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Looking to clean up your beauty bag without compromising on results? These are some of the standout cruelty-free beauty brands you can buy in Australia right now.

More and more of us are making the switch to cruelty-free beauty products, and it’s not hard to see why. These brands don’t test on animals at any stage of production, and most steer clear of countries that still require it. Whether you’re driven by ethics, sustainability or just want to support brands that do better, cruelty-free beauty makes a whole lot of sense.

Get ready to “add to cart” because we’ve rounded up a shortlist of our hands-down favourite cruelty-free brands that you can shop online in Australia right now. Whether you’re after an eye serum, a new lippy or that cult body scrub you’ve been eyeing (hello, Frank Body), this list has you covered.

Person holding Frank Body Coffee Scrub.
The stuff of legends. Image: Frank Body

How to tell if a brand is really cruelty-free

In Australia, look out for one or both of the following certifications, affiliations or logos on beauty brand websites for peace of mind about what you’re buying. Both organisations above have fully searchable lists of brands that are certified cruelty-free.

The Body Shop

The Body Shop Passionfruit products.
Famous for fruity-scented goodness. Image: The Body Shop

This one is at the top of our list for a reason. The Body Shop has been pioneering ethical beauty since the 1980s. To this day, it continues to advocate strongly for global bans on animal testing with Cruelty Free International. As any kids of the 80s will attest, many of its skincare, makeup and fragrance products have a cult following – for good reason!


Aesop

Aesop hand care products on a dark benchtop.
These products look as good as they feel and smell. Image: Aesop

Aside from being the home of one of the most coveted hand care products in the country (we’re obsessed with Resurrection), Melbourne-born Aesop is widely loved for its focus on vegan, cruelty-free products. The brand is Leaping Bunny approved and a Certified B Corporation.


Nude By Nature

Nude By Nature Mineral Cover Foundation.
This bestselling foundation comes in 25 shades! Image: Nude By Nature

PETA-certified and renowned for its breathable, toxin-free makeup, Nude By Nature is an affordable Australian brand with clean, ethically sourced ingredients. From teenagers to seniors, this is a product range trusted by many for its gentle products that keep up with the luxe brands.


Go-To Skincare

Person holding a bottle of Face Hero from Go-To Skincare.
Created with sensitive skin in mind, with none of the crazy lingo. Image: Go-To Skincare

Founded by Zoë Foster Blake, Go-To keeps things simple with gentle, fuss-free skincare without any of the “faux science.” Proudly PETA-certified, it’s created with sensitive skin (and cheeky marketing) in mind and includes everything from serums and moisturisers to lip care, mists and even sunscreen.


Frank Body

Person scooping Frank Body Barrier Cream from the tub.
It’s like a holiday for your skin. Image: Frank Body

Best known for its Original Coffee Scrub, PETA-certified Frank Body has expanded into a full skincare lineup that’s playful, clean and made in Australia. Many products use vegan formulas, and all contain nourishing ingredients that leave skin soft and glowy.


LAMAV

LAMAV Body Oils.

LAMAV is Australia’s first certified organic skincare label to include Australian native extracts and Ayurvedic ingredients in its formulations. The products, which span skincare, tanning and wellness, are clean, high-performance and designed to support holistic skin health. LAMAV is Vegan Certified, Australian Certified Toxic-Free and proudly Cruelty-Free Certified.


Sand & Sky

Sand & Sky Pink Clay Mask and brush.
The coveted Pink Clay Mask has reached cult status. Image: Sand & Sky

Sand & Sky puts Australian botanicals in the spotlight, with cruelty-free masks and serums that deliver results fast. Their bright packaging and detoxifying pink clay mask have a loyal global following. Ingredients are ethically sourced, free from nasties, and everything is PETA-approved.


Kester Black

Person holding a bottle of Kester Black nail treatment.
Problem nails be gone. Image: Kester Black

A local brand making waves globally, Kester Black offers PETA-certified, ethically sourced, 100% vegan skincare, makeup and nail products that fans can’t get enough of. It is also a certified B Corp and committed to sustainability across the board, most notably for its environmentally friendly (and fun!) packaging.


