20 Best Cruelty-free Foundations, Kind to Your Skin And Animals
Foundation plays a crucial role in creating a smooth, even, and flawless complexion. Unfortunately, most foundations available in the market contain ingredients derived from animals. Opting for the best cruelty-free foundations blended with vegan formulations ensures you enjoy the advantages of clean beauty and sustainability simultaneously. Jo Levy, a conscious beauty artist and educator, says, “Vegan and cruelty-free foundations often include nourishing, plant-based ingredients that deliver great benefits for your skin while also giving you the coverage you need. Not only are they animal friendly and free from animal-derived ingredients, but they also have some innate added benefits.”
Amidst the plethora of brands, how can you make the right choice for a foundation that not only enhances your skin's beauty but also doesn't harm our planet or its furry inhabitants? Well, you're in luck here. Drawing from our experience, we have shortlisted some cruelty-free foundations that are blended with the right skin-care ingredients. Plus, most of them are vegan, which makes for a double win for your skin and the environment. Scroll down to take a look.
Wet n Wild Photo Focus Matte Liquid Foundation
Dermablend Quick-Fix Body — Makeup Full Coverage Foundation Stick
catrice True Skin Hydrating Foundation
PURITO Cica Clearing BB Cream
Fifth & Skin Better’n Ur Skin Mineral Foundation- (HONEY TAN)
Milani Screen Queen Liquid Foundation
ILIA - True Skin Serum Foundation
glo Skin Beauty Luminous Liquid Mineral Foundation
gaya Mineral Powder Foundation
Luscious Camera Stick Foundation
In This Article
20 Best Cruelty-Free Foundations
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1Best Overall
Wet n Wild Photo Focus Matte Liquid Foundation
This revolutionary skin-perfecting foundation that's undergone rigorous testing under seven different photo lighting conditions ensures flawless, camera-ready makeup every time. Say goodbye to white cast with this breakthrough formula designed for perfection. It's color-matched for all undertones, delivering a matte, second-skin finish with soft-focus properties that enhance your skin's natural beauty. Plus, it’s 100% cruelty-free and never uses furry, feathery, or scaly creatures to test products.
- Lightweight formula
- Good for sensitive skin
- Full coverage
- Cost-effective
- Unpleasant smell
Dermablend Quick-Fix Body — Makeup Full Coverage Foundation Stick
Get ready to flawlessly transform your look with Dermablend Quick-Fix Body Makeup Full Coverage Foundation Stick. Besides giving you a flawless base, this water-resistant full-coverage foundation stick is your secret weapon for covering imperfections and tattoos. With its convenient size, it's perfect for on-the-go touch-ups. It provides maximum coverage to conceal blemishes, scars, or tattoos that last longer. Its water-resistant formula ensures your confidence stays intact, even in challenging conditions.
- Offer full coverage
- Smudge-proof
- Cruelty-free
- Lightweight
- Dermatologically tested
- Expensive
catrice True Skin Hydrating Foundation
Elevate your natural beauty with this vegan, long-wearing foundation that offers medium, buildable coverage for a genuine "real skin" finish. Infused with hyaluronic acid and watermelon seed oil, it provides intense hydration and an ultra-lightweight feel. With 20 diverse shades to choose from, you'll find your perfect match. Enjoy the benefits of long-lasting wear, superior hydration, and customizable coverage. Plus, it's cruelty-free, vegan, paraben-free, gluten-free, and alcohol-free, making it an ideal choice for everyday wear.
- Easy application
- Enhance your real complexion
- Intense hydration
- No parabens
- Smooth texture
- Difficult to blend
PURITO Cica Clearing BB Cream
This BB cream is your perfect all-in-one solution. Being a vegan, cruelty-free, and lightweight foundation, it offers a delicate tint of color, just like a tinted moisturizer that enhances your natural beauty. With skin-loving ingredients, this BB cream is a must-have for any cruelty-free beauty routine. Experience the benefits of a multi-functional product that cares for your skin, animals, and the environment.
- Non-irritating
- Lightweight BB cream
- Soft, dewy foundation finish
- Velvety smooth
- Very little coverage
Fifth & Skin Better’n Ur Skin Mineral Foundation- (HONEY TAN)
This long-lasting, cruelty-free foundation is not just makeup; it's a skin-loving powerhouse. Embrace the natural, organic, gluten-free, vegan, cruelty-free, and palm-free formula that cares for your skin, animals, and the planet. With a gorgeous Honey Tan shade, this foundation offers buildable coverage that feels like a second skin. Enjoy the added benefit of natural sun protection as you enhance your radiant complexion.
