Lip liners allow you to shape and outline the lips and ensure the lipstick stays on without bleeding. Lip liners are also great for filling the lips out for a high-impact, matte result.
Can you line lips the vegan way? Absolutely. We have listed the best vegan lip liners for 2024. From Patrick Ta to Lys Beauty, here are our favorite vegan lip liners and pencils.
All lip liners below are vegan and cruelty-free, meaning they are free from animal ingredients and have not been tested on animals.
Best Vegan Lip Liners
These are the best vegan lip liners for 2024.
- Best Overall: Patrick Ta Major Beauty Headlines Lip Crayon
- Best Retractable: Rare Beauty Kind Words Lip Liner
- Best Pencil: BareMinerals Mineralist Lasting Lip Liner
- Best Long-Wearing: Huda Beauty Lip Contour 2.0 Matte Lip Pencil
- Best Waterproof: One/Size Lip Snatcher Waterproof Lip Liner
- Best Affordable: NYX Suede Matte Lip Liner
- Best For Dark Skin: Lys Beauty Speak Love Lip Liner Pencil
- Best For Fair Skin: Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Liner
- Best For Sensitive Skin: Tower 28 Beauty OneLiner Multi-Liner
- Best For Mature Skin: KVD Beauty Everlasting Lip Liner
Best Vegan Lip Liner Overall
1. Patrick Ta Major Beauty Headlines Precision Lip Crayon
Patrick Ta Major Beauty Headlines is the best vegan lip liner. This luxurious liner has beautiful pigment, it’s easy to apply, and it lasts all day. It offers excellent precision for outlining and shaping your lips and it’s creamy enough for filling the lips out. It’s the perfect lip liner and it’s vegan.
- What we like: shapes lips beautifully, smooth and long-wearing
- What we don’t like: can be drying for dry lips
- What other reviewers say: does not smear or transfer, lasts for hours, rich pigment, matte, perfect for going-out looks, nonconventional tip
Key ingredients: mica, candelilla wax | Finish: matte | Shade range: 5 | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, SLS-free, mineral oil-free, gluten-free
Shop on: Sephora, Official site
Best Retractable Vegan Lip Liner
2. Rare Beauty Kind Words Lip Liner
Looking for a retractable vegan lip liner that does not need to be sharpened? Go for Kind Words. Just twist and enjoy a buttery soft vegan liner that glides on like a dream. It’s also the best hydrating vegan lip liner for dry lips. Plus, the shades are gorgeous, we love the mauves.
- What we like: soft and buttery, beautiful shades
- What we don’t like: not the most long-wearing
- What other reviewers say: very smooth and easy to apply, non-drying, great for filling, comfortable twist-up design but the built-in sharpener does not work best
Key ingredients: synthetic wax, carnauba wax, mica, sunflower seed oil | Finish: satin | Shade range: 10 | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, SLS-free, dermatologist-tested, suitable for sensitive skin
Best Vegan Lip Pencil
3. BareMinerals Mineralist Lasting Lip Liner
BareMinerals Mineralist is the best vegan lip pencil. Made from mineral pigments, this natural vegan lip pencil is creamy yet pigmented. It also nourishes lips with vitamin-rich black grape extract and sea buckthorn. The plastic-free vegan lip liner is made from reclaimed wood.
Note that this vegan lip pencil does not come with a pencil sharpener, so you will need to buy it separately. One good relieable sharpener is this ABH Sharpener.
- What we like: pigmented, soft, no tugging
- What we don’t like: needs to be sharpened
- What other reviewers say: creamy rich pigment, has enough staying power, good for everyday wear, beautiful neutrals, clean formula, pencil design gives control of the tip’s sharpness
Key ingredients: mineral pigments, black grape extract, sea buckthorn oil | Finish: matte | Shade range: 5 | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, clean, natural, paraben-free, phthalate-free, PEG-free, sulfate-free, talc-free, synthetic fragrance-free, tree nut-free, gluten-free
Best Longwearing Vegan Lip Liner
4. Huda Beauty Lip Contour 2.0 Automatic Matte Lip Pencil
Huda Beauty’s Lip Contour is the most long-wearing vegan lip liner. It doesn’t smudge or budge for up to 9 hours. The liner comes in lovely neutral shades to enhance lips for every skin tone. The finish is perfectly matte yet the liner goes on smoothly and doesn’t dry out the lips.
