Finding cruelty-free drugstore brands isn’t easy. Target, Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart are flooded with non-cruelty-free makeup and most of the big brands such as L’Oreal, Maybelline, Revlon, and Rimmel London test on animals.
However there are plenty of cruelty-free alternatives out there! I’ve put together this list to help you make the right choices. Once you’re aware of the animal testing policies of these companies, you’ll find that it’s very easy to find good budget-friendly brands and products at your local drugstore.
The most common cruelty-free drugstore makeup brands are Covergirl, Milani, Hard Candy, Pacifica, Jordana, and Sonia Kashuk; the complete list can be found in the table below.
As for cruelty-free skincare brands and personal care products, I personally do all of my shopping at Target, and I would recommend doing the same if you want the widest variety of brands that don’t test on animals. Target carries Yes To Carrots, Dr. Bronner’s, Alba Botanica, Kiss My Face, Avalon Organics, Jason, Giovanni, and Desert Essence. All of these companies except for Yes To Carrots are Leaping Bunny-certified.
Cruelty-Free Drugstore Makeup
#
111MedCo
Body Care
Skincare
Body Care
Skincare
3INA
Makeup
Nail Polish
Tools & Accessories
Skincare
Makeup
Nail Polish
Tools & Accessories
Skincare
A
Ace Beauté
False Lashes
Tools & Accessories
Makeup
False Lashes
Tools & Accessories
Makeup
Acure
Body Care
Sunscreen
Deodorant
Hair Care
Skincare
Body Care
Sunscreen
Deodorant
Hair Care
Skincare
Aegean Beauty
Body Care
Hair Care
Skincare
Sunscreen
Body Care
Hair Care
Skincare
Sunscreen
Alaffia
Body Care
Baby
Hair Care
Skincare
Body Care
Baby
Hair Care
Skincare
Alba Botanica
Body Care
Deodorant
Fake Tan
Hair Care
Hair Removal
Skincare
Sunscreen
Body Care
Deodorant
Fake Tan
Hair Care
Hair Removal
Skincare
Sunscreen
Alder New York
Body Care
Skincare
Tools & Accessories
Body Care
Skincare
Tools & Accessories
Alleyoop
Body Care
Deodorant
Makeup
Skincare
Body Care
Deodorant
Makeup
Skincare
Altruist
Skincare
Sunscreen
Skincare
Sunscreen
Andalou Naturals
Body Care
Sunscreen
For Men
Hair Removal
Deodorant
Hair Care
Skincare
Body Care
Sunscreen
For Men
Hair Removal
Deodorant
Hair Care
Skincare
Anthony
Body Care
Fragrance
Skincare
Sunscreen
For Men
Hair Removal
Deodorant
Body Care
Fragrance
Skincare
Sunscreen
For Men
Hair Removal
Deodorant
Arctic Fox
Hair Care
Hair Dye
Nail Polish
Hair Care
Hair Dye
Nail Polish
Ardell
False Lashes
Makeup
False Lashes
Makeup
Aromatica
Body Care
Period Products
Hair Care
Makeup
Oral Care
Skincare
Body Care
Period Products
Hair Care
Makeup
Oral Care
Skincare
Astonish
Cleaning
Laundry
Cleaning
Laundry
Attitude
Body Care
Skincare
Hair Care
Sunscreen
Oral Care
Baby
Pet Care
Cleaning
Deodorant
Laundry
Body Care
Skincare
Hair Care
Sunscreen
Oral Care
Baby
Pet Care
Cleaning
Deodorant
Laundry
Auromere
Body Care
Skincare
Hair Care
Oral Care
Body Care
Skincare
Hair Care
Oral Care
Avalea
Body Care
Skincare
Body Care
Skincare
AXIS-Y
Skincare
Sunscreen
Skincare
Sunscreen
B
Babo Botanicals
Baby
Body Care
Hair Care
Skincare
Sunscreen
Baby
Body Care
Hair Care
Skincare
Sunscreen
Badger
Skincare
Hair Care
Hair Removal
Baby
Body Care
For Men
Sunscreen
Skincare
Hair Care
Hair Removal
Baby
Body Care
For Men
Sunscreen
BaeBlu
Body Care
Fake Tan
Makeup
Nail Polish
Skincare
Body Care
Fake Tan
Makeup
Nail Polish
Skincare
Balm Balm
Body Care
Fragrance
Baby
Skincare
Body Care
Fragrance
Baby
Skincare
Barry M
Makeup
Nail Polish
Makeup
Nail Polish
Beast
Body Care
Hair Removal
Candles
For Men
Hair Care
Skincare
Body Care
Hair Removal
Candles
For Men
Hair Care
Skincare
Beekman 1802
Body Care
Sunscreen
Candles
Hair Care
Skincare
Body Care
Sunscreen
Candles
Hair Care
Skincare
Being Frenshe
Body Care
Candles
Fragrance
Hair Care
Household
Body Care
Candles
Fragrance
Hair Care
Household
Ben Nye
Makeup
Tools & Accessories
Makeup
Tools & Accessories
Benecos
Body Care
Skincare
Nail Polish
Oral Care
For Men
Deodorant
Hair Care
Makeup
Body Care
Skincare
Nail Polish
Oral Care
For Men
Deodorant
Hair Care
Makeup
Benton
Body Care
Skincare
Body Care
Skincare
Billy Jealousy
Fragrance
Skincare
Hair Care
Sunscreen
For Men
Hair Removal
Tools & Accessories
Fragrance
Skincare
Hair Care
Sunscreen
For Men
Hair Removal
Tools & Accessories
bioClarity
Body Care
Skincare
Sunscreen
Body Care
Skincare
Sunscreen
BKIND
Body Care
Hair Care
Nail Polish
Skincare
Body Care
Hair Care
Nail Polish
Skincare
Blinc
Makeup
Skincare
Tools & Accessories
Makeup
Skincare
Tools & Accessories
BLK/OPL
Makeup
Sunscreen
For Men
Hair Removal
Tools & Accessories
Skincare
Makeup
Sunscreen
For Men
Hair Removal
Tools & Accessories
Skincare
Blueland
Body Care
Cleaning
Household
Laundry
Body Care
Cleaning
Household
Laundry
Bomb Cosmetics
Body Care
Candles
Hair Care
Skincare
Body Care
Candles
Hair Care
Skincare
Bondi Sands
Body Care
Tools & Accessories
Fake Tan
Skincare
Sunscreen
Body Care
Tools & Accessories
Fake Tan
Skincare
Sunscreen
Boots
Body Care
Fragrance
Sunscreen
For Men
Hair Care
Makeup
Oral Care
Skincare
Body Care
Fragrance
Sunscreen
For Men
Hair Care
Makeup
Oral Care
Skincare
Botanic Tree
Body Care
For Men
Fake Tan
Skincare
Body Care
For Men
Fake Tan
Skincare
Branch Basics
Body Care
Household
Laundry
Body Care
Household
Laundry
Bubble
Skincare
Sunscreen
Skincare
Sunscreen
Bulldog
For Men
Skincare
For Men
Skincare
Burt’s Bees
Body Care
Hair Care
Baby
Makeup
Skincare
Body Care
Hair Care
Baby
Makeup
Skincare
butter LONDON
Makeup
Body Care
Nail Polish
Makeup
Body Care
Nail Polish
Byoma
Body Care
Skincare
Sunscreen
Body Care
Skincare
Sunscreen
C
C.O. Bigelow
Makeup
Body Care
Skincare
Hair Care
Sunscreen
Nail Polish
Oral Care
For Men
Hair Removal
Household
Tools & Accessories
Candles
Fragrance
Makeup
Body Care
Skincare
Hair Care
Sunscreen
Nail Polish
Oral Care
For Men
Hair Removal
Household
Tools & Accessories
Candles
Fragrance
Cake
Body Care
Fragrance
Hair Care
Skincare
Body Care
Fragrance
Hair Care
Skincare
Hey Vic! In order for companies to sell their products in China, they HAVE to be tested on animals according to Chinese law. This applies to mainland China only (not Hong Kong). Hope this helps! I wrote a post about it.