- Good for all skin types
- Dewy look
- Buildable formula
- Infused with real vanilla
- Non-toxic
- Sheer-light coverage
Milani Screen Queen Liquid Foundation
This cruelty-free foundation goes beyond traditional makeup, featuring innovative Digital Bluelight Filter Technology. It helps protect your skin from the effects of digital blue light, ensuring your complexion stays flawless in the digital age. With its buildable coverage and long-lasting wear, this foundation offers a seamless blend for a natural look. Make a statement with this vegan and cruelty-free foundation, a product conscious of animal welfare and committed to your beauty needs.
- Blur imperfections
- Strengthen skin
- 45 skin-perfecting shades
- Vegan formula
- Cruelty-free
- None reported
ILIA - True Skin Serum Foundation
Elevate your beauty routine with ILIA True Skin Serum Foundation in the alluring Milos SF8 shade. This foundation not only enhances your natural beauty but also upholds high ethical standards as a cruelty-free and vegan product. Enjoy clean beauty that cares for your skin and the environment. With a lightweight, serum-like formula, it provides a radiant, natural finish that keeps your skin looking flawless. This cruelty-free foundation is packed with niacinamide and allantoin to make your skin feel healthy and glowing.
- Buildable, medium-coverage
- Active ingredients
- Breathable formula
- Lasts all-day
- Might settle in pores
glo Skin Beauty Luminous Liquid Mineral Foundation
This formula not only provides sheer to medium coverage for a flawless look, but it also comes with SPF 18 to shield your skin from the sun. This foundation works wonders by enhancing your skin's appearance and tone. The result? A dewy, radiant finish that makes you look your best. Glo Skin Beauty's foundation is perfect for those who want to achieve a natural, luminous glow with added sun protection.
- Soft focus effect
- Lightweight
- Vegan
- Formulated with light-diffusing Diamond Powder
- Broad spectrum UV protection
- Might not cover dark spots
gaya Mineral Powder Foundation
This best cruelty-free foundation for oily skin offers customizable coverage, allowing you to achieve a natural look or build it up for full coverage. Made with Mica minerals, it's designed to provide a natural-looking finish. Plus, it's cruelty-free and free from harsh chemicals, making it a conscious choice for your beauty routine. Formulated with skin-loving ingredients, this foundation is good for your skin and kind to our furry friends, so you can look and feel your best without compromise.
- Velvety and vegan
- Clean and lightweight feel
- Soothing mineral blend
- Buff away imperfections
- Faulty packaging
Luscious Camera Stick Foundation
This full-coverage cream foundation offers a flawless finish while being gentle on your skin. The non-comedogenic and hydrating formula ensures your skin looks its best without clogging pores. What's more makes it stunning is its vegan, paraben-free, and cruelty-free formulation that aligns well with all those environment lovers. This creamy foundation is tested and approved by dermatologists to provide flawless skin.
- Full coverage
- Suitable on all skin types
- Photo filter pigments
- Made of sustainable plant-derived actives
- Non-natural looking
HOURGLASS Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick
This game-changing foundation stick is just like a concealer but as smooth as a liquid and as light as a powder. It's not only long-lasting but also waterproof, ensuring you have full, flawless coverage that lasts. Thanks to its super-concentrated pigments, it hides any imperfections, leaving your skin looking flawless with a seamless finish.
- Satin finish
- Waterproof
- Long-lasting
- Cover redness and other skin imperfections
- Expensive
YOUNGBLOOD Clean Luxury Cosmetics Natural Loose Mineral Foundation
This natural loose mineral foundation in the radiant shade of sunglow can be your everyday savior. Suitable for all skin types, this powder foundation is your secret to a luminous and matte finish that lasts all day. Offering full coverage, oil control, and a healthy glow, it's the perfect choice for those who want beauty and ethics. Plus, it's vegan and cruelty-free so that you can shine with a clear conscience.