The Ordinary

The Ordinary serum products.
No frills, just transparent ingredients and affordable prices. Image: The Ordinary

This iconic monochrome brand is loved for its no-nonsense skincare made using heavily researched ingredients. The Ordinary is Leaping Bunny-approved and has made a name for itself as a company that challenges the beauty industry with accessible prices and transparent products.


Drunk Elephant

Drunk Elephant skincare products.
This brand’s philosophy rests on avoiding the ‘Suspicious 6’ ingredients. Image: Drunk Elephant

With bold packaging and high-performance formulas, Drunk Elephant is all about clean, biocompatible skincare that doesn’t compromise. The brand is certified cruelty-free by PETA and avoids what it calls the ‘Suspicious 6’ ingredients, known to cause skin issues.


ILIA Beauty

ILIA beauty products.
ILIA believes in skin that looks like skin. Image: ILIA Beauty

Leaping Bunny-certified, ILIA makes clean makeup that’s kind to skin and animals, with multitasking products that simplify beauty routines and revive skin. The range is made up of skincare and makeup, with some of its bestselling products including mascara and lip crayons.


Rare Beauty

Rare Beauty assorted lip gloss colours.
This brand is about being comfortable with yourself. Image: Rare Beauty

Created by Selena Gomez, Rare Beauty champions mental health and embracing uniqueness. Certified cruelty-free, it delivers cult-status liquid blushes, gentle fragrance mists and glassy lip glosses that you’ll want to buy in every shade.


Too Faced

Model holding palette of Disco Crush Glitter eyeshadow by Too Faced.
If glitter is your jam, this is a brand to check out. Image: Too Faced

Californian brand Too Faced (owned by Estée Lauder) combines bold colour with a firm, PETA-certified, cruelty-free policy. From bestselling mascaras to swoonworthy eyeshadow palettes, it’s a fun and unapologetically glam brand that’s loved the world over.


Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream on top of a pile of silk pillows.
Magic Cream is a bestseller worldwide. Image: Charlotte Tilbury

This luxe, Leaping Bunny-approved British brand is cruelty-free and known for makeup that brings serious glow. Hero products like Pillow Talk lippies and Magic Cream moisturiser have become modern-day classics.


FAQs

What does cruelty-free actually mean?

Cruelty-free means a product and its ingredients were not tested on animals at any stage of development. It also usually means the brand doesn’t sell in countries where animal testing is required by law.

Is cruelty-free the same as vegan?

Not quite. Vegan means the product contains no animal-derived ingredients, while cruelty-free means it wasn’t tested on animals, so a product can be one without being the other.

Are cruelty-free products better for your skin?

Not automatically, but many cruelty-free brands also focus on clean, gentle formulations. It depends on the product, but you’re often getting thoughtful ingredients and less irritants.

Can I find cruelty-free brands at Priceline or Chemist Warehouse?

Yes! Brands like Nude By Nature and The Ordinary are all cruelty-free and stocked in Australian pharmacies.

How do I know if a brand is cruelty-free?

Head to the brand’s website and look for certifications from Leaping Bunny, PETA or Cruelty Free International, which are often located in the About Us sections. You can also go directly to PETA or Cruelty Free International and search the directories of certified brands.


Top image: Instagram/lamavorganics

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How important is cruelty-free to you when you purchase beauty products? Share your thoughts below.

  • Absolutely love all the great brands that are available these days, its the way it should be. It also saddens me that some countries still require testing on animals by law, that astounded me to read but glad that being cruelty free is a way to pick the right brands that don’t


  • I always recommend The Ordinary for people who are new to skincare or wanting to try to expand their routine. Not only are they cruelty free with great ingredients, they are a really cost effective skincare company. They very often have excellent sales online that expand the entire range. I love their caffeine eye serum


  • Cruelty free is the best option when choosing skincare. A lot of these brands I’ve never heard of but The Body Shop and Nude By Nature are two of my favourite brands. The Body Shop has been around for decades and I remember shopping there as a teenager. A great article!


  • Cruelty free is the best way to go. I cannot even fathom using something that has caused another pain! If products are all natural then companies should have no fear having humans test them out. All natural products are the ones that are best for your skin anyway and they smell way better!


