Veganism is booming. From your favourite coffee shop stepping up its vegan pastry game to supermarkets unveiling new dishes to eat for dinner, eating a plant-based diet has never been so easy.
Now, the beauty industry is also upping its game. Across skincare, haircare and makeup, there’s been a shift in what consumers want in their products and what they don’t – namely animal-derived ingredients. And brands have stepped up to deliver. Vegan product launches rose 175% in the five years to 2018, the Soil Association told HuffPost UK – and most months sees a new arrival.
Vegan and cruelty-free makeup artist Em-J believes this is down to customers demanding more transparency. “A few years ago, I don’t believe people cared less,” she tells HuffPost UK. “We trusted these giant brands for so long [but] due to social media have discovered there is a lot they have not told us.”
This has been brilliant for the beauty industry, she adds, making way for new indy brands. “We trust them because they talk directly to the customers and are open and honest about their ethics and ingredients.”
Here at HuffPost, we regularly shine a light on the best in vegan beauty – so we’ve rounded up all our product guides and tests in one handy place.
If you’re new to the world of vegan beauty, thanks to Veganuary, to a good start, we’ve compiled the best of the beauty brands, from affordable to high-end, in one easy list. From self-tan, dry shampoo and body oils to makeup brushes, highlighters, lipsticks and foundations, we’ve got you covered – cruelty-free.
Switching up your beauty routine doesn’t mean you should have to compromise on results – healthy hair is a must. In our roundup, we hand-picked the best and most budget-friendly so you can tame frizz, reduce flyaways and, crucially, cleanse hair, with complete peace of mind. From niche brands to big names, there’s plenty of choice whatever your hairtype, starting from just £3.66.
Yes, even your nail polish can contain ingredients sourced from animals. HuffPost reported on how many of the of nail varnishes you buy on the high street or find in beauty salons will not be vegan – and are listed in ingredients with complex chemical compounds, so deciphering them can be tricky. You could be painting your toenails with guanine from processed fish scales, carmine from drying or crushing insects and keratin, derived from cattle, horses, pigs and rabbits. We found four animal-free polishes to treat your toes to.
Brand Spotlights
Lady Gaga unveiled her debut line of cosmetics, Haus Laboratories, in 2019 exclusively on Amazon. The vegan range featured a mix of jet black liquid eyeliners, jewel-toned liquid eyeshadows, lip liners and matching lip gloss, along with face stickers, so you can mix and match your exaggerated feline flicks with ease. See the full collection here.
Eco-friendly brand Lush is an industry leader when it comes to making more ethically conscious beauty choices and in 2019 announced it would no longer include egg in any of its products, citing concerns over animal welfare.
Product Tests
Sustainable and vegan makeup brand Depixym, created by Victoria Feebery and Alice Rhodes, is less than a year old, but already capturing imaginations. The range comprises 18 cosmetic emulsions that look like tubes of paint, but are versatile, multi-use products. I put them to the test and created four looks, from a classic winged liner and red lip to a taupe eyeshadow and lashings of mascara. They’re almost entirely plastic-free too. Read the full review here.
HuffPost’s Life Reporter Tasha cannot get enough of this soothing aloe day cream from The Body Shop and its become a staple in her low maintenance beauty routine. “It’s calming and gentle on the old fizzog, doesn’t bring me out in a shedload of zits and is pretty affordable at £13,” reads her ode to it here.
HuffPost’s Life Editor Brogan put Lush’s vegan shampoo and conditioning bars to the test over a fortnight to see how they delivered. While initially sceptical that they would be as effective as her regular bottled products, she was pleasantly surprised by how similar the results were. Read her full review here.
We all work hard to earn our money – so it shouldn’t feel like hard work to spend it well. At HuffPost Finds we’ll help you find the best stuff that deserves your cash, from the ultimate lipstick to a durable iron to replace the one that broke (RIP). All our choices are completely independent but we may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase.