Cruelty-free and Vegan Makeup Products

Hey green girls and guys,

So a few people have been asking me about cruelty-free and vegan makeup. I did some research and found out some interesting stuff. Makeup companies lie, so even if they list themselves as cruelty-free, they might not actually be cruelty-free which misleads consumers like you and me. How do we weed out the liars and discover the genuine brands?

Do your research!! It really isn't hard these days with the power of the internet. Google your favorite brands and ask the questions "is ______ cruelty-free or vegan?" and you will usually get a straight-forward answer. Check a few sites, not just one, to make sure the answer is legitimate.

PETA has a list of cruelty-free brands (including vegan brands as well) and another list that contains brands that currently aren't cruelty-free. Now I don't agree with their mission statement and some stuff that they've been doing, but they have a very extensive list and some of the information that I've verified is correct. Leaping Bunny is also a good source. Just make sure that if you're going to follow their lists, to do your own research too, because companies are constantly changing their policies, so these lists may not always be up to date. Also, the list isn't strictly makeup, it contains all companies.

And also what you have to understand is that most of the makeup brands are owned by 4 multi-national conglomerates these days, which means that a company might have a certain view on animal welfare, and when they buy a smaller brand that has another view, the parents company is likely to push their views on the small guy. Since the small guy is now owned by the big company, it's up to the big company to make the final decisions. Even if you give money to the little guy who is cruelty-free, you're ultimately giving your money to the parents company to conduct their tests on animals.

Also, companies are constantly changing their position on this matter, so if you really want to be 100% cruelty-free and/or vegan, I suggest you check occasionally to make sure that the products you're using aren't suddenly being tested on animals.

I'm going to list popular makeup brands (MAC and all of Sephora's brands) and tell you what their stance is on being cruelty-free and being vegan. I made the cut-off 30 brands when in reality there are sooo many makeup brands and I just couldn't fit everyone in nor do I have the time to research them all. So I chose 30. If your favorite brand isn't here, please do your own research so you can make an important and informed decision. In square brackets [ ] is the parent company. If the company is vegan, I will say so.

The list would get really really long if I included nail polish companies, bath companies, etc so I've limited my list to just makeup. 

Also, some countries, such as China, have laws where companies HAVE TO test on animals. They are legally obligated to test on animals. So I would imagine that if a product is being sold in China, then they are not cruelty-free. One example is Shiseido. They sell in China. Some people believe that Bare Minerals is not cruelty-free, but they are listed on PETA's site as cruelty-free. Though their parent company, Shiseido, is listed on PETA's website as NOT cruelty-free.

And some companies, such as Benefit, word their phrases so that it gives the impression that they are cruelty-free, but after some digging, I've discovered that they actually aren't. I was under the impression that they were cruelty-free.

Recently, Urban Decay was acquired by L'Oreal and L'oreal changed their position on animal testing to being pro animal testing. Urban Decay still insists they are cruelty-free. So it is up to you to decide if you want to buy from a brand who's parent company is not cruelty-free.

The main parent companies are: L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, LVMH, Shiseido

It's also worth it to note that Procter & Gamble as well as Johnson and Johnson and also Unilever own a lot of the drug store brand makeup and household items.


And if I made a mistake on this list, please please leave a comment so I can correct it. I don't want to mislead anyone if I've made an error. This list only covers medium-lux makeup brands, if there is a brand that is not listed here, please do your own research. A couple sites (listed above) have extensive lists that tell you both cruelty-free and non-crueltyfree brands.

Here's a checklist for determining whether a brand is cruelty-free or not.
Does the brand test on animals?
Does the parent company test on animals?
Do any 3rd parties test on animals on the company's behalf (including ingredients)?
Does the company sell in China or have plans in selling in a country where animal testing is required by law?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, that means that the brand is NOT cruelty-free.


The List:

Anastasia: Cruelty-free

Bare Escentuals / Bare Minerals [Shiseido]: Cruelty-free but parent company Shiseido is NOT cruelty-free

Becca: Cruelty-Free

Benefit [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Bobby Brown [Estee Lauder]: NOT cruelty-free

Chanel: NOT cruelty-free

Clinique [Estee Lauder]: NOT cruelty-free

Dior [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Givenchy [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Guerlain [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Kat Von D Sephora [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Hourglass [I think it is privately owned]: cruelty-free and some products are Vegan

Illamasqua: Cruelty-free

Josie Maran: Cruelty-free

Korres [Johnson & Johnson is their North American distributor]: Cruelty-free and some products are Vegan, their partner Johnson & Johnson is, however, NOT cruelty-free

Lancome [L'Oreal]: NOT cruelty-free

Laura Mercier: NOT cruelty-free

Lorac: Cruelty-free

MAC [Estee Lauder]: NOT cruelty-free

Makeup Forever [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

NARS [Shiseido]: NOT cruelty-free

Obsessive Compulsive - OCC: Cruelty-free and Vegan

Sephora Brand [LVMH]: NOT cruelty-free

Shiseido [Shiseido]: NOT cruelty-free

Smashbox [Estee Lauder]: Cruelty-free and some products are Vegan but they are owned by a company that is NOT cruelty-free (I've heard that they are NO LONGER cruelty-free)

Stila [Estee Lauder]: Cruelty-free but they are owned by a company that is NOT cruelty-free (I've heard that they are NO LONGER cruelty-free)

Tarte: Cruelty-free and some products are Vegan

Too Faced: Cruelty-free and some products are Vegan

The Balm: I believe they are Cruelty-free

Urban Decay [L'Oreal]: Before they were purchased by L'Oreal they were Cruelty-free and some products are vegan. Now, I'm not so sure. I would think not because L'Oreal is NOT cruelty-free.

Yves St Laurent [L'Oreal]: NOT cruelty-free


I hope this post helped you to determine what brands are cruelty-free and which ones aren't. Doing this research really opened my eyes to how our makeup is being produced. While I don't own strictly cruelty-free or vegan products, I would like to make sure that at least half of my future makeup purchases are cruelty-free. And I wouldn't encourage anyone to throw away what they already have, but to make conscious decisions in the future. You don't have to suddenly buy only cruelty-free makeup, you can make a gradual move towards it. Also, by sending letter/emails to companies that have yet to comply with making their companies cruelty-free, you are letting them know that people care about this issue and it's a way of raising interest in it so that someday, maybe we can make a difference.

I just want to note that there are certain American brands, like E.L.F. and Eco-Tools that are cruelty-free, but I haven't listed them because we do not get that here in Canada, unfortunately.

If you want to learn more about this and keep up with the ever-changing company policies on this matter, check out Camila's blog, Humanely Chic.

Again, if I've made an error, please let me know.

Steph xo.

P.S. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this issue, but please be respectful of people's opinions.

And lastly, here is a photo I found on Google showing the many brands that still continue to test on animals. This may be inaccurate depending on when it was done, companies are always changing their policies.