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Looking for a cruelty-free and vegan mascara that will help lengthen, curl, and volumize your natural lashes? Here are our top 15 picks for the best vegan mascara in 2023.
Whether you’re looking for vegan mascara at the drugstore and under $10 or a waterproof vegan mascara formula, there’s something for you in this guide!
What To Look For:
Unfortunately, most drugstore and high-end mascara are from brands that DO test on animals, like Lancome, Benefit, L’Oreal, Mac, Clinique, Maybelline, Chanel, Dior, and Bobbi Brown. And should be avoided when shopping for cruelty-free mascara.
In addition, most mascara formulas are not vegan. Some contain some animal-derived ingredients or by-products. For example, common animal ingredients found in mascara include beeswax and honey, as well as animal-based stearic acid, glycerin, elastin, and keratin.
There are plant-based and synthetic alternatives to animal-derived ingredients. But it’s sometimes difficult to know with certainty whether a product is vegan just by reading the ingredient list.
Vegan Mascaras in 2023
All of the vegan mascara listed in this post have been verified as being both cruelty-free (not tested on animals) and vegan (free from animal ingredients).
Note that I’ve included some options that are from cruelty-free brands that are owned by an animal-tested parent company. If you choose NOT to support those brands, you should avoid the ones marked with a *.
*Too Faced Better Than Sex Volumizing Mascara
This formula thickens, lengthens, and curls after just one coat. Inspired by the curves of a woman’s body, the hourglass-shaped brush was designed with extra stiff bristles to maximize the performance of this collagen-fueled formula.
*Too Faced is cruelty-free, however, Too Faced is owned by Estee Lauder, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.
Milk High Volumizing Vegan Mascara
This buildable vegan mascara lets you turn up the volume for dramatically longer, fuller-looking lashes. Its conditioning formula has lash-caring ingredients, so lashes feel soft and look healthier. The fluffy brush’s unique crisscross bristles catch and coat every lash to thicken from root to tip.
Caliray Come Hell or High Water Volumizing Tubing Mascara
The baby teddy bear brush has wavy fibers and a defined tip, giving separation and maximum coverage to pump up the volume. The formula has lash- conditioning argan oil and a creamy texture. Tubing tech means smudge-free wear but easy removal with warm water and a little lash massage. Comes in a 100 percent recycled ocean plastic tube.
*Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Volume, Lift & Curl Mascara
Get full-on lashes with this water-resistant formula that is shown to volumize, lengthen, lift, and curl lashes. It features an exclusive flat-to-fat brush: The fat side loads and lifts lashes; the flat side defines and curls. The long-wear formula keeps lashes exposed all day.
*Fenty is cruelty-free, however, Fenty is owned by Kendo and LVMH, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.
*CoverGirl Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara
This long-lasting vegan mascara creates 10x the volume of bare lashes with no smudging or clumping. The brush applicator separates and defines for longer, fuller lashes.
*Covergirl is cruelty-free, however, Covergirl is owned by Coty, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.
Victoria Beckham Beauty Future Lash Mascara
Future Lash’s plant-based C2 Complex provides hair care for every lash—nourishing, conditioning, and providing breakage protection for longer, stronger, healthier lashes immediately and with continued use. 90% of people agree their lashes felt softer after removing this mascara.
Ami Cole Lash-Amplifying Mascara
Formulated with 87% naturally derived ingredients that provide lashes with a fuller, healthier appearance. This Allure Best of Beauty award-winning vegan mascara delivers high-impact definition and length without clumping or flaking. The full tapered wand evenly coats every lash from root to tip with a deeply pigmented shade.
Tower 28 MakeWaves™ Mascara
The breakthrough triple-wave wand has three flexible, suspended bands that visibly lengthen and define every single lash and build boldness. The clean, non-toxic formula is lightweight and endlessly buildable without getting crunchy or clumpy and is easy to wash off, keeping irritation and breakage at bay.
