# Mac and veganism



## MorganHope (Mar 20, 2009)

Hey guys, I recently made the decision to become a vegan.
I was wondering if anyone knew what items where animal free. 
I'm looking into buying the new shadestick mostly the pink one and the lemon.


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## blindpassion (Mar 20, 2009)

MAC is a cruelty free company


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## moopoint (Mar 20, 2009)

Honey, I have no idea. But congrats on your new life choice! That's a big step, and a noble one too. It isn't easy swimming against the current, but I wish you the best of luck! I applaud your willpower/commitment.


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## MorganHope (Mar 20, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *blindpassion* 

 
_MAC is a cruelty free company 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
Thanks, I know they don't test on animals, 
But i know a lot of urban decays purples and pinks aren;t vegan. Wasn't sure if the same was true for mac.


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## User49 (Mar 20, 2009)

I would be seriously interested if anyone knew the awnser to this! I work for mac on counter and I know that we dont test on animals and that one of the social ethics is cruelty free beauty. A lot of customers ask me is it vegan and to be honest I'm not sure... 

"instead of testing products on living animals, our laboratory uses alternative testing methods such as in vitro tissue models. Tissue samples are used to evaluate the potential for both skin and eye irritation. Mac also uses clinical patch testing and safety-in-use studies to evaluate new products."


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## mizuki~ (Mar 20, 2009)

I just did LiveChat and they told me to e-mail them for a list. here's the email:
[email protected]


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## daphneM (Mar 21, 2009)

The biggest concern with non-vegan ingredients in makeup is carmine. That's a dye that comes from beetles, and it's most commonly in red, pink, and purple shades. I would definitely e-mail for a list of items that contain carmine. The other one to watch out for is lanolin, from sheep's wool, but I'm not entirely sure what kinds of products it's used in...


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## MAC_Whore (Mar 21, 2009)

Note: My info may be out of date, but I see that: 

Some of the shadows contain Carmine.

Some of the lipsticks and the eye kohls contain Beeswax.  I don't know if that is a vegan concern or not.  Please note that they may have switched to a synthetic beeswax.  I believe Lustres did, I just don't know if it was applied to all lipsticks.

Lanolin is generally in lip products, moisturizers or emollient products.  Lanolin moisturizes and provides slip (i.e. allows a product to glide on well).  I don't see any MAC products that contain it, but I may have missed them.

I recommend asking MAC for a current list.


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## erine1881 (Mar 23, 2009)

here are the products that contain carmine and lanolin.

i left out some long ago LE items.

carmine-3d glass, allover gloss, amplified lipsticks, beauty powders (pressed and loose), blot powder loose, blushcreme pearl, bronzer, bronzing stick, brow finisher, brow set, brow shader, cheekhue, chromacake, chromeglass, CCB, creme liner, cremestick liner, cremestick pearl liner, eye kohl, eye pencil, eye shadow, fibre rich, fluidline, frost lipsticks, glaze lipsticks, glimmers himmer, glitter cream, glitter eye liner, glitter lipglass, gloss (texture), gloss coat, hyper real pressed, iridescent powder (pressed and loose), kohl power, lacquer, lip pencil, lip varnish, lipgelee, lipglass, lipglass pencil, lipmix, liquid eyeliner, LLL, loud lash, lusre lipsticks, lustreglass, macouture lipglass, mascara x, mate lipstick, matte2, mattenes, metal-x, MSF, MSFN, moisturegleam, nail lacquer, paint pot, paint, pearlizer, mac pencil (pro), petit-gloss, pigment, plushlash, plushglass, blush (all), powerpoints, pro lash, pro longwear lipsticks, pro longwear lustre lipsticks, richmetal highlighters, satin lipsticks, sculpt and shape powders, see thru lipcolour, set prowder, shadesick, sheer shimmer powder, sheerspark pressed powder, slimshine, softsparkle eye pencil, splashproof lash, studio fix, studio lights, studio mist blush, stylistics lipglass, technakohl liners, TLC, zoomlash.   

lanolin-amplified lipsticks, gloss (texture), lustre lipsticks

hope that helps.


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## MAC_Whore (Mar 24, 2009)

You rock, erine!


