It can be really difficult to find luxury cruelty free brands, especially since most of the high-end/luxury ones aren’t transparent at all about their animal testing policy, or really just can’t be bothered with ethics.
It’s truly disappointing that most of the famous luxury and designer makeup, skincare and haircare brands still test on animals and use ingredients that are not vegan-friendly.
I was looking for some high-end cruelty free beauty brands and noticed that there aren’t enough helpful resources online, so I decided to create one.
Whether you’re looking for high-end luxury and cruelty free brands to find the perfect gift for that special someone, or you just want to treat yourself, I hope this article helps you discover some awesome and ethical cruelty free brands that are actually worth it.
And since luxury cosmetics tend to be on the pricey side, I’d just like to remind you that cruelty free brands are not more expensive than those that test on animals (trust me, I’ve done my research), so I encourage you to check out these awesome luxury cruelty free brands!
In order to make this easier, I’ve categorized each brand under either makeup, haircare, skincare, or perfume, so you can skip to the section you’re the most interested in immediately.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Luxury and Cruelty Free Makeup
Ellis Faas
“Only tested on supermodels” – the motto of this awesome cruelty free and luxury makeup brand says it all.
Inspired by the natural colors of the human body, Ellis Faas provides glamorous and sophisticated makeup for every occasion and every skin tone.
And check out that unusual packaging!
The concept behind it is simple: they have a specifically designed holder for all of their products, so you can organize them in a more compact and convenient way.
You can mix and match which products you want to carry around with you in your bag, so you’ll never have to worry about losing them or having a mess in your bag.
More good news:
As their motto suggests, Ellis Faas products are never tested on animals, so they’re 100% cruelty free and are certified by PETA.
Most Ellis Faas products are vegan-friendly – all eyeliners, foundations, concealers, etc. are 100% vegan. An exception to this are their mascaras, one eye makeup product and their lipsticks.
Chantecaille
Chantecaille is a luxury cruelty free brand mostly known for their makeup and skincare, although they also have some awesome fragrances.
Their products are always formulated with the purest botanical and safe ingredients, free from parabens, phthalates, palm oil, and other stuff you definitely don’t want on your face.
Chantecaille helps support charities that protect wild species and spaces.
They support different nature and wildlife causes, and have dedicated product lines for each of these causes.
When you buy a product from a line dedicated to a specific cause, you know that a portion of the price you pay goes for that cause.
And the packaging and products themselves are actually inspired by the cause they support.
How awesome is that?!
Chantecaille is 100% cruelty free and is certified by PETA.
Hourglass
Hourglass is a luxury cruelty free makeup brand dedicated to both high-end, innovative products as well as ethics. Or, as they prefer to put it – “beauty and integrity should be synonymous”.
They are huge supporters of the animal rights movement.
By donating 1% of their profits to the Nonhuman Rights Project, they hope to help in the fight for legally recognized and enforceable rights for nonhuman animals.
What about their products?
Hourglass products are truly high-end. They have all kinds of eye, lip, cheeks and other makeup, as well as face makeup and even skincare. Each product is really well formulated and provides a real luxurious experience.
Hourglass is 100% cruelty free and certified by PETA.
Marc Jacobs Beauty
Marc Jacobs Beauty is a luxury cruelty free brand mostly focused on makeup, but you can also update your beauty arsenal with Marc Jacobs Beauty makeup brushes and other tools, as well as skincare and more.
Their products are high quality and exceptional, for the best polished makeup look everyone deserves.
You should definitely try the Marc Jacobs Beauty long-lasting eyeshadow palettes, which is probably the most pigmented eyeshadow palette out there.
Marc Jacobs Beauty is certified cruelty free by PETA.
Luxury and Cruelty Free Haircare
Oribe
Oribe is one of those luxury brands that I’m really impressed with.
And this is why:
They never disappoint when it comes to professional, high-end hair care for lust-worthy, sleek and shiny locks, without compromising on ethics.
