Vegan Brushes for Every Part of Your Beauty Routine

Let’s talk about a shopping-trip quest we’ve all made but have probably never put that much thought into: makeup brushes.

If you do put some thought into it, you’re probably looking at the size and shape of the brush, and the brand, and of course stroking the bristles across your palm and fingertips and imagining how they’ll work with your makeup on them.

Here’s the thing: When many of us shop for food, we look at ingredients, so why wouldn’t we want to know the ingredients of something we put on our body as much as we want to know the ingredients of something we put into our body?

Makeup brushes and hairbrushes can be categorized into two broad groups: natural and synthetic. Natural brushes are made from animal hairs or fibers, like boar or squirrel. Synthetic brushes are vegan, because they’re animal-free, and made of different plastics. According PETA, synthetic or vegan brushes are also easier to clean, they shed less, and they are easier to use — an important point being that they aren’t porous like animal hair.

Late last year, Wet n Wild made the decision to make all its makeup brushes vegan and cruelty-free; the company just released the full line of brushes — and they’re beautiful. Yahoo Beauty did some investigating into some of the best vegan beauty brushes out there, for use in every part of a beauty routine, from hair to eyes.

Wet n Wild Powder Brush

For the perfect soft, large plush brush, look no further. The pink ombré and sleek handle make it an essential addition to any makeup set ($2.99). (Photo: Wet n Wild)

Powder brush, available at wetnwildbeauty.com.

Cebra Ethical Skincare Eco-Friendly Wooden Vegan Sisal Hairbrush

It might be hard to imagine a vegan substitute to that old-Hollywood glam boar brush because, you know … it’s made with boar bristles. However, Cebra’s brush is a close imitator, with bristles made of sisal ($30). (Photo: Amazon)

Vegan sisal hairbrush, available at amazon.com.

Sappho Paradigm Vegan Mascara

Mascara needs a brush to get it onto your lovely lashes! Sappho’s new lengthening and thickening mascara is vegan and from an eco-conscious brand ($30). (Photo: Sappho)

Paradigm mascara, available at organicsbysappho.com.

Bdellium Tools Purple Bambu Sultry Eyes 5-Piece Brush Set

One thing to keep in mind when choosing brush materials is that wetter and more oily makeups, like liquid liners and gel shadows, need to be applied with synthetic brushes. This vegan brush set gives you precision brushes for every eye look you may be trying ($30). (Photo: Bdellium Tools)

Bambu brush set, available at bdelliumtools.com.