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## vocaltest (Mar 24, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *erine1881* 

 
_here are the products that contain carmine and lanolin.

i left out some long ago LE items.

carmine-3d glass, allover gloss, amplified lipsticks, beauty powders (pressed and loose), blot powder loose, blushcreme pearl, bronzer, bronzing stick, brow finisher, brow set, brow shader, cheekhue, chromacake, chromeglass, CCB, creme liner, cremestick liner, cremestick pearl liner, eye kohl, eye pencil, eye shadow, fibre rich, fluidline, frost lipsticks, glaze lipsticks, glimmers himmer, glitter cream, glitter eye liner, glitter lipglass, gloss (texture), gloss coat, hyper real pressed, iridescent powder (pressed and loose), kohl power, lacquer, lip pencil, lip varnish, lipgelee, lipglass, lipglass pencil, lipmix, liquid eyeliner, LLL, loud lash, lusre lipsticks, lustreglass, macouture lipglass, mascara x, mate lipstick, matte2, mattenes, metal-x, MSF, MSFN, moisturegleam, nail lacquer, paint pot, paint, pearlizer, mac pencil (pro), petit-gloss, pigment, plushlash, plushglass, blush (all), powerpoints, pro lash, pro longwear lipsticks, pro longwear lustre lipsticks, richmetal highlighters, satin lipsticks, sculpt and shape powders, see thru lipcolour, set prowder, shadesick, sheer shimmer powder, sheerspark pressed powder, slimshine, softsparkle eye pencil, splashproof lash, studio fix, studio lights, studio mist blush, stylistics lipglass, technakohl liners, TLC, zoomlash.   

lanolin-amplified lipsticks, gloss (texture), lustre lipsticks

hope that helps._

 
is it just certain colours?! or the whole line of each item?


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## erine1881 (Mar 24, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *vocaltest* 

 
_is it just certain colours?! or the whole line of each item?_

 
a few products its just certain colors, but for the most part, its the entire colour lineup of that product.

sorry hun.


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## vocaltest (Mar 24, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *erine1881* 

 
_a few products its just certain colors, but for the most part, its the entire colour lineup of that product.

sorry hun.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
ohh i'm not vegan i'm just curious! wow, that is quite a lot. surely that contradicts that they're a cruelty free company? or am i missing something lol.


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## mizuki~ (Mar 24, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *vocaltest* 

 
_ohh i'm not vegan i'm just curious! wow, that is quite a lot. surely that contradicts that they're a cruelty free company? or am i missing something lol._

 
I'm wondering the same thing. As well as how the obtain the hairs for the brushes (hopes its cruelty-free..)


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## erine1881 (Mar 24, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *vocaltest* 

 
_ohh i'm not vegan i'm just curious! wow, that is quite a lot. surely that contradicts that they're a cruelty free company? or am i missing something lol._

 
i guess the cruelty-free is just applied to their product safety testing, unfortunately.  they must still crush the bugs to get the carmine, unless there's another way.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Quote:

   Originally Posted by *mizuki~* 

 
_I'm wondering the same thing. As well as how the obtain the hairs for the brushes (hopes its cruelty-free..)_

 
as for the hairs and lanolin, they give the animals haircuts, so that's cruelty-free!  unless of course its a really ugly haircut that sheep/goats get teased for on the farm.  then that's cruel!


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## Ruby_Woo (Mar 24, 2009)

Congrats on your new life choice. I have a friend who is a vegan and works for MAC as well. 

And Thanks Erine for posting the list of items w/ carmine and lanolin


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## daphneM (Mar 25, 2009)

Here's some information about the production of carmine Carmine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I would also point out that while I imagine most lip products do have it, because they are largely red or pink or purple colored, it is surely NOT in all or most eyeshadow colors. I can't imagine the use it would have in, say, Gesso or Humid. It is a decidedly red dye. There are also plenty of pink and red colors of makeup that don't contain carmine (for example, all but two of Lime Crime's makeup colors are vegan - including their bright fire-engine red and a pink that resembles Sushi Flower), and all of Urban Decay's 24/7 lip liners and their lipsticks are vegan. If you want to avoid eliminating whole product lines from your use, definitely do a bit of research into individual items! I'm sure MAC would provide you with a list of vegan-friendly colors w/in each line if you ask...

Of course, there's also companies like Urban Decay, which go out of their way to point this out! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 A lot of smaller companies, like Lime Crime and Fyrrinae, do too.

Also, re: lanolin...honestly, that's not considered vegan. You don't have to kill sheep to obtain wool, or cows to get milk, but these are not vegan either. A vegan commits to not using any products that come from animals. Just because the sheep are not killed, does not mean the production of lanolin is not cruel. Lanolin is a side product of wool production, and most vegans consider wool a pretty cruel industry.


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## daphneM (Mar 25, 2009)

Also, brushes...unfortunately, no. Brushes that come from animals are definitely not vegan, of course (see definition of veganism) and most animal hair brushes are pretty cruelly produced. See some info here...
http://www.mymakeupmirror.com/VeganBrushes.html

I try to stick with synthetic brushes where possible. I have a lot of paintbrushes that are animal hair from before I ever thought about this stuff (well, I've been a vegetarian since I was a little kid, but I didn't expand my thoughts beyond meat and leather for most of my life) and I have decided to turn some of those into makeup brushes by giving them a good cleaning; if I already have it, I don't believe in wasting it. But there are some great synthetic brushes out there, even if most of MAC's are not..!