From shampoo and conditioner, to salon-quality treatments for frizzy and damaged hair, each product is developed with special care and craftsmanship. Whether your hair is curly, straight, wavy, thin, frizzy, dry, weak, or anything in between – you’re guaranteed to find the perfect Oribe product.
By the way, let’s take a moment to appreciate that gorgeous packaging! It’s actually inspired by perfume.
Speaking of perfume, unlike most brands that use the same old boring scents in their products, Oribe provides a real aromatic experience for your precious hair.
Oribe products are recognizable by their delicious scent – a blend of bright Italian bergamot, white peach and cedar wood.
And yes:
This luxury hair care brand is 100% cruelty free, and is certified by PETA.
Oribe is not a vegan brand, but almost all of their products are vegan. Only 3 Oribe products contain animal-derived ingredients: Rough Luxury Molding Wax, Rough Luxury Soft Molding Paste, Balmessence Lip Treatment.
Paul Mitchell
Paul Mitchell is another amazing high-end hair care brand.
This brand is recognized as one of the pioneers in cruelty free beauty, ever since 1980 when they were the first professional beauty brand to stand up against animal testing.
Their products use ethically sourced, salon-quality ingredients and the latest hair care technology, so you know what to expect.
More good news:
Paul Mitchell totally lives up to their motto – “Passion for hair, compassion for the planet”.
As part of their sustainability efforts in order to save our planet, they’ve committed to transitioning their packaging to post-consumer recycled plastic by 2025, and are also running a tree planting program where they aim to plant one million trees by 2022.
Paul Mitchell products are never tested on animals and are certified cruelty free by PETA.
Although not all of their products are vegan, they’re working on transitioning 10 of their 12 product lines to 100% vegan ingredients by 2023.
Regardless of what hair type you have, check out Paul Mitchell products for a professional and prestigious hair care experience.
Luxury and Cruelty Free Skincare
Herbivore Botanicals (100% vegan)
Herbivore Botanicals is another one of those phenomenal brands that is definitely underrated, at least in my opinion.
They put so much thought and effort into all of their products – from high quality organic ingredients, to luxurious sustainable packaging.
Herbivore is one of the leaders in the luxury, natural/certified organic and sustainable skin care, and an awesome brand that really goes above and beyond to provide truly ethical skincare.
Speaking of ethics, more good news:
This cruelty free luxury brand is also 100% vegan, meaning their products don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products.
Herbivore Botanicals products are never tested on animals, and are certified cruelty free by both Leaping Bunny and PETA.
Tatcha
Tatcha is a luxury and cruelty free skincare brand inspired by ancient Japanese beauty secrets and wellness philosophy.
Victoria Tsai, the founder of this awesome brand, has suffered from skin issues herself, which motivated her to discover the world of pure beauty.
“Less is more” is the foundation of the original geisha beauty rituals – it’s based on the Japanese superfoods trinity believed to be the secret to longevity: green tea, rice and algae.
Tatcha uses this very same Japanese minimalist approach to skincare. By harnessing the power and purity of natural ingredients, Tatcha aims to provide non-irritating and safe formulas, which have stood the test of time throughout the centuries.
However, their skin care products are not the only amazing thing about this brand!
Tatcha is running their own charity program called “Beautiful Faces, Beautiful Futures” which helps support girls’ education throughout the world.
A portion of each purchase you make helps fund this program, providing education and more opportunities for young women in under-served communities.
And what about sustainability?
Inspired by “mottainai” – a Japanese phrase which means “too precious to waste”, Tacha is on a quest to do everything that they can to not waste our precious resources here on Earth.
They aim to be 100% reusable, refillable, recyclable, or compostable by 2023.
Tatcha products are never tested on animals, and are certified cruelty free by PETA.
Drunk Elephant
Drunk Elephant is famous for their thought-provoking philosophy. And let me tell you – some people love it, some people hate it.
