I personally don’t like putting tons of products and layers upon layers of makeup on my face. If it were up to me, I would go everywhere barefaced.
But unfortunately, I am not one of those people who can put up a selfie taken right after waking up with a caption saying, ‘I woke up like this.’ So, I have to put in an effort to look presentable before stepping out of the house. And for that, I mostly rely on tinted moisturizers.
Are you the same? Read on for some best vegan tinted moisturizer recommendations.
The 7 Best Vegan Tinted Moisturizers On the Market
I haven’t tried all of the products that I am going to list below. However, I did some good digging into each, considering their ingredients, manufacturing processes, quality of the final product, and customer reviews.
Note
While all of the following tinted moisturizers are vegan, most do not come from 100% vegan brands. Considering that some people may prefer to avoid such products, I will mention if a product comes from a company that’s 100% vegan or makes non-vegan items, too.
Not sure how tinted moisturizers are different from BB and CC creams? Check out the following video to understand the differences between these basic facial makeup products…
My top 10 picks (in no particular order) for vegan-friendly tinted moisturizers include:
1. Beauty Basics Mineral Sheer Tint (LINK)
Beauty Basics may not be a top makeup or beauty brand, but its Mineral Sheer Tint has got raving reviews online.
However, before we get into the details of it, I would like to highlight that while the product itself is vegan and cruelty-free, I couldn’t find any information about the vegan status of the company. In other words, we don’t know if Beauty Basics is a 100% vegan brand or not.
If you’re fine with it, Beauty Basics’ Mineral Sheer Tint makes a great option for that everyday no-makeup look. What makes it even better is that it’s buildable and can be used as a foundation to get heavier coverage if and when needed. It also contains the Sun Protective Factor 20 to protect against the sun.
The 3-in-1 vegan tinted moisturizer comes in five shades to match various skin tones. It’s also hypoallergenic and packed with a combination of vitamins and minerals, including (but not limited to) ginseng, zinc, and potassium, to give your skin a powerful health boost and a smooth, natural finish.
The antioxidants Beauty Basics’ Mineral Sheer Tint contains help protect the skin from free radical damage, while its water-resistance property ensures it stays put in humid, sweaty, and rainy conditions.
2. Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer (LINK)
Tarte needs no introduction. It is one of the most trusted beauty brands out there and people, including the non-makeup-buffs like me, know that anything that comes from Tarte must be of good quality.
The company is not 100% vegan, though (depending on where this stands on your checklist, you may or may not want to use Tarte products).
But it is completely cruelty-free and has a distinct range of vegan-friendly products. Fortunately, Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer belongs to that range.
Offering a little more coverage than a typical tinted moisturizer, this Tarte product stands somewhere between a tinted moisturizer and a BB cream. It’s a cross between them, you can say.
A small amount of this vegan BB-tinted moisturizer from Tarte can provide good enough coverage for fine lines and wrinkles, giving you a smooth and flawless look without feeling too heavy on the skin or appearing cakey.
Enhanced with Amazonian clay, vitamins A, C, and E, minerals, and chamomile extract, Tarte’s tinted moisturizer also offers skincare benefits.
It’s deeply nourishing, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory, and it also helps reverse the signs of aging by promoting collagen production. Vitamin A helps retain moisture, while chamomile helps soothe and heal the skin.
The vegan tinted moisturizer is also boosted with sun protective factors to defend against harmful UVA and UVB rays. This oil-free vegan tinted moisturizer offers buildable coverage with pigments derived from natural minerals.
If you’re looking for a tinted moisturizer that’s super easy to blend, lightweight, buildable, and gives a natural-looking smooth finish, Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer is one of your best options, vegan or otherwise.
3. Suntegrity 5 in 1 Tinted Sunscreen Moisturizer (LINK)
I have never used any Suntegrity product. But its vegan tinted sunscreen moisturizer has got great reviews online. As for the company’s status, Suntegrity is 100% cruelty-free. Most of its products are also vegan-friendly; there are just a few that are not.
As clearly evident from the name, Suntegrity’s vegan tinted moisturizer is a 5-in-1 product. It moisturizes, hydrates, protects, primes, and offers light coverage for skin imperfections, giving you a smooth, natural-looking finish. It’s free of harsh chemicals and unscented, making it suitable for those with sensitive skin.
It’s also reef safe, non-greasy, and provides broad spectrum physical (mineral) protection against the sun.
The vegan tinted sunscreen moisturizer comes in four different shades and provides a slightly dewy finish adding warmth and a youthful glow to your face without being too heavy or causing any harm to the skin.
The product has also won several awards, so do give it a try if you’re looking for a tinted moisturizer that also gives adequate sun protection (it’s SPF 30).
4. BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer by theBalm (LINK)
Ranked as an Amazon’s Choice product in the Facial Tinted Moisturizers category, this tinted moisturizer features a weightless vegan formula that offers a silky-smooth natural finish and SPF 18 sun protection.
The SPF doesn’t leave a white cast, and the coverage is slightly buildable (not as much as other products on our list), making it ideal for everyday wear. Apply a small amount to get a more put-together and polished look instantly.
