Best Alternative Makeup Brands to try in 2025

Hello, Hex Squad! Today I’m sharing some of my favorite alternative makeup brands to try in 2025. This is not an exhaustive list of every single alt beauty brand in existance, only the ones that I’ve personally shopped at and purchased from. All opinions, as always, are my own. I do also mention if any brands have sent me PR.

About Face Beauty

About Face Beauty is a cruelty-free and vegan beauty brand created by Ashley Frangipane a.k.a. Halsey. They’re formulated without phthalates, PFAs, parabens, BHA, BPA, retinyl palmitate, mercury or mercury-containing ingredients, resorcinol, urea, and formaldehyde. Find them at their website and Ulta.

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Adept Cosmetics

Adept Cosmetics is an Asian-owned alternative indie brand founded in 2017 by wife and husband Sandra and Tom. They don’t test on animals and use upcycled packaging combined with second hand mirrors whenever possible on over 40% of their palettes. All products are vegan except for Amunet Light and Amunet Dark. I’ve purchased the Cyborg Choir palette, which I adore. I was also sent the Element 115 in PR.

I’m in love with Cyborg Choir! It’s a multi textured palette full of multichromes, holochromes, shimmers and blendable mattes. It’s vegan and does not contain talc, glitter, mica, oil or BHT.

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Aromaleigh Cosmetics

Aromaleigh is an alternative OG makeup brand of artisan-crafted cosmetics and natural care products. Everything is handcrafted in small batches in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina. Cristiana opened in 1988 and they’re cruelty-free with many vegan options. I have been sent PR in the past. Use my code CORDELIA to save 15%.

Baby Bat Beauty

Baby Bat Beauty is a Philadelphia-based alt gothic indie makeup brand. They are talc-free, paraben-free, gluten-free, and vegan. Baby Bat Beauty is certified cruelty free by PETA.

Bellabeautébar

Bellabeautébar, an alternative indie cosmetics brand, was founded in New York in 2018 but now operates out of Sarasota, Florida, about 90 minutes south of me. They claim to specialize in smudge-proof, water-proof, and lon lasting cosmetics with a mixture of handmade and manufactured items to have broad customer appeal. They’re Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty-free. Most of their products are vegan.

I’ve purchased the Basic Witch Palette and absolutely adore it! It’s in my top 3 most used palettes of 2024. Basic Witch has 9 mattes, 2 holo-chromes, 2 multichromes, and 2 duochromes. It’s vegan, paraben free, and cruelty free, though the mattes do contain talc. Their Strange & Unusual Palette is on my wish list.

I’ve never tried visiting their Sarasota location, as I don’t know if it’s open to the public.

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Black Moon Cosmetics

Cordelia is wearing Black Moon Armageddon a sexy blackened red lipstick — Wearing Black Moon Armageddon, a sexy blackened red lipstick

Black Moon Cosmetics is an awesome alternative makeup brand that makes beautiful highlighters and liquid lipsticks! Sleepwalker is my favorite black lipstick, and I wore it to my gothic wedding. Armageddon is my favorite blackened burgundy metallic lipstick. Black Moon is cruelty-free and vegan. They’re certified by PETA and Leaping Bunny. I have been sent PR in the past.

Blend Bunny Cosmetics

Blend Bunny Cosmetics was created by a makeup artist for people who love makeup that actually blends, is pigmented, and high quality. They are cruelty-free, vegan, and Leaping Bunny certified.

I fell in love with Blend Bunny’s now discontinued Surge palette, but I’ve stayed with the brand for their cool-toned Lure Palette. The Lure palette is so perfect for neutral cool skin like mine! I love all the colors in it!

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Cosmic Brushes

Cosmic Brushes by Fay is a UK beauty brand. I love the two palettes I’ve purchased from them. I have the Gothic Palette and the Cooltrals Palette. They’re affordable and cruelty free.

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Devinah Cosmetics

Wearing Fairy Fire and Rain Tarts

Devinah, founded by Deandra, is a west coast indie beauty brand located in Albany, Oregon. The beautiful name means beloved, divine, heavenly. Deandra creates handcrafted, affordable, high-quality hand pressed eyeshadows. They are cruelty-free and PETA certified. Most of their products are vegan. Additionally, their mica is ethically sourced and certified child labor free.

