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Since creating my list of vegan & zero-waste makeup brands, I’ve learned that sometimes it’s not possible to go completely plastic-free. Some makeup products are too delicate and need to be protected and properly stored in a compact, container, or tube to ensure the quality, effectiveness, and safety of the formulation over time.
I also don’t necessarily think all plastic is bad. Its non-recyclable or single-use plastic packaging is where I have an issue with. Most traditional makeup compacts are used once and then tossed in the garbage.
Even if the packaging is recyclable, it often doesn’t end up getting recycled. But recycling isn’t always the best solution as plastic loses its quality over time and it takes resources and energy to recycle and convert the plastic into another material.
This is where I believe refillable makeup containers are the next best solution to a sustainable beauty routine. In addition to buying less and using fewer products, refillable makeup allows you to buy the compact or packaging once and then get the single refills as needed.
Refillable makeup compacts are also designed to be durable so that they can be reused over and over again. As a result, this significantly reduces single-use packaging and also uses less energy and resources.
Refillable Makeup Brands
Here are some refillable makeup options I found that are both cruelty-free and have vegan options. I hope to see more sustainable beauty brands offer refillable makeup products to reduce single-use packaging!
MOB Beauty
All of MOB Beauty’s products are designed to be endlessly reusable and refillable, buy once and refill forever. Their refillable compacts and packaging are made from post-consumer materials and come in a variety of sizes to fit your unique lifestyle.
MOB Beauty’s RePurpose Refillable Compacts are available for their cake liner, blush, bronzer, highlighter, eyeshadow. Or get their 4+ or 6+ refillable palettes and single refill pans to store everything all in one place. MOB Beauty also has refillable lipstick and lip balm tubes.
All of MOB Beauty products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
Kjaer Weis
Almost all of Kjaer Weis cosmetics are reusable & refillable. Choose between two of their refillable compacts, either their sleek iconic edition metal compact or their new red edition durable yet compostable paper compact.
Their refillable compacts and refills are available in just about everything you need to complete your makeup look including foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter, and eyeshadow. In addition, Kjaer Weis has refills for their concealers, lipsticks, lip & eye pencils, and mascara.
Kjaer Weis is not 100% vegan, most of their cream makeup products contain beeswax and some shades contain carmine. But Kjaer Weis does have some vegan options and they state which ones are vegan on their website.
ZAO Organics
Zao Organics refillable makeup system comes housed in a stylish & durable compact made from controlled harvested, renewable and sustainable bamboo. The majority of Zao’s cosmetics are available in refillable packaging, including their creme foundation, makeup powder, liquid concealer, mascara, lip gloss, and lipstick.
They also offer an empty bamboo makeup palette case where you can forego the individual bamboo compacts and place all of their single refill pans in the case altogether.
All of Zao Organics products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
Elate Cosmetics
Most of Elate Cosmetics’ makeup products come in a refillable & reusable bamboo compact. Or get one of their chic bamboo capsule palettes and pick & choose from their single pan refills to customize your very own palette. Their zero-waste refill pans come in a seed paper envelope which can be planted!
Elate has an entire collection of refillable makeup to choose from, including creme concealer, brow balm, pressed foundation, pressed blush, eyeshadow, and more! They also have refills for their loose makeup powder which is provided in a biodegradable paper tube.
All of Elate’s products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
Root Beauty
Root Beauty has an endless selection of pressed refill pans that fit perfectly in their magnetic, double-decker Pretty Forever Palette (sold separately). Select from any of their pressed eyeshadow, blush + bronzer, brow powder + pomade, and cream concealer pans. Root’s cream blush + lip and eyeshadow tins can also fit in their palette. So, the options are truly endless!
In addition, they have refills for their loose mineral powder which come in compostable ECO Refill pouches created from an innovative plant-based material derived from corn.
All of Root Beauty products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
KVD Beauty
KVD Beauty has some refillable makeup compacts like their best-selling Shade + Light Face Contour Palette that’s available in their original 6-pan palette or their Kitten Mini duo size. Their Lock-It Powder Foundation and Finishing Powder compacts are also refillable!
In addition, KVD Beauty has a customizable magnetic palette (similar to a Z palette) where you can forego the compacts and just get their single refill pans to mix & match your favourite colors.
All of KVD Beauty’s products are 100% vegan. Also note, KVD Beauty is cruelty-free and doesn’t test on animals, but KVD Beauty is owned by Kendo and LVMH, a corporation that is NOT cruelty-free.
Alima Pure
All of Alima Pure’s makeup compacts for their cream and pressed powder makeup are refillable, that includes their cream blush, cream highlighter, cream concealer, pressed eyeshadow, and pressed foundation. However, it looks like the refill pans come in a plastic case to keep them from getting damaged while in transit.
