Going cruelty-free when purchasing beauty products — choosing products not tested on animals — sounds daunting, especially if it means giving up your favorite affordable or guilty-pleasure high-end brands. And for those who buy makeup exclusively at drugstores, chances are that a great deal of that collection has been tested on animals. Major drugstore brands such as Maybelline, CoverGirl or L’Oreal Paris are guilty of testing these products on animals. Well-known, more expensive ones such as MAC, Clinique and Lancôme are not innocent either. The major reason for this is because these companies sell their products to China, a country in which animal testing is required before cosmetics can be sold.
Despite this, there are many options that are PETA-certified as 100 percent cruelty-free. And it is completely possible to create a full face of makeup entirely using ethical products. Though it may take a while to phase out all of the animal tested products in your collection, here are some cruelty-free products, both affordable and high-end, that you may want to turn to next time you shop.
BB/CC Cream: NYX — BB Cream ($12.99) It Cosmetics — Your Skin But Better CC Cream ($38.00)
Foundation:
e.l.f. — Flawless Finish Foundation ($6.00)
Kat Von D — Lock-It Foundation ($35.00)
Concealer:
L.A. Girl — Pro Conceal HD Concealer ($2.00)
NARS — Radiant Creamy Concealer ($29.00)
Powder:
NYX — HD Finishing Powder ($9.99)
bareMinerals — bareSkin Perfecting Veil ($26.00)
Bronzer:
Milani — Baked Bronzer ($9.99)
Hourglass — Ambient Lighting Bronzer ($50.00)
Blush:
Milani — Baked Blush ($8.49)
Tarte — Tartelette Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush ($28.00)
Highlighter:
ColourPop — Highlighter ($8.00)
theBalm — Mary-Lou Manizer ($24.00)
Brows:
NYX — Micro Brow Pencil ($9.99)
Anastasia Beverly Hills — Brow Wiz ($21.00)
Eyeshadow:
BH Cosmetics — Enhancing Eyes Palette ($12.00)
Too Faced — Natural Matte Eye Palette ($36.00)
Eyeliner:
e.l.f. — Precision Liquid Eyeliner ($3.00)
Kat Von D — Tattoo Liner ($20.00)
Mascara:
Essence — Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara ($4.99)
Buxom — Buxom Lash Mascara ($20.00)
Lips:
ColourPop — Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick ($5.00)
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics — Lip Tar ($16.00)
Setting Spray:
NYX — Dewy Finish Makeup Setting Spray ($7.99)
Urban Decay — All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray ($30.00)
Many other cruelty-free brands exist out there, and a large number of them dwell in Sephora and Ulta. Try one of the 100 Vice Lipstick shades from Urban Decay over any of MAC’s cult-favorite hues. Instead of Maybelline’s Pumped Up Mascara, opt for Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Mascara. Search for new brands on PETA’s website, where there is a search engine specifically designed for beauty companies that do not test on animals.
Though PETA’s certification is a great sign that a company is cruelty-free, other brands out there exist that don’t have the certification or are in the process of obtaining it. Additional reliable resources include Leaping Bunny and Cruelty-Free Kitty, websites and blogs dedicated to calling out false advertising and promoting new, cruelty-free brands on the market.
Though it’s not necessary to completely blacklist any animal-tested product, purchasing cruelty-free products only strengthens their message and supports their company. Buying these products in favor of non-cruelty-free products not only feels morally better, but it also reveals to these companies that there is a big market for cruelty-free products.