7 Vegan And Cruelty-Free Beauty Brands To Add To Your Skincare Routine
Once dismissed as another fad diet trend, veganism has seen a surge in popularity over the past few years, going from a niche subculture to a mainstream movement as people gain greater awareness of the impact of their lifestyle choices on climate change, animal welfare, personal health, and more. It's not just people, either, but also brands who have adopted veganism as their ethos.
If you're feeling hesitant about switching up your beauty routine, don't. You can banish those outdated stereotypes about crunchy packaging and unappealing scents, because vegan beauty has come a long way from its humble beginnings. These days, vegan makeup and skincare offers quality and ethics in equal doses, delivering serious benefits without involving animals in the process.
Not sure what the term vegan or cruelty-free beauty even means? Here's a quick primer. To be deemed vegan, the makeup or skincare product must be free of any animal-derived ingredients, including but not limited to beeswax, carmine, lanolin, honey, collagen, keratin, milk proteins, and specific types of alcohol, acids, lipids, and glycerine. And to count as cruelty-free, a brand cannot test its products on animals at any stage in the process, nor sell its wares in China, where animal testing is a requirement by law. You also have to keep in mind that cruelty-free doesn't necessarily mean vegan, and vice versa.
We know it can come across as confusing, which is why we've rounded up a list of seven of our favourite brands (tested and approved by us!) to help you get started.
Guided by the concept of "Love Your Nature", Santapele aims to promote a respect for the world around us as well as ourselves. Sourcing natural and biodegradable ingredients from fruits and flowers that are native to its home country of Brazil, such as açaí, pineapples, and cacao, the brand offers effective formulas across haircare, bodycare, and fragrances, as well as candles, pillows, robes, and wellness kits. Each product is designed to be eco-friendly, which means it's made without using parabens, dyes, petrolatums, animal testing etc., and comes in recyclable packaging. We like the High Performance Oil Control Shampoo and Conditioner with pitanga, cherry, and mate verde.
You've likely seen Herbivore's stunning items on social media, but the brand offers much more than just Instagram-friendly packaging. Founded by Julia Wills and Alexander Kummerow in their Seattle kitchen, Herbivore Botanicals is dedicated to creating vegan and cruelty-free formulas that don't contain fillers, but use instead organic, high-quality, and food-grade ingredients such as cold-pressed natural oils, clay, charcoal, fruit and flower extracts, and even gemstones like emerald, amethyst, and quartz. Try the Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask with fruit enzymes, willow bark, aloe vera, and blue tansy oil for skin-soothing and glow-inducing exfoliation.
Considered one of the number one Korean skincare brands in the world - and that's pretty high accolade for a country known for it's skincare - COSRX is known for its ultra-simple packaging, ingredients, and effective results. The brand prefers to use fewer ingredients in their products, with none of that heavy chemicals.
They shot to fame with their AHA and BHA products that focused on chemical exfoliation, making it suitable for sensitive and acne-prone skin.
Who says makeup can't be just as effective when it's formulas are cruelty-free? With KVD Vegan Beauty (the new name of Kat Von D Beauty), none of that striking, durable and high-quality pigments are sacrificed, proving that it is possible to go beyond the traditional route with just as good results.
Though not 100% vegan, the line includes a transparent ingredient list for each product for you to determine if it suits you. That aside, Tarte is also dedicated to clean beauty, with formulas that exclude parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, SLS, triclosan and gluten. For example, their Miracle Mist spray comes with passion fruit extract without aerosol, which allows for makeup to set for 16 hours with a natural finish so that the skin looks healthy and hydrated.
Hummm is an Australian company that seeks the combination of scientific innovations and nature. Created by hand in Melbourne, the label uses non-toxic and non-invasive vegan ingredients in items such as Botanical Peptide serum and oil made with Squalane.
Without artificial colors and fragrances, synthetic chemicals and cruelty free, Tata Harper appeared in 2010 that planned to revolutionize skincare with organic ingredients. From masks to serums, the products are powerful in terms of efficacy and, of course, in addition to it's contents, the green glass packaging is already one of the Instagrammed beauty products out there.
