Vegan Lipstick: Top Cruelty-Free Brands (2024)

You won’t have a hard time finding cruelty-free vegan lipstick. That said, you can’t just pick up a lipstick at random and expect it to be free of animal products. That’s primarily because lipstick may be composed of tallow derivatives sourced from slaughterhouses. Lanolin, a byproduct of the wool industry, is another common lipstick ingredient. Additionally, the bright red color of many lipsticks frequently comes from carmine, a dye produced by grinding up tiny cochineal beetles whose bodies contain a concentrated red pigment.

Back when vegans were scarce, finding vegan lipstick took real effort. Few stores carried it, and you could only find a few colors. But many cruelty-free cosmetics companies have since entered the business. Not only do they refrain from animal testing, they also tend to use a better grade of ingredients. That’s a big deal, especially for anyone appalled by the idea of coating their lips with rendered animal fat!

Even if you don’t follow a vegan lifestyle, it makes sense to pay a little more for vegan lipstick for the sake of avoiding disgusting animal-derived ingredients.

Cruelty-Free Vegan Lipstick

• e.l.f.: Liquid Matte Lipstick
• EpiLynx: Matte Lipstick
• Gabriel Cosmetics: Lipstick
• Honest Beauty: Liquid Lipstick
• Lip Bar: Matte Lipstick
• Manic Panic: Lethal Lipstick
• Obsessive Compulsive: Lip Tar Metallic
• Pacifica: Beauty Plushious Liquid Lipstick
• True + Luscious: Super Moisture Lipstick
• Undone Beauty: Light on Lip

Please see our vegan makeup guide for the best cruelty-free products in every category.

For further reading: please see our vegan beauty guide and our animal ingredients list.

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