Is Carmex Vegan? Here’s The Top Ten Cruelty-Free Cosmetic Companies

I’ve been BWA’s beauty writer for almost a year now, and from time to time have noticed a scattering of comments across my articles mentioning cruelty free or vegan beauty products (yes, I read your comments, so play nice). Yet I haven’t taken the time to see what’s out there. This is mostly due to the fact that I often get caught up in issues I’m passionate about like body image and women’s rights, therefore I am prone to forgetting about our furry friends (which is weird considering how much of my time is spent on Pinterest looking at cute animal pics). There’s no excuse, I know. But I imagine many of you do the same thing; both looking up pics of cute animals and getting caught up in life, meaning you simply just don’t have the time or energy to think about some things. It is for this reason that I have done the thinking for you. You’re welcome.

Below you will find my list of the top ten PETA approved companies that produce cruelty free beauty products.

But before we get to that there are a few things you need to know. The first thing you will notice about this list is that basically every major cosmetic company is not on it, including some that you might expect to be cruelty free. PETA has pretty strict guidelines as to what can get on their list, which you can read here. I also have a few guidelines of my own.

1.They have to be easily accessible. My aim was to give you a list of products that you’ll be able to get, no matter where you live in Australia (so long as a postie can get to your door). I’ve compiled The Priceline List, being brands that Priceline stocks (I figured Priceline was a good starting point because they are seriously everywhere). And also The Online List, being either Aussie brands that can be purchased online, or “au” websites (so it is guaranteed they’re available here). Unfortunately that has meant I’ve let a lot of potentially fantastic brands out, but a huge factor for me is accessibility.

2.They have to be a reasonable price (this also cut a lot out).

3.Regardless of what the company claims their policy on animal cruelty is, if it has not landed a spot on the PETA list, it hasn’t featured on mine either for the sake of simplicity. But if you know of some great cruelty free companies, let us know in the comments!

4.There are literally hundreds of companies on PETA’s list, meaning I can guarantee you that I missed a few, regardless of whether they fit into my own guidelines or not.

5.Not all PETA approved companies are vegan, so I have specified if they are in brackets next to the brand. Now go forth and beautify, friends! And be kind to the bunnies.

The Online List:

Aromacare (Vegan)

Products: Skincare, hair care, aromatherapy products.

Prices: Between $5 and $110 (aromatherapy tools bump up price)

The Body Shop

Products: Skincare, hair care, fragrance, makeup.

Prices: From $3 to $60

Sasy n Savy

Products: Skincare, hair care, aromatherapy products

Prices: $18 t0 $85

Prestige Cosmetics

Products: Makeup

Prices: $12 to $30

Eco Minerals (Vegan)

Products: Makeup

Prices: $19 to $99 (gift packs bump up price)

The Priceline List

Bonne Bell

Products: Makeup (and Lip Smackers, you guys!!!)

Prices: $5 to $15

Botani

Products: Skincare

Prices: $7 to $104 (gift packs bump up price)

Burt’s Bees

Products: Skincare, hair care

Prices: $6 to $50

Carmex

Products: Lip care (balms, glosses and remedies), skincare

Prices: $2 to $20

Physicians Formula

Products: Makeup, skincare

Prices: $5 to $30 

Disclaimer:

As always, you can’t believe everything you read on the internet (hard to believe, I know), so if you’re passionate about vegan or cruelty free beauty products, here is PETA’s full “Companies That DON’T Test On Animals” list, and their “Companies That DO Test On Animals” list. When it comes to issues like this people often get hot under the collar. But for now, let’s keep it light-hearted folks. I know I’ve missed a lot of great brands, and I know you’ll have your own opinions about PETA and the beauty industry. But keep in mind that this isn’t an opinion piece. It’s just a “here are some great cruelty free companies, now let’s look at the cute animals just after this paragraph and all be friends” piece. You should also know that I do not get paid to write these articles, nor do I get sent treats or products from cosmetic companies. So you can read my list with a happy heart knowing that nothing got on here because of advertising or because of the potential for financial rewards.

Images: weheartit.com, myimpress.tumblr.com, cuteoverload.com