According to user reviews, this vegan tinted moisturizer offers a smooth and hassle-free application. It glides across the skin smoothly and blends easily with just your fingers (no need for a brush or beauty blender).
Enriched with glycerine, BalmShelter vegan facial tint also deeply hydrates the skin, bringing a natural glow from the inside out.
It’s suitable for all skin types and has ingredients that help maintain the skin’s moisture barrier and improve tone and texture.
It’s also a great choice for those looking for an oil and fragrance-free vegan tinted moisturizer.
theBalm is 100% cruelty-free, but some of its products contain animal ingredients, which means it is not completely vegan. However, this particular product, i.e., BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer, is free of animal ingredients and confirmed vegan-friendly.
5. bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream (LINK)
Like all other brands we have discussed so far, bareMinerals is 100% cruelty-free but not completely vegan. However, it offers a good range of vegan products (here’s the full list of bareMinerals vegan products).
bareMinerals’ Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer is a one-of-a-kind product with a deeply hydrating gel formula and a natural-looking tint that gives a smooth, radiant finish.
The texture of the gel cream is so light that you don’t feel like you’re wearing any product on your skin. This, coupled with its SPF 30 sun protection, makes this bareMinerals vegan tinted moisturizer a great choice for summer.
bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Gel Cream also makes an excellent option for those sensitive to fragrances, recovering from a breakout, or recently got a skin treatment.
The product comes in 16 color varieties, making it one of the most (if not the most) versatile and inclusive tinted moisturizers on the market.
With intense hydration, weightless, oil-free, and fragrance-free formula, buildable sheer to light coverage, and a wide range of color options make bareMinerals vegan tinted gel highly popular among the public. Considering that you only need a little amount of it, the product also offers great value for money.
6. e.l.f Tinted Moisturizer (LINK)
If you’re one of the vegans who avoid buying from brands that are not 100% vegan or prefer to buy from completely vegan brands whenever and wherever possible and have been feeling a little disappointed from the lack of such options on this list, here’s an option for you.
E.l.f, as widely known, has been a totally vegan, ethical, and cruelty-free brand since its inception. This makes it a popular (and safe) option for those on an animal-free lifestyle. E.l.f is also popular among budget buyers.
E.l.f’s tinted moisturizer checks all the boxes that the brand is known and prized for. It’s 100% vegan, cruelty-free, pocket-friendly, easily available, and suitable for everyone.
It also has ingredients that are good for the skin and offers a perfectly balanced, natural-looking finish that’s neither too oily nor too matte. E.l.f vegan tinted moisturizer also offers SPF 20 broad-spectrum sun protection.
7. Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer (LINK)
Setting new standards in the world of luxury skincare and beauty industry, Chantecaille, as the company describes itself, is a botanical skincare and cosmetics brand that uses herbs, flowers, essential oils, and a range of other natural ingredients to make safe and effective products.
Chantecaille products are free of animal ingredients and harmful chemicals, like sulfates, phthalates, GMOS, petrolatum, mineral oils, and palm oil. The brand is also cruelty-free.
Chantecaille’s Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer offers deep hydration, sun protection, and a buildable coverage using a unique herbal blend of butterfly bush and honeysuckle extracts, thyme, and green tea, enriched with hyaluronic acid that’s well-reputed for its hydrating properties.
Its ultra-light texture guarantees a smooth application and its unique formula offers adequate coverage for discoloration and blemishes and a velvety smooth finish.
What Ingredients to Look For In Vegan Tinted Moisturizers?
While the best way to find a vegan tinted moisturizer is to look for vegan certification, considering not all vegan products carry the label, it’s best to know the ingredients to watch out for so you can spot non-certified vegan items and misleading labels, too.
Here are some of the animal-based ingredients commonly used in the beauty industry (skincare products and cosmetics):
- Glycerin/ Glycerol
- Squalane/ Squalene
- Beeswax
- Honey
- Lactose
- Gelatin
- Keratin
- Retinol
- Silk Protein/ Silk Extract
- Tallow
- Stearic Acid
- Oleic Acid
- Lauric Acid
- Myristic Acid
- Palmitic Acid
- Lanolin
- Guanine
- Carmine/ Cochineal
- Collagen
- Elastin
- Estrogen
- Glucosamine
- Panthenol
- Propolis
- Shellac
Conclusion
Vegan tinted moisturizers have made life easy for people like me who struggle to achieve the perfect make-up look even with the best products at hand.
With one of these at your disposal, there’s no more need to spend hours in front of the mirror to get that perfect no-makeup look.
All you need is a few drops of your favorite vegan tinted moisturizer, a blush, and a lip color (my go-to makeup products) to look polished and put together.
While the products listed above make some of the best vegan tinted moisturizer options on the market, these aren’t the only ones.
You will find several other options on the market from many different brands, but not all of them are cruelty-free. Here’s a comprehensive list of beauty brands that still conduct animal testing; make sure to steer clear of them.
Need a brush to ensure perfect application and smooth blending of your vegan tinted moisturizer? Check out my article Best Vegan Makeup Brushes to find the right one for your needs.
