I didn’t think these existed. Surely, expensive ones are real hair, and super cheap ones are plastic-y and bad for the environment, I thought?
Wrongo! (Any Grinch fans?)
Do ‘natural’ brushes mean cruelty free? Brushes themselves don’t have to be tested on animals, and many cruelty-free companies sell their own brushes, but does this mean they are cruelty free? Some companies that sell brushes made of real hair claim that hair is taken from their animals ‘humanely’, so it is up to you whether you believe this to be cruel or not. I’m not sure, I bet the hair isn’t taken with the animals getting a nice stroke, a cuddle or a treat at the same time, but I could be wrong. I’m not sure if the difference in natural or synthetic hairs makes any difference in makeup application. According to the Superdrug website, “regular makeup brushes can use hair or fur from a variety of animals such as weasels, squirrels, minks, badgers, ponies or goats.”
This list was the most difficult for me, as it is harder to discover whether an animal has been used, or specifically harmed. For some vegans, I can see why synthetic brushes which are made usually from Nylon or Taklon are potentially the way forward, as they have gone nowhere near an animal, but I am not an expert by any means. From my research, Nylon is used for firmer brushes such as foundation or concealer, and Taklon is for softer, usually powder brushes.
Some benefits I found from using cruelty-free makeup brushes over normal ones:
- Cruelty-free makeup brushes are hypoallergenic, so great for anyone with super sensitive skin or allergies.
- Not much difference in price
- Synthetic fibres don’t harbour bacteria as much as animal fibres as they do not have surface irregularities which traps dirt, so less cleaning! (if this doesn’t persuade you, nothing will)
- Less shedding, in turn being longer lasting
- Less product is absorbed, so you waste less makeup
Here is a list of cruelty free makeup brush brands:
- Eco-Tools
- B. Makeup Brushes
- Flawless Nature
- Luxie Beauty (I hadn’t heard of these before, but they are seriously gorgeous, and available on ASOS)
- Wet n Wild
- Too Faced
- Aveda
- The Body Shop
- Origins Natural Resources
- BH Cosmetics
- IT Cosmetics
- Morphe
- Dose of Colours
And, the one I know you’re all dying to know about…
- REAL TECHNIQUES!
I was thrilled about finding this out, as most of my brushes are RT and Morphe. Progress, right? Since I don’t really fancy wearing a fur coat, I don’t want to rub fur on my face. Remember, ‘cruelty free’ refers to the use of animals in production, ‘vegan’ refers to the ingredients in products, they are not necessarily the same thing.
This link goes into more detail about how fur is removed from animals, and after reading it, I am even more put off.
urbanvegan.net/makeup-brushes/
Think of the animals, who wants them to suffer for vanity? 🙂
