Best Vegan Beauty Brands – 2025 Verified List & Buying Guide

Looking for the best vegan beauty brands but tired of vague claims and greenwashed marketing? You’re in the right place. In this guide, I’ve hand-picked and verified top vegan beauty brands — from budget-friendly makeup to luxury skincare and vegan hair care — and explained how to tell if a product is truly vegan (not just cruelty-free).

Understanding Vegan Beauty: What You Need to Know

Vegan vs. Cruelty-Free: The Important Difference

Many people think vegan and cruelty-free mean the same thing. They don’t. This confusion costs shoppers money and supports practices they want to avoid.

Cruelty-free means no animal testing happened during product development. The brand, suppliers, and third parties never test on animals. However, cruelty-free products can still contain animal ingredients like beeswax or lanolin.

Vegan means no animal-derived ingredients appear in the product. This includes obvious ingredients like honey and subtle ones like carmine (crushed beetles). Vegan products can sometimes be tested on animals if required by law.

Both vegan and cruelty-free give you the complete package. No animal testing and no animal ingredients. This is what most conscious consumers actually want.

Top 20 Vegan Beauty Brands

Not all “vegan” claims are created equal, so I’ve pulled together 20 trusted vegan beauty brands — mixing affordable everyday staples, luxury icons, and hidden gems. Each entry below includes its USP (unique selling point), a hero product, price tier, and certification status so you can shop smarter. Whether you’re after the best vegan makeup brands for glam looks, vegan skincare brands for acne or sensitive skin, or even vegan hair care brands, this grid is your go-to.

Best Vegan Brands By Goal

Sometimes you’re not just looking for a “vegan brand” — you’re looking for a solution that fits your budget, skin needs, or lifestyle. To make this easy, here are quick micro-lists that spotlight the best vegan beauty brands by goal.

Best Budget-Friendly Vegan Brands

Perfect if you’re starting out or building a routine under $30.

• e.l.f. Cosmetics – Makeup staples that perform like high-end.
  
• Pacifica Beauty – Skincare + haircare with sustainable packaging.
  
• The Ordinary – Science-backed formulas that actually work.
  
• LUSH – Affordable bath + body treats, mostly vegan.
  

Best for Sensitive Skin

If your skin reacts easily, these brands keep it gentle.

• Tower 28 – Dermatologist-tested, eczema-safe beauty.
  
• Pai Skincare – Organic and designed for sensitive skin.
  
• Youth to the People – Superfood-based, lightweight formulas.
  
• ILIA Beauty – Skin-first makeup with calming ingredients.
  

Best Luxury Vegan Brands

High-performance, prestige picks for glam looks.

• Hourglass Cosmetics – Known for their Ambient Lighting powders.
  
• Biossance – Luxe, sustainability-focused skincare.
  
• Charlotte Tilbury (select items) – Cult-favorite beauty with vegan options.
  
• Herbivore Botanicals – Natural luxe skincare in beautiful packaging.
  

Best Travel-Friendly & Everyday Essentials

Compact, multi-tasking products are perfect for on-the-go.

• Milk Makeup – Stick-based makeup, portable and mess-free.
  
• KVD Beauty – Long-wear, bold makeup that lasts all day.
  
• Kosas – Hybrid skincare-makeup essentials for daily use.
  
• Rare Beauty – Easy-to-use, blendable products with inclusive shades.
  

Buy-Ready Checklist

Here’s a quick, buy-ready checklist to help you verify any product in under a minute (perfect for deciding between the best vegan beauty brands or a budget pick like the best vegan beauty brands under $30):

1. Scan the label for obvious non-vegan ingredients (carmine, beeswax, lanolin, shellac, tallow).
   
2. Look for trusted certs: The Vegan Society, Certified Vegan, Leaping Bunny, PETA — these are stronger signals than marketing copy.
   
3. Read the brand policy page: search “[brand name] vegan policy” or “animal testing” — check whether they sell in markets that require animal testing.
   
4. Check product pages at major retailers (Sephora, Ulta, Amazon) for certification badges and verified reviews — useful when you’re checking where to buy vegan beauty brands.
   
5. Quick fit check: if you need skin-safe picks, search “vegan makeup for sensitive skin” or “vegan skincare for acne” to see targeted hero products.
   
6. If unsure, use the ingredient list: paste a suspect ingredient into a quick web lookup or an ingredient checker tool.
   

Use this checklist as your default “scan & buy” routine — it’s how we separated truly vegan brands from greenwashed ones in our Brand Transparency Score.

