Ten years ago, if you were looking for vegan and cruelty-free makeup brushes, you'd be limited to just a handful of offerings from even fewer brands. But it's 2020, and in this new decade of greater social awareness and environmental consciousness, your options have grown dramatically.
Makeup brushes are, for a lot of people, essential beauty items. Sure, you can always use your fingers, but for many people, brushes allow for better blending and more precision. And for those with disabilities and difficulties applying makeup [1], specifically designed tools allow for easier application, thanks to nifty functional design.
For non makeup artists, it can be hard enough choosing from the vast selection of brushes on the market, but if you're vegan [2] (or looking to make more eco-conscious choices [3]), knowing which brushes are made with synthetic fibres can be tricky. But that shouldn't discourage you from making your makeup bag cruelty-free. To cut through the confusion, we asked makeup artists and beauty editors to share their favourite vegan makeup brushes. We've found brushes from bigger brands like Morphe and Real Techniques and smaller brands including Louise Young that cover all price points, so you're sure to find something that fits your needs. That way, you know your next purchase is guaranteed to be a good one, particularly if you've made an investment in a whole new set of brushes.
Read on to see which vegan and cruelty-free makeup brushes the pros swear by and made the cut.
Eyes: Stila #11 Face Concealer Brush
The Stila #11 Face Concealer Brush [5] (£13) is technically a concealer brush, but according to Allure, makeup artist Wendy Rowe likes to use it to pack cream eye shadow onto lids [6].
Eyes: Bobbi Brown Concealer Blending Brush
Instagram makeup artist star and self-proclaimed "dewy dumpling" Nam Vo loves the Bobbi Brown Concealer Blending Brush [7] (£25.50) so much that she owns 10. No, really. "It's basically for everything," she said. She uses it on the eyes to press glitter shadow onto the centre of the lids. She uses it to press liquid lipstick onto the mouth and gloss onto the cheekbones. And she, unsurprisingly, uses it to put on concealer, too.
Eyes: Louise Young Superfine Eyeliner Brush
British makeup artist Louise Young has her own line of makeup brushes, and makeup artist Hannah Martin is a huge fan. "Each brush is expertly made," she said. There are a bunch she likes from the brand, including the Louise Young Superfine Eyeliner Brush [8] (£10) and the Tapered Socket Brush [9] (£14.50). "There's a Louise Young brush for everything," according to Martin, and it's a bonus that they won't break the bank.
Eyes: Fenty Beauty Tapered Blending Brush
The Fenty Beauty Tapered Blending Brush [10] (£20) is a favourite of makeup artist Nikki Wolff [11]. "It has a very nice tapered end to it so you can be really precise," she said on her Instagram Stories. "It's soft and great for blending," she said, noting that many synthetic brushes don't blend pigments together very well.
Eyes: Kitstars Shader Brush N32
"I am very particular about eye shadow brushes. The one I've been using for almost a decade is from a Sephora holiday brush set circa 2009 that they've never remade. The Kitstars Shader Brush N32 [12] (£7) brush, however, is almost an exact replica: it's big enough to easily cover the lid but without flinging powder everywhere, and the bristles are dense enough that you get a nice, opaque layer of powder in one swipe," said Sophia Panych, POPSUGAR content director.
Eyes: KitStars Vegan Micro Pencil Brush S33
"With short, dense bristles, the KitStars Vegan Micro Pencil Brush S33 [13] (£6) has both the precision of and smudge-ability of pencil (perhaps that's why they named it that way). This little guy is genius at blending your eyeliner pencil without moving the pigment around too much and making you look like a raccoon," Panych said.
Eyes: Nars Cosmetics Wet/Dry Eyeshadow Brush
Makeup artist Benjamin Puckey [14] swears by the Nars Cosmetics Wet/Dry Eyeshadow Brush [15] (£32) to precisely place powder or cream coloured products on the lids, as well as using it to "blend out eye pencil when I want to use it as a base for eye shadow."
Eyes: Charlotte Tilbury Eye Smudger Brush V2
"This mini pointed-dome Charlotte Tilbury Eye Smudger Brush V2 [16] (£25) is great to create a soft, smoky liner look with," Puckey said. "I use it to blend out pencil and gel liners for a rock-and-roll liner look with a great flick."
Eyes: Hourglass Cosmetics Precision Smudge Brush No. 13
Puckey likes to use the Hourglass Cosmetics Precision Smudge Brush No. 13 [17] (£34) to apply pencils and shadows under the eye as it "blends [the pigments] out so softly."
Eyebrows: Smith Cosmetics 205 Angled Liner Brush
"The Smith Cosmetics 205 Angled Liner Brush [18] (£26.50) is synthetic, although it's important to note that the brand does use real hair in some of their brushes. This one is good because it's stiff enough to precisely apply gel liner but not so stiff that it pokes you in the eye. I also like to use it to apply brow powder or pomade to cover up any sparse patches," Panych said.
