Brush Up on Animal-Friendly, Cruelty-Free Makeup Brushes
You already know that being kind to animals is as easy as choosing cosmetics made by companies that don’t test on animals. But wait … before you dust on that bronzer, take a good look at your makeup brush. It could be made from animal fur, and if you wouldn’t wear fur, you definitely don’t want to use it to apply your cruelty-free cosmetics!
Cruelty That’ll Make You Do More Than Blush
Makeup brushes could be made from squirrel, mink, sable, horse (sometimes called “pony” or “camel”), or goat hair. Mink and sable brushes are products of the cruel fur industry. Every year, millions of animals are trapped, drowned, and beaten to death in the wild and strangled, electrocuted, or beaten and skinned alive on fur farms. Horse hair is commonly obtained from horses who are slaughtered for their flesh. Squirrels are hunted or trapped, and goats are shorn like sheep. Workers are often paid by volume, so they shear the goats quickly, which can result in serious injuries.
Many makeup brushes are manufactured in developing countries where there are few or no animal welfare regulations.
Super Synthetics
There’s no reason to use animal-hair brushes, especially when there are so many high-quality synthetic brushes available. Check out these companies’ luxurious offerings:
wet n wild is sending a positive message to cosmetics companies around the world: It dropped all animal hair from its makeup brushes and went vegan!
Branded J knows that animal-hair brushes aren’t just bad for animals—they’re also bad for your skin. Unlike animal-hair brushes, which are loaded with dead skin cells, bacteria, and chemicals that can cause your skin to break out, Branded J’s collection of custom-cut brushes is animal-friendly, anti-bacterial, and awesome for applying make-up.
The Body Shop knows that if you wouldn’t put on makeup using your cat’s tail, you don’t want to use any other animal part, either—its brushes don’t contain animal hair.
For professionals and newbies alike, It Cosmetics offers a large selection of high-quality brushes to help you apply makeup smoothly and accurately.
Urban Decay brushes tickle your face using recycled fibers.
Nanshy uses only super-soft synthetic hair in its brushes—and its lush vegan brushes are famous for their durability, flexibility, and easy maintenance.
What You Can Do
Please write to your favorite makeup companies that still use real animal hair in their brushes and ask them to switch to non-animal fibers.