How We Vetted Brands (Methodology & Transparency Scorecard)

Not every brand that says “vegan” actually lives up to the claim — so we created a clear vetting process to make sure the beauty brands listed here are genuinely trustworthy. This way, you don’t just see the best vegan beauty brands, you see why they’re included.

Here’s the step-by-step methodology we used:

1. Ingredients Check – We reviewed product labels and brand ingredient glossaries to flag common non-vegan ingredients (like carmine, lanolin, beeswax, shellac, and collagen).
   
2. Certification Verification – Brands with third-party certifications from The Vegan Society, Certified Vegan, Leaping Bunny, or PETA scored higher.
   
3. Animal Testing Policy – We checked if brands sell in countries that legally require animal testing (like mainland China). If they do, they weren’t included in the 100% vegan list.
   
4. Transparency – We read official brand statements, FAQ pages, and sustainability reports to see how open they are about sourcing and production.
   
5. Accessibility & Inclusivity – Bonus points for brands offering vegan makeup for sensitive skin, inclusive shade ranges, and accessible packaging.
   

Our Transparency Scorecard 

To keep things simple, we rated each brand on a 1–5 scale:

This scorecard ensures you can shop confidently — whether you’re picking budget vegan beauty brands, luxury vegan beauty brands, or building a starter vegan beauty routine.

Verify Vegan Claims in 3 Steps (Practical Tool Idea) 

The beauty industry is full of “green” buzzwords — vegan, clean, natural — but not all of them mean what you think. To make sure you’re actually buying from authentic vegan beauty brands, here’s a super simple 3-step verification system you can use every time you shop (online or in-store).

✅ Step 1: Scan the Ingredient List

• Look out for common non-vegan ingredients: carmine (from beetles), beeswax, lanolin (from sheep wool), collagen, shellac, and tallow.
  
• Quick hack: copy/paste the ingredient list into an online vegan ingredient checker (many free tools exist).
  

✅ Step 2: Check Certifications

• Reliable seals include: The Vegan Society, Certified Vegan, PETA, and Leaping Bunny.
  
• If a brand claims to be vegan but has no third-party verification, approach with caution.
  

✅ Step 3: Confirm the Brand’s Testing Policy

• Search “Brand Name + animal testing” or “Brand Name + vegan policy” directly on Google.
  
• Check if they sell in countries that require animal testing (like mainland China). If they do, the brand isn’t fully cruelty-free — even if some products are vegan.
  

Niche Corner: Pregnancy Safety, Halal, Men & Shade Inclusivity 

Vegan beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all — different people shop with unique needs in mind. Here’s a quick guide to help you find vegan beauty brands that match specific lifestyles and priorities.

Pregnancy-Safe Vegan Beauty

Pregnancy can make skin more sensitive, so being clean and gentle is key.

• Pai Skincare – Organic, soothing, and gentle on hormonal skin.
  
• Youth to the People – Superfood-powered, pregnancy-friendly basics.
  
• ILIA Beauty – Makeup with skincare-level ingredients, free from harsh chemicals.
  

Halal-Certified Vegan Beauty

For Muslim consumers, halal beauty ensures both ethical and religious compliance.

• Inika Organic – 100% vegan, halal-certified, and organic.
  
• PHB Ethical Beauty – Offers halal-certified skincare and cosmetics.
  
• Wardah – Popular halal beauty brand with expanding vegan options.
  

Vegan Beauty for Men

Men’s grooming is going vegan, too.

• LUSH – Fresh, handmade grooming + beard care options.
  
• Bulldog Skincare – Affordable vegan men’s skincare basics.
  
• The Ordinary – Simple, effective routines for all skin types.
  

Shade Inclusivity in Vegan Beauty

Vegan brands are stepping up with broader shade ranges to serve every skin tone.

• Fenty Beauty (select vegan products) – Industry leader in inclusivity.
  
• Rare Beauty – Wide shade range, all cruelty-free, many vegan picks.
  
• Cover FX – 100% vegan and complexion-focused with excellent diversity.
  

Vegan Beauty Q&A

Conclusion

The rise of vegan beauty brands is more than just a trend — it’s a movement toward ethical, sustainable, and inclusive beauty. Whether you’re shopping on a budget, looking for pregnancy-safe skincare, searching for halal-certified options, or wanting bold luxury makeup, there’s now a vegan brand that meets your needs.

By using the checklist and 3-step verification system we shared, you can shop smarter and avoid greenwashing. Our transparency scorecard makes it easy to see which brands truly walk the talk, while the quick grids and niche lists help you find the best picks for your lifestyle.

At the end of the day, choosing vegan beauty is about aligning your personal values with products that make you feel good — inside and out.