33 Beauty Brands You Probably Didn’t Know Were Cruelty-Free

Attention, animal lovers: Your options for cruelty-free brands in the beauty space have grown considerably in the past decade. In fact, finding products that haven’t been tested on our furry friends has never been easier, with both indie and big-name brands like CoverGirl, Milk Makeup, Hourglass, and more all pledging the cruelty-free promise. It’s finally becoming the standard, thanks to more people migrating to vegan and plant-based lifestyles and, thereby, demanding animal-friendly options in their beauty products, too.

So, what exactly does “cruelty-free” mean in this day and age? Laura Lam-Phaure, a cosmetic chemist based in Los Angeles, breaks it down for us. “In the world of cosmetics, ‘cruelty-free’ generally means that products were developed without any testing performed on animals,” she explains. “This is not to be confused with ‘vegan’ which means the product does not contain any animal by-products.” For chemists specifically, Lam-Phaure says that each ingredient needs to be accompanied by some sort of documentation that confirms the no-animal-testing component — in order to be certified as “cruelty-free.”

Luckily, for us consumers, the cruelty-free beauty selection just keeps growing. Many of the options come shelfie-ready, with uncompromised formulas suited for folks with all different beauty needs. What’s more, you have both drugstore and prestige products to choose from, so whether you’re on a budget or big into splurging, there’s a whole slew of excellent cruelty-free picks that will meet your makeup, skin-care, and hair-care goals. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the animal-friendly beauty market and don’t know where to begin — or if you’re simply looking for new cruelty-free brands to shop — we’ve got you covered with this list.