36 star products you'll want to buy again from India's best vegan and cruelty-free beauty brands
Keep your skin — and your karma — glowing
I heard of animal testing in the beauty world for the first time in the film, Legally Blonde 2. Imagining someone trying out mascaras on my pudgy dog, snoring away on the living room floor, seemed funny in 2003. But in 2021, with better options available, there’s no justification for still testing ingredients on animals.
The clean beauty movement may be problematic, but it’s made people more aware about the real cost of hoarded beauty products. As our generation comprehends the impact our choices make on the planet, we’ve been switching to more sustainable ways of daily living. From personal care products to clothes and beauty, we’re more conscious of what we put on and inside our bodies. In fact, there’s been a surge in global demand for vegan and cruelty-free products.
If the puppy dog eyes don’t convince you, then make the switch to vegan and cruelty-free beauty brands for your skin’s health. The majority of vegan and cruelty-free beauty brands in the Indian market are created using sustainably sourced ingredients and a blend of botanicals with scientific formulation to give us the best of both worlds.
The philosophy of India’s best vegan and cruelty-free beauty brands is holistic: using potent ingredients which are effective and yet gentle on sensitive skin. Many tap into traditional recipes and Ayurvedic practices to formulate products that suit Indian skin conditions and they have some of the most efficacious formulations and pigmented products that will last you through the day.
“Earlier vegan products came at a high price point. So people stuck to cheaper mass products. But now there are many well made, affordable Indian options. It’s a win-win for your bank account and animals,” comments cosmetic dermatologist Dr Anuradha Prajapti.
If we’ve piqued your interest, check out our recommendations from some of India’s best vegan and cruelty-free beauty brands.
Homegrown vegan and cruelty-free beauty brands we love
Pulp Vegan and cruelty-free Pulp is a new brand on the market, feeding our skin the superfoods it needs through face masks, body scrubs and very soon, face serums. They combine powerful natural ingredients in pop-y packaging which will make a great addition to your beauty shelf. Tweak recommends: Day After Binge turmeric + spinach superfood mask, ₹899 and Dance Flour green gram + maqui superfood scrub, ₹599 2/13  FAE Beauty Vegan and cruelty-free Free and Equal – FAE Beauty champions formulas and makeup that is suited for all Indian skin tones. They started with a range of buildable matte lipsticks which are pigmented enough to cover any lip discolouration and recently launched Brash — a 2-in-1 eyebrow and eyelash mascara in three different shades. Tweak recommends: Brash in jet black, ₹750 and buildable matte lipstick in Too Basic (everyday dusty rose shade), ₹600 Plum Vegan and cruelty-free Plum has a range that will suit every hair, skin and body care need. But their Green tea line in particular is a crowd favourite. They also have an #Empties4Good programme where they take back and recycle your empty Plum bottles and containers. For being a responsible customer they’ll even reward you ₹50 in shopping credits. Tweak recommends: Olive & Macadamia Mega Moisturizing Hair Mask, ₹875, Green Tea Clear Face Mask (contains glycolic acid), ₹490 and Grape Seed & Sea Buckthorn Glow-Restore Face Oil Blend, ₹542 Disguise Cosmetics Vegan and cruelty-free With creamy and hydrating formulas, we fell in love with their bullet lipsticks instantly. They’ve got a range of eye shadows, eye liner pencils, and glow multisticks that you can use as a highlighter, eye shadow and eye liner. Pretty much any spot you want to pop. They will take back your empty packages and donate them to NGOs for recycling. In return, you get store credit to buy more goodies from their online store. Tweak recommends: Satin matte lipstick in Nude Poet, ₹500, Glow multistick in Champagne Moonshine, ₹600 and Satin smooth eye shadow in Frosted Mauve Berry, ₹300. Minimalist Cruelty-free When asked, Minimalist said they aren’t 100% vegan just yet but none of their products are tested on animals. They popped up in the market as a made-in-India version of The Ordinary but have grown to include ingredients and products suitable for our skin at a good price point. In addition to their range of exfoliating, brightening and hydrating serums, their most recent launches included a calming moisturiser and lightly exfoliating PHA toner which people with sensitive skin can use with