I’m a strong believer in cruelty-free products, no matter what it is. I can almost understand testing on animals for medicinal purposes but other than that I just can’t condone it, and refuse to knowingly use a product that tests on animals. When it comes to cosmetics, testing on animals is absolutely unacceptable to me. No animal should have to suffer for the vanity of humans. Finding makeup brands that don’t test on animals can be a bit difficult and takes a lot of research. So I’ve complied a list of ten cruelty-free cosmetic brands, five drug store brands and five high end ones.
Drugstore
What’s great about drugstore brand cosmetics is that they’re affordable. There’s a brand to fit any makeup diva’s budget. The downside is that many times the quality and packaging isn’t as good as the high end stuff. You’ll get makeup that breaks easily, and eyeshadows that tend to crease and fade very quickly. Another downside about drugstore cosmetics is that it’s often hard to discern what is cruelty-free and what isn’t without doing some research. Luckily for you I’ve done the research for you, and the following are five drugstore cosmetic brands (in no particular order) that are cruelty-free, and reasons why I like them.
Almay
I’ve long been a fan of Almay products. In my opinion Almay is one of the better quality cosmetics that’s offered in drugstores. The prices range from $5 up to possible $20. From my experience Almay is a great brand for those with allergies and sensitive skin. I have both. Their makeup remover has even been rated number one by beauty magazines. Almay now as an organic line as well.
NYX
This brand was named after the Greek goddess of night. NYX is a brand that’s fairly new to me and although it’s not actually available in drugstores, or even Wal-Mart or Target, the prices are drugstore range. NYX offers all sorts of makeup ranging from lipstick to primers. What NYX is most known for are their jumbo eyeshadow pencils and their lipsticks. Their jumbo eyeshadow pencils can be used as a base or worn alone. Their lipsticks are very moisturizing and long lasting.
E.L.F. or Eyes Lips Face is a fairly new brand. It’s another brand that’s not exactly available everywhere either. The best way to find E.L.F. products is to check their website for locations, but if you want the whole selection it’s best to just order off of their website. E.L.F. is undoubtedly known for their one dollar products. Yes, one dollar! E.L.F. has three lines of makeup, their regular where all the products are just a dollar, their mineral line and their Studio line. Their mineral and Studio line are priced more but still very affordable, even more so than the average drugstore brands.
Hard Candy
Hard Candy is a new brand to me. I’ve heard of it before but vaguely remember it from when I was in high school. Hard Candy is a sister brand to Urban Decay and carries the same flair in packaging. The quality is very similar to Urban Decay as well, at least from what I’ve been told and read. Hard Candy products are currently available in Wal-Mart stores, and soon to be available in Target stores and Sephora. The price is very much affordable ranging from $5 to $10.
The last but certainly not least, drugstore brand on my list is Physicians Formula. Physicians Formula is another brand that I’m a big fan of. I love them even more now that they have an organic line. I like this brand because they seem to be the leader in coming out with innovative products. Their product is very distinct from other drugstore brands, and it’s really good for those with sensitive skin and allergies. The price is fairly standard for a drugstore brand ranging from $5 to $15. A big reason as to why I like Physicians Formula products is because the quality tends to be really good, and the packaging is sturdy.
Most people tend to think that high end products are of better quality because they cost more, and many times that is true but not always. It’s one thing to be able to get quality products, it’s another to find quality products that are also cruelty-free. For the same reasons as the drugstore brands, it’s not always easy to find cruelty-free cosmetics without doing some research. Not all brands that are cruelty-free are marked as so. Once again, the following are just five brands that I’m fond of.
Urban Decay
I had never heard of Urban Decay until a few years ago. It’s still a fairly new brand, but has already developed a loyal following due to it’s very artsy packaging, and the superb quality of their products. A few of their more popular products are their Primer Potions, single eyeshadows and Book of Shadows. Urban Decay’s price are fairly high but no more so than other high end brands. In fact I consider it to be priced lower than many high end cosmetic brands. The prices range from $9 up to $40.
Smashbox
Smashbox is another great brand of makeup that makes some very high quality products. The packaging is fairly simple, which is nice too because they let the products speak for themselves. The prices for Smashbox products are significantly higher than Urban Decay’s, ranging from $15 up to around $50. As I said, the quality is great but I can’t say it’s any better than Urban Decay. My favorite Smashbox products are their mascaras and lipglosses.
I’ve heard a lot of positive things about Bobbi Brown products, however, I’ve never used this brand myself so I can’t comment on the quality. I will say that Bobbi Brown is known for quality, and offers a huge selection of cosmetics to choose from. It is a pricey brand though, even more so than Smashbox. The prices range from $20 all the up to around $70.
Another brand that I love is Too Faced Cosmetics. They’re another brand that sticks out with packaging. Their packaging is simple, yet feminine and can be recognized right away by anyone familiar with cosmetics. Too Faced carries all sorts of makeup, but some popular items are their Diamond lipglosses, liquid foundation and their Shadow Insurance eyeshadow primer. The prices for Too Faced products are about the same as Urban Decay’s, fairly affordable for the quality.
M.A.C
The last brand on my high end list is none other than M.A.C cosmetics. Who hasn’t heard of M.A.C? It’s probably one of the most popular cosmetic brands out there. M.A.C has a wide variety of products to choose from, but what their arguably known for are their makeup brushes. Aside from their brushes, M.A.C is known for quality, and some of their popular products are their Paint Pots and loose pigments. I would say their prices are fairly standard for the quality. M.A.C products are priced roughly the same as Urban Decay products.
These ten brands are not the only cruelty-free cosmetic brands out there. These just happen to be some of my favorites, and very popular brands. I would like to clarify that just because a brand is cruelty-free doesn’t mean that its company is. The ten brands that I have listed are cruelty-free by brand, as to whether or not their company is is another story. If you’d like to find out about other cruelty-free brands and whether their company is as well check out www.leapingbunny.org and www.vegfamily.com/lists/cruelty-free-companies.
