Setting powders are like magic dust. They set the makeup in place and hide pores and imperfections leaving you with a diffused, camera-ready complexion.
If you are looking for a vegan setting powder, you do not have to look long. Setting powder is one of the few products that is primarily made from vegan-friendly ingredients.
So hop aboard and see our selection of the best vegan setting powders from top brands like Hourglass, Kosas, Aesthetica, and Rare Beauty.
All setting powders below are vegan and cruelty-free, meaning they are free of animal ingredients and have not been tested on animals.
See also: Vegan Setting Sprays
Best Vegan Setting Powders 2023
These are the best vegan powders right now. From loose vegan setting powders to vegan baked powders, find the perfect vegan face powder for your skin.
- Best Overall: Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder
- Best Baked: Kosas Cloud Set Baked Vegan Powder
- Best Loose: Anastasia Beverly Hills Loose Setting Powder
- Best Translucent: Too Faced Born This Way Ethereal Setting Powder
- Best Organic: Well People Superpowder Brightening Powder
- Best Affordable: E.l.f. Halo Glow Setting Powder
- Best Banana Powder: Aesthetica Banana Loose Setting Powder
- Best For Dry Skin: Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Finish Setting Powder
- Best For Oily Skin: Dermablend Loose Setting Powder
- Best For Combination Skin: Ilia Soft Focus Finishing Powder
- Best For Sensitive Skin: Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Powder SPF 16
- Best For Mature Skin: Saie Airset Radiant Loose Setting Powder
Best Vegan Setting Powder Overall
1. Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder
Hourglass Veil is the best vegan setting powder. It’s lightweight and velvety and has a beautiful luminous finish. The skin looks airbrushed and poreless. The luxurious translucent powder is good for all skin tones and types. It keeps oily skin shine-free without drying out dry skin.
- What we like: velvety feel, airbrushed finish
- What we don’t like: can cake for oily skin
- What other reviewers say: best loose powder, fine texture, sets makeup well, flawless finish, lightweight, good for dry skin, non-drying
Coverage: sheer, airbrushed | Finish: natural | Shade range: 1 (translucent) | Key ingredients: corn starch | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, mineral oil-free, talc-free, sulfate-free, fragrance-free, nanoparticle-free
Best Baked Vegan Setting Powder
2. Kosas Cloud Set Baked Vegan Powder
Our favorite baked vegan powder feels completely weightless. It leaves the skin feeling soft and luminous. The natural vegan setting powder features bamboo, passionfruit leaf, and peony extracts. Together they leave skin matte and reduce the appearance of pores and wrinkles.
- What we like: natural, luminous finish
- What we don’t like: a bit sparkly
- What other reviewers say: natural, soft, non-cakey, feels lightweight, good to apply with a powder brush, safe for sensitive skin
Coverage: light | Finish: natural | Shade range: 10 | Key ingredients: bamboo stem, passionfruit leaf, Chinese peony extract| Features: vegan, cruelty-free, clean, natural, paraben-free, phthalate-free, mineral oil-free, silicone-free, fragrance-free, talc-free, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, ophthalmologist-tested, gluten-free, free of over 2700 potentially harmful ingredients
Best Loose Vegan Setting Powder
3. Anastasia Beverly Hills Loose Setting Powder
Anastasia Beverly Hills has the best loose vegan setting power. This powder is very fine and blends with the skin like a dream. It’s ideal for mattifying oily skin throughout the day. The vegan setting powder comes in beautiful shades for all skin tones, our favorite is Vanilla.
- What we like: beautiful matte finish, fine texture
- What we don’t like: too drying for dry skin
- What other reviewers say: perfect for oily skin, matte, keeps the skin shine-free, long-lasting, great coverage, beautiful shades
Coverage: medium | Finish: matte | Shade range: 5 | Key ingredients: talc, corn starch | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, gluten-free
Best Translucent Vegan Setting Powder
4. Too Faced Born This Way Ethereal Setting Powder
Ethereal Powder from Too Faced is the best translucent vegan setting powder. It’s completely sheer and invisible with no flashback or chalky white residue. This powder simply does what you expect – it sets makeup while feeling lightweight and comfortable.
- What we like: sheer finish, no white residue
- What we don’t like: not very mattifying
- What other reviewers say: great finishing touch to makeup, holds up well, looks sheer for all skin tones, feels lightweight and breathable
Coverage: sheer, airbrushed | Finish: natural | Shade range: 1 (translucent) | Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, gluten-free
Other sheer vegan powders we like include KVD Beauty Lock-It Setting Powder, Honest Beauty Translucent Loose Setting Powder, and BareMinerals Mineral Veil Setting Powder.