- Buildable formula
- Natural finish
- Suitable for all skin types
- Conceal imperfections
- Lightweight
- Mismatched shades
Mom's Secret Liquid Foundation - Aloe Based
This animal cruelty-free foundation is not just makeup; it's a blend of organic, vegan, and aloe-based goodness. With natural sun protection and gluten-free ingredients, it's a guilt-free choice. Plus, it's fortified with Vitamin E to smoothen, moisturize, and nourish your skin barrier to provide confidence with every application. This organic foundation is excellent for all skin types and contains no harsh chemicals or ingredients that clog pores. So, enjoy a radiant while embracing the natural beauty of your skin.
- All-natural
- Organic
- Moisturizing
- Free of harsh chemicals
- Doesn’t clog pores
- Difficult to blend
TRUE + LUSCIOUS Sheer Halo Complexion Powder
This clean, vegan, cruelty-free powder foundation is your key to a natural matte finish with sheer to medium coverage. With silky, pressed, talc-free powder formulation, it's the perfect addition to your makeup collection for a flawless complexion that aligns with your ethical values. Full of natural skin goodies, this lightweight powder is ideal for everyone's skin. It has natural ingredients like aloe vera, which is believed to soothe your skin; grape extract and kaolin clay, that are considered to stop skin from getting too oily.
- Blur imperfections
- Control shine all-day
- Dermatologist tested
- Packed with natural skincare ingredients
- Expensive
AGELESS DERMA Baked Mineral Foundation
Experience Ageless Beauty with this best cruelty-free foundation for mature skin in the shade Dover Beige—this vegan, paraben-free, gluten-free, and cruelty-free foundation results in flawless, radiant skin. The buildable powder formula allows you to achieve your desired level of coverage, from light to full. Based on our tests, this baked mineral foundation contains skin-loving ingredients and is perfect for all skin types. This foundation ensures a natural, radiant look that not only enhances your beauty but also aligns with your ethical values.
- Matte finish
- Good for combination and normal skin type
- Natural formulation
- Lightweight texture
- Easy application
- Difficult to blend
GABRIEL Cosmetics Dual Powder Foundation
This natural pressed mineral powder is not only paraben-free but also vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free, and non-GMO. Enriched with the goodness of sea fennel, it offers full coverage to enhance your natural beauty. This super lightweight dual powder foundation provides a flawless finish for your everyday look. Created to make your skin look less shiny and absorb extra oil without causing skin problems or making it too dry. This special plant-based product works like a foundation and powder to give your skin a smooth, matte appearance. Embrace a makeup product that aligns with your values and supports your radiant look throughout the day.
- Vegan
- Lightweight
- Absorb excess oi
- Doesn’t clog pores
- Not suitable for pale skin tone
jane iredale Beyond Matte Liquid Foundation
This a lightweight makeup wonder that offers buildable coverage that lasts all day long. Being vegan, clean, and cruelty-free foundation, this product is your key to flawless, naturally beautiful skin. Whether you prefer a natural look or desire a more polished appearance, this foundation has you covered. With this 3-in-1 formulation, you can enjoy high-quality makeup that aligns with your values. This semi-matte foundation enhances your skin's radiance and makes you embrace a natural and luminous finish that's perfect for any occasion.
- Buildable coverage
- Semi-matte finish
- Lightweight
- Contains skin-nourishing ingredients
- Expensive
- Might take a long time to blend
Ere Perez Oat Milk Foundation
This clean beauty product is 100% vegan, cruelty-free, and dedicated to your skin's well-being. With a shade like Maple, you can enjoy a blemish-free skin tone all day long. It's crafted with care, free from harmful ingredients, and committed to making you feel naturally beautiful. Say hello to a foundation that aligns with your values and enhances your skin's appearance. Clean, ethical, and kind to animals – it's the perfect choice for conscious beauty enthusiasts.
- Non-greasy
- Natural finish`176
- Buildable Foundation
- Contains Vitamin E
- Settles into pores
juice BEAUTY PHYTO-PIGMENTS Flawless Serum Foundation
This skin-perfecting and age-defying serum is made of plant-derived Phyto-Pigments and provides sheer radiance with just a dab of little quantity. Being a sustainable makeup choice, it will never hurt your skin and give you a flawless finish with the goodness of botanical ingredients. This vegan and cruelty-free foundation has buildable coverage to refine your skin texture and thoroughly polish your appearance. Plus, unlike many other foundations, this serum foundation is silicone-free and won’t clog your pores.
