Answer: It depends. A simple response to that is a tricky yes and no.
For fashionistas who’re window shopping the internet for answers, you need not look further. I got it covered for you here in this article. With the rising popularity of mineral-based cosmetics and beauty products, this question is bound to be Googled a lot at some point in time or frequently asked around in the social circle.
So, is Bare Minerals vegan? A simple response to that is a tricky yes and no.
However, you cannot be spilling out yes and no, just like that; the crowd can do that but not you. Ignorance is bliss, but not in this industry. There’s a steady rise in people opting to go green and organic for their daily products; that’s why some knowledge here and is always appreciated.
Ever wonder how much the cosmetic industry is worth in the US, it’s an astounding $93.5 Billion, and the US vegan beauty market alone is valued at $3.16 billion. Now, that’s a lot of money flowing in the beauty industry, and it will keep growing tremendously in the coming years.
First, I want to get the details on point.
Table of Contents
What Is Bare Minerals?
Bare Minerals is a cosmetic company that has made a niche in the mineral-based makeup industry. The company pioneered the clean beauty skincare revolution by launching in 1995. And since then, the brand has continued to develop skincare products that are free from harsh chemicals and full of natural minerals.
In 2010, Bare Minerals was acquired by Shiseido, a Japanese multinational beauty and personal care company that produces skincare, cosmetics, hair care, and fragrance products. However, the brand operates independently and continues innovating as the original creators of mineral cosmetics and clean makeup skin products.
Although Bare Minerals is not entirely a vegan-oriented company, it has invested in and developed a wide range of vegan skincare and makeup products. The brand is available in 21 countries worldwide and is probably most recognized for its mineral makeup lineup.
What Are Mineral Cosmetics?
Mineral cosmetics are makeup products that are composed of compressed minerals. These cosmetic products are pure minerals and do not contain any oil or wax. Accordingly, Diane Ranger, the term mineral makeup, was first used by the owner of Colorescience back in 1977 (She is also the brain behind the first mineral makeup Bare Escentuals).
Men and women alike have been decorating their bodies with earth colors for centuries. However, mineral makeup or cosmetics as we know it today is a more recent innovation.
What Makes A Mineral Cosmetic Product Vegan?
A mineral cosmetic product is vegan when a product does not have any animal products or animal-derived by-products. And all its ingredients are sourced from naturally occurring minerals.
Why Mineral Cosmetics?
It attempts to return to natural ways by using natural minerals as the base ingredient for makeup products. When you look at traditional cosmetics, contain chemicals and other additives that may irritate the skin. Mineral cosmetics are free of synthetic fragrances, petroleum-based colorants, and artificial preservatives. They are somewhat taking it easy on the skin.
Vegan-friendly makeup products are gaining traction among consumers partly because of more dissemination of information and informed buyers. People have realized that the way forward is organic and natural; thus, more companies are pushing their product lineup to align with vegan-friendly ingredients.
We have a long list of products, some of which you may have never heard of or used. There’s no harm in knowing new things. So, without further delay, let’s get to the list.
Bare Minerals Vegan-Friendly Products:
Here is a comprehensive guide for Bare Minerals, vegan-friendly products; I have researched and compiled as many names as possible that are 100% vegan products. I divided these products into categories of Makeup, Skincare, and Tools (Brushes) for easy reference.