Eyebrows: Spectrum Collections Angled Brow Brush
"The Spectrum Collections Angled Brow Brush [19] (£5) is one of my favourites for getting the perfect amount of powder right in between the hairs on my brows. It doubles up as a great tool for drawing on cat eyes or winged liner using a gel formula. The sweet blue-and-purple bristles don't hurt, either," according to Tori Crowther, POPSUGAR associate editor.
Lips: Louise Young Flat Lip Brush
Just like Martin, Puckey is also a huge fan of Louise Young brushes, and he particularly likes the Louise Young Flat Lip Brush [20] (£9). "It's perfect to create a beautifully shaped lip with, because you can precisely get to the corners of the lips and glide the straight sides of the brush along your lip line," he explained.
Face: Morphe M6 Pro Flat Buffer Brush
"The Morphe M6 Pro Flat Buffer Brush [21] (£14) is one I use daily. It's incredibly dense, making it a great option for applying fuller-coverage foundation without leaving brush marks (or worse, getting teeny loose brush hairs stuck to your face). The handle is hefty, which for some might make it hard to use, but for me it works great for accuracy in even coverage on my face and neck," Crowther said.
Face: Anastasia Beverly Hills Domed Kabuki Brush A30
"The Anastasia Beverly Hills Domed Kabuki Brush A30 [22] (£26) is one of the brand's bestselling tools, and its bristles are so soft and cuddly, you'd swear they were natural. Now, I'm partial to applying foundation with a Beautyblender (I prefer a sheerer, more natural-looking foundation finish for every day), but I like to substitute in this brush when I want the coverage to be on the fuller side," Panych explained.
Face: Sigma F25 Tapered Face Brush
Similar to Wolff's pick above, Vo swears by the Sigma F25 Tapered Face Brush [23] (£26) for contouring.
Face: Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush
The Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush [24] (£33) is another one of Vo's favourites. "It's great to move things around and marinate them together," she said.
Face: Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt Brush
"I've had the Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt Brush [25] (£35) for a year now, and I love how it never sheds when applying powder," Puckey said. He explained that the pointed head of the brush is great to apply powder precisely under the eyes, as well as being ideal for applying powdered contour to the hollows of the cheeks.
Face: Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Brush
Sometimes we all need a little help hiding those pesky spots with an opaque layer of concealer. Puckey uses the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Brush [26] (£23) when doing precise concealer application on blemishes, which works perfectly thanks to the flat yet pointed edge.
Face: Clé de Peau Beauté Powder and Cream Blush Brush
The Clé de Peau Beauté Powder and Cream Blush Brush [27] (£40) is Puckey's favourite tool for swirling on cream blush. "It's the perfect medium size with a rounded head to perfectly blend out cream colour on the cheeks."
Face: Shiseido Hasu Fude Foundation Brush
"The dense bristles and flat angled top of the Shiseido Hasu Fude Foundation Brush [28] (£36) let me really buff the foundation into the skin, leaving a very smooth and even finish," Puckey explained.
Multitasking: By Joy Adenuga Little Mama
The Little Mama Brush by Joy Adenuga [29] (£13.50) really can do the most. "She's small but mighty," said Adenuga. This high-quality, synthetic brush is the definition of multi-use. It works for both cream and powder formulas and is perfectly shaped to set under the eyes, contour cheekbones, and dab on highlighter.
Multitasking: Kohl Kreatives Medium Circle Brush
"If you struggle to get to grips with traditional makeup brush handles, the Kohl Kreatives Medium Circle Brush [30] (£16) is designed to help that thanks to the easy grip handle. It was created to be multifunctioning, so it can be used to apply foundation, contour products, and add blush. The stiff yet soft synthetic brush allows for decent coverage and maximum precision," Crowther said.
Multitasking: Real Techniques Mini Multitask Brush
"The Real Techniques Mini Multitask Brush [31] (£6) is my favourite all-rounder brush. In my opinion, it's foolproof. It works well with almost any product formula (I find it works particularly well with cream products); the handle has a grippy-textured end, making it easy to hold (particularly if your fingers are greasy from moisturisers or primers); and it's not a total pain to clean. The small handle means it's a great travel companion as it takes up little room in my makeup bag," Crowther said.
Multitasking: Ciaté London 4-in-1 Multi-Brush
"If you hate the faff of carrying around (and cleaning) multiple brushes, you might want to consider the Ciaté London 4-in-1 Multi-Brush [32] (£22). The smart design includes a tapered powder brush, a round blender brush, a small angle brush, and an oval eye shadow brush. Each attachment easily screws onto the top, and the brushes not being used fit neatly inside the handle, eliminating the need for a whole makeup brush set," Crowther said.