ease. Tweak recommends: Niacinamide 5% + Hyaluronic Acid 1% serum, ₹595, Alpha Arbutin 2% + Hyaluronic Acid 1% serum, ₹539 and Squalane 100% oil, ₹695 asa Vegan and cruelty-free asa believes in luxe clean beauty, which translates into creating makeup products with less wastage and plastic consumption. All their products are refillable. So purchase the packaged product once, then just order the refills. This includes everything from finishing powders and concealers to lipsticks. Happy face, happy wallet, happy conscience. Tweak recommends: Hydra-Matte lipstick in Plush Plum, ₹1,250 and Luminising Powder in Golden Sunset, ₹2,600. Kiro Beauty Vegan and cruelty-free Kiro tries to bridge the gap between skincare and makeup by using skin-loving ingredients to make their products. This includes moisturising oils, antioxidants and skin protectors such as jojoba oil, vitamin C, vitamin E and shea butter. Their website even has a super handy tool which skincare and makeup noobs will thank them for — you can select your approx skin tone and they’ll mark the products which they feel would be best suited for you. Tweak recommends: Waterproof Soft-Matte Eyeliner Pen, ₹765, Non-Stop Airy Matte Liquid Lip in Nutmeg Nude, ₹744 and Glow-On Blush Duo in Cool Cinnamon-Fresh Grapefruit, ₹765 Dr Sheth’s Vegan and cruelty-free Dr Sheth maintains a balance between harnessing the power of natural ingredients and backing it up with smart scientific formulations. A dermatologist-formulated skincare range, created by three generations of skin doctors, you have to trust that they know what they’re doing. All their products are made keeping in mind the most common skin ailments Indians face because of our genetics, climate and environment, such as sensitivity and pigmentation. Tweak recommends: Haldi & Hyaluronic Acid Sleeping Mask, ₹850, Rosehip & Retinoid Power Emulsion, ₹1,200 and Neem & BHA Spot Clarifying Serum, ₹750 Neemli Naturals Vegan and cruelty-free Neemli Naturals uses high quality completely plant-based sources, and their products aren’t tested on animals but “willing beauty enthusiasts”. Handmade soaps, body oil, hair oils, butters, scrubs and serums, they have a vast line of products that will suit your skin’s every need from acne, and oiliness, to hair loss. Tweak recommends: Matcha & Avocado Exfoliating Bathing Bar, ₹405, Hyaluronic & Vitamin C Serum, ₹2,025 and Rice Water & Hemp Seed Oil Makeup Remover, ₹877.50. Earth Rhythm Cruelty-free As their name suggests, their range of bath, body and beauty products focuses on the goodness of natural ingredients, backed by scientific research. Their products are also fragrance-free and better suited for people with extremely sensitised skin or an impaired moisture barrier. They even have a range of eco-friendly, zero-waste accessories to replace our daily use items, such as bamboo toothbrushes, neem combs (which we love) and reusable makeup cleansing pads. Tweak recommends: Skin Smoothening Serum with Bakuchiol Extract, ₹1,650, Bamboo Cotton Facial Pads, ₹118 and Tinted Lippie with SPF 30 in Lady Bug, ₹650 Conscious Chemist Vegan and cruelty-free All the products by Conscious Chemist are vegan and cruelty free but also free of micro plastics which get washed down the drain and can harm marine life. Their products are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and natural extracts to improve skin health. And their packaging will make you feel like a true beauty (sk)intellectual. Tweak recommends: Ritual Face Cleanser, ₹875, Reboot Night Treatment Serum, ₹999 and Porology Toner, ₹695 Bon Organics Vegan and cruelty-free Bon Organics’ products are all handmade, hand-filled and created in small batches to ensure the their ingredients remain fresh and effective. They follow a lot of Ayurvedic recipes and traditional practices while formulating their products. From their skin and body care products to makeup, edibles like sugar, oils and even pet products, they’ve got you covered for pretty much everything. Tweak recommends: Aloe Vera Shampoo, ₹190, African Black Mud Soap, ₹230 and Green Apple Lip Balm, ₹445 Juicy Chemistry Cruelty-free Most of Juicy Chemistry’s products are vegan, though some contain beeswax so we suggest carefully reading through the ingredient lists to spot animal-derived raw materials. Juicy Chemistry has a large range of products which combine rare and powerful botanical ingredients. Although they do use essential oils in their mixes which may not be suited to sensitive skin types. Tweak recommends: Kakadu Plum & Pomegranate Facial Oil, ₹875, Damask Rose & Coffee Eye Cream, ₹400 and Bulgarian Rose Water Toner, ₹650 |
