Cruelty-free is on fleek. But a vegan makeup brush is the only cruelty-free makeup brush.
Thankfully conscious, cruelty-free beauty is catching on. Color us more impressed than the one time we managed to get the angled crease above our eyes perfectly symmetrical.
With so many cruelty-free and sustainable beauty brands available, why are we still using animal hair makeup brushes?
Synthetic bristles were originally viewed as cheap and inferior. As a result, natural makeup brushes (AKA animal hair applicators) have long-outlived animal ingredients in makeup itself.
This has now changed and we’ve sought out the best sustainable makeup brushes to give you the tools (literally) to make your makeup routine absent the animals.
We independently research all featured brands, and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. We explain this further in our Terms of Use.
Top Picks: Vegan Makeup Brushes
We love using Antonym’s vegan and sustainable makeup brushes that make makeup application a breeze. While the synthetic brush heads aren’t compostable, they minimize end-of-life landfill waste by ensuring both the handle and packaging are.
A PETA-certified cruelty-free makeup brush set from Kat Von D is both user-friendly and animal-friendly—including their parent company.
We’re elated that Elate Cosmetics uses sustainable materials and vegan Taklon bristles for their beautiful bamboo brushes.
Index: Eco-Friendly Makeup Brushes
- INIKA Organic Jump to brand
- Nanshy Jump to brand
- Antonym Cosmetics Jump to brand
- Elate Cosmetics Jump to brand
- Ecotools Jump to brand
- Jenny Patinkin Jump to brand
- Kat Von D Jump to brand
INIKA Organic
About INIKA Organic’s Eco-Friendly Makeup Brushes Australia
Price Range: $22–$98
INIKA Organic’s vegan and cruelty-free makeup brushes are also some of the best eco-friendly makeup brushes available.
The biodegradable PLA handles are made from corn and cassava, and each brush features high-quality vegan bristles.
Their Kabuki Brush is an exception. Its handle is made from natural wood with a recyclable aluminum ferrule, making it their most sustainable makeup brush.
If you’re more interested in a vegan makeup brush set, INIKA’s includes 6 best-selling brushes neatly contained in a vegan leather case. Designed to fold and stand upright, the case also doubles as a brush stand.
About INIKA Organic
With over 60 industry awards, Australian beauty brand INIKA Organics is a go-to for natural makeup, including vegan foundation and eyeshadow.
They’re also the world’s first makeup brand to become Plastic Neutral Certified.
Other certifications include Certified Organic by Australia’s Organic Food Chain, PETA Animal Test Free, Ecocert COSMOS Natural or Organic, and Vegan Society Vegan,
90% of INIKA’s packaging is made from sustainable materials.
Nanshy
About Nanshy’s Vegan Makeup Brushes UK
Price Range: $8-$60
Nanshy offers a full range of professional-grade yet affordable synthetic brushes.
These include face brushes, lip brushes, brow brushes, eye brushes, brush sets, makeup brush cleaner, and holders to store it all.
They feature high-quality materials: synthetic bristles, wooden handles, and a chrome-plated brass ferrule that’s stronger than aluminum. Choose between Onyx Black and Pearlescent White finishes.
Store your brushes in the Standup Makeup Brush Holder, a rigid cylinder that doubles as a home holder and an on-the-go protective makeup bag.
About Nanshy
UK-based Nanshy specializes in cosmetics tools alone.
Even with the finest paints, what good is the painter without his brush?
Nanshy “guarantee[s] no animal has been killed, tortured or harmed during the production”. This statement is PETA verified.
Antonym Cosmetics
About Antonym Cosmetics’ Professional Vegan Makeup Brushes
Price Range: $14–$30
Antonym’s vegan brushes are some of the best available.
Made of professional-grade laser-cut synthetic bristles, these are go-to brushes for many celebrity makeup artists. Each brush is designed for seamless performance in both powders and creams.
If you’re looking for eyeshadow brushes, Antonym offers ten to choose from, including a blending brush for getting your conscious coloring just right.
Aside from being certified vegan and cruelty-free, they’re also some of the best eco-friendly make-up brushes featuring compostable bamboo handles and a black aluminum ferrule.
