had developed some message tracks about animal testing alternatives like in vitro tests using human cells. Then there would be focus groups to test products after they reached an advanced level of testing. These were also used for that little asterisk you have next to beauty claims of 99% of women saw a 70% improvement in their wrinkles…. That was almost a decade ago but I think science has much evolved since.

      1. How do you just happen to have human cells to test on? Can you get them ethically (like I wonder this about people so desperate for $ they sell plasma (I really do not want that plasma in me; who on earth uses it???)).

        2. I was not in the R&D team so can’t explain the exact process (and I’d probably sound dumb trying to) but my understanding is that the R&D folks recreated skin cells and would test for corrosion and other irritations. For eye irritations, they used dead cow eyes because it was animal waste from the existing meat industry. I’m sure one of the lab people would be able to chime in.
          But you got a good point, I guess some similar technology should be used for burn victims etc.

    2. Some would argue that if a cosmetic product (remember, we’re not talking about medications here) can’t be developed without animal testing, it shouldn’t be used — why should a rabbit suffer for something that is purely cosmetic?

  7. I use a lot of IT Cosmetics, Tarte (my absolute favorite mascara!) and Urban Decay. (FYI the parent company of UD is not cruelty-free but UD is and also has a lot of vegan products.) Nyx is a great drugstore brand and I love the Body Shop’s skincare line!

  8. Two other great options are AOA Cosmetics from ShopMissA and BH Cosmetics.

  9. I use a lot of Deciem for skincare and have started getting into Charlotte Tilbury and I think so far they are cruelty free.
    Worth noting that Deciem recently got some investment money from Estée Lauder but not a takeover so to some, this is enough to discard them.

    1. I struggle with Deciem because of their owner’s behavior on social media.

  10. Afterglow is also cruelty-free, gluten free, soy-free–beautiful make-up and has great brushes, too.

  11. Another thank you! I’m a very conscious shopper and appreciate you spreading the important message using your large audience and platform.

  15. I don’t like a lot of the brands/products listed (I hate Tarte products for the most part and I’ve tried a lot of them, also not a huge it Cosmetics fan – plus both lines have had major issues with color inclusivity recently) However, I have other recommendations (I am a makeup hoarder, so I have tried a LOT of makeup).

    – Too Faced is my favorite brand for foundation and setting powder (the Peach line is great, lasts all day). I also really like the Blush Flush line of blushes and the Chocolate Soleil bronzers). The brand is cruelty free.
    – Anastasia Beverly Hills is a cruelty free brand also. Their best products are their brow pencils, brow gel, highlighters and eyeshadow palettes. My favorite is Soft Glam, but Modern Renaissance is very popular too.
    – Colourpop is an inexpensive brand, but they have the best eyeshadow palettes for the price. Their $16-22 palettes are as good as a lot of my higher end palettes.
    – Bite Beauty has great lipsticks, lip balms. Also cruelty free.

    Most of the products I am wearing today are cruelty free: Paula’s Choice skincare, Too Faced primer, foundation, setting powder, and blush, Kat Von D contour palette, Colourpop eyeshadow, Anastasia Beverly Hills brow wiz and brow gel. I haven’t found a cruelty free mascara I like (wearing Benefit Rollerlash).

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