Lol I know, I’m just hoping really hard they’ll come back!!
What is the column with yes and no? What am I missing?
The cruelty-free status. 🙂
Essence cosmetics also state that they are cruelty free!
Thanks! 🙂 Rimmel is still not fully cruelty-free though. If you read the fine print, you’ll see that they still test on animals when required by law, unfortunately.
That’s unfortunate…I just bought mascara from them. Can anyone reccomend a good mascara brand? I used to buy maybelline volum express, and would be looking for something comparable but without the cruelty
My favorite is Too Faced’s Better Than Sex mascara, I also love Buxom, and in terms of drugstore brand- Pacifica has an Aquarian Gaze Water Resistant Long Lash Mineral Mascara 🙂 I didn’t love LUSH, and I think ecco bella is just okay. Wet n Wild may be another good option to try out! 🙂
Hong Kong is exempt from the animal testing laws! This means that any company that is sold in Hong Kong but not mainland China can still be cruelty-free. 🙂
NYX has a large range of vegan friendly items, though they’re not certified there was a girl who wrote a blog post on when she contacted them and made a google doc of ALL their vegan (even Carmine free) products. Stinks to hear L’Oreal got their filthy hands on one of my favorite makeup brands. Also, Pacifica is entirely vegan to my knowledge, they don’t use carmine either. 🙂
“Our products are made in China but not sold in China.”
I don’t understand wet’n’wild. if products are made in china, they probably use animals it doesn’t matter, if it sells or not.
Check out my post on animal testing laws in China!
China does not require products MADE there to be tested, only if a product is being sold to Chinese consumers. As WNW is not sold on the Chinese drugstore market they are not required to do so.
Hey Suzi, me again. I know back in the day I was under the impression that CVS brand was cruelty free, and actually picked up their generic of the Simple Sensitive Wipes (since Simple isn’t CF) because I needed oil-free makeup wipes for my lash extensions (synthetic, don’t worry). Now that I’m sitting here using one, I’m googling because I’m wondering if they’re still cruelty free and I can’t find info on it that is recent. Have you ever reached out to them?
I did reach out to CVS within the past year and their responses indicated that they’re cruelty-free. I don’t have the e-mail at hand right now but I’ll try to find it!
Hi,
I’m constantly in contact with companies and this is the reply I got from CVS:
“From: [email protected]
Date: 07/21/15 14:21:34
Subject: Hello from CVS Customer Relations
Dear Adry,
Thank you for taking the time to contact CVS/pharmacy regarding CVS brand products.
All CVS Health suppliers must comply with state and federal environmental laws and regulations as well as with our Suppliers Ethics Policy, which establishes the environmental and social criteria required of all suppliers.
We also care about the ethical treatment of animals and have requirements that state that animal testing is strictly prohibited.
For your convenience I have also attached the link to our CVSHealth.com page. Please refer to page 61 of the document.
http://www.cvshealth.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility/2014-interactive-csr-report
We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you again in the future.
Sincerely,
Kristina
CVS Customer Relations”
Thank you for all your work on this website :)!
Adry
LA Girl is also cruelty-free, as are Makeup Geek (even though I don’t support the brand because the owner is shady) and Real Techniques. 🙂
Is City Color and BYS cruelty free?
I just posted and came back, and now my comment is gone ( or is not showing up ) VO5 shampoos and conditioners say ‘not tested on animals’ on the back lower left hand corner of the bottle in small print.
They are very inexpensive, and i see them nearly everywhere. I wanted to try the Paul Mitchell brand ( curious ), but just went their web site. The front page spread has a guy ( Paul Mitchell ) on the left side of the screen. On the right is a beautiful seductive woman with the text ” live beautifully ” .
She is wearing a fur.
