Ultimate guide to vegan makeup 2022

If you were vegan 20 or more years ago, you’ll probably remember just how hard it was to come across good quality vegan makeup – if any!

Thankfully these days, that’s not the case. But with thousands of different brands on the market, some vegan, some not, it can still be hard to know what’s what.

So to help you navigate through the vegan beauty landscape, we create this ultimate guide to vegan makeup to get you started.

From the different benefits of vegan cosmetics to how to spot them, we’ve got you covered.

In this article, we cover

• What vegan makeup is
• Benefits of using plant-based makeup
• How to identify vegan cosmetics
• Vegan makeup FAQs

What is vegan makeup?

Vegan makeup is just like regular makeup, but without the use of any animal by-products, animal derived ingredients or animal testing.

We’ll go into more detail shortly, but the main animal products used in regular makeup includes:

• Beeswax
• Honey
• Lanolin
• Collagen
• Albumen
• Carmine

Benefits of using vegan makeup

The top benefits of using vegan makeup are listed below.

1. No animal testing involved

Fortunately, the use of animal testing for cosmetic products has been banned in the UK since 1998.

That doesn’t mean that beauty products in our stores haven’t been tested on animals - and while progress has been made, companies can still do post-market testing.¹

So, to avoid the risk of buying makeup that has been tested on animals, it’s best to stick to brands that sell vegan makeup and are certified cruelty-free.

2. Less synthetic ingredients used on your skin

According to research by the Environmental Working Group, on average women expose themselves to 168  ingredients each day – which isn’t necessarily the best for our health.²

However, a lot of the best vegan makeup companies will use plant-based ingredients to formulate their products.

In addition to this, true plant-based makeup usually won’t contain any preservatives to make them last longer on the shelf, artificial pigments, artificial fragrances or heavy metals.

So making this switch may be able to help you limit the number of synthetic ingredients you use on your body.

But to be on the safe side if this is something you’re worried about, we’d recommend checking the ingredients list on your vegan list too as some companies may still use synthetic ingredients in their products.

3. It won’t cost you any more money

Since vegan makeup is different to the norm, you may be expecting the price tag to reflect that.

Luckily for people adapting to the plant-based lifestyle, vegan makeup is becoming a lot more accessible to the masses, and it shouldn’t cost you any more money than the regular kind.

4. It’s often eco-friendly

Fortunately, a lot of conscious beauty brands happen to be vegan.

This means that you can easily purchase vegan and cruelty-free makeup that’s also less harmful to the planet!

So if you’re on the hunt for vegan and eco-friendly makeup, the likelihood is that these brands will use sustainable and recyclable packaging, avoid the use of palm oil and use RSPO certified Palm Oil.

How to identify vegan makeup

If you prefer to pick up your makeup in person, there are a few things to look out for on the packaging that can help you tell if it’s vegan or not.

These include:

• Key ingredients: if it says it contains beeswax, honey, lanolin, carmine, collagen, snail gel, milk protein, tallow, pearls, keratin, musk or albumen – it’s not vegan friendly.
• Logos: the easiest way to identify if a makeup product is vegan or not is if it has the Vegan Society logo on it. 

Is vegan makeup better for your skin? 

Since vegan makeup doesn’t contain any nasties from animals, it usually has fewer ingredients.

And thankfully this means that the risk of you developing a reaction is also less, according to board-certified dermatologist from New York’s Union Square Laser Dermatology, Jennifer Chwalek.³                                                                                                            

This skin expert also highlights how the number of ingredients in a cosmetic product can effectively de-value any active ingredients – especially if there’s too many.

The final say

Whether you’re thinking of transitioning to vegan makeup or you’re just updating your current knowledge, we hope you found our guide vegan cosmetics guide useful.

If you’re looking for more info on all things plant-based beauty that we haven’t covered here, check out our Ultimate Guide To Vegan Beauty for recommended products, routines and extra top tips.

The advice in this article is for information only and should not replace medical care. Please check with your GP or healthcare professional before trying any supplements, treatments or remedies. Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

Last updated: 7 December 2021