The Best Cruelty-Free and Vegan Makeup Brands in India

Introduction

Are you looking for cruelty-free and vegan makeup brands in India? If so, you are not alone. More and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of choosing cruelty-free and vegan products, not only for their health and beauty, but also for the welfare of animals, people, and the planet.

In this article, we will explore why cruelty-free and vegan makeup is important, some of the best cruelty-free and vegan makeup brands in India, how to identify cruelty-free and vegan products, and how your choices can positively impact the world.

Why Cruelty-Free and Vegan Makeup is Important

Cruelty-free and vegan makeup is important for ethical and environmental reasons. However, Cruelty-free and vegan makeup are terms that are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings.

Cruelty-free

Cruelty-free makeup means that the product and its ingredients have not been tested on animals at any stage of production. This includes testing by the brand itself, its suppliers, or any third parties. Cruelty-free makeup also means that the product is not sold in countries where animal testing is required by law (conditionally), such as China.

Animal testing is a cruel and unnecessary practice that causes suffering and death to millions of animals every year. Many animals are subjected to painful experiments, such as skin irritation, eye irritation, lethal dose tests, or forced feeding. Some of these tests are not even required by law, and there are alternative methods that are more reliable, humane, and cost-effective.

Vegan

Vegan makeup means that the product does not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products. This includes common ingredients such as beeswax, lanolin, carmine, collagen, gelatin, keratin, and many others. Vegan makeup also means that the product does not use any animal-derived materials or tools for its packaging or application, such as leather, fur, silk, or animal hair brushes.

Animal-derived ingredients are also harmful to animals, people, and the planet. Many animals are exploited, killed, or harmed for their body parts or secretions, such as bees for their wax, sheep for their wool, cows for their milk, or insects for their color. These ingredients can also cause allergic reactions, infections, or diseases in humans, such as acne, eczema, or cancer. Moreover, animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of deforestation, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss.

Also please note that the key difference between vegan and vegetarian lies in the scope of animal products they include or exclude:

Vegetarian	Vegan
✅ Includes: Dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt), eggs, honey, and other animal-derived ingredients not directly involving animal death. ❌ Excludes: Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and any animal byproducts like rennet or gelatin.	✅ Includes: Only plant-based foods and products. ❌ Excludes: All animal products and byproducts, including those listed above for vegetarians, as well as ingredients like honey, leather, silk, wool, and cosmetics tested on animals.

In summary, being vegan is a stricter form of vegetarianism that excludes a broader range of animal products and extends the practice of ethical consumption beyond food.

By choosing cruelty-free and vegan makeup, you can avoid supporting these practices and contribute to a more compassionate and sustainable world.

Cruelty-free and Vegan

However, it is important to note that not all cruelty-free makeup is vegan, and not all vegan makeup is cruelty-free. For example, a product can be cruelty-free but still contain animal-derived ingredients, such as honey or milk. Or a product can be vegan but still be tested on animals in some countries.

Therefore, to ensure that your makeup is both cruelty-free and vegan, you need to look for products with both claims on their labels or websites. You can also look for logos or certifications from reputable organizations that verify the cruelty-free and vegan status of products, such as PETA, Leaping Bunny, or Vegan Society. Be familiar with certified Cruelty-free and Vegan logos for makeup, as shown below.

How to Identify Cruelty-Free and Vegan Products

Besides looking for logos or certifications, there are other ways to identify cruelty-free and vegan products. Here are some tips that can help you:

Read the Ingredient List

Look for any animal-derived ingredients or by-products that might be hidden under different names. For example, carmine is a red pigment derived from crushed insects that can also be called cochineal extract, crimson lake, natural red 4, or E120. If you are not sure about an ingredient, you can use online databases such as Double Check Vegan or Logical Harmony to check its origin and status.

Contact the Brand

If you cannot find any information about the cruelty-free and vegan status of a product on its label or website, you can contact the brand directly and ask them. You can use email, phone, social media, or online forms to reach out to them.

Use Apps or Websites

Many apps or websites can help you find cruelty-free and vegan products easily. They cover many countries. For example,

• PETA Cruelty-Free
• Cruelty-Free International
• Cruelty-Free Kitty
• Ethical Elephant
• Bunny Free App
• Cruelty-Cutter
• Leaping Bunny
• Vegan Society

Why Choose Cruelty-Free and Vegan Makeup?

Choosing cruelty-free and vegan makeup can have a positive impact on many levels.

• First of all, you can help save the lives of millions of animals who suffer and die in cruel experiments every year. According to PETA, more than 100 million animals are killed in laboratories worldwide for cosmetics, drugs, food, and other products. By opting for cruelty-free and vegan makeup, you can send a message to the industry that animal testing is unnecessary and unethical.
• Secondly, you can also protect your health and well-being by avoiding harmful chemicals that are often found in conventional cosmetics. Many of these chemicals are known to cause skin irritation, allergies, hormonal disruption, and even cancer. By choosing cruelty-free and vegan makeup, you can ensure that you are using products that are safe, natural, and gentle on your skin.
• Thirdly, you can also contribute to a more sustainable and eco-friendly world by choosing cruelty-free and vegan makeup. Many animal-derived ingredients come from intensive farming practices that cause deforestation, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss. By choosing cruelty-free and vegan makeup, you can reduce your environmental footprint and support ethical and humane farming methods.

Some Popular Cruelty-Free and Vegan Makeup Brands in India

Even if you search in Google, Bing, or ChatGPT, you’ll find a few brands listed as Cruelty-Free and Vegan, and some of them are not correct because they’re vegetarian but not Vegan. I’ve explained the difference between Vegetarian and Vegan earlier in this article. When I used to live in the USA, I noticed that in most places like restaurants, people understand vegan, but not vegetarian. In India, it is just the opposite, moreover, some people consider eggs as vegetarian, and some people do not.

Here I have curated the following list with a tedious manual effort by checking 100+ brand’s websites, product lines, ingredient lists on the website, and many other authoritative sources. Below I’ve given the criteria followed while making this list

Indian Brand (Not a Global Brand available in India)
Must have some Makeup Products (It could be along with other beauty products like haircare, skincare, etc.)
Cruelty-free and 100% Vegan (Note: All the makeup products should be Cruelty-free and Vegan. 100% vegetarian is not counted as Vegan)

Here is the list of cruelty-free and vegan makeup brands in India that offer high-quality products at affordable prices.

Conclusion

Choosing cruelty-free and vegan makeup brands in India is not only good for animals, people, and the planet but also for your beauty and style. By opting for these brands, you can enjoy high-quality products that are safe, natural, ethical, and trendy. Now it’s time to check your makeup kit to find out what are items, not Cruelty-Free and not Vegan so that you can shop them accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question for you

What’s your go-to cruelty-free and vegan makeup product, and how has it positively impacted your beauty routine?

Please feel free to share your answer in the comment box below.

Thank you for reading this blog post. I hope you found it informative and useful. I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this topic. Please leave a comment below and share your feedback, suggestions, questions, or anything else you want to say. I appreciate your support and engagement.

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