What’s up with that ???
I think I’ll stick to my cheap VO5.
I get where you’re coming from, but unfortunately the fact remains that V05 does test on animals while Paul Mitchell doesn’t. 🙁
Paul Mitchell hasn’t tested on animals since the company was born and they’re very involved with various causes like animal rights and preserving the environment. I agree that the fur in their marketing is a bit off-putting, but they’re higher-priced and are looking for a more luxurious vibe. On the up side, the actual piece she’s wearing is probably faux fur.
It’s totally fine if you choose to support V05 instead of Paul Mitchell and to each their own! Just know that V05’s labeling is misleading and they do test on animals under some circumstances.
Yes!
This post was really helpful, but I was wondering if Apivita is cruelty- free. If anyone knows please let me know.
I was told elf now sells in China
They make their stuff in China, but they don’t sell it there!
How can a company confirm that products made in China are cruelty free? China is known to not be truthful about products they make.
Thank you for this list. I am passionate about animal welfare and so many people have absolutely NO idea of the misconceptions on the labels of products. You really have to read between the lines. Cruelty free is only the beginning. I love when they say they don’t condone animal testing, like that makes a difference! And it is very important to find out if their ingredients were in any way animal tested as well. I am happy to be vegan and feel better about my choices in all that I eat, wear and use in my daily life and glad to see many others share my view.
That’s wonderful and I fully agree with you. Thanks for your support! 🙂
I see Prestige is cruelty free. But in their official website I see they has retail store in China. Are they still really cruelty free?
It’s only sold through a website! They have no physical retail stores in the country. The regulation doesn’t apply to online stores. 🙂
Thanks so much for the kind words!! I’m so glad you found this helpful! There are definitely budget-friendly cruelty-free gems at the drugstore. 🙂
It should be noted that the term “cruelty free” just refers to the testing. The products may still contain animal ingredients. If it’s not strictly a vegan brand, be on the safe side and check the ingredients.
good distinction to point out 🙂
This list is great and very helpful. Quite surprising really how many companies are now doing the right thing. Anyone know if PurMinerals sells in China. I’m hoping not as they have great make up.
They don’t sell in China!
Just so you know, Hard Candy is owned by LMVH, who are not cruelty free. 🙁
Not quite right! LVMH sold Hard Candy in 2003. They only briefly owned them.
Burt’s Bee isn’t cruelty free.. they have beeswax in their products, in ALL OF THEM. Bees wax does not belong to us. Nice try tho.
Burt’s Bees isn’t vegan (because bees) but the brand IS cruelty-free, meaning that they don’t test on animals (although their parent company Clorox does).
“Cruelty-free” isn’t a flexible term and only refers to animal testing by definition, and I agree that it doesn’t take into consideration other forms of cruelty, sadly.
i’m sorry but there is nothing cruelty free about the harvest of bees wax. many bees die because of handling and most bee farmer’s rip the wings off the queen so they don’t leave the give and continue to reproduce. wax and honey is not cruelty free not any “cruelty free” product that has either in it. i won’t buy Bert’s for two reasons, this and because Clorox owns them and makes money off their sales. http://www.peta.org/about-peta/faq/whats-wrong-with-beeswax/
I don’t understand why you would choose to call a company like Burt’s Bees CF if they are a part of Clorox. I understand they say “they” don’t test, but being “owned by” a company means you are a part of the company. I don’t mean to sound rude, after all the hard work you do to find CF products, why give-in and perpetuate a company that profits from and contributes to a company who tests?
I’m aware this is an old comment, but you’re joking, right? You’re seriously bringing your ethics into something that has a set definition? Seriously? Cruelty-free means that they don’t test on animals. That’s it. Parent company has nothing to do it. Types of people using it has nothing to do with it. At the end of the day, Burt’s Bees is cruelty-free by definition and trade because they don’t test on animals nor do they sell in places that require testing on animals. Your morals and ethics are not really important when defining a company as cruelty-free. Support them or don’t because of their parent company all you want, but unless you have proof otherwise that they are testing on animals, they’re cruelty-free.
idk why I’m joining an old argument, but I wanted to point out that that is why BB is listed in yellow, and not green. Yellow is companies that are concerning, like the parent company being horrid.