Makeup Products:
- Bare Radiance
- Bare Minerals Blemish Rescue Skin-Clearing Spot Concealer (All shades)
- BarePro® Longwear Lipstick (All shades)
- BarePro® Performance Wear Powder Foundation (All shades)
- BarePro® 16-Hour Full Coverage Concealer (All shades)
- BareSkin® Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (All shades)
- BareSkin® Perfecting Veil (All shades)
- Blemish Rescue™ Anti-Redness Mattifying Primer
- Blemish Rescue™ Skin-Clearing Loose Powder Foundation (All shades)
- Complexion Rescue™ Tinted Moisturizer Hydrating Gel Cream (All shades)
- Combo Control Milky Face Primer
- Complexion Rescue Defense™ Radiant Protective Veil
- Correcting Concealer SPF 20 (All shades)
- Complexion Rescue Hydrating Foundation Stick SPF 25 (All shades)
- Gen Nude® Matte Liquid Lipstick (All shades)
- Gen Nude® Patent Lip Lacquer (All shades)
- Gen Nude® Radiant Lipstick (All shades)
- Deluxe Complexion Rescue™ Tinted Moisturizer-Hydrating Gel Cream
- Lash Domination® Liquid Eyeliner
- Lashtopia™ Mega Volume Mineral-Based Mascara
- Loose Powder Concealer SPF 20 (All shades)
- Loose Powder Matte Foundation SPF 15 (All shades)
- Mineral Veil® Finishing Powder (All shades)
- Mineral Veil® Finishing Powder SPF 25 (All shades)
- One Fine Line™ Micro Precision Eyeliner (All shades)
- Original Loose Powder Foundation SPF 15 (All shades)
- Prime Time® BB Primer Cream Daily Defense
- Prime Time® Foundation Primer
- Round the Clock™ Intense Cream-Glide Eyeliner, 8pm
- Round the Clock™ Intense Cream-Glide Eyeliner, Midnight
- Statement Matte Liquid Lipstick (All shades)
- Warmth All-Over Face Color Bronzer
- Well-Rested® Under Eye Brightener SPF 20
Skincare Products:
- Ageless Genius™ Firming & Wrinkle Smoothing Neck Cream
- Ageless Genius™ Firming & Wrinkle Smoothing Serum
- Blemish Remedy® Acne Clearing Treatment Serum
- Blemish Remedy® Acne Treatment Gelee Cleanser
- Brilliant Future® Age Defense & Renew Eye Cream
- Brilliant Future® Age Defense & Renew Serum
- Butter Drench™ Restorative Rich Cream
- Claymates Be Pure & Be Dewy Mask Duo
- Pure Plush® Gentle Deep Cleansing Soap
- Skinlongevity® Vital Power Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30
When it comes to skincare products, Bare Minerals infuse profoundly organic and herbal extracts. If you check their ingredients, most of their products are vegan-friendly. The good news for vegans is that a high street brand is tilting towards its favor and philosophy.
Since this is a long list, I’ll review the most popular ones.
- Original Loose Powder Foundation SPF 15
Many experts across different application platforms highly recommend this product. It contains five clean ingredients and is utterly vegan-friendly -Titanium Dioxide & Zinc Oxide, Bismuth Oxychloride, and Mica and Iron Oxides.
However, this ongoing debate is about Bismuth Oxychloride, the filler ingredient in beauty products. Bismuth oxychloride is a mineral, but it’s not a natural one. It’s a metal derivative, and it’s known for being irritating. And some people have taken it to the task of explaining why it shouldn’t be included in the first place.
- Complexion Rescue Hydrating Foundation Stick SPF 25
The ingredients include Volcanic Sea Water, Red Algae, Squalane (derived from olives), and Titanium Dioxide.
- Skinlongevity® Vital Power Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30
It is a vegan face moisturizer. Its ingredients include Long Life Herb Extract, Green Coffee Bean Extract, and Peony Extract. It also contains Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide.
The tools mentioned here are brushes made of synthetic fibers and not an amalgamation of natural fibers. Synthetic fibers consist of nylon and polyester. Synthetic fibers tend to stick together, thus, making them perfect for precision application.
Tools:
- Beautiful Finish Foundation Brush (Synthetic Foundation Brush)
- Blooming Blush Brush
- Blurring Buffer Brush
- Complexion Perfector Brush
- Core Coverage Foundation Brush
- Detail Shader Eyeshadow Brush
- Double-Ended Perfect Fill Lip Brush
- Dual Finish Blush & Contour Blush
- Dual-Sided Silicone Blender
- Luxe Performance Brush
- Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush
- Perfecting Face Foundation Brush
- Precision Angled Makeup Brush
- Shade & Diffuse Eye Brush
- Smoothing Face Foundation Brush
- Soft Curve Face & Cheek Brush
- Supreme Finisher Makeup Brush
No beauty brand is entirely free from animal by-products. It goes the same for Bare Minerals too. Here is an elaborate list of the not-friendly vegan products by Bare Minerals.
