A touch of lip gloss can add the perfect finishing touch to any look – providing a light shine and sometimes a subtle amount of color; it can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.
However, some companies use questionable animal ingredients to achieve that perfect polish or cruel testing practices that involve rubbing the product into eyes or skin or forcing animals to ingest the lip gloss.
How can you achieve that perfect balance of beautiful, fresh lip while remaining kind to animals?
It’s easier than it sounds – by sticking to some recommended cruelty-free brands and picking the best lip gloss for your skin type and tone, you can add a little lustrous glow to any outfit.
Vegan-Friendly Lip Gloss Brands
The brands listed below are all 100% vegan and cruelty-free, so any product offered under these names is guaranteed to be animal-friendly – which means less confusion and guesswork for you when making a purchase!
Tarte LipSurgence Skintuitive Lip Gloss
Based off Tarte’s popular lip tints, the LipSurgence gloss line has been specially formulated to add a brightening pop of color and lasting shine.
The products are available in 10 bold shades, including Envy (mauve berry), Tipsy (sheer coral), Blissful (warm peach), and Fearless (shimmering pink coral). The shades each have different amounts of opacity, shimmer, and gloss, so each one has its own unique effect and personality.
Each gloss is packaged in a box and comes with an applicator wand that features an ergonomic tip, so the gloss slides smoothly along your lips for foolproof protection.
You can wear the gloss on its own for medium coverage, or over your favorite lip color for an intense, glossy shine. It’s important to note that these glosses are bolder than others, so they’ll be more noticeable and make more of a statement than other glosses on this list.
While each of the colors in this line gets rave reviews, the most popular is Fearless, which provides a nude option with a hint of color.
Reviewers note that this gloss delivers just the right amount of color and shine, is lightweight, long-lasting, and is not sticky or tacky. It is on the expensive side for a lip gloss, but a high percentage of purchasers give it 5-stars, acknowledging that in this case, you get what you pay for – the quality of the product is worth the price tag. It also looks great on camera – perfect for your next girls night out, or a hot date.
Beauty For Real Non-Sticky Lip Gloss
If you’re looking for a cruelty-free, high-shine lip gloss, one of the ten shades of Beauty for Real’s lip gloss deserves a spot in your makeup bag.
Available in colors like sugar plum, ginger snap, and bronzed, there is a color available from each skin tone, personality type, season, and mood.
Made in the USA without the use of parabens, the formula uses ingredients like aloe vera and avocado oil to hydrate lips, and grapeseed oil and green tea extract to provide antioxidant-rich protection from free radicals. Without being sticky, BFR’s glosses provide long-lasting color and moisture.
The gloss provides subtle plumping from marine collagen, and the added peppermint oil provides a slightly cool, fresh finish.
A unique aspect of BFR’s lip glosses is the packaging they come in – a high-tech package provides a convenient mirror right on the bottle, and a built-in LED light illuminates lips for easy application anywhere.
Reviewers love the effect of this gloss on as well as off – many reviewers note the formula has seemed to heal lips, making them more beautiful and hydrated, even when not wearing any lip product at all.
Additionally, the texture of the gloss is a big win – described as silky, smooth, and lightweight; you won’t have to deal with the unpleasant stickiness that comes with many lip glosses.
Some reviewers on Amazon had difficulty with the packaging of the product, noting that the light arrived broken, or the box was unsealed. However, comments about the actual product are glowing.
Try “Light My Fire,” a classic, opaque red that’s perfect for everyday use, and creates a well-put together look when paired with mascara.
Pacifica Beauty Enlightened Gloss
Pacifica is a well-known name in vegan cosmetics, and with good reason – infused with coconut and antioxidants, this lip gloss provides shine along with superior hydration and nourishment.
Like all Pacifica products, these are 100% vegan, cruelty-free, and made without carmine, FD&C color, talc, phthalates, parabens, sorbitol, and petroleum.
The ingredient list contains only natural ingredients – one hundred percent natural and pronounceable!
Reviewers note that these glosses are a good balance between color and shimmer, making it easy to keep them casual for a trip to the grocery store, or to put them on before a night out on the town.
The colors lend themselves well to any outfit, with slight hints of the pinks and purples they come in.
The glosses use sponge-tip applicators, so they can take a few plunges and applications to get enough product onto the lips. The gloss gets extra points for texture, as it goes on smooth and glossy, and never sticky. The gloss also doesn’t have a strange taste, which is helpful.
The Enlightened lip gloss is a favorite and best-seller from the Pacifica brand. The “Nudist” color is a versatile nude color that’s beloved among Amazon reviewers, lends itself well to all outfits, skin tones, and occasions, and doesn’t wash you out.
Gabriel Cosmetics Lipgloss Caliente
The Zuzu Luxe lip gloss line from Gabriel Cosmetics provides long-lasting color and ultra-glossy sheer.
The glosses are gluten-free and can be worn alone, or over your vegan lipstick to add a touch of luster.
They are available in 12 colors, ranging from deep plums all the way up to Crystal, a clear, sheer gloss for adding high shine without the addition of color.