I am really bummed to hear about Revlon no longer being cruelty-free. I guess I’ll start the search for new eyeliners and creme blush. On another note, I love Ellen DeGeneres but am disappointed in her affiliation with CoverGirl. Being vegan coupled with her love of animals, I would think she would not have become a spokes-model for the company.
When was Revlon EVER cruelty free? And it is very sad to see so many of the Hollywood elite advertising products that are not cruelty free. Anything for a buck I guess.
Revlon was cruelty free for many years but they now sell their products in China. I don’t know about the individual ingredients in their products but for a long time they did not test the final products on animals. That’s all changed now with their involvement in China.
My family used to manufacture Revlon and St. Ives in Ohio decades ago.
Covergirl recently announced that they are cruelty free!
It’s tricky, as some companies try to phrase things in a way that makes them appear cruelty-free. Rimmel is an example: if you read the fine print, they claim not to test on animals “unless required by law”.
When a foreign cosmetics company decides to sell in China, their products must be tested on animals by law.
The only exception is Hong Kong, from my understanding. From lovelywitches.co.uk:
“So when are cosmetics not subject to animal testing in China?
– Products that are made and sold in Hong Kong. Although part of China, Hong Kong has separate animal testing laws, so cruelty-free companies can sell there. This why I specifically ask companies if they sell products in mainland China.
– Products manufactured in China for foreign export only. If it’s not being sold to the Chinese public, their government says it’s ok. So there are cruelty-free companies who make their products in China, but don’t sell them there.
– E-commerce. Products sold and posted directly to customers from e-commerce websites are not required to be tested on animals. So cruelty-free companies can sell to Chinese customers directly through their websites.”
Great to see this list. Hopefully one day it’ll be bigger and or completely unnecessary because all companies will be cruelty free!
Yes! Supporting cruelty-free companies at a large scale should help make this happen!
Hi, i visited Logical Harmony’s blog and they say Jordana isn’t cruelty free and it’s in their list of brands to avoid. Thought i should tell you cause i don’t know who to trust anymore ):
Jordana is owned by Milani, who is Leaping Bunny-certified! The Leaping Bunny is the most trustworthy cruelty-free certification available. Hope this helps!
There was some confusing information about Milani and Jordana for a few months, as there was a statement accidentally released by them and there was a lot of confusion for awhile, which is probably when they were on the ‘brands to avoid’ list at Logical Harmony. However, Milani and Jordana recently obtained the Leaping Bunny certification, so they are cruelty-free.
This is great! Thnk you(:
Glad to help!
Isn’t NYX no longer a cruelty free brand?
NYX is now owned by L’Oreal but the brand itself remained cruelty-free. They don’t sell in China right now, but if I hear anything and their status changes, I’ll be sure to update.
Isn’t Milani now no longer cruelty-free?
Milani is still cruelty-free and their policy hasn’t changed. Not even 2 months ago in July, they claimed that their products or ingredients aren’t tested on animals at any point of production, and they haven’t entered the Chinese market (so far!). I know that it’s tricky to know for sure if a huge company is cruelty-free, but I have good reason to believe Milani still is.
I hope not. Being an inhumane company that goes cruelty-free is awesome. However, going from cruelty-free to inhumane? I just don’t get how in the world a company could do that, be ok with themselves and justify it. I’d file bankruptcy and live on the street before doing that if my company was somehow being forced into making noncruelty-free products. Trust me, I don’t put anything past big business but still… That would be horrible.
The problem seems to arise when previously-cruelty-free companies are bought by companies that aren’t. I think, for example, that that’s what happened to St. Ives and Aussie, both of which I think were previously cruelty-free? It seems most brands (of anything, from soda to beauty supplies) are now actually owned by a few big companies.