5 Reasons to use Vegan & Cruelty-free Liquid Lipstick & Cosmetics

Before we get to our five reasons to switch to vegan lipstick, we know that not everyone is a familiar with what vegan and cruelty-free means.  Here are very quick definitions of what vegan and cruelty-free means before we get to our reasons to switch to a vegan lipstick.

Vegan lipstick is lipstick that does not contain animal ingredients or animal-derived ingredients.

Cruelty-free lipstick is lipstick that is created without any sort of animal testing – that also includes not using raw materials that have not been tested on animals.

All Aromi lipsticks, including matte and metallic liquid lipstick as well as the solid lipsticks, are vegan and cruelty-free (registered with both PETA and Leaping Bunny).  Aromi Cosmetics have been vegan and cruelty-free since July in 2012.

FIVE REASONS TO SWITCH TO VEGAN LIPSTICKS!

1.  Testing on animals does not correlate to safety in humans. Usually animals that are unfortunate recipients of being selected for lab testing are often rats, fish, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, monkeys, cats, and dogs. Obviously, the skin, eyes, and other parts of these animals are very different than humans – the correlation between animal testing and human safety is not proven. There are many, many cases of tests that show “favorable” results in the animal, but doesn’t work or proves unsafe on a human.

A very large majority of the raw materials that are used in cosmetics have been around for a very long time – they are well understood and have been thoroughly tested. Safety and allergenic properties of cosmetic raw materials have already been established. Obviously, we do not participate in any sort of animal testing. We also do not purchase raw materials that have been tested on animals. It is estimated that over 100 million animals are killed each year in laboratories across the United States and we do not want to contribute to that number.

2.  By using a vegan lipstick, you can be certain it does not contain colorants that are made from insects.



Carmine or cochineal extract/dye is a colorant that is used to achieve a red lipsticks and cosmetics - of course, it is not used in Aromi Cosmetics.  Carmine, simply put, is derived from cochineal beetles - the female beetles actually eat cactus berries in Central and South America.  The manufacturing process to create carmine involves crushing the beetles to create a red pigment.  This colorant is frequently used in cosmetics, drugs, food, and often used as a colorant in many “natural” products.

Cochineal extract looks like a red powder - photo credit: Long Ridge Farm

3.  Many vegan lipsticks are also cruelty-free. Vegan lip products (without animal-derived products) can be tested on animals so not all vegan lipsticks are cruelty-free.  However, many companies that care enough to offer a vegan product will also care enough to make sure that product is cruelty-free and not tested on animals.  Cruelty-free lip products must not use ingredients that are not tested on animals and the final product must also not be tested on animals - both must be met in order to be considered a cruelty-free lipstick

Each and every Aromi lip product is cruelty-free.  Each lip product doesn't not use raw materials that are tested on animals and the final product is also not tested on animals.

4.  Vegan Lipsticks do not contain ingredients that are derived from dead animals. Gross.  Certain cosmetic ingredients are derived from various parts of dead animals. If people knew where some of these ingredients were coming from, they may want to switch to vegan products.  Many animal-derived raw materials are bi-products of the meat industry.  Parts from a deceased animal can sometimes be used in other industries and can be used to create raw materials for lipsticks and other beauty products

5.  Many Vegan Lipsticks often use better ingredients and are typically more environmentally friendly.  Because there are often fewer raw materials in vegan lipsticks they can also be hypoallergenic. Many of the common allergens found in lipsticks are derived from dead animals.  An easy way to avoid common allergenic ingredients found in lipsticks is to stick with vegan lipsticks.  We've run into many customers that are allergic to all sorts of animal-derived raw materials - everything from beeswax to lanolin.

There are countless other reasons to switch to a vegan lipstick, but these are just five of them. As always, Aromi liquid-to-matte lipsticks, metallic matte lipsticks, and traditional lipsticks are all vegan and cruelty-free!

All Aromi Lip products are vegan and cruelty-free!  Aromi liquid-to-matte lipstick, metallic matte lipsticks, solid lipstick, and lip gloss are all created without dead animals.

Vegan lipsticks are not only void of dead animals and beetles, but they are also ethically sourced and manufactured.

We often hear vegan and cruelty-free being used interchangeably with natural, chemical-free, and non-toxic.  These terms can also be used to describe beauty products and have very different definitions than vegan and cruelty-free.  Here is some background information on these terms.  

Natural lipstick or beauty products are products that are created with products derived from the earth and without synthetic processing. 

Chemical free lipstick is often used to describe certain lipsticks, but it really makes no sense. Chemicals are literally in every product or every lipstick out there. Since there are no lipsticks out there that are chemical free (not a single one), chemical free really shouldn't be used to describe a lipstick. You will never find us using this term just because it doesn't make sense to us as we are a science-based company and are founded by a chemist. 

Non-toxic lipstick is another term than can be used to describe a lipstick. Toxicity in the chemical world is determined by various animal tests that calculate the levels of toxicity for different animals. Aromi is a cruelty-free company and we never test on animals. Since we are a cruelty-free company and we don't participate in the traditional animal tests that determine toxicity levels, we can't claim that our products are non-toxic. Just because our products do not have the animal-testing to be able to claim that they are non-toxic, doesn't mean that they are not safe. Our cosmetic chemist is an expert in cosmetic raw materials and she has her own standard for what chemicals she will or will not use in a lipstick formulation. Aromi products do not use any parabens, phthalates, gluten, animal-derived ingredients, triclosan, mineral oil, or sodium lauryl sulfate in any of our lipsticks.


Here are a few of our favorite vegan liquid matte lipsticks and solid lipsticks!

Some of our favorite matte liquid lipsticks include: berry nude, miss mauve, electric orchid, and cherry red liquid-to-matte lipstick.

Some of our favorite vegan lipsticks include, poppy, azalea, and bordeaux lipstick.

Have any questions? Please let us know in the comments below! We hope that after reading this, that you'll consider the switch to vegan (and cruelty-free) lipsticks!