The glosses include numerous ingredients for lip health, in addition to beauty. Jojoba oil hydrates and moisturizes skin, aloe vera protects lips from being chapped and dry and has been found to be effective against harmful UV rays. Additionally, Bisabolol provides soothing anti-inflammatory properties as well as antibacterial properties, to help seal in moisture and protect lips from the elements.
Each gloss is 100% vegan, all-natural, gluten free, and Leaping Bunny certified.
This line of glosses is one of the more expensive on this list, but reviewers note that it is well worth the price – long lasting, easy to apply, and completely natural mean this gloss is a perfect addition to your makeup kit if your budget allows.
Reviewers also sing the praises of the Caliente gloss, which provides a natural true red lip color.
Many purchasers note it reminds them of former chemical-filled lip glosses regarding boldness and coverage, without all the nasty toxic ingredients.
On the downside, some purchasers report that the texture of these glosses is a little sticky and oily, and when wearing it, you know you have it on. In these cases, these glosses may be best for a night out, when you’re wearing more makeup and aren’t looking for a simple, daytime look.
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This company offers a wide variety of lip glosses, which are available in both single tubes as well as kits.
The glosses add high shine and plump lips to create a fuller, more voluptuous smile with a refreshing tingle.
The formulas include vitamins A and E to prevent lips from drying out and keep them soft and protected.
Several of the lip glosses are available on Amazon, and are mid-range as far as budget is concerned.
The company’s best-seller is the “full-on lip polish”, which provides a gentle plumping effect and a sheer, high-shine gloss.
The Full-on Lip Polish is available in a wide variety of colors, and comes in glitter, high-shine, metallic, and shimmer finishes.
As far as colors are concerned, Dolly is a cult favorite, but Katie and Sugar are perfect for pinks.
For a subtle autumn plum, Brandi or Gabbi are good choices, while lovers of orange should stock their bags with Amber and Debbie.
Looking for a touch of sparkle? Reach for Clair, Starr, and April.
The entire Buxom brand is vegan, cruelty-free, and does not sell in mainland China, so you can feel good knowing the company is kind to animals all over the world. The glosses are free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates. The gloss can be applied on its own for a casual, sporty look, or wear it over lipstick to the office or a night out on the town.
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Mineral Fusion Lip Gloss
Available in six colors like “Captivate” and “Vixen,” all the Mineral Fusion Lip Glosses provide luxurious color with a smooth, ultra-gloss finish. The glosses nourish lips with hydrating sunflower seed oil and vitamin E, and antioxidant-rich white tea, red tea, pomegranate, vitamin A, and vitamin C protect the delicate, sensitive skin of the lips from free radicals.
All the Mineral Fusion Lip Glosses are gluten free, vegan, cruelty-free, and completely free of parabens, fragrance, talc, phthalates, and artificial colors.
They are also hypoallergenic, which makes them a good choice for people with sensitive skin prone to breakouts and allergic reactions.
The products have natural, pronounceable ingredients like cacao seed butter, rosehip oil, and Calendula Officinalis flower extract.
Reviewers love that these glosses don’t contain toxic ingredients and that the formula is so nourishing, especially for dry lips that tend to be sensitive.
The color looks natural and doesn’t clump the way some lip glosses do. Many reviewers note some dissatisfaction with the tube design, stating that it takes several pumps to get enough product to cover the whole lip. Several reviews note that this gloss is best paired with a lip pencil.
The “Dazzle” color of this gloss is a best-seller for the line, with purchasers singing the praises of the natural, dark, pinky-nude color it lends to a completed makeup look. The natural ingredients also mean the product won’t cause lips to taste like chemicals in exchange for the perfect glossy lip.
LIP INK Shine Moisturizer Vegan Lip Gloss
Perfect for the vegan focused on natural, organic beauty, LIP-INK offers a line of completely natural lip gloss, lip plumper, and even flavored lip gloss to bring a little touch of fun and nostalgia to your daily look.
The formulas use entirely organic botanical ingredients that are cruelty-free, paraben-free, preservative-free, and even certified kosher. Added age-fighting antioxidants, vitamins, and moisturizers hydrate, soothe, and condition lips.
The products tend to run on the more expensive side, but those that purchase them sing their praises.
Some lip glosses can feel tacky, sticky, and dry out lips, but reviewers agree LIP-INK gloss is the complete opposite.
Used on top of lipstick and stains, it provides the perfect amount of moisture to keep lips hydrated, healthy, and full. LIP-INK provides a finish for every personality, including matte shine, hyper shine, flavored shine, and tinted shine, which can all be layered with varying degrees of makeup.
Reviewers also rave about the flavors of these glosses – in flavors like cinnamon, you can achieve subtle color without having to deal with an unpleasant chemical taste all day.
It’s important to note that some of the glosses are not compatible with oil-based cosmetics, so take care when working this product into your makeup bag.
High Shine, Little Suffering
Even if you choose not to purchase products with animal ingredients or that engage in animal testing, there’s no reason to have to forego a little shine in your look!
When sticking to animal-friendly, cruelty-free glosses, you’ll still have hundreds of shades and finishes to choose from, whether you’re just looking for a neutral, subtle shine, or you’re out to make a bold statement with color, shimmer, and tons of personality.
By choosing from the brands on this list, you can rest assured that you’re filling your makeup bag with products that are beautiful, good for you, and good for the animals, all at the same time.