20+ Cruelty-free, vegan-friendly makeup brushes (including Canadian brands!)
Although every step towards a cruelty-free life is an admirable one, going through the trouble of making sure your makeup is cruelty-free and/or vegan and then applying it with a real fur brush feels kind of counter-productive.
Did you know that a lot of makeup brushes, especially high-end ones, are made with real fur? And while I’d love if that just meant minks and bunnies are being given luxurious spa days and nice hair cuts in order to produce these brushes…it’s a lot less cute than that. In truth, the hair for those brushes come from fur farms where conditions are squalid, disease is rampant (hello, Covid variants) and it all ends in slaughter.
No need to support the fur industry, when these days high-tech synthetic fibres perform just as well as real fur!
Brushes in my personal collection
E.L.F.
I love my E.L.F brushes. I’ve had some of them for a few years, and they are holding up extremely well. My current fav is the fluffy eye blender pictured above - it blends our my shadow so effortlessly—and for the whopping price tag of four dollars you can’t go wrong.
EcoTools
Ecotools were actually the very first cruelty-free brushes I ever bought! I still have those original brushes, and they’ve served me well. What I love about Ecotools is that are made using cruelty-free bristles, recycled aluminum and renewable bamboo materials. They even offer a biodegradable blending sponge!
Real Techniques
What I love about Real Techniques is how pretty they are! Like, this soft glam trio—shut up, so gorgeous! With the fun coloured handles, these are great looking brushes all for affordable drug store prices. On top of that, these little hot pink numbers have been serving me well for over three years—not a bristle out of place.
Canadian Vegan Makeup Brushes
If you can support local while shopping cruelty-free, why not?
Pure Anada I like that they use sustainable bamboo wood handles.
Elate Cosmetics I love a BCorp! Elate also offers cute bamboo palettes.
Cover FX doesn’t offer a huge selection, but if you want something more high-end, it’s a good option.
Ilia Beauty also doesn’t have a huge selection, but they do have everything you need for a full face.
RMS Beauty has sleek silver handles and blush bristles, making for an incredibly chic looking brush.
Sappho New Paradigm is a vegan and organic beauty line. Their buffer brush just may be my next purchase.
Other Cruelty-free Brushes to Consider
There are now so many options on the market that we are spoiled for choice (and really have no excuse to use fur!) I’m sure I’m missing some brands, but if the above haven’t provided what you’re on the hunt for, check out the options below:
How adorable is this Little Mermaid collection by Spectrum?
I can’t get enough of these rose quartz inspired handles by Luxie.
Did I miss your favourite vegan makeup brush brand? Pop over to Instagram and let me know. I always love hearing from you, and I’m happy to add more brands to this list!
Big hugs,
Kassia