Best Organic Vegan Setting Powder
5. Well People Superpowder Brightening Powder
Well People has the best organic vegan setting powder. It’s made from organic corn starch and organic vegan squalane with no chemicals whatsoever. The natural vegan powder is excellent for brightening the skin, especially the under-eyes. It works on makeup and on its own.
- What we like: brightens the skin, clean formula
- What we don’t like: can look white on darker skin
- What other reviewers say: setting powder and highlighter in one, sets the concealer, natural ingredients, good for sensitive skin
Coverage: sheer, airbrushed | Finish: natural | Shade range: 1 (translucent) | Key ingredients: organic corn starch, vegan squalane, mica, magnolia bark | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, clean, natural, organic, paraben-free, phthalate-free, sulfate-free, fragrance-free, talc-free, nanoparticle-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, dermatologist-developed, free of over 2700 potentially harmful ingredients, EWG-verified
Best Affordable Vegan Setting Powder
6. E.l.f. Halo Glow Setting Powder
E.l.f. Halo Glow is our new favorite affordable vegan setting powder. It’s so dreamy and lightweight and leaves the skin looking luminous and radiant. While affordable, this vegan powder is still talc-free and paraben-free. It comes in 4 tinted shades.
- What we like: beautiful radiant finish
- What we don’t like: too shiny for oily skin
- What other reviewers say: stunning glow, blurs pores and wrinkles, lightweight, little goes a long way, inexpensive
Coverage: light | Finish: radiant (soft glow) | Shade range: 5 | Key ingredients: sapphire particles | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, talc-free, made in a fair trade factory
Best Vegan Banana Setting Powder
7. Aesthetica Banana Loose Setting Powder
We love this vegan banana powder from Aesthetica. It has a beautiful yellow tint that neutralizes dark circles, reduces redness, and highlights the skin. The vegan powder is talc-free and leaves the skin looking matte yet fresh. The powder comes with a velour puff.
- What we like: best coverage and color-correction
- What we don’t like: not the brightest yellow
- What other reviewers say: flawless complexion, hides imperfections and under-eye darkness, best for medium skin tones but also looks great on fair skin, covers shine
Coverage: light to full (buildable)| Finish: matte | Shade range: 2 (banana and translucent) | Key ingredients: mica, silica | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, talc-free, oil-free, gluten-free
Best Vegan Setting Powder For Dry Skin
8. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder
Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush is the best vegan setting powder for dry skin. It doesn’t look dry or powdery at all and most importantly, it does not accentuate dry patches or lines. It gives dry skin a smooth airbrushed filter that looks great and feels comfortable.
- What we like: dry skin looks smooth and healthy
- What we don’t like: cakes if you apply too much
- What other reviewers say: completely no-drying, doesn’t show fine lines, great coverage, flawless finish
Coverage: medium | Finish: natural | Shade range: 4 | Key ingredients: rose wax, almond oil, light-reflecting pearls | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, SLS-free, mineral oil-free, gluten-free
Best Vegan Setting Powder For Oily Skin
9. Dermablend Loose Setting Powder
Dermablend Loose Setting Powder is the best vegan setting powder for oily skin. This oil-free vegan powder has the best matte finish, it’s great at absorbing excess oil and keeping oily skin shine-free for the whole day. It’s also non-comedogenic and fragrance-free.
- What we like: keeps oily skin matte and shine-free
- What we don’t like: can pronounce fine lines
- What other reviewers say: eliminates shine for oily skin, matte but not gray or ashy, blurs and smooths out the skin, sets makeup for hours
Coverage: light | Finish: matte | Shade range: 3 (+ banana powder) | Key ingredients: talc | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, phthalate-free, sulfate-free, oil-free, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, dermatologist-tested, allergy-tested
Best Vegan Setting Powder For Combination Skin
10. Ilia Soft Focus Finishing Powder
Ilia’s Soft Focus vegan setting powder works best for combination skin. This natural talc-free vegan powder keeps oily areas matte without clinging to dry patches. It makes combo skin look balanced, even, and poreless. You can use this powder on the oilier areas only.