- Full coverage, flawless finish
- Silicon free formula
- Age-defying properties
- Made of natural pigments
- None reported
HALEYS RE: START Mineral Makeup Foundation
Experience a makeover with this cruelty-free foundation for oily skin that is designed to absorb oil. Suitable for all skin types, this foundation will help you achieve a satin finish without drying out your skin. Find your perfect shade among six stunning hues, ensuring natural, breathable coverage. This lightweight formulation conceals imperfections, softens fine lines, and won't clog pores. Plus, it's vegan and cruelty-free, enriched with skin-loving ingredients like Capryloyl Glycine and Cinnamon Bark extract to balance your complexion's pH.
- Absorb oil
- Vegan and cruelty-free
- Lightweight formula
- Sheer to medium coverage
- Easy to blend
- Might oxidize
We understand the abundance of choices can make it challenging to decide the best options. Drawing from our expertise, we're here to assist you by highlighting critical considerations before your final selection.
How to Choose the Best Cruelty-Free Foundation?
- Know Your Skin Type
First, figure out what kind of skin you have. This will help you pick the foundation that provides long-lasting results and seamless application. Check if your skin is oily, dry, or both. This will help you choose the just right foundation for your skin. Different formulations work better for different skin types.
- Check the Ingredients
Look for foundations with natural and skin-friendly ingredients. Avoid products with potentially harmful chemicals, parabens, and sulfates, which are often not only dangerous for your skin but can also indicate a lack of ethical and environmental considerations.
- Decide the Texture
Now, decide the best texture for your skin type and complexion. Some people like stick foundations, while others prefer liquid ones. Choose an organic cruelty-free foundation that is easy to blend and does not appear cakey after application.
- Matching Shade
Ensure that you choose a shade that matches your skin tone and undertone. Many brands offer various shades to cater to multiple complexions, so take the time to find the perfect match.
- Check the Coverage It Offers
If you only want to make your features a bit better but still have your freckles or scars visible, use a light coverage foundation. But if you want to hide your spots and make your makeup look smooth, choose a medium to full-coverage foundation. You can also go for a full-coverage, cruelty-free foundation that doesn't rub off easily and can handle water if you want it to last all day.
How to Verify If Your Foundation Is Cruelty-free Or Not?
- Look for Certification
Check if the vegan cruelty-free foundation or the brand is certified as cruelty-free by recognized organizations. One of the easy ways to determine this is by checking the product carefully for cruelty-free logos such as PETA or Leaping Bunny. These certifications ensure that the product was not tested on animals during any stage of its development.
- Check a Cruelty-free List Online
If you don't see the Leaping Bunny logo on the product, you can look for information in online lists of cruelty-free brands. Companies often appear on these lists without having to pay any fees.
- Research the Brand
Investigate the brand's animal testing policy. Visit the brand's website or contact customer service to learn about their cruelty-free stance. Cruelty-free brands typically provide information about their practices and principles.
In the pursuit of beauty, we can be conscious consumers who not only prioritize our well-being but also the welfare of our planet and its creatures. We know that embracing a cruelty-free lifestyle comes with its fair share of challenges, and discovering a high-quality foundation that aligns with your values is often a big challenge for many people. Our list of the best cruelty-free foundations provides you with the perfect hydration, texture, and flawless coverage that are sure to last long. Plus, many of these items don't have parabens or alcohol, and they've got good-for-your-skin organic ingredients in them. However, choose according to your skin type and opt for dermatologist-tested products if you have sensitive or acne-prone skin. Before buying any product, thoroughly check its reviews and take cues from our aforementioned buying guide to make a smart purchase.
FAQ's
Why Trust Pinkvilla
Our makeup expert, Sayantani, believes that cruelty-free vegan foundations are fantastic for achieving flawless skin while promoting eco-friendly and ethical makeup choices. She's found that these products perform just as well as traditional foundations and are environmentally friendly. Moreover, they are gentle on the skin due to their natural plant-based ingredients. Sayantani researched the products mentioned in this article and found they felt lightweight on the skin. Some formulations gave her a flawless complexion that lasted all day.
Our product experts study the specifications of every product we suggest and try them out to bring what’s proven worthy of your money, time, and energy. We also have subject matter experts from various fields like Fashion, Skincare, Haircare, Home Decor, and Health and fitness on board to ensure our suggestions are credible and trustworthy. You can trust Pinkvilla to be your faithful shopping guide for all the right reasons!
Sayantani is a certified hair and makeup professional turned writer with 2+ years of experience in the same genre. Ap More
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