Clean beauty is not only a rising trend but also an amazing way to support and transition into being cruelty-free and promoting sustainability. We all can help promote sustainability in every part of our life, but especially in our makeup and skincare routines. Many brands continue to test on animals, use animal byproducts, and have excess packaging. We all should be conscious of how our makeup purchases are affecting the world around us! To make it easier, I have some categories to guide you all. The categories are cruelty-free, clean ingredients, vegan, sustainable packaging, and positive impacts. Enjoy your new makeup and skincare routines!
- Cruelty Free
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Brands who are cruelty free have been certified by Leaping Bunny, PETA or Choose Cruelty-Free. This means that their ingredient suppliers and their manufacturers do not conduct testing on animals.
Colourpop – Known for their trendy collaborations, colourpop is an affordable brand that also produces quality makeup.
Items to check out: Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Acid Setting Mist, Pretty Fresh Foundation, and Labelle of the Ball shadow palette
Found at: Ulta and Colourpop Official Website
Dermologica – Dermologica has a skin care solution for everyone! They are also vegan, gluten free, have no artificial fragences or colors, and paraben free.
Items to check out: Special Cleansing Gel, Clear Start Breakout Clearing Foaming Wash, and Daily Microfoliant.
Where to buy: Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Dermologica Official Website, and more!
You can find more certified cruelty free brands here!
- Clean Ingredients
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Every brand that is certified as having Clean Ingredients complies with Ulta Beauty’s Made Without List, which outlines substances like parabens, phthalates and more.
First Aid Beauty – I love the First Aid Beauty brand! Whether you have sensitive skin, acne prone, or combination all their products will transform you!
Products: Ultra Repair Cream, Facial Radiance Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum, and KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub with 10% AHA
Where to buy: Ulta Beauty, First Aid Beauty official website, and Sephora
Pacifica – An affordable brand that will give you a youthful and refreshed glow, without any harmful chemicals. They also sell makeup!
Products: Vegan Collagen Recovery Eye Cream, Glow Baby Booster Serum, and Vegan Collagen Every Day Lotion SPF 30
Where to Buy: Ulta Beauty, Walmart, Target, Pacifica official website, and many more!
You can find more clean ingredient products brands here!
- Vegan
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Vegan beauty products are created without animal products, by-products or derivatives. Specifically, that includes ingredients like honey, beeswax, lanolin, collagen, albumen, carmine, cholesterol and gelatin. Also vegan and cruelty-free are not the same! Vegan describes ingredients; cruelty-free describes testing. That means vegan products could be tested on animals, and cruelty-free could contain animal-derived ingredients
Melanin Hair Care – I love seeing Melanin Hair Care in stores. It is an affordable and luxury brand for coily, curly, kinky, frizzy and wavy hair!
Products: Multi-Use Softening Leave In Conditioner, African Black Soap Reviving Shampoo, and Twist Elongating Style Cream
Where to buy: Ulta Beauty and Melanin Hair Care website
Hempz – An amazing brand that relaxes, smooths, and calms your skin. Most of their products are infused with CBD!
Products: Original Herbal Body Moisturizer, Sweet Pineapple & Honey Melon Herbal Body Wash, and Triple Moisture All Day Moisture Bath Fizzer
Where to buy: Ulta Beauty, Hempz official website, Target, and many more!
You can find more vegan products here!
- Sustainable Packaging
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For a brand to qualify as Sustainable Packaging, at least 50% of packaging must be made from recycled or bio-sourced materials or be recyclable or refillable. Why continue to waste when consumers want the products? Many brands also have started doing refill programs, and are teaching consumers how to upcycle their products!
EcoTools – EcoTools is vegan, cruelty free, and reduced their plastic use by 88% in the past year.
Products: Bioblender by Ecotools Makeup Sponge, Jade Roller Duo, and Start the Day Beautifully Kit.
Where to buy: Ulta Beauty, EcoTools official website, Target, and more!
Spotlight Oral Care: Oral care deserves attention too! Their toothpaste tubes are made from sugarcane, which is 100% recyclable and carbon negative in its production.
Produtcs: Teeth Whitening Pen, 5 Pack Bamboo Toothbrushes, and Sonic Toothbrush.
Where to buy: Ulta Beauty, Spotlight Oral Care official website, CVS, and Target.
You can find more sustainable brands here!
- Positive Impact
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These brands go the extra mile supporting things like donation programs and community involvement! Their core values are making a positive impact for the community, so you can feel good about purchasing!
NYX Professional Makeup – NYX is a proud partner and ally of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. They have been dedicated and will continue supporting the Center’s services through donation, raising awareness & education, and celebrating the Center’s members.
Products: This Is Milky Gloss Lip Gloss, Marsh Mellow Primer, and Bare With Me Tinted Skin Veil Lightweight BB Cream.
Where to buy: Ulta Beauty, NYX official website, and Target.
ELEMIS – Since 2018, ELEMIS has partnered with The Pink Agenda, an organization committed to raising money for breast cancer research and care. In addition to their limited edition products benefiting The Pink Agenda, they also create fundraising opportunities for its partners and employees. To date, ELEMIS has helped The Pink Agenda fund 1,575 hours of lifesaving breast cancer research.
Products: Superfood Facial Wash, Superfood Blackcurrant Jelly Exfoliator, and Superfood Vital Veggie Mask.
Where to buy: Ulta Beauty, Elemis official website, and Skin Store.
You can find more positive impact brands here!
Those are just a few brands that exhibit these characteristics. There are so many brands to explore that are sustainable and promote a better environment for all of us. Next time you go shopping, remember the products you choose have a small impact on your environment. Remember, activism isn’t just buying a product but advocating for more brands to go cruelty-free, vegan, sustainable, and creating a positive impact.