- What we like: hides pores, keeps oily areas matte
- What we don’t like: a bit drying for dry skin
Coverage: light | Finish: natural matte | Shade range: 1 (translucent) | Key ingredients: organic aloe, rosemary, and bamboo leaf powders | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, clean, natural, organic, paraben-free, phthalate-free, mineral oil-free, talc-free, gluten-free
Best Vegan Setting Powder For Sensitive Skin
11. Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc-Free Powder SPF 16
Physicians Formula Mineral Wear is the best vegan setting powder for sensitive skin. The gentle mineral powder is hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, talc-free, and gluten-free. It will not irritate even the most sensitive skin or sensitive eyes. It’s also the best vegan setting powder with SPF.
- What we like: non-irritating and lightweight
- What we don’t like: it’s a bit grainy
- What other reviewers say: skin looks healthy, blends well, best setting powder for sensitive and allergy-prone skin, great to have SPF
Coverage: light | Finish: natural | Shade range: 3 | Key ingredients: mica, vegan squalane | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, clean, hypoallergenic, safe for sensitive skin and sensitive eyes, paraben-free, fragrance-free, gluten-free, talc-free, oil-free, with sun protection, free of over 150 potentially harmful ingredients
Best Vegan Setting Powder For Mature Skin
12. Saie Airset Radiant Loose Setting Powder
Saie Airset Powder is the best vegan setting powder for mature skin. Made with vegan squalane, it’s the best non-drying vegan powder that is able to hide wrinkles and lines without accentuating them. This powder gives a very smooth and radiant finish to mature skin.
- What we like: soft finish, hides wrinkles
- What we don’t like: small shade range
- What other reviewers say: very comfortable on the skin, non-drying, lightweight, beautiful blurred finish, doesn’t sit in wrinkles
Coverage: light | Finish: radiant | Shade range: 3 | Key ingredients: vegan squalane, mica | Features: vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, mineral oil-free, SLS-free, fragrance-free, silicone-free, oil-free, talc-free, gluten-free
Shop on: Sephora, Official site
Best Vegan Powder Brush
Wet N Wild Essential Powder Brush
Wet N Wild has the best vegan powder brush. This vegan makeup brush is soft and plush since the last thing you want is a dense powder brush. It’s great for both pressed and loose powders. And it’s so affordable. It’s made with synthetic bristles with a silicone handle.
Best Vegan Setting Powders By Skin Tone
We have also picked out the best vegan setting powders for different skin tones. See the best vegan powder for fair, medium, and dark skin.
Vegan Setting Powders For Fair Skin
These are the best vegan setting powders for fair skin.
- Pacifica Cherry Powder Mineral Mattifier (Shade 1)
- Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Setting Powder (Fair)
- BaeBlu Organic Setting Powder (Sheer Light)
Vegan Setting Powders For Medium Skin
These are the best vegan setting powders for tan skin, olive skin, and Asian skin tones.
- Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Setting Powder (Cashew, Honey, Hazelnut)
- Huda Beauty Easy Bake Setting Powder (Banana Bread, Blondie)
- 100% PURE Bamboo Blur Powder (Medium, Tan)
Vegan Setting Powders For Dark Skin
These are the best vegan setting powders for dark skin.
- One/Size Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder (Dark/Deep)
- Rare Beauty Soft Radiance Setting Powder (Medium/Deep, Deep)
- Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder (Deep)
Best Vegan Setting Powder Brands
These three 100% vegan makeup brands carry the best selection of vegan setting powders.
KVD Beauty
Promoting fearless self-expression, KVD is one of the most beloved cosmetic brands among vegans. Their selection of vegan face powders includes pressed matte and translucent loose vegan finishing powders.
Aesthetica
Aesthetica is a PETA-certified vegan cosmetics brand from Miami. Aesthetica provides one of the most popular vegan finishing powders in the market – The Banana Loose Setting Powder. You can also find beautiful translucent vegan setting powders from their list of products.
Cover FX
Clean ingredients and high-performance makeup are the key pillars of the vegan makeup brand Cover FX. From their selection, you will find loose vegan setting powders, pressed finishing powders, and vegan blotting powders.
What Makes A Setting Powder Vegan?
A vegan setting powder is a powder that is free from animal-based ingredients. A vegan setting powder is also not tested on animals or includes ingredients that have been tested on animals.
The most typical ingredients that make a setting powder not vegan are guanine, silk powder, and carmine.
- Guanine – shine agent made from the skin of fish
- Silk powder – filler protein produced by silkworms
- Carmine – red pigment derived from crushed insects
While most setting powders are free of animal ingredients, a large number of makeup brands still test their powders on animals. Thus, it is better to prefer certified vegan brands.
What To Look For In A Vegan Setting Powder?