Bare Minerals Non-Vegan Products:
- BarePro Glow™ Highlighter (Contains carmine)
- Brow Master™ Sculpting Eyebrow Pencil (All shades contain beeswax)
- Clear Radiance (Contains carmine)
- Desert Bloom Gen Nude® Mini Blush Trio Palette (May contain carmine)
- Desert Escape Mini Mascara & Matte Liquid Lip Color (Mascara contains beeswax)
- Destination Desert Mini Lip Lacquer and Full-Size Blush
- Faux Tan All-Over Face Color Bronzer (Contains carmine)
- Floral Utopia Gen Nude Eyeshadow Palette
- Floral Utopia Gen Nude® Power Blush
- Floral Utopia Highlighter Stick (Contains carmine)
- Gen Nude® Buttercream Lip Gloss (All shades contain beeswax)
- Gen Nude® Eyeshadow Palette – Copper
- Gen Nude® Eyeshadow Palette – Latte
- Gen Nude® Eyeshadow Palette – Neutral
- Gen Nude® Eyeshadow Palette – Rose (May contain carmine)
- Gen Nude® Eyeshadow + Primer
- Gen Nude® Powder Blush
- Gen Nude® Under Over™ Lip Liner (All shades contain beeswax)
- Glee All-Over Face Color (Contains carmine)
- Good Hydrations™ Silky Face Primer
- Invisible Bronze Powder Bronzer
- Invisible Glow Powder Highlight
- Lash Domination® Volumizing Mascara (Contains beeswax)
- Lasting Line™ Long-Wearing Eyeliner
- Loose Mineral Eye color
- Loose Powder Blush (All shades contain carmine)
- Love Every Lash™ Micro Defining Mascara (Contains beeswax)
- Moxie Plumping Lip Gloss
- Pure Radiance (Contains carmine)
- Prime Time® Brightening Foundation Primer
- Prime Time Eyeshadow Primer $(Contains beeswax)
- Rose Radiance (Contains carmine)
- Statement Luxe-Shine Lipstick
- Statement Under Over™ Lip Liner (All shades contain beeswax)
The not vegan products from Bare Minerals include ingredients such as carmine, beeswax, lanolin, or other animal-derived ingredients or by-products. We get carmine from an insect called cochineal. Beeswax is a natural wax produced by honey bees.
The brushes mentioned here are all made from natural fibers, either from goat and pony or synthetic and natural fibers, as Bare Minerals claimed.
Tools:
- Expert Shadow & Liner Brush
- Full Flawless Face Brush
- Seamless Shaping & Finish Brush
- The Blender Brush
The Alternatives:
For vegans, the choice of product list is endless, and it boils down to individual preference. I will list a few good alternative brands and bang on the buck too.
- Cover FX
- Inika
- Kat Von D Beauty
- B. Beauty
- Axiology
Final Thoughts
Besides featuring many vegan-friendly products, Bare Minerals is also prevalent among vegan communities because it follows a strict cruelty-free policy as a makeup brand. The company itself has confirmed that they:
- Strictly follow no testing of their products or ingredients on animals.
- They don’t collaborate with brands that conduct animal testing.
- Do not sell or manufacture in China, where animal testing is required.
- Now that we know more than enough about the brand Bare Minerals and its variety of product lineup. I want to focus on the benefits of vegan-friendly mineral makeup. There’s a lot to consider, and it’s worth it.
Some benefits of vegan-friendly mineral makeup are listed below:
- Natural ingredients are suitable for sensitive skin and acne-prone skin.
- Botanical extract ingredients help heal, soothe, and protect the skin.
- Natural ingredients are free of potentially irritating chemicals, synthetics, preservatives, parabens, oils, and waxes.
- Gentle ingredients promote healthy skin.
- Fewer components mean less chance of irritation.
- Mineral makeup products have a more extended life shelf because of their purity.
In conclusion, some vegans may find Bare Minerals products quite appealing, while others may not be into them. The options, however, do not stop then and there. The cosmetic industry is packed with many brands, each trying to create a niche market for their products.
While the company Bare Minerals is not without suspicion for the many ingredients used and how it is derived due to the lack of detailed label information. The brand remains the most popular and has a nearby cult following for its products.
I’ll leave the rest for you to decide for yourself.
References:
- https://www.bareminerals.com/
- https://corp.shiseido.com/en/brands/bareminerals/
- https://logicalharmony.net/bareminerals-vegan-product-list/
- https://www.curiouslyconscious.com/2015/10/are-bare-minerals-products-natural.html/
- http://www.therobynvalentine.com/2018/08/bareminerals-vegan-products-list.html/
- https://vegansfirst.com/is-bare-minerals-vegan-or-cruelty-free/
- https://ethicalelephant.com/bareminerals-cruelty-free-vegan/