I own so many eyeshadows from Devinah! Fairy Fire, Rain Tarts, Mystic Moonpie, Frozen Waves, Starfire, Fae, Salvatore, Esmaray, Centaurus, Scylla, Skyla, Luna Storm, Moonlit, and Thetis are my shimmers. My mattes include Ravens Frost, Tessa, Elysium, Gloom, Midnight, Zane, Virago, Patrina, Aria, Esme, Ethereal, Jox, Pandora, Suki, Darena, Crixus, Jaded, Elphaba, Patina and Karma.

I also own and love the Phantasia Palette, as well as Prelusion eye primer, and Specular glitter glue.

My most used colors are Fairy Fire, Rain Tarts, Mystic Moonpie, Salvatore, and Starfire.

Use the code CORDELIA to save you money at Devinah.

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Fyrinnae

Fyrinnae is one of the OG alternative makeup brands! They make beautiful pressed and loose eyeshadows, lip lustres, perfumes, and more!

Glam Goth Beauty

Glam Goth Beauty is a black-owned gothic indie makeup brand from Los Angeles, California, founded by Marley Bloodrose. They sell glitter, glitter eye primer, eyeshadow palettes, clothing, jewelry, and more! I love that Marley says “We represent and support EVERYONE and celebrate the alternative and LBGTQ+ community because let’s face it, we are the future!” They are cruelty free with many vegan options.

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Half-Magic Beauty

Half Magic Beauty was founded by Donni Davy, an Emmy Award-winning makeup artist and designer known for her work on HBO’s Euphoria. They’re cruelty-free and vegan. I love their lip pencils, glosses, and liquid eyeshadows. I wish they would release a cool-toned red iridescent gloss! Find them at their website and Ulta.

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Kaleidos

Kaleidos is a cruelty-free brand founded by beauty blogger Zoey Pu, her boyfriend Tony Chen, and his friend Mark Henry. They are based in China and are commited to cruelty-free beauty. I love their eyeshadow palettes, highlighters, and eyeliners. They also recently released hair dye.

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KVD Vegan Beauty

KVD Vegan Beauty feels like they’ve lost their vision as to who they are as a brand and who their target demographic is, but I love that they got rid of Kat von D. My favorite products are Dazzle eyeshadow sticks and lip pencils. They are cruelty free and vegan. I have been sent PR in the past. You can find them on their website, Ulta, and Sephora.

Lethal Cosmetics

Lethal Cosmetics is an awesome alternative makeup brand based in Berlin, Germany. You can also find Lethal at Camera Ready Cosmetics. I have several magnetic stackable makeup palettes filled with my Lethal Cosmetics eyeshadows and blushes. I have been sent PR in the past. My favorite palette that Lethal ever created was the 1UP palette.

Lime Crime

Lime Crime is one of the most controversial beauty brands out there. Once Xenia stepped away from the board, I felt comfortable reviewing them. I have been sent PR in the past. However, they haven’t released anything new since Christmas 2023.

Lime Crime currently has a 75% off sale on their website. You can also find Lime Crime at Ulta and Amazon.

Lunatick Cosmetic Labs

Lunatick Cosmetic Labs, founded in 2012, make excellent alternative spooky themed products for spooky people. They’re 100% cruelty free, talc free, paraben free, and vegan. They’re PETA approved. I have been sent PR in the past.

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Malagna Cosmetics

Malagna Cosmetics is a Mexican alternative makeup brand that loves dark art beauty. Their products are cruelty-free and vegan. They foster a community of gothic and alternative makeup lovers, where mutual support, acceptance and respect are promoted among the entire legion.

I was sent the Ocaso Palette in PR and I adore it, especially the purple glitter shade!

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Manic Panic

Manic Panic is the OG alternative hair and makeup brand, and they’re best known for their hair dyes. I love the UV reactive shades! Their makeup is ok, but I had to include them because I love their hair dye. You can also find Manic Panic on Amazon. I dye my hair Pink Warrior because it’s the perfect medium cool toned neon pink for my hair. It’s also UV reactive! Plus, Manic Panic donates 15% of the sale of each bottle of Pink Warrior to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. As a breast cancer survivor, this is important to me. Manic Panic is cruelty-free and vegan, as well as PETA certified. I have been sent PR in the past.

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Melt Cosmetics

Melt Cosmetics is an alternative beauty brand based in LA. They started with eyeshadow stacks at events like The Makeup Show, and now you can find them in Sephora. Melt is cruelty free and most products are vegan. They are also Leaping Bunny certified.

My Pretty Zombie

My Pretty Zombie is a fantastic spooky makeup brand that handmakes everything. They have gorgeous loose eyeshadows and blushes! They are cruelty free with many vegan options. I have been sent PR in the past. Use code myprettyphyrra to get15% off.