- What we like: best lasting power, love the matte neutrals
- What we don’t like: the tip can break
- What other reviewers say: best matte vegan lip liner, stays put the whole day, non-drying, doesn’t drag lips, transfer-resistant, good precision for outlining and sculpting
Key ingredients: synthetic wax, kaolin, mica, soybean seed extract | Finish: matte | Shade range: 12 | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, waterproof, paraben-free
Shop on: Sephora, Official site
Best Waterproof Vegan Lip Liner
5. One/Size By Patrick Starr Lip Snatcher Waterproof Lip Liner
This best waterproof vegan lip liner comes from Patrick Starr. It lasts through eating, drinking, and sweating but it’s still blendable and easy to work with. The liner offers great precision for defining and sculpting the lip line. Plus, it includes a stunning shade of red.
- What we like: most comfortable waterproof formula, best precision
- What we don’t like: not smudge-proof
- What other reviewers say: excellent precision to sculpting, enhancing, and lining, waterproof but still easy to take off, color stays fresh for hours
Key ingredients: vitamins C and E, candelilla and carnauba wax, cottonseed oil, olive oil | Finish: matte | Shade range: 10 | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, waterproof, paraben-free, gluten-free
Shop on: Sephora, Official site
Best Affordable Vegan Lip Liner
While NYX’s Slim Tip Pencil is not vegan, their Suede Matte Lip Liner is. It’s the best affordable vegan lip liner. It’s smooth and easy to draw with, it stays on well, and does not smudge or transfer. It comes in a wide variety of matte shades from shy to bold.
- What we like: best vegan lip liner for 4$
- What we don’t like: shades don’t often match the picture
- What other reviewers say: pigmented and easy to use, quality comparable to MAC’s lip liner, blends well, does not smudge
Key ingredients: synthetic beeswax, carnauba wax, cottonseed oil | Finish: matte | Shade range: 36+ | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free
Best Vegan Lip Liner For Dark Skin
7. Lys Beauty Speak Love Lip Liner Pencil
Lys Beauty is a black female-founded vegan beauty brand offering the best vegan lip liner for dark skin. From deep dark to deep berry shades, this liner looks beautiful on brown and black skin. It’s super smooth and long-wearing, it does not fade or feather.
- What we like: gorgeous pigments for deep skin tones, long-wearing
- What we don’t like: can tug a bit
- What other reviewers say: color stays fresh for hours, zero lipstick bleeding or feathering, non-drying, good precision for outlining
Key ingredients: castor oil, candelilla wax, hyaluronic acid | Finish: matte | Shade range: 7 | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, talc-free, SLS-free, synthetic fragrance-free
Shop on: Sephora, Official site
Best Vegan Lip Liner For Fair Skin
8. Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Liner
Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Liner is our favorite vegan lip liner for fair skin. Whether it’s red, brown, pink, or mauve – these shades really brighten and revive light and porcelain skin tones. Made with hyaluronic acid, the liner also has a hydrating and lip-plumping effect.
- What we like: silky and bright finish, plumps thin lips
- What we don’t like: can transfer
- What other reviewers say: smooth and crayon-like, works beautifully with lip glosses, stunning Mauve and Rosy Brown shades to complement fair skin
Key ingredients: maracuja (yellow passion fruit), fruit extracts, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E | Finish: satin | Shade range: 7 | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, clean, natural, paraben-free, phthalate-free, mineral oil-free, SLS-free, gluten-free
Best Vegan Lip Liner For Sensitive Skin
9. Tower 28 Beauty OneLiner Multi-Liner
For sensitive skin, we love this vegan lip liner from Tower 28. It uses clean, non-irritating ingredients, it’s free of fragrance and silicones. While soft and gentle, it’s rich in pigment and has great staying power. This multitasking lip liner also works as eyeliner and cheek color.
- What we like: very smooth and blendable, skin-friendly
- What we don’t like: small shade range
- What other reviewers say: glides on effortless, comfortable, and light feel, perfect for neutral everyday looks, well-pigmented, decent staying power, not smear-proof
Key ingredients: shea butter, marula oil, jojoba oil | Finish: matte | Shade range: 3 | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, clean, natural, safe for sensitive skin and sensitive eyes, paraben-free, phthalate-free, silicone-free, fragrance-free, talc-free, mineral oil-free
Shop on: Sephora, Credo Beauty
Best Vegan Lip Liner For Mature Skin
10. KVD Beauty Everlasting Lip Liner
KVD Everlasting Lip Liner is the best vegan lip liner for mature skin. It’s super creamy allowing you to sculpt and enhance the lips while not having to worry about lipstick bleeding or feathering. It also fills in lip lines making lips smoother and more even.
This vegan lip liner has many vibrant and richly pigmented shades to choose from. Age is just a number, you can go for classic chic with Lolita or full rock’n’roll with Roxy.
