Do vegans use special makeup?

I know Tarte has a vegan line, as does Urban Decay, MAC (no link) and Stila (no link). Smashbox is all vegan/cruelty-free, and I’m not sure if Origins is all vegan, or just has some vegan products.

I don’t wear makeup, but I am vegan and know vegans who wear it. I don’t know any brands off-hand, but the ingredients you usually would have to look out for are: beeswax, crushed pearl, carmine (a red coloring agent from crushed beetles), and lanolin. Animal testing is another issue. Some brands don’t test on animals, but they may use ingredients that were formerly tested on animals. Whether to use “formerly tested” ingredients is a matter of personal choice. There are a lot of smaller brands to choose from, but Revlon is a common store-brand I hear about that is at least mostly vegan. I’ll try to post again with more specifics.

eta: I just remembered that Aveda is a good brand. They have some products with beeswax, but otherwise they tend to be vegan.

@Anemone What’s the issue with formerly tested?

In short, by purchasing the products, some people are concerned about indirectly supporting animal testing. A purchase might benefit the companies that sponsored the testing in the past, or it may allow them (or another company) to get a free ride on animal testing that they or another company conducted or sponsored.

Personally, I believe in change, so if it seemed like the company had sincerely turned away from animal testing, I wouldn’t have any issue with supporting them despite past actions. Of course, it’s hard to know with companies what the underlying truth is. I generally buy products that do not contain animal products and are not tested on animals. I don’t sweat whether the ingredients were formerly tested on animals… but then again, I also try to buy “natural” products, so animal testing tends to be less of an issue to begin with. I hope that helps. :)

I am a vegetarian and I use cruelty-free products, which is not the same as vegan products in some cases. Cruelty-free means the product was not tested on animals nor were any components tested on animals. It also means there are no animal products where an animal died. For example, I have no problem using products with beeswax, because no bees dies to give me the beeswax. However, as @Anemone pointed out, some red coloring is made from crushed beetles which I would avoid.

This is why I’m mad that Burt’s Bees canceled their line of make-up. It was pretty awesome and completely cruelty-free. :(

@KatawaGrey I believe the ones I listed above are also cruelty-free.

@papayalily: Oh, I use a lot of high quality, cruelty-free products. It’s just that I had quite a fondness for the Burt’s Bees make-up and I want it back. :(

The All Natural Face is vegan makeup. I’m not vegan, but I use it, because I personally think it’s the best makeup I’ve ever used. Plus, I hate buying stuff that is tested on animals, because it makes me feel like a horrible person. The makeup from this place lasts a really long time, and it’s very affordable. I. Love. It.

Thanks you guys for the answers, I’ve always been very curious about this.