The Definition of Vegan & Great Vegan Makeup Brands

Jaguar Lip Art by Viridis-Somnio

I was recently asked by a friend "What does 'vegan makeup' mean?". I actually had to think about it, even though I know what it means. The true, basic, and straightforward definition is: "Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use by human beings of non-human animal products". Now, onto the origins... The term vegan was coined by Donald Watson (England), who founded the British Vegan Society in 1944. In 1960, H. Jay Dinshah started the American Vegan Society. In 2009 one percent of Americans said they were vegan, and in 2007 two percent self-identified as vegan in the UK. According to the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink (2007), in certain endurance sports, the top athletes are vegans who also eat much of their food uncooked.

"We can see quite plainly that our present civilisation is built on the exploitation of animals, just as past civilisations were built on the exploitation of slaves, and we believe the spiritual destiny of man is such that in time he will view with abhorrence the idea that men once fed on the products of animals' bodies."

Personally, I am not a Vegan. But I definitely believe in cruelty-free products, and animal rights. If you want to learn more- check out the Vegan Society. Here are my favorite Vegan makeup brands!


1. Sugarpill Cosmetics: This brand is not all Vegan, but this is definitely one of my favorites because of the vibrant, and long lasting eyeshadow shades for reasonable prices.
2. Smashbox: Smashbox is actually a great quality makeup brand, and they're completely Vegan!
3. Urban Decay: Again, Urban Decay is not all Vegan, but they do have some awesome products.
4. Mac Cosmetics: Another great and well-known brand, MAC does have some Vegan products.

I hope this post was helpful to some people! :)