All of Alima Pure’s powdered makeup products are vegan but note that they do use beeswax and lanolin in some of their products. Alima Pure is cruelty-free.
Pure Anada
Pure Anada has a variety of refillable makeup compacts, available for eyeshadow, pressed foundation, translucent powder, blush, and more! You have the option to purchase with or without the compact so that you can buy only what you need.
In addition, Pure Anada also has refillable makeup palettes, so that you can carry all of your essentials in one place and refill as needed.
All of Pure Anada’s pressed powder makeup are vegan. Note that some of Pure Anada’s lips & body balms and their lip & cheek rouge are not vegan.
Jane Iredale
Jane Iredale’s elegant slim refillable compact is the perfect accessory for on-the-go touch-ups. Use their refillable mirrored compact with their PurePressed Base, PureMatte, Beyond Matte, and Bronzer Refills.
Just make sure you’re getting a refillable compact as I believe some of their compacts aren’t refillable and some require you to buy the compact separately. Jane Iredale also launched refill canisters for their powder SPF brush.
Not all of Jane Iredale products are vegan, check the description on each product page as they state which items are vegan. Jane Iredale is cruelty-free and doesn’t test on animals, but note that some of their brushes are made with animal hair. They told me they’re working on phasing out their collection of animal hair brushes.
Clean Faced Cosmetics
Clean Faced Cosmetics is a zero-waste Etsy shop offering refills for almost everything they sell. Refills for their powdered products are provided in biodegradable cello refill bags. And for everything else that isn’t powdered, you’ll have to mail back your container to be refilled.
It’s super personalized where you’ll need to message the shop owner and they’ll give you instructions on how to mail back your container and you’ll also get a 10% off coupon code for the refill.
Clean Faced Cosmetics has refills for everything including mascara, eyeshadow, lipstick, highlighter, foundation, bronzer, blush, and lots more! Everything they sell is also 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
The Organic Skin Co.
The Organic Skin Co’s refillable and interchangeable makeup palettes offer a personalized experience to your makeup essentials. Available in a 4 or 8-pod palette, you can fill it with just about anything and everything The Organic Skin Co offers!
“With a selection of natural cheek and lip creams, cream eye shadows, concealers, and luminizers to choose from, you have everything you need to create the look you’re after. Your look, your way.”
All of The Organic Skin Co’s products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
Bésame Cosmetics
Bésame spent 3 years perfecting their refillable compact design. Inspired by a design from 1928, the gold-plated compact features carved concentric details and comes in a satin-lined box with a powder puff and velvet satchel. Use the refillable compact with Bésame’s selection of vegan pressed translucent powder refill pans.
Bésame Cosmetics also offers refills of their best-selling low-waste cake mascara, where you can buy their reusable tin and swap in a new refill when you’re done!
The translucent powder and cake mascara are vegan but note that some of Bésame’s other products (like their lipsticks and mascara) are not vegan. Bésame Cosmetics is cruelty-free.
Clove + Hallow
Clove + Hallow has a refillable compact that can be used with their vegan pressed mineral foundation or their vegan bronzing powder refill pans. Note: The refillable compact is sold separately. I like how the refillable compact works with both products and I hope their new product launches will work with the same compact.
All of Clove + Hallow products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
Sweat Cosmetics
Sweat Cosmetics offers refillable powder makeup twist-brushes for an on-the-go and quick application of your powder makeup. It’s also washable and refillable, so you only have to buy the twist-brush once and then get the individual refills.
They have everything you need for your face makeup including foundation, translucent, blush, bronzer, and highlighter.
All of Sweat Cosmetics’ products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
Loose Mineral Powder Refills
I was pleasantly surprised to see many natural mineral makeup brands offer eco-refills of their loose mineral powder. There’s a bunch so here’s a working list of some mineral makeup brands offering refills in eco-friendly packaging:
- All Earth Minerals – 100% biodegradable tubes
- Barefaced Beauty – recyclable, eco-friendly, kraft paper pouches
- Clean Faced Cosmetics – biodegradable cello refill bags
- eco minerals – biodegradable refill sachets
- elate cosmetics – biodegradable paper tube
- Honeypie Minerals – 100% plastic-free, biodegradable and compostable refills
- Lily Lolo – recyclable paper refill
- Love the Planet – kraft paper, cellulose, and starch
- MG Naturals – eco refills in a low waste sachet
- Root Beauty – available in compostable ECO Refills
There you have it! A list of refillable makeup products from cruelty-free and vegan-friendly brands. I hope you will consider trying a refillable makeup compact or packaging as a solution to reduce single-use packaging.
And if you enjoyed or found this guide to refillable makeup helpful, please share this post and leave a comment which of these brands appealed to you and why?