- What we like: long-wearing but creamy and comfortable
- What we don’t like: not smearproof, not a natural formula
- What other reviewers say: good for defining and filling aging lips, no tugging or dragging lips, stays on all-day and all-night, great pigment
Key ingredients: iron oxides, synthetic polymers | Finish: matte | Shade range: 12 | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free
What Makes Vegan Lip Liner Vegan
Vegan lip liner is a lip liner free from animal-derived ingredients, most commonly beeswax and carmine. Vegan lip liner is also not tested on animals or include ingredients that have been tested on animals.
These are the most common ingredients that make a lip liner not vegan:
- Beeswax – A secretion from honeybees, beeswax is often added to lip liner to achieve a thick and soft texture. From the ingredient list, you’ll find it with the name Cera Alba.
- Carmine – Carmine is a red pigment derived from crushed female cochineal beetles. It’s often used in lip liners, especially for deep red shades. Carmine can be marked in the ingredient list as Cochineal, Crimson Lake, Natural Red 4, and E120.
- Lanolin – While not very common, lanolin or sheep sweat can be included in highly moisturizing lip liners. The same goes for other emollients like animal-derived glycerin or squalane (both of which can be also vegan).
Many lip liners today are vegan-friendly. Beeswax can be easily replaced by synthetic beeswax or plant waxes such as candelilla wax and carnauba wax. Plant-based emollients are also equally effective as animal-based ones, primarily shea butter and vegetable glycerin.
In terms of pigments, carmine has many natural and synthetic alternatives suitable for vegans. Some of the natural carmine alternatives include colorings from beet and anthocyanins from a variety of purple vegetables and berries.
While the lip liner may include vegan ingredients, many companies still test their products on animals which makes all their selection effectively not vegan. To make sure you are buying a vegan lip liner, prefer products with a certified vegan label from PETA or The Vegan Society.
What To Look For In Vegan Lip Liners
When shopping for vegan lip liners, you will see that the selection is as wide as regular lip liners. It’s important to choose a liner that fits your needs. Are you looking for a vegan lip liner that is retractable? Do you need a liner for only outlining or also for filling?
Retractable vegan lip liners are easier to use. They do not need to be sharpened like wooden vegan lip pencils. Yet, vegan lip pencils allow for better control of how sharp you want the tip to be. Wooden pencils are also more eco-friendly as they are not made from plastic.
If you are looking for a vegan lip liner to sculpt and define the lip edges, do for long-wearing and high-pigmented liners that are smudge-proof and transfer-proof. If you want to use a liner all over your lips, the vegan lip liner should be creamy and non-drying.
With sensitive lips, go for as natural vegan lip liner as possible. Avoid harsh chemicals and synthetic additives such as parabens and sulfate. Make sure the vegan lip liner is free from drying fragrances.
How We Review Vegan Lip Liners
At Vegan Avenue, we rate and review vegan lip liners based on these criteria:
- Ingredients – We like lip liners that are clean and natural, at the very least, we expect the liner to be paraben-free and not overflowing with synthetics
- Texture – Vegan lip liner should be smooth, soft, and easy to apply, it should not drag or tug lips. Ease of application is everything.
- Feathering – Not all vegan lip liners should be transfer-proof (since some can be better for blending) but a liner should always stops the lipstick from bleeding and feathering
- Longevity – We like when a vegan lip liner has enough pigment and strength to last. You need to be able to go for at least 2 hours without having to reapply.
Why Trust Us
Our article with the best vegan lip liners has not been incentivized by any brand or retailer. While our posts include affiliated product links, we choose all products independently and review them through personal trials and peer recommendations.
FAQ About Vegan Lip Liners
Lip liners are not always vegan since many of them contain beeswax or insect-derived carmine pigment.
The best selection of vegan lip liners is available on Sephora. You can also find many good-quality vegan lip liners on Amazon and Ulta.
The best vegan lip liner is Patrick Ta Major Beauty Headlines Lip Crayon.
No. This lip pencil is not vegan and contains beeswax. If you are looking for a vegan lip pencil from NYX, go for their Suede Matte Lip Liner.
Most shades of this lip liner are vegan, except for Savage Rose, Kiss ‘n’ Tell, and Crazy In Love.
Summary
Lip liner is such a multifunctional tool that you can use for natural everyday looks and vibrant evening lip makeup styles. Luckily, many high-quality lip liners are also vegan-friendly.
Hope you enjoyed our list of cruelty-free vegan lip liners for every taste. From affordable vegan lip liners to clean and natural vegan lip liners – there is a liner for everyone.
Our favorite vegan lip liner is Patrick Ta’s Major Beauty Headlines. But as we keep trying out new lip liners, we will see if any other vegan product is able to compete.
Thank you for choosing vegan makeup.
See also: Vegan Lipsticks
