If you’re transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, there’s another area of your home that you’ll need to revamp after you’ve given your kitchen cabinets a makeover: your makeup cabinet. While you might not expect animal products to be part of your beauty products, many are.
Collagen, a popular skin-care ingredient used to fight fine lines and wrinkles, and keratin, a protein used to strengthen hair and prevent breakage, are almost always animal-derived. Even beeswax, a common ingredient in lipstick, isn’t considered vegan because it comes from honeycombs, where bees raise their early and store pollen and honey.
Whether you’re looking to adopt a Vegan Makeup lifestyle or want to ensure everything in your makeup arsenal is super clean, switching to vegan makeup is a significant step. Here are a few vegan beauty products we offer to start overhauling your makeup routine. They’re all verified by Ipsters, who’ve previously received these products. Glam Bags!
1. TARTE tarteist Double Take Eyeliner
Throw away your old eyeliner in favour of this convenient two-in-one alternative. On one side, you have a kaolin clay gel pencil that’s great for lining your eyes. Conversely, like a bold cat eye, you have a liquid eyeliner for creating rich, dramatic lines. No matter which side you use, both are waterproof and smudge-proof for up to 12 hours.
“You can’t go wrong with anything,” wrote one Ipster. “Love the brand, love the textures, and love the colour.”
2. LOTTIE LONDON Shimmer Squad Highlighter in The Good Girl
If your new plant-based diet isn’t giving you a glow yet, this champagne-hued highlighter should do the trick. This blendable powder is entirely vegan and cruelty-free and uses mica to illuminate all skin types.
“Amazing shade and super shimmery,” writes Ipster Scmackinnon. “I love applying it to the inner corners of my eyes and blending it into my cheekbones.”
3. HALF CAKED Super Glazed in Semi-charmed
Lip goods are often a public culprit for non-vegan ingredient lists. Fat and cochineal (carmine) are two animal ingredients you might find in your favourite lipstick. Avoid both with this hydrating, pigmented lip gloss that’s certified vegan and cruelty-free. This slightly dusty rose shade smells like strawberries and cream, making the application experience even more enjoyable.
“Great colour saturation, staying power, and shine,” writes one Ipster. “It’s non-sticky, has a wonderful aroma and a subtle sweet taste. It’s great to wear alone or over lipstick.”
4. SMASHBOX COSMETICS Studio Skin 24-Hour Wear Hydrating Foundation
One animal product to look for when looking for a vegan foundation or concealer is squalene, which is sometimes made from shark oil and used as a moisturizer. However, many brands are now able to make squalene from plant products. If a formula includes this ingredient but is certified vegan, you’ll know it uses plant-based squalene.
This long-wear liquid foundation from SMASHBOX eschews squalene as a primary hydrating ingredient in favour of hyaluronic acid. It also has a matte finish that doesn’t crease and lasts up to 24 hours.
“This is the best foundation I’ve ever used,” wrote one Ipster. “It’s natural, not heavy, and doesn’t irritate my skin. It also provides full coverage without clogging your face. I love it!”
5. SERAPHINE BOTANICALS Berry + Juice – 100% Vegan Lip Gel in Rose Currant
This lip gel is a cross between a lip balm and a lip gloss. It contains botanical moisturizing ingredients like shea butter, safflower oil, and sunflower oil to condition lips, improve texture, and protect against sun damage. This gel delivers a glossy, rosy colour and a non-sticky, shiny finish—something our beauty editors think will become one of the following significant makeup trends.
6. PHASE ZERO MAKEUP Matte Liquid Lipstick in Undercover
If you’re looking for a lip product with a more matte finish, opt for this vegan and cruelty-free liquid lipstick. The mauve pink suits all skin tones, and the formula dries quickly for a matte, long-lasting finish that stays on lips all day.
After trying this vegan lipstick, jfhetzel13 wrote, “This is the first liquid lipstick I’ve ever wanted to wear repeatedly, probably because of the soft colour that enhances my skin tone. It looks great on camera and doesn’t smudge. It smells great, too.”
7. KALEIDO COSMETICS Obsidian Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
Natural beauty fans, take note of KALEIDO COSMETICS. This beauty brand is 100% cruelty-free, vegan, and free of talc, phthalates, and parabens. It also strives to use as many organic, plant-based ingredients as possible. All of these benefits are reflected in its waterproof liquid eyeliner formula. Made with a synthetic felt tip that delivers a rich, ultra-precise, smudge-proof line, this is a clean product with serious staying power.
“This eyeliner lasts all day, doesn’t smudge or smudge, and I’m guilty of touching my eyes,” wrote Ipster mgflora13. “I’m so happy!”
8. HOURGLASS COSMETICS Caution Extreme Lash Mascara
Just because a beauty product uses vegan or natural ingredients doesn’t mean it lacks drama. An example: This mascara lengthens, volumizes, lifts, and separates lashes. The jet-black formula (made without parabens, sulfates, or phthalates) is also rigorous, meaning you only need to apply it a few times to get big, bold, beautiful lashes.
“This is one of the best mascaras I’ve received in a long time,” wrote one Ipster. “My coworker asked me who does my lashes, and I told her they’re my lashes… with great mascara.”
9. SPACE CASE COSMETICS Seen from Space Highlighter in 1A
If SPACE CASE COSMETICS isn’t already one of your favourite vegan beauty brands, this one is. Everything this super affordable brand sells is cruelty-free, cruelty-free, and non-toxic. Clean, cruelty-free makeup is intended to make you look like you “just came out of Vegas on Venus.” It’s an aesthetic we can all get behind.
Shine in outer space with a dab of this luminous mica-based highlighter. The long-lasting pigments stay put all day, and the soft-pressed powder makes applying a dream come true.
10. TOO FACED COSMETICS Damn Girl! Mascara
TOO FACED is one of the leading cruelty-free beauty brands, so much so that PETA even accredits it. The brand takes its animal-friendly approach to beauty one step further with this vegan product.
Black Mascara does not contain lanolin (the waxy emulsifying animal by-product of the wool industry) but instead uses a revolutionary creamy mousse formula made with a unique blend of whipped and melted wax. The result is a volume that lasts up to 24 hours. There is no smudging or flaking here.
“This mascara is amazing,” wrote one Ipster. “My lashes are long, thick and super dark. I only need one coat to instantly give my lashes the volume a few coats of regular mascara would give.”