About Antonym Cosmetics
This eco-friendly makeup brand was founded two decades ago by Miami-based celebrity makeup artist Val Giraud.
Antonym’s luxury yet affordable natural makeup range is certified by ECOCERT and Leaping Bunny.
All brushes are certified by The Vegan Awareness Foundation, along with most of their cosmetics (except for their organic beeswax lipstick).
All packaging and marketing material uses FSC-certified compostable paper.
My Personal Review of Antonym’s Makeup Brush Set:
“I’ve tested many of Antonym’s makeup brushes and love the uber-soft bristles and smooth application of each and every one, but the Foundation Brush #4 is my favorite. I love that it’s versatile enough to use for liquid and powder foundations, as well as other cosmetics. Since I actually tend to wear foundation less often than other products, I often find myself using it to set a powder foundation around my eyes, but either way, this brush is really an all-arounder.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Elate Cosmetics
About Elate Cosmetics’ Eco-Friendly Makeup Brushes
Price Range: $14–$28
Elate Cosmetics offers a minimalist lineup of elegant eco makeup brushes.
Each features a sustainably sourced bamboo handle and recyclable aluminum ferrule, glued together with biodegradable eco-resin.
These hypoallergenic makeup brushes feature high-performing and antibacterial Taklon bristles for a fur-free finish.
Their Multi Use Brush makes an ideal foundation brush for applying foundations and powders. A brow brush, cheek contour brush, and eye color brush make up the set.
About Elate Cosmetics
Elate is a zero waste makeup brand that offers not just the best vegan makeup brushes, but the makeup to go with them, including pressed and loose eye powders, eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliners, face makeup, and lipstick.
All are made using over 90% organic and/or fair trade ingredients.
Like the brush handles, the compacts and palettes are also bamboo and refillable via recyclable aluminum pans and seed paper sachets.
Elate is certified by PETA and Cruelty Free International, as well as a Certified B Corp and Green Business Association member.
Emissions are offset with Bullfrog Power, and they give back by donating 2% of profits to environmental and social causes.
Ecotools
About EcoTools Vegan Makeup Brushes & Sets
Price Range: $6–$20
Providing some of the best eco tools for the job, EcoTools’ large selection of vegan brushes caters to every animal-free application need.
The regular brushes feature Taklon bristles, recycled aluminum ferrules, and handles made from either bamboo or 100% post-consumer recycled materials.
Their retractable brushes come in a fully recycled aluminum case, perfect for travel and on-the-go touch-ups.
Opt for single brushes or those grouped into sets, including the Start The Day Beautiful Makeup Brush Kit that contains the Angled Foundation Brush, Angled Liner, Blurring Brush, Defined Crease Brush, and Full Blush Brush.
About EcoTools
Ecotools creates beauty and self-care products that are 100% vegan and PETA-certified cruelty-free.
Across all their makeup brushes, eco-friendly hair brushes, and bath/spa tools, they use as much recycled metal and plastic as possible.
There is 88% less plastic in their new packaging.
Manufacturing partners are audited to ensure high ethical and quality standards.
Jenny Patinkin
About Jenny Patinkin’s Cruelty-Free Makeup Brushes
Price Range: $16–$38
With “2.5 times as many bristles than many brushes on the market” Jenny Patinkin’s brushes bring a luxurious feel to your vegan beauty routine.
They’re handmade using high-quality Korean synthetic fibers that are finer than natural hair.
Each elegant silver metal handle has a weighted base for greater control—meaning you don’t have to be an expert to achieve a professional finish.
About Jenny Patinkin
Founded by author, beauty expert, entrepreneur, and makeup artist Jenny Patinkin, the brand specializes in “eco-luxe beauty tools” that are designed to be user-friendly.
They prioritize plant-based or safe synthetic materials (usually recycled).
Manufacturing partners undergo a strict selection process to ensure ethical, safe conditions and environmentally friendly practices.
Jenny Patinkin gives back via financial and in-kind donations to several organizations.
Kat Von D
About Kat Von D’s Vegan-Friendly Makeup Brushes
Price Range: $20–$34
Kat Von D brushes are versatile and user-friendly—even beginners can use them with ease.
