Sephora Vegan Makeup & Beauty Shopping Guide

By: Mary Elizabeth Hammond

Fingernails painted pink holding a plant

Vegan, clean, and all-natural beauty products have been increasing in popularity in recent years. Consumers are looking for products that are good for them, good for the environment, and good for animals. As one of the biggest names in beauty, Sephora has several vegan makeup, skincare, and haircare options. We here at Groupon Coupons want to make it easy for shoppers to find exactly what they’re looking for, so we compiled this guide to shopping Sephora for vegan makeup and more. 

Be sure to check out the Groupon Coupon collection of Sephora promo codes to make sure you get the best deals while shopping.

Vegan Beauty: What to Look For

Ever looked at the ingredients list on a product and not recognized many of the items on the list? It can be hard to decipher what ingredients are, and which ones are questionable, with so much confusing and misleading jargon out there. (See the list of common non-vegan ingredients below for some examples of that confusing and misleading jargon.) 

Simply put, vegan beauty products are not made with any animal products. Look for phrases like “cruelty-free” and “no animal by-products.” To break it down, cruelty-free means that the product was not tested on animals—but it may still contain animal ingredients. And vice versa, a product may be fully vegan, but still be tested on animals. Be sure to look for both for a brand that is truly vegan.

Vegan Brands & Products at Sephora

Sephora offers several high-end and affordable brands with vegan beauty products. Some of the most popular brands in the Sephora vegan collection include:

Check out our Sephora Clean Beauty Shopping Guide for other natural beauty products!

Benefits of Vegan Beauty

Because they avoid animal products and by-products, vegan products tend to have more natural and plant-based ingredients—this means more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential nutrients. Vegan products also tend to have fewer harsh chemicals and fewer ingredients in general. This can help you avoid damaging your hair and skin. And natural ingredients are typically better for sensitive skin. 


Savings Hack: Save at Sephora by shopping at the right times—check out our 2021 Sephora Sales Calendar.


Top-Rated Vegan Beauty Products at Sephora

Avoid questionable ingredients with Sephora vegan beauty products. Scroll down for some top-rated Sephora vegan makeup, haircare, and skincare products made with ingredients that will leave you feeling fresh, clean, and beautiful. 

Sephora Vegan Makeup

Sephora Vegan Skincare

Sephora Vegan Haircare


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Ingredients List

Common ingredients to look out for and their vegan alternatives:

  • Lanolin
    • What it is: waxy substance derived from sheep wool
    • Used in: lip products, balms, sticks, glosses, and hair products, used to soften and moisturize
    • Also known as: n/a
    • Alternatives: plant oils, shea and coconut butters
  • Glycerine 
    • What it is: a fatty compound that attracts and holds moisture 
    • Used in: soaps, hair care, makeup, and moisturizers
    • Also known as: glycerol, glycerin
    • Alternatives: vegetable glycerine 
  • Guanine 
    • What it is: crystalline matter found in crushed fish scales and bat excrement
    • Used in: sparkly nail polish, eyeshadows, highlighters, bronzers, blushes, and mascaras
    • Also known as: pearl essence
    • Alternatives: natural minerals 
  • Stearic acid 
    • What it is: a fatty acid found in various animal and plant fats 
    • Used in: deodorant, soaps, hair products, and moisturizers
    • Also known as: octadecanoic acid
    • Alternatives: vegan stearic acid, made from plant fats
  • Collagen
    • What it is: fibrous protein from animal tissue, bone, skin, cartilage, or ligaments 
    • Used in: anti-aging products and lip-plumping products
    • Also known as: n/a
    • Alternatives: soy protein and almond oil
  • Keratin 
    • What it is: fibrous protein from animal hair, horns, bones, hooves, nails, beaks, and claws
    • Used in: hair and nail products
    • Also known as: n/a
    • Alternatives: soy protein and almond oil