Top Vegan Lipsticks for A Cruelty-Free Makeup Bag
Ready to find your next go-to vegan and cruelty free lipstick brand? There are a few things you should keep in mind when shopping for vegan lipstick. Keep reading to discover our complete guide and top vegan products!
Is Lipstick Vegan?
Vegan lipstick is not always so easy to come across. You may opt for natural or organic lipsticks as a vegan, thinking they are the least likely to contain animal derivatives. However, this is not usually the case. There are many 'natural' animal-derived ingredients that are frequently used to make lipstick. Keep reading for a list of ingredients to watch out for!
Questionable Ingredients To Watch Out For
Many animal products could be found in your lipstick. The first and possibly most obvious non-vegan, natural ingredient used as a lipstick base is beeswax. This ingredient was found in almost all of the natural lipsticks we reviewed, due to its versatility. Sadly, most industrial beekeeping facilities exploit, starve, and put their bees through a LOT of stress to make a profit. More on why vegans don't consume bee-derived products here.
You should also watch out for lanolin, which is basically sheep wool grease. Although extracting this material is not painful for the sheep, it is a byproduct of wool production, which does involve many cruel practices. So, by purchasing lanolin, we are still supporting cruelty and making wool production more profitable.
Finally, you'll want to avoid any lipstick products containing carmine as a vegan. Why? This mysterious ingredient is made of cochineal insects' blood. Keep in mind, it's also known as cochineal extract, crimson lake, carmine lake, or natural red 4.
Brands We Avoided and Why
Although there are plenty of vegan or natural brands that offer lipstick, many use questionable ingredients that we are not comfortable recommending. While vegan brands typically avoid beeswax, lanolin, carmine, and other animal derivatives, they may still use lake colorants, for example.
Lake colorants, FD&C Dyes, and D&C Dyes are often considered non-vegan, because they are frequently tested on animals to evaluate their potential health risks when used in cosmetics and food products. Not only is animal testing a cruel and unnecessary practice, this also means we cannot be so sure about their safety and toxicity levels. In fact, some batches of lake colorants have been found to be contaminated with small amounts of lead or arsenic. Yikes!
There were a few makeup companies we came across during our research that looked amazing in terms of inclusivity, sustainability, and reviews. And of course, their lipsticks were made without animal ingredients. However, we sadly ended up leaving them out due to their inclusion of lake pigments. These included popular brands like Rare Beauty, The Lip Bar, Saie, Ilia Beauty, Barry M, and Jane Iredale.
The interesting thing is, these brands are often listed as 'non-toxic', 'vegan-friendly', or 'cruelty-free cosmetics'. That's why it's important to research the ingredients you purchase as a consumer. While it's clear you cannot learn about all ingredients overnight, it is a gradual process that you'll get used to over time.
What To Look For In Your Vegan Lipstick
Now that we've covered the things you should avoid in your lipstick as a vegan, what should you look for? Firstly, any vegan lipstick brand that avoids lake colorants should be fine to use as a vegan. However, we took things a step further by going for beauty brands that used non-toxic, nourishing ingredients and intense pigments, boasted a decent range of colours, and offered a variety of lip products (think liquid lipstick, matte lipsticks, velvet lipsticks, and more). Some were also organic, or came in sustainable/recyclable packaging.
After all, if you're looking for a new brand you can trust and stick to long-term, you'll need a range of lipsticks to choose from, that suit your skin tone and can provide lasting hydration and lip care! It's also nice to know you're taking care of the planet with your purchase.
What Type of Lipstick Suits Me Best?
When browsing lipsticks, it's important to keep your skin tone, skincare needs, and lifestyle in mind. For example, if you have dry lips, try going for moisturizing lipsticks with a creamy formula.
If the brand's page displays a model with a lighter skin tone wearing a nude lipstick, consider how the product would look in contrast with your skin. There is often a radical difference between how nude lipstick looks on light skin and darker skin. If there's only one model reference, you can try placing your arm against the screen in natural lighting, to decide if the shade is compatible with your skin tone.
Another factor to take into account when finding the right shade is your undertone. If you are a cool undertone, your veins look more blue. If you are a warm undertone, your veins will look greenish. You may also be neutral, meaning your veins look blue-green. Cool undertones should look for lipsticks with a subtle bluish tint (often present in dark reds, pinks, mauves, or purple shades). Meanwhile, warm undertones may go for corals, terracotta reds, or peach lipsticks. If you are neutral, most lipstick shades should look great on you.