Each synthetic brush head is specifically designed to make applying your creams, gels, and powders as smooth as possible.
The unique shape and profile of their Lock-It Precision Powder Brush make under-eye setting and highlighting a breeze and the Lock-It Edge Foundation Brush ensures a flawless finish.
For further convincing, check out the glowing vegan makeup brushes reviews.
About Kat Von D
Named after the founder, owner, and all-round business bad*ss, Kat Von D toes the line between luxury and edgy.
Their makeup line is 100% vegan and cruelty-free. The PETA certification also extends to their parent company, Kendo (not always a given in big brand cosmetics).
They don’t sell into any countries requiring animal testing and uphold strict ethical sourcing policies.
They’re also embracing sustainability with refillable compacts, post-consumer recycled materials, and fully recyclable packaging.
Natural (Animal) Makeup Brushes Vs. Vegan Makeup Brushes
This is one of the few instances where we don’t want to see the word “natural” printed on the package.
Natural bristle makeup brushes are typically not vegan-friendly, because their “natural” bristles are various types of animal hair.
More troublesome than wiping animal fur on your face is that many of these animal hair brushes are still labeled as cruelty-free, because technically, “cruelty-free” only pertains to animal testing.
While some claim harvesting hair doesn’t hurt the animals, we’d treat this with a healthy dose of skepticism. Animal fur used in makeup brushes is either a product of the extremely problematic fur industry to the equally problematic meat industry.
What are vegan makeup brushes made of?
Vegan brushes are made with synthetic fibers like nylon and polyester. The exact material and quality differ by brand.
Are vegan makeup brushes good?
Ethics aside, synthetic brushes are better than animal hair brushes on several levels.
They’re more durable and resistant to damage, and, unlike animal hair, synthetic fibers are non-porous. This makes them hypoallergenic, resistant to bacterial and microbial growth, and easier to clean.
Because the feathery-soft bristles don’t break, shed, or lose flexibility, synthetic fibers deliver a better performance over a wider variety of makeup types—like applying cream foundations, liquids, and gels.
The soft bristles yields better blending and a less blotchy finish.
Making Your Synthetic Bristles More Sustainable
Learning which makeup brushes are vegan is the first step toward conscious cosmetic application. Then we need to know how to make them more sustainable makeup brushes, too.
Unfortunately, synthetic bristles don’t have a good end-of-life outcome. They’re not compostable and take years to biodegrade.
While there are plenty of wood and bamboo makeup brushes out there, so far there are no options with entirely plant-based bristles—meaning there are no zero waste makeup brushes that are also vegan.
To compost your bamboo makeup brush, you’ll need to remove the bristles first.
We still believe that when a choice has to be made, concern over potential waste must take a backseat to animal welfare.
However, we also believe in not being haphazard about your brushes to ensure they last longer.
Firstly, the most sustainable makeup brushes are the ones you already have. If you don’t need to replace them, don’t.
If your brushes do need replacing, seek a secondhand set that has been well looked after.
The next best thing is to buy high-quality makeup brushes, and only to buy what you need. Minimalism also means minimal impact!
Proper brush care and maintenance can also drastically improve the lifespan of your synthetic brushes.
This means washing your brushes thoroughly and often, and letting them fully dry. Leaving makeup to cake and clump in the bristles is the shortest path to early brush retirement (and smudged makeup).
When they start losing bristles or don’t work as well anymore, try to repurpose instead of throwing them away.
Maybe your children could use them for arts and crafts. If not, see if a local school or daycare could use them.
Share this article with friends and family and help spread the word about animal-friendly makeup brushes.
Jenny is a UK-based sustainability writer and tea-drinker extraordinaire who has a Masters in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. Her travels have taken her to organic permaculture farms in the UK and Nepal but you’ll mostly find her working on the veg patch with a garden fork in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Jenny writes for ethical brands and purpose-powered publications on a broad range of sustainable living and conscious consumerism topics. She is passionate about organic and regenerative farming, nature reconnection, and the small things we can do each day to better care for our planet.
