Is Kylie Cosmetics Vegan?

When you see Kylie Cosmetics, a makeup brand founded by Kylie Jenner, known for its bold lip products and social media-driven marketing. Also known as Kylie Skin, it's one of the most talked-about celebrity beauty lines in the world. But if you care about what goes into your makeup, you’re probably asking: is it vegan? And more importantly, is it cruelty-free? The answer isn’t simple, and it’s not what most influencers make it out to be.

Many people assume that if a brand is popular and marketed as "clean," it must be ethical. But vegan cosmetics, products that contain no animal-derived ingredients like beeswax, carmine, or lanolin are different from cruelty-free makeup, products that aren’t tested on animals at any stage of development. Kylie Cosmetics claims to be cruelty-free, but it’s sold in China — a country that still requires animal testing for imported cosmetics. That alone raises red flags. Even if the brand doesn’t test directly, selling there means they allow third-party testing to happen. And while some of their products are labeled vegan, others still use animal-derived ingredients like lanolin in lip balms or carmine in red pigments. You can’t assume a whole line is vegan just because a few items say so.

Compare this to brands like Elf Cosmetics, a budget-friendly brand that’s 100% vegan and cruelty-free, with full transparency about ingredients and supply chains. Elf doesn’t sell in China, doesn’t test on animals, and lists every ingredient clearly. Kylie Cosmetics doesn’t offer that level of openness. If you’re trying to avoid animal products and testing, you’re better off with brands that make their ethics a core part of their identity — not just a marketing add-on.

What you’ll find in the posts below are real breakdowns of exactly what makes a brand vegan or cruelty-free — and which celebrity lines are hiding behind clean language. You’ll see how to read labels, spot greenwashing, and choose makeup that matches your values — without paying extra for a name you recognize. This isn’t about hype. It’s about knowing what’s really in your makeup and who pays the price for it.