When choosing a vegan setting powder, you need to first choose between a loose or pressed vegan powder. Pressed vegan powders are great for locking makeup in place for the whole day. Loose vegan powders are usually oil-free and help shiny areas stay matte for longer.
You should also make sure your vegan powder shade matches your skin tone to avoid looking too pale or too tanned. A setting powder usually looks best if the shade matches the shade of your foundation.
If you are not sure how to shade match (especially when buying a powder online), go for a translucent vegan powder. Translucent powder fits every skin tone. Translucent vegan powders are also perfect when living in a latitude where skin tone changes with the season.
All in all, setting powder as a product works best for people with oily and combination skin. Men tend to also have oilier skin and could benefit from using shine-canceling blotting powders during the day. The best vegan powder for men is the Formen Blotting Powder.
Ingredients To Avoid In A Vegan Setting Powder
A good vegan setting powder is usually free of needless additives like paraben and phthalates. There are two additional ingredients you would want to look out for in a vegan setting powder: talc and plastic. Especially if you have sensitive skin.
Talc has fallen under scrutiny for containing carcinogen asbestos. Today, talc is usually asbestos-free and safe. But you might still want to be careful. Most vegan setting powders are talc-free but some mattifying powders still use talc for their ability to absorb excess oil.
If you have acne-prone skin, you may need to also watch out for natural mica powder as it can be pore-clogging. With acne and blemishes, safer choices are bamboo and rice powders such as 100% Pure Bamboo Blur Powder.
Another strange ingredient you might find in a setting powder is plastic, more precisely, PTFE aka Teflon. Teflon serves no specific function in a powder (besides harming your skin). While vegan makeup brands are mostly Teflon-free, see the ingredient list just to be sure.
How We Review Vegan Setting Powders
We review vegan setting powders based on these criteria:
- Ingredients – We expect the vegan setting powder to have as clean of an ingredient list as possible. Things like parabens, phthalates, sulfates, silicones, and synthetic fragrances are not needed to make a good vegan powder. Most of the powders we list are also talc-free.
- Coverage – Most vegan setting powders offer sheer to light coverage, so we also list powders that offer medium to full coverage with some color correction.
- Finish – A vegan setting powder is mainly judged by its finish. Be it matte or radiant, the finish should not look artificial. The powder (including translucent powders should not have that awkward flashback.
- Shade range – The wider the shade range the vegan face powder has, the better. If the powder is translucent, it should also be sheer and flattering to all skin tones, not just fair ones.
Why Trust Us
None of our vegan setting powder reviews has been incentivized by the brand or any retailer. Our selection of top products is independent and based on personal experience with the product along with peer reviews and recommendations.
FAQ About Vegan Setting Powders
Setting powders are not vegan if they include animal-derived ingredients like guanine (derived from fish) and silk powder (from silkworms). Many setting powders are also tested on animals and thus not vegan-friendly.
Vegan face powders are usually made of talc, starch, silica, kaolin, and zinc oxide.
The best brands for vegan setting powders are KVD Beauty, Aesthetica, Cover FX, and Hourglass.
You can find the largest variety of vegan setting powders online. Amazon, Sephora, and Ulta carry a wide selection of vegan face powders.
Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder is the best vegan setting powder.
No. Airspun Loose Face Powder is not vegan and includes lanolin from animals. In addition, Coty is a company that tests on animals, so none of its products can be considered vegan.
No. Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder is not vegan because the company uses animal testing. While the ingredients in this powder seem vegan-friendly, Laura Mercier has not made any vegan claims about this product.
Summary
Choosing the right vegan setting powder can be tricky since there are so many to choose from. That’s why we hope you enjoyed our curated list.
The most essential things to consider when buying a vegan face powder are your skin type and tone. Once you find the right vegan powder, you will want to stock up.
No matter if pressed, loose, translucent, or banana powder – you can find good-quality vegan setting powders that come in every shade and formulation.
As we find new cruelty-free vegan setting powders every month, we will make sure the best ones are added to this list. Thank you for choosing vegan makeup.
See also: Vegan Setting Sprays
Article updated on May 2 (2023): Changed the recommended vegan setting powder for combination skin from Rare Beauty’s Soft Radiant Powder to Ilia’s Soft Focus Finishing Powder. While the powders are similar, Ilia’s can keep the oily T-zone matte for longer.
Article updated on May 1 (2023): Switched the best mature skin vegan setting powder from Smashbox Halo Fresh Powder to Saie Airset Powder. The latter is a bit more effective in hiding wrinkles and fine lines.