But, before you get concerned:
Drunk Elephant is completely cruelty free – none of their products are tested on animals, including elephants. 🙂
The name actually comes from a myth that says that elephants love eating fruit that falls off Marula trees, which then ferments in their tummies and makes them tipsy.
Anyways, let’s get back to the Drunk Elephant philosophy:
They are regarded as the epitome of the scientifically-proven and clinically-effective clean beauty.
Basically, the Drunk Elephant philosophy tries to step back from the marketing buzzwords such as “clean”, “organic” and “natural”, and instead turns to science and research to determine what makes a product effective and safe.
They disregard whether an ingredient is considered “natural” vs. “synthetic”, and instead only consider the properties of that ingredient or the effects that it would have on the skin.
As a result of that, they’ve come up with a list of 6 ingredients that they never include in their products, as they don’t offer any benefits to the skin and the product.
They call these ingredients the “Suspicious 6”, which are at the root of every skin issue:
- essential oils
- drying alcohols
- silicones
- chemical sunscreens
- fragrances/dyes
- SLS
Drunk Elephant never cuts corners when it comes to quality – their products are formulated with high-end ingredients sourced ethically within the US.
As a 100% cruelty free brand, Drunk Elephant is approved by the Leaping Bunny program.
Mario Badescu
Yes – Mario Badescu is 100% cruelty free!
I’m pretty sure this popular high-end skin care brand doesn’t require any introduction. They have it all – cleansers, moisturizers, masks, eye cream, serums…
Although their products are considered high-end/luxury, most Mario Badescu products are actually pretty affordable.
An honest recommendation is the award-winning on-the-spot treatment Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, which dries all kinds of blemishes overnight.
Luxury and Cruelty Free Fragrance
Le Labo (100% vegan)
This “born in Grasse, raised in New York” perfume house has made it their motto to break the monotony of “soulless” perfume bottles and introduce soulful fragrances.
Don’t judge a scent by its bottle!
Le Labo bottles may be simple and minimalistic, but their perfumes, on the other hand, are luxurious, high-quality and hand-blended into a masterpiece of its own.
If you want to “perfume responsibly”, you’ll love Le Labo!
This amazing brand runs their own refill program where you can refill your perfume bottle to help reduce waste and save money.
This brand is not just cruelty free, but also 100% vegan, meaning there are no animal-derived ingredients in their products.
Ethics are a big part of what Le Labo stands for.
They’ve made it clear in their manifesto: “We believe it is more humane to test cosmetics on New Yorkers than on animals”.
Le Labo is certified cruelty free and 100% vegan by PETA.
You can also discover Le Labo scents in their candles, body and grooming products, detergent, and more!
Laboratory Perfumes
This London-based fragrance company is just impressive.
Laboratory Perfumes takes a socially-conscious and environmentally-friendly approach to fragrance.
Inspired by the Hippocratic principle underpinning modern medicine: ‘First, do no harm’, they’re dedicated to responsible sourcing of ingredients and causing the least damage possible to our planet Earth.
The packaging is also sustainably sourced and since it’s glass – it’s also recyclable!
Laboratory Perfumes is 100% cruelty free, throughout their entire supply chain – their products (and ingredients) are never tested on animals by anyone, anywhere in the world.
Additionally, almost all of their products are vegan – formulated with non-animal-derived ingredients. The only non-vegan fragrance is Atlas, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for vegan fragrances.
Conclusion
I’m really happy to see that issues regarding animal exploitation in the cosmetics industry are starting to gain the required attention and awareness.
As a result of that, a lot of brands are slowly, but surely realizing that ethical treatment of animals is a big part of what consumers demand.
When I’m looking for luxury brands, I’m really looking for brands that go above and beyond with not just the performance of their products, but also with ethics.
There’s nothing luxurious in animal exploitation, and with so many options on the luxury cruelty free market, there’s really no reason to support evil brands.
What are your favorite luxury cruelty free brands? Tell me in the comments below!
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