Finally, consider what activities you'll be doing while wearing your lipstick. Will you be out for lunch and dinner? Consider going for a liquid matte or transfer proof lipstick to avoid having to reapply your product after each meal. Do you often walk around the city in cold weather? Try selecting a hydrating lipstick or a tinted lip balm to offer your lips some more protection from the harsh environment!
Although these tips can be universally helpful for finding a flattering shade and the right type of lipstick for you, at the end of the day it's all about choosing a color you truly enjoy and feel good in, no matter what others think. That said, keep reading to find your next favorite product with a totally vegan formula!
Our Top-Recommended Vegan Lipstick Brands To Try!
Our Pick: Axiology
Price | $14.00
Lipstick Shades | 13
Lipstick Types | Balmies.
Organic Ingredients | YES.
Need a multi-use, hydrating matte lipstick you can use on your lips, cheeks, and eyelids? Say hello to Axiology's zero-waste Balmies available in a wide range of gorgeous shades!
These lip products boast intense color payoff, clean formulas pigmented with iron oxides (as opposed to synthetic colorants), and are the same size as conventional lipsticks, without the bulky plastic packaging. Simply peel away the paper as you use up the product, then recycle it along with the red paper box it's packaged in!
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Pacifica Beauty Vegan Liquid Lipstick
Price | $5.00 - $10.00
Lipstick Shades | 27
Lipstick Types | Tinted Lip Balm, Lip Oil, Lip Tint, Lip Gloss, Liquid Lipstick.
Organic Ingredients | NO.
With tons of lip products, including lip balm, lip oil, lip tint, gloss, and lipstick, you can shop confidently on Pacifica Beauty's site knowing all their affordable beauty products are vegan! Their vegan lip products listed above are also entirely lake colorant-free and instead pigmented with iron oxides, which are natural, cruelty-free, and non-toxic. Add a pop of colour to your makeup routine with these fabulous lipsticks!
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French Girl Organics
Price | $18
Lipstick Shades | 10
Lipstick Types | Tinted Lip Balm.
Organic Ingredients | YES.
Made with an olive oil, candelilla wax, and coconut oil base, French Girl Organics' tinted lip balms are highly pigmented, hydrating, and ultra-clean. No silicones or petroleum-based ingredients here! Although they are hydrating lip balms, they share the look and feel of a velvet matte lipstick, with incredible color payoff in 10 classic shades. Try one of these moisturizing lip products now!
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Paul Penders
Price | $21.50
Lipstick Shades | 9
Lipstick Types | Cream Lipstick.
Organic Ingredients | YES.
An Ayurvedic beauty brand for those in need of truly nourishing and healing cosmetics, Paul Penders offers 9 all-natural lipstick shades! Each is hand made, colored with iron oxides and formulated with a healing blend of 22 organic herbs and plant oils. These include castor oil, calendula, chamomile, elderflower, ginger, and much more! Lipstick that doubles as skincare? Yes, please!
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100% Pure
Price | $22.00 - $30.00
Lipstick Shades | 54
Lipstick Types | Lipstick, Lip Gloss, Lip Glaze, Lip Stain, Lip Caramel.
Organic Ingredients | YES.
Made with truly natural ingredients like cocoa butter, shea butter, and fruit extracts, 100% Pure's lip products are almost all fruit pigmented and vegan! Just watch out for their Lip Balms and their Lip & Cheek Tint, which contain beeswax.
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Inika Organic
Price | $23.00 - $35.00
Lipstick Shades | 21
Lipstick Types | Cream Lipstick, Lipstick Crayon, Tinted Lip Balm, Lip Glaze, Lip & Cheek Cream.
Organic Ingredients | YES.
Offering a wide variety of lipstick types and shades made with NO nasty ingredients, we had to include Inika Organic! All of their lipsticks are Plastic Neutral Certified, Certified Organic, and made with nourishing plant-based oils to keep your lips looking luscious and hydrated throughout your busy day.
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Plastic-Free Vegan Lipstick Brands
Coconut Matter
Price | ±$25.00
Lipstick Shades | 10
Lipstick Types | Semi-Matte Lipstick, Tinted Lip Balm.
Organic Ingredients | YES.
This brand's coconut oil lipsticks and balms are packaged in a recyclable/compostable tube and made with totally non-toxic ingredients and mineral pigments! In fact, each is formulated with under 15 ingredients in total. Plus, these lipsticks are nourishing and safe for sensitive skin types. Try them today!
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We hope you were able to find the right lip product for your preferences, skin tone, and lip care goals! Thanks for browsing the most sustainable, ethical products available. If you want to receive more vegan and eco-friendly recommendations straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter!
