Going vegan and cruelty-free on beauty products isn’t a fad—it’s a value-driven lifestyle choice that is good for animals, the planet, and your complexion, too! Suppose you’re a seasoned vegan beauty lover or just beginning to dabble in aware cosmetics. In that case, this guide showcases some of the most remarkable 100% vegan and cruelty-free companies that don’t sacrifice quality or performance. From luxury staples to innovative newcomers, these companies are proving that beautiful products can be created without animal ingredients or testing.
What Makes a Beauty Brand Truly Vegan and Cruelty-Free?
Before diving into specific brands, let’s clarify what these terms mean:
Vegan beauty products contain absolutely no animal-derived ingredients. This means no beeswax, lanolin, carmine, collagen, or other animal byproducts that often sneak into conventional formulas.
Cruelty-free brands don’t test their products or ingredients on animals at any production stage, nor do their suppliers or third parties they work with.
A 100% vegan AND cruelty-free brand commits to both standards across its entire product line. No exceptions, no compromises.
Let’s explore standout brands that meet these criteria and deserve a spot in your beauty routine!
Buxom
While everyone knows Buxom for their iconic lip plumpers, few realize they are also committed to cruelty-free and vegan products. The firm has reformulated its whole line of products to be 100% vegan, replacing all animal-derived ingredients with no compromise on the performance that won them fame. Among their highlights are the Full-On Plumping Lip Polish, which tingly rushes without animal-derived ingredients, and their vegan-friendly mascara formulas that match traditional ones in volume and staying power.
Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty offers 100% vegan formulas across various complimentary luxuries for all skin types and tones. From their cult-favorite highlighters to their dictionary foundations, Fenty proves that n formulas can deliver pro-level performance without losing ethics. Their willingness to Etsy with ingredients and commitment to environmentally friendly packaging has positioned them as trailblazers in the high-end beauty sector.
Jones Road Beauty
Founded by makeup artist Bobbi Brown, Jones Road Beauty represents the evolution of clean, minimalist beauty with its 100% vegan and cruelty-free formulations. The brand focuses on multipurpose products that simplify routines while delivering natural-looking results.
Their Miracle Balm—a versatile tint that works on cheeks, lips, and eyes—exemplifies their approach to effortless beauty with conscious ingredients. The What The Foundation balm has also gained a devoted following for its skin-like finish that works beautifully on mature skin.
Jones Road’s commitment to transparent ingredient lists and functional packaging demonstrates how modern beauty brands can prioritize ethics and performance without the unnecessary frills that often drive up prices and environmental impact.
Danessa Myricks Beauty
Makeup artist Danessa Myricks has created a professional-grade line that industry professionals love while maintaining 100% vegan and cruelty-free status. The brand stands out for its innovative, versatile formulas and inclusive shade ranges that work across all skin tones.
Their Colorfix products—multitasking pigments for eyes, lips, and cheeks—show the incredible color payoff and wear that vegan products can deliver. Their Vision Cream Cover foundation also shows that complete coverage doesn’t require animal-derived ingredients to perform at a pro level.
Hourglass
While they’ve long been cruelty-free, the brand committed to becoming 100% vegan by the end of 2020, reformulating their entire line to eliminate all animal-derived ingredients. Their Ambient Lighting powders and blushes create a luminous glow without traditional ingredients like carmine (a red pigment derived from beetles) that many brands still rely on. Their Confession lipsticks not only offer stunning color payoff but come in refillable packaging to reduce waste.
Hourglass proves that luxury, performance, and ethics can coexist beautifully. Their commitment to innovation has resulted in some of the most sophisticated vegan formulations on the market, setting a new standard for what high-end vegan beauty can achieve.
Em Cosmetics
Beauty influencer Michelle Phan founded Em Cosmetics, offering an intelligently curated selection of 100% vegan and cruelty-free products to achieve radiant, natural-looking beauty. Their serum blushes and lip cushions have a cult status for their innovative formulas. The brand excels at creating products that enhance rather than conceal, with formulas that add depth and luminosity to the skin without relying on animal-derived ingredients. Their Heaven’s Glow blushes give a lit-from-within glow comparable to any non-vegan highlighter. Em Cosmetics shows indie brands can lead ethical beauty without compromising quality or aesthetics.
Chantecaille
High-end beauty brand Chantecaille combines vegan ingredients with active botanicals for performance-driven products that are good for your skin and wildlife conservation. Their philanthropy lines specifically fund endangered species, creating a direct link between beauty and the planet. Their Just Skin tinted moisturizer and Future Skin foundation offer flawless finishes without animal-derived products, and their revolutionary gel-powder eyeshadows build depth with plant-based-only formulations.
Jouer
Jouer has established itself as a 100% vegan and cruelty-free brand that delivers sophisticated, wearable beauty with clean formulations. Their products strike the perfect balance between everyday essentials and special-occasion glamour.
Their Essential High Coverage Cream Foundation demonstrates how vegan formulas can deliver complete coverage with a skin-like finish. At the same time, their Blush Bouquet duos create the perfect flush without carmine or other animal-derived pigments.
Lawless
Founded to create “clean AF” beauty products, Lawless delivers 100% vegan and cruelty-free makeup with impressive color payoff and staying power. Their “clean without compromise” approach excludes animal ingredients and potentially harmful chemicals.
Their Seal The Deal Loose Setting Powder creates a flawless finish without talc or animal derivatives, while their The One eyeshadow palettes deliver rich pigmentation with purely plant-based formulas. Lawless proves that clean, vegan beauty doesn’t have to mean sacrificing bold colors or long-wearing formulas.
Tips For Transitioning To Vegan Beauty
- Start with one category at a time rather than overhauling your entire collection at once. Perhaps begin with lipstick or foundation—products you use daily.
- Research parent companies if that’s important to your values. Some vegan brands may be owned by larger corporations that still test on animals.
- To verify cruelty-free claims, look for official certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program.
- Be patient with the transition, and remember that finding your perfect vegan product might require some experimentation, just like conventional beauty.
- Connect with the vegan beauty community online, where you’ll find honest reviews and recommendations from people with similar values and skin concerns.
Conclusion
The days of settling for ethics at the expense of quality are over. These 100% vegan and cruelty-free beauty brands demonstrate that any look—natural, bold, everyday, or editorial—can be achieved without ingredients or methods of testing that are inhumane to animals. The good news is that these brands are not only creating “alternatives” to standbys but also developing and tweaking formulas, often providing superior results and still being held to high ethical standards. Be a beauty junkie or a Jane Doe; there’s a line for you that fits your style and sense of morality.
ALSO READ: How to Transition to a Fall Vegan Skincare Routine
FAQs
A: While vegan luxury brands may be more expensive, a few have different price points. There are budget-friendly vegan options from brands like NYX Cosmetics, medium-priced from brands like Milk Makeup, and luxury from brands like Hourglass.
A: Absolutely! Modern vegan formulations often perform equally or better than their conventional counterparts. Many professional makeup artists now exclusively use vegan products in their kits.
A: Look for official certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program. You can also check ingredient lists for common animal derivatives and research a company’s testing policies on their website.
A: Some vegan brands are specifically designed with sensitive skin in mind, sometimes omitting known irritants. That being said, being vegan doesn’t necessarily make a product sensitive and skin-friendly—always read ingredients and perhaps do patch tests before buying.
A: Definitely! Professional makeup artists worldwide use brands like Danessa Myricks Beauty and KVD Beauty. They offer high-pigment, long-wearing formulations that are 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
