non toxic vegan brands for people of color
How many times you go the beauty counter, browse a brand website, or the pharmacy aisle to realize the new foundation you heard so many great waves about doesn’t have a shade suitable for your complexion?
What are my expectations when it comes to beauty?
My wish ( because one can only do that!) is to find vegan and non-toxic makeup for my deep skin tone. I want my makeup routine to be simple and clean!
It’s not too much to ask really!
Did you know?
“Black women are one of the most powerful consumers because they are three times as likely to be the head of household than any other minority culture,” Tarra Jackson
It just happens that some of us love makeup and beauty!
Assuming that you understand now that we, people of color can actually afford the products. How about why they should be vegan?
Is it ok to feel bad for a human being who has no respect for life but deny that same respect to the animals?
What’s actually is in your makeup and beauty products?
Ambergris:whale intestines. Used as a fixative in making perfumes and as a flavoring in foods and beverages.
Amino Acids: The building blocks of protein in all animals and plants. In cosmetics, vitamins, supplements, shampoos.
Bee Products: Bees are selectively bred. Culled bees are killed. A cheap sugar is substituted for their stolen honey. Millions die as a result.
Carmine: Red pigment from the crushed female cochineal insect. Reportedly, 70,000 beetles must be killed to produce one pound of this red dye. Used in cosmetics, shampoos, red apple sauce, and other foods (including red lollipops and food coloring).
Cetyl Alcohol: Wax originally found in spermaceti from sperm whales or dolphins but now most often derived from petroleum.
Emu Oil: From flightless ratite birds native to Australia and now factory-farmed.
Fish Scales:Used in shimmery makeup.
Keratin: Protein from the ground-up horns, hooves, feathers, quills, and hair of various animals.
Lecithin: A waxy substance in the nervous tissue of all living organisms. But frequently obtained for commercial purposes from eggs and soybeans. Also from nerve tissue, blood, milk, corn. Choline bitartrate, the basic constituent of lecithin, is in many animal and plant tissues and prepared synthetically. Lecithin can be in eye creams, lipsticks, liquid powders, hand creams, lotions, soaps, shampoos, other cosmetics, and some medicines.
Linoleic Acid: An essential fatty acid. Used in cosmetics, vitamins.
Read more on Animal products in your cosmetics.
10 animal products lurking in your cosmetics
8 weirdest animal products in your beauty products
Besides all the environmental consequences, how bad are the ingredients in your beauty?
A good place to check out how toxic your products are: EWG
Now, I am not saying you should throw out all of your beauty supply! I am aware some non-toxic vegan brands charge an arm and leg for their products. How about you as a consumer you start small. Begin within your means.
Next time you are out of your favorite lipstick, how about you look for something cleaner and animal-friendly to replace it with? They are so many options out there.
10 non-toxic and vegan brands for people of color
Diversity| This beauty brands has foundation for all skin tones and undertones. They have a great sample program in place. It’s hard not to find a match. Alima pure also has product for normal,oily, and dry skin. ( 45 foundation shades)
Ethos|“We make makeup that doesn’t compromise.”
Vegan options|Yes
Price Range|$1.75 -$47
Diversity|Only natural, ethically sourced ingredients made it to Au naturale products. Great shade range, well performed products. (15 foundations shades)
Ethos|“The clean Beauty Revolution.”
Vegan Options| Yes
Price range| $20- $40
Diversity| People of color don’t wear only foundation and blushes. We love a great lipstick, especially when it compliments our skin tone. Axiology beauty knows how to make a girl want to buy more lipsticks or lip crayon! Not that we need any encouragement!
Ethos| “100 % Evil Free!”
Vegan Options|Yes
Price Range|$13- $30
Diversity|Made for women of color. Made by people who understand that women come in all sort of shades. The owner understands that two dark shades just won’t cut it! They made a pretty great job at representing how we really look like! ( 15 shades)
Ethos|”Beauty should be simple.”
Vegan options| Yes
Price range|$ 2- $25
Diversity|
Gabriel cosmetics has a nice shade selection. Their eyeshadows and lipsticks are so luxurious and pigmented! (14 shades). Their lip liners and lipsticks are among the best out there!
Ethos|“All products are made from 100% natural ingredients with no synthetic chemicals or animal by-products. “
Vegan Options|Yes
Price range|$1.79- $100
Diversity| Now, that’s diversity! Plain Jane beauty doesn’t disappoint! (17 shades)
Ethos|“The place where we celebrate all shapes, sizes, and skin tones. We celebrate who YOU are! We embrace who YOU are. Only YOU define who YOU are… Take charge of your beauty… “
Vegan Options|Yes
Price Range|$3- $47
Diversity|Why is this brand not more popular? They have great foundation shades selection, great eye shadows, and blushes! (41 shades)
Ethos|“I believe 110% that the makeup you wear to achieve professional results does not have to be full of harmful chemicals & cost you a fortune. Why sacrifice your health for beauty when you don’t have to?”
Vegan Options|Yes
Price Range|$5- $52
Diversity|Again, beauty doesn’t only mean foundation. Silk natural has this eyeshadows and lipsticks selection with no rivals!
Not all of them are vegan, some have dyes. They have wonderful and convincing dupes for the most popular mainstream cult products at ridiculously affordable prices!
Ethos| “makeup should be fun. Good makeup, made with great ingredients, sold with integrity and kindness is fun.”
Vegan options|Yes
Price range|$0.99- $15
Diversity| Zuzuluxe is the luxurious side of Gabriel Cosmetics, although I love them both! Gabriel is more diversified but zuzu luxe has those interesting colors ( Blushes, eye shadows) are to die for!
Ethos|“It’s about correcting, not covering up,”
Vegan options| Yes
Price Range|$1.79- $100
I didn’t include those other green beauty brands because they only have two “dark” or “cacao” shades. Those product developers need to know dark skin comes in all shades, not one color will match us all!
If you want to take my hard earned money, then you need to put in the effort! We, women of color have the power of purchase, we need a bigger market to buy!
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