  • I love Frank Body products, their lip butter and coffee scrub are divine. Too Faced is one of my all time favourite cosmetics lines, their highlighter is stunning. I have a few, including the one that was based on the owners engagement ring. And thanks to my sisters influence I’m becoming a bigger Aesop fan (sorry bank account). Their products feel fabulous, especially the body exfoliating scrub.


  • I just purchased the buds by nature foundation to give it a go.
    I must say, it really does have a natural smell to it! It’s not perfumed or full of chemicals and it’s taken me a little bit of time to get used to it but I’m happy using it knowing it’s a kind product


  • I’m so happy to see so many products advertising they are cruelty free. It always saddened me to know animals suffered so much for human vanity


  • It’s so good to know that there are so many brands that are cruelty free ! I must admit that I didn’t know of many of them. I’ve always loved the body shop ; their products are great for birthday gift and Christmas gifts too ! Especially the hampers are a great gift to many !


  • I haven’t been to The Body Shop in ages. This article reminded me to go visit and see what’s new in their range of products.


  • I always try and ensure that I am using products that aren’t tested on animals. Something important to note is that companies that sell certain products IN China MUST mandatory test them on animals in order to sale them there. I think general cosmetics are now excluded as of a few years ago, but products like sunscreen, hair dyes, whitening treatments, freckle removers, anti-hair loss treatments STILL require animal testing to be sold in China. So if a company sells these products there they are still animal-testing and not cruelty-free, even if their mainland products are marked as such.


  • Is the Body Shop still adhering to those principles since it was sold to the L’Oreal company? Or at least the one that also owns L’Oreal… I have used maybe half of these brands, and they’re all pretty good. I like that these span a range of price points, too – not all cost a fortune.


  • I am feeling very behind the times. For some reason I had assumed we stopped testing on animals and all this cruel stuff decades ago. It appears I had no idea. I will definitely take notice of these labels more from now on. In this day and age there is no need for it.


  • More reasons to love Nude by Nature, The Ordinary, and Kester Black.


  • I did not realise that Peta Certifed and Leaping Bunny meant that the product was cruelty free. I will start looking for these in my product selection and have taken note of the brands here – especially the Ordinary, Frank Body (it has been a while since I have had a Body scrub!) and the Body Shop.


  • I always try and purchase cruelty free brands and these are some great ones on offer here in Australia that show you can have high quality products without testing on animals. I love some of these brands like go-to skincare and frank body is another favourite. I would love to try some of the others too.


  • These are all such fantastic brands that are really changing it up in the beauty industry. No product should be tested on animals, especially with all the technology we have in today’s society. Have been lucky enough to have used some of these brands in the past, they are incredible and great quality


  • I love the ordinary and am so glad that it’s cruelty free, there’s alot of brands there that I haven’t tried before. Charlotte tilbury is out of my price range but I’ve heard that it’s really good. I do prefer to buy cruelty free and am so pleased that so many companies have gotten on board


  • Cruelty free is definitely important when choosing beauty products. There really is no need to test on animals for skincare, make up or hair products. If the manufacturer was concerned, I’d say the product contains ingredients that could be toxic, so that’s a red flag already. I love Aesop and Kester Black.


  • I absolutely adore Go-To Skincare. I’ve been using their products daily for over a year now and have seen beautiful results. Highly recommend Skin Hero. My sister and her wife are total Aesop girlies. She swears by it. Their products do feel very luxurious and expensive. I have the sage hair oil and love it. Cruelty free products are important to me, but I need to know they work for my skin. Grateful I finally know what works for me


  • I have used a number of brands in this article and I highly recommend a lot of these. Buying cruelty free products is something that is very important to me. I don’t like animals being used to test products on and I support brands that promote cruelty free. It is good to see so many brands heading this way.


  • I have many body shop perfunes.
    Love La Mav and NBN products and too faced have some lovely eyeshadows that I have in my collection.
    The NBN translucent powder is great and I use that daily over a BB cream. They also have some lovely smooth primers and lip sticks


  • I use NBN, The Body Shop and The Ordinary products.


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