Vegan Nail Polish Guide: List of the Best Cruelty-Free Brands & Natural Nail Lacquer Options

Did you know that many mainstream nail polishes are made with chemicals, toxins, and known carcinogens like formaldehyde? And that many have been tested on animals? And that some even contain animal (or insect) products?

When I learned all this, I decided it was time to give my nail polish collection an overhaul. That was a decade ago. Since then, I’ve tried out dozens of cruelty-free, natural, and vegan-certified beauty brands and nail polishes and I’m delighted to say that more phenomenal options exist for conscious shoppers than ever before.

What is Vegan & Cruelty-Free Nail Polish?

When it comes to nail polish, you’ll want to look for two—or ideally 3—things.

1. It’s made without any animal products
2. The polish is cruelty-free, meaning it was produce without the use of animal testing
3. It’s natural (or “healthy”), and made without the top toxins and carcinogens commonly found in nail polishes (such as formaldehyde).

Some brands that are not vegan do offer vegan-friendly nail polish options (like 100% Pure, which is mostly vegan, but not entirely). Other brands that have vegan options are not cruelty-free (they may test on animals here in the U.S. or sell their products in China where animal testing is required).

Since we’re entering a time when there is such a plethora of options out there, I’m only including nail polish brands that offer a 100% vegan line of polishes on the list below.

Vegan & Cruelty-Free Nail Polish Brands

All of the brands below carry 100% vegan nail polish options. Many (but not all) of these options are also natural, non-toxic, gluten-free, and beyond. You can find options for vegan gel nail polish, acrylic nail polish, long lasting nail polish, clear base coats, top coats, and even antifungal nail polishes!

• 786 Cosmetics
• Aquarella
• Barry M
• Base Coat Nail Salon
• Beauty Without Cruelty Nail Polish
• BKind
• Candy X Paints
• Color Club
• Dazzle Dry
• Deco Miami
• Dimension Nails
• Dipwell (vegan acrylic nail polish dip system)
• Dr. Remedy
• Ella + Mila
• Elle Polish
• Fairypants
• Floss Gloss
• Gitti
• Habit Cosmetics (eco-friendly nail polish)
• Heroine.NYC
• Jolie Vegan Nail Polish
• Karma Organic Spa (Karma Hues)
• Kester Black
• La Colour Couture
• Lauren B. Beauty
• Live Love Polish
• Londontown Lakur
• LVX
• Madam Glam
• Manicurist
• Miss Frankie
• Nailberry
• NCLA Beauty
• Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
• Olive Ave
• OOO Polish
• ORLY
• OZN
• Pacifica Nail Polish (available at Target and other mainstream stores)
• Palate Polish
• People of Color Beauty
• Picture Polish
• Piggy Paint (kids non-toxic nail polish)
• POPbeauty
• Pretty Woman NYC
• Priti NYC
• Raw Nails
• Sienna Byron Bay
• SOPHi Nail Polish
• Sparitual Vegan Nail Polish
• Sundays
• Tenoverten
• TOMATO
• Trust Fund Beauty
• Veque

Did we miss your favorite cruelty-free nail polish brand? Give them a shout in the comments below!

Kids Nail Polish

Painting nails can be a really fun activity for kids—but it’s important to find options that are not only cruelty-free, but also non-toxic and safe for little ones.

The most notable kids nail polish brand is Piggy Paint, which they call as “natural as mud.” We’ve tested Piggy Paint nail polish with lots of kids and little hands, and they’ve all loved it. This polish is not meant to be long lasting—but rather a fun activity that can easily come off without nail polish remover if desired.

Nail Polish Removers

When you switch to more natural nail polish, you may as well switch to more conscious polish remover as well. After all, we vote with our dollars! Here are a few of the vegan options that exist today. You can order many of these online, find them at natural foods stores, and even at grocery stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods.

• Ella + Mila Soy Polish Remover
• Karma Naturals
• Mineral Fusion
• Plant Therapy Tropical Flower Acetone-Free Remover
• Priti NYC Soy Nail Polish Remover
• Zoya 3-in-1 Remove+

A Few of My Favorite Nail Polish Brands

I filmed a video sharing some of the vegan-friendly nail polish brands I’ve tried and my thoughts about each. Watch below!

Vegan nail polish was once nearly impossible to find, but today dozens of brands have sprouted up changing the game in the nail decor industry. These days you can even find entire nail salons that are cruelty-free, or at the very leave offer vegan and cruelty-free nail polish options!

There is an eco-friendly nail salon down the street from me in Sacramento that has an entire wall of cruelty-free nail polishes to choose from. In fact, everything they use in the salon (such as nail polish remover and lotion) is cruelty-free and natural. If you can support those more conscious salons, all the better!

But if you go to a salon you’re not familiar with or you know is not particularly vegan-friendly, you can always bring your own polish with you and they are generally happy to use that. Want bonus points? Leave them with a polite request to carry some vegan polishes in the future. It’s sure to help their business as much as it will help you!

More Vegan Beauty & Lifestyle Guides

• Best Vegan Lip Balm Guide
• Cruelty-Free Vegan Shampoo and Conditioner Brands
• Vegan Skincare Brands List
• Vegan Deodorants You Should Know
• Awesome Vegan Handbag Brands
• Best Vegan Shoes Guide
• Best Vegan Subscription Boxes (Including Vegan Beauty Boxes)
• Cruelty-Free Cleaning Product Brands
• Vegan Toothpaste Guide
• Best Vegan Shampoo Bars