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## Ode to Joy (Jul 8, 2009)

How can MAC guarantee that no animals are harmed in their brush manufacturing procress if the brushes are made by another company that also does brushes for other brands, too?
I am beginning to think that claim is just good marketing, but not the truth...


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## chickatthegym (Jul 16, 2009)

I am vegan too (veggie for about 5 years and vegan for almost 2), so thanks for all the great info in this thread.  Maybe MAC will consider using cruelty-free products as more and more people are becoming concerned with where their beauty products come from and what is in them.  I love MAC, and have A LOT of the items on the list above that aren't considered vegan, but like Daphne said, I wouldn't waste them since I already own them.


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## BunnyBunnyBunny (Jul 17, 2009)

Also note these brushes are synthetic and the bristles are NOT derived from animals:

169 - Synthetic Angled Face/Blush Brush
189 - Face Brush
190 - Foundation Brush
191 - Square Foundation Brush
192 - Cheek/Face Brush
194 - Concealor Brush
195 - Concealor Brush
202 - Replaceable Sponge-Tip Applicator
204 - Lash Brush
205 - Mascara Fan Brush
209 - Eyeliner
210 - Precise Eye Liner Brush
211 - Synthetic Pencil Brush
212 - Flat Definer
223 - Synethetic Tapered Blending Brush
231 - Small Shader
242 - Shader Brush
249 - Large Shader
252 - Large Shader Brush
263 - Small Angle
306 - Lip Brush
311 - Lip Liner
316 - Lip Brush/Covered Brush
318 - Retractable Lip

Hope that helps! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 I find that MAC has really nice synthetic brushes too, and aren't of awful quality.

Source: Cosmetosaur.


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## chickatthegym (Jul 17, 2009)

^Cool, thanks for that post! 

In case anyone was wondering, I have the 190, 194, 209, 231, 219, 223, 242, 252, and 316SE brushes from the list above and they've all been GREAT! I didn't even know they were synthetic (have had them way before I went vegan) and many have lasted me 5+ years so far.


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## aeroerin (Jul 24, 2009)

Thanks so much for the synthetic brush list!  I've been vegetarian for 2.5 years and, in addition, I avoid leather, wool, and other "lifestyle" items that include certain animal products.  Though I will buy natural bristle makeup brushes if I need them (hey, I'm an imperfect person), I try to go synthetic whenever possible.


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## liquidsirenhoney (Jul 31, 2009)

Thanks to everyonef ro sharing this info. I have been a vegetarian for a while and have gone  back and forth between it for various health reasons but at this point i have been a vegetarian for the last 3 years, and after starting to read Skinny Bitch I'm thinking about going vegan, i do have a lot of products from Urban Decay as well as their brushes. I have a ridiculous MAC collection including brushes so at this point i don't see the point of getting rid of them, but in the future i will pay attention more  to what i buy.


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## jama1 (Feb 17, 2011)

I can tell you, that claim is just marketing.  They get the hair from the same Chinese farms that coat manufacturers get them from.  Most of the animal hair from brushes is inhumanely obtained.  Period.

  	Don't believe what companies say about "natural" brush hair.  Buy synthetic.  Period!!!


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## jama1 (Feb 17, 2011)

I have been  a "beauty vegan" for some time now.  While I do eat some forms of meat, I use 100% vegan skincare, makeup and brushes.  If a brush doesn't claim to be vegan, chances are the animals were harmed when getting the hair.  After all, companies do no check all of the fur farmers to see how they cut and gather the hair....

  	There are many many ingredients in cosmetics that are derived from animals, not just carmine and lanolin.  You would be shocked.  PETA has a list of ingredients that are animal derived:  

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/animal-ingredient-guide.aspx

  	I will only use products that are 100% vegan approved.  The makeup I use is called Christopher Drummond Beauty.  most of the products and all of the brushes are vegan, and it's an amazing line.  It's a little more difficult with skincare.  

  	Peta also has a list of approved makeup and skincare lines...check it out.  It's the best way to know for sure!

  	Good luck!


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## naturallyfab (Feb 18, 2011)

I'm so glad I stopped by this thread! I feel a lot better buying mac products since they don't test on animals! I didn't know that before! I guess you learn something new every day


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## emmasoapbox (Jun 23, 2015)

If you are looking for some cheap vegan and cruelty free cosmetics have a read of this blog: _(Link removed by mod. Please keep links to your blog / website confined to your signature. Thanks!)_

  My faves that include vegan options are: e.l.f and Sonia Kashuk  I'm deffo making some better options with regards to buying vegan and cruelty free cosmetics.


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