GrandeDRAMA Intense Thickening Mascara with Castor Oil
Say goodbye to thin, wimpy lashes! GrandeDRAMA is an intense thickening mascara infused with castor oil to promote lush, dense-looking lashes with unbeatable shine and glossiness. Its unique, buildable formula instantly lifts, lengthens, and adds volume like never before. Designed to combat clumping, the subtle hourglass-shaped brush is not overly dense, allowing you to work the formula in between lashes to thicken and separate each and every lash individually.
Blinc UltraVolume Tubing Vegan Mascara
Housed in environmentally sustainable FSC and PCR packaging, this tubing mascara has a tapered brush that molds to your eye shape with super-soft, ultra-thin bristles for a comfortable application and superb separation. All you need for easy removal is water and gentle pressure.
Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara
Available in 3 shades! Liquid Lash Mascara is powered by Flake-Free Tubing Technology™ to lengthen each lash from root to tip dramatically. Orchid Stem Cell Complex™ supports longer, healthier-looking lashes.
Eyeko Beach Vegan Mascara Waterproof
The waterproof formula makes it perfect for swimming laps and lounging poolside. Fiber-enhanced with coconut oil and 12 fruit extracts, this vegan, waterproof mascara conditions while coating every lash for a volumized flutter. The innovative brush gives a major lift, sweeping lashes into a natural curl.
ELF Cosmetics Big Mood Vegan Mascara
This volumizing and lifting vegan mascara gives you a bold and dramatic effect and is now available in two vibrant colors. Load up your lashes with Electric Blue or Deep Green to create a look that’s truly eye-catching!
Pacifica Beauty Dream Big Lash Extending 7-in-1 Mascara
Amplify your lashes instantly with Pacifica’s Dream Big vegan mascara, containing natural plant fibers that build and build and build. Natural ingredients help condition lashes and a magic wand lets you fake it till you make it.
*Tarte tartelette™ Tubing Mascara
This vegan mascara is infused with lash-conditioning shea butter, castor oil, and carnauba wax and is easy to remove (no rubbing or tugging). The micro-tubing formula wraps each lash with tiny, flake-free tubes for extreme visible volume, length, and curl that won’t flake or smudge.
*Tarte is cruelty-free, however, Tarte is owned by Kose, a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.
27 thoughts on “15 Best Vegan Mascara for Beautiful Lush Lashes | 2023 Update!”
Any thing new about Lavera’s animal testing policy? (I’m from China, and our importers told us that Lavera is only sold online, and it does not require animal testing. Yes, China has approved of this since Jan 1 2018, that cosmetics only sold online will not be required by animal testing.)
And I’ve tried out a mascra from Ciate London, a cruelty free and partly vegan brand in UK. Nice lengthening my eyelashes but not 100% waterproof (risky if you have very oily skin.)
Do you have a list of cruelty-free makeup brands owned by cruelty-free parent companies? The * above are really helpful in narrowing down the list of cruelty-free mascaras owned by cruelty-free parents companies!
You forgot 2 brands. Emani mascara is wonderful, natural and attractive. Zuzu Luxe also has wonderful mascara. Both are vegan.
The Smashbox mascara is not vegan as it has carmine in it.
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for letting me know the Super Fan Mascara by Smashbox contains carmine. I’ve removed it from this list and added a note about it. I believe Smashbox had listed this mascara as being vegan on their website before when I first made this list a couple of years ago. But I no longer see them listing the mascara as vegan so they may have reformulated since then. Thanks for letting me know and helping to keep these product guides up-to-date and as accurate as possible! =)
Unless the formula has been dramatically reformulated since I tried it (granted, about a decade ago), Blinc is hardly waterproof!! It smeared on my upper lids daily and once when I showered wearing it (just a quick rinse after the gym, didn’t get my face wet – the only moisture was the steam) it straight up came off, in full tube form. Stringy tube fragments falling on my cheekbones the rest of the day. NOT recommended.