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Necromancy Cosmetica

Necromancy Cosmetica is a terrific dark and avant-garde alt makeup brand located in Puerto Rico. They started out focusing on high-quality lipsticks and have expanded to eyeshadows. They have 32 lipsticks and 16 eyeshadows and pigments available. And they’re now selling singles! Necromancy Cosmetica is cruelty-free and vegan. I have been sent PR in the past.

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Rituel de Fille

Rituel de Fille is a luxury alternative witchy makeup brand. They specialize in beautiful cream products. My favorite product from them is their inner cream glows for the cheeks. I have been sent PR in the past. You can find Rituel de Fille on their website, Ulta, and Amazon.

Silk Naturals

Silk Naturals is an alternative indie skin care and natural makeup company in Trumansburg NY. They started making affordable cruelty free clean beauty products in 2006. I especially love their cream blushes, duochrome and multichrome loose eyeshadows, Slick Sticks, and Velvet Matte lipsticks. I have been sent PR in the past. Use the code CORDELIA for 10% off.

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Sugarpill

Sugarpill is an excellent alternative gothic indie makeup brand that started around 2010, and I was one of the first bloggers to review them. I adore their loose eyeshadows, liquid lipsticks, blushes, and capsule palettes, which is why they’re one of the best gothic makeup brands. They also make great loose eyeshadows and single eyeshadows. I have been sent PR in the past. You can find Sugarpill at Beautylish too!

Sydney Grace Co

Sydney Grace is an alternative small family-owned cosmetics brand. They’re cruelty-free and all ingredients are ethically sourced. I have been sent PR in the past.

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Thrive Causemetics

Thrive Causemetics is an alternative makeup brand that believes in the transformative power of beauty. They make my all time favorite mascara, the Liquid Lash Extensions tubing mascara. Their goal is to elevate your daily routine with science-backed solutions that go beyond beauty. Each product is meticulously crafted with proven technologies to address your daily makeup needs, and every purchase you make contributes to one of their 550+ non-profit partners across the U.S.

Makeup for a Cause

Thrive Causemetics purchases help the following causes: cancer, domestic abuse, homelessness and poverty, Veterans, education, racial and social justice, under-resourced youth, and LGBTQ+

Thrive Causemetics products are 100% cruelty-free and 100% vegan. They use the most effective natural ingredients and safest synthetics to create the most beneficial products, and they leave out parabens, sulfates, phthalates, latex, and synthetic fragrance.

If you only ever try one product from Thrive Causemetics, I recommend that it be their Liquid Lash Extensions tubing mascara. I’ve tried the black, blue, purple, green, and pink. They’re all gorgeous! I wish they would make a deep burgundy wine red version.

Get $15 off your first order of $50 at Thrive.

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VE Cosmetics

VE Cosmetics is a UK-based alternative makeup brand by Lynsey, who is an AuDHD Vegan with OCD/Tourettes, EDS & Fibromyalgia. She launched her beauty brand in 2015 and it is 100% cruelty-free and vegan. They are also PETA approved. Use code CORDELIA to get 10% off your order.

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Wicked Widow Beauty

Wicked Widow Beauty is a cruelty free and vegan alternative makeup brand. They recently released an officially licensed The Crow palette. I have been sent PR in the past.

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Notable Brands Not Featured

Everyone has brands that they avoid for different reasons. I’ve removed Terra Moons, Vampyre Cosmetics, and Shroud Cosmetics from my list and no longer buy from them or feature them. Other brands I no longer shop from are Portland Black Lipstick Company, Notoriously Morbid, Chaos Cosmetics, or Menagerie Cosmetics. Honestly, there are more I avoid, but they don’t belong in this article.

For Terra Moons, here’s why. For Vampyre Cosmetics, here’s why. And for Shroud Cosmetics, here’s why. I’ve received PR from all three of them in the past.

Final Thoughts

From January 2023 until recently, life has been filled with surgeries and recovery for me and Dave. That definitely impacted my ability to create content because I’ve had to be focused on my recovery. Now, while I’m still working, I’m also spending 20+ hours a week on yoga to regain my stamina and strength, in addition to creating content here and on my social platforms. I’ve been doing my best to bring you content for 16+ years, no matter what life has thrown at me.

If you love what I do, please share my work on Reddit, Facebook, and other places you love to talk about makeup.

I’m always interested in learning about new alternative and gothic makeup brands. If there are any I need to know about, please let me know!

Alternative Makeup Brands to try in 2025