Chances are you've picked up one of e.l.f.'s products from your drugstore before. Not only is e.l.f. loved by beauty editors and bloggers, it's also one of the most affordable brands out there, with tons of picks under $10. The brand’s motto is “guilt-free beauty," and it omits the banned ingredients by the EU regulations and formulate with those that follow the Ulta’s “Clean” designation. 

Ex-Sephora product developer Tiila Abbitt, founder of Aether beauty, makes sure she does not include animal derived ingredients like carmine, lanolin, and more in her formulas. Instead, she ensures it used plant-derived or synthetic-but-sustainable ingredients. “There is absolutely no need to have any animal derived ingredients in beauty products” says Abbitt. The brand also tries sourcing its ingredients from organic, fair trade suppliers, and has 100% recyclable packaging. Abbitt adds that Aether has alternative raw materials that can give “fantastic shade ranges and formulations.” See the brand's guide for how to tell if makeup products are really vegan.

Cover FX is a high-performance brand dedicated to clean ingredients and makeup that's also good for your skin. Products are formulated without using any animal-derived ingredients or animal testing. The brand only works with select number of trusted labs and manufacturers, carefully vetted and strictly adhering to the brand’s vegan product development standards.Cover FX ensures that lab partners provide all documentation that substantiates the vegan claim for each new product launch. “A big part of our brand ethos is a dedication and responsibility to care for all living things.” says a brand spokesperson. For the brand, beauty means not only taking care of yourself but also the world around you. The brand will soon be part of Ulta’s Conscious Beauty Initiative.

This Gwyneth Paltrow-approved brand is not only committed to using no animal byproducts and not testing on animals, but it also only uses plant-based pigments in makeup formulas. PETA has awarded Juice Beauty a Courage in Commerce award for staying out of China’s brick and mortar stores known to test on animals. Juice Beauty has legally agreed to not conduct or be party to any animal testing on products or any ingredients. Additionally, the brand claims to have developed a supply chain monitoring system to assure that no animal testing takes place with any of its ingredient suppliers. At Juice Beauty, the belief is in the ethical treatment of animals, as harming animals is not only cruel but harms the planet, its ecosystem, and ultimately humans. 

Mented Cosmetics is committed to having its products without animal products or byproducts. The brand says it works with manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad to ensure all ingredients are vegan and cruelty-free. It strives to deliver on consumers' expectations of high quality ingredients, and being a vegan brands helps them deliver on that. Mented isn't just vegan: It's also a black-owned brand that consistently paves the way for makeup that works on every skin tone. 

KVD prides itself as having “100% vegan ingredients” which means products “having no animal byproducts and not tested on animals.” The whole line was reformulated and relaunched in 2018 to fit the mission of the brand, which is known for its high-pigment and long-lasting performance. It avoids carmine, uses plant-based fats and oils such as sunflower oil, and plant-based waxes instead of beeswax. The brand thinks that the future of beauty is not just clean, but vegan, particularly as consumers get increasingly conscious about animal cruelty, greenhouse gas emissions from raising farm animals, and “the contradiction between the love of their pets and products being tested on animals."

Beauty newbie Vesca has arrived on the scene determined to increase inclusivity in the beauty world. Often, when brands tout wide shade ranges, it's only referring to foundations and skin products but Vesca aims to change that with highlighters and bronzers for all skin tones. Vesca is also committed to being vegan: "We found we could create beautiful, high-quality formulations without any animal-derived ingredients and byproducts," says a spokesperson.