Why You Should Choose Vegan (Synthetic) Makeup Brushes

For many years, natural brushes were the standard in professional makeup artistry, especially for powder products. Makeup artists praised their softness, pigment pickup, and blending capabilities. But as synthetic brushes technology evolved, things began to change.

Over time, as materials evolved, makeup artists realized the quality of synthetic bristles had drastically improved. Likewise, Glo Skin Beauty and other brands realized that there are many more benefits to using man-made bristles. As of 2018, Glo’s brush category is completely synthetic aka vegan, using Polybutylene Terephthalate or PBT. We chose PBT because of its high quality and  soft fiber. PBT ensured our new brushes would have the same luxurious and soft feel as their natural hair counterparts.

Still not ready to hand over your natural hair brushes? Let's take a look at the top benefits of vegan brushes.

1. Vegan Makeup Brushes are Cruelty Free

As a PETA-approved, Beauty without Bunnies company, all our products are vegan and cruelty-free and never tested on animals—including our brushes. By completely avoiding any animal-derived products in our brushes, we avoid any accidental instance of using animal by-products in an incorrect way. Because we understand that what's not in our products is as important as what is, we use only the highest quality, trusted ingredients in effective concentrations to deliver game-changing results without compromising on skin safety.

2. Vegan Brushes are Hypoallergenic

Natural brushes contain natural hair, which can lead to allergic reactions from many users. Although synthetic brushes can also cause allergic reactions, it’s much less common. 

Additionally, synthetic brushes do not shed nearly as often as natural brushes and lower the risk of product contamination. Manufacturers have much more control over their product and can more easily prevent and limit the potential defects when they’re the ones creating the hairs instead of relying on nature to do so.

3. Vegan Brushes Improve Product Absorption

A major pro of natural brushes is their ability to hold onto product but this is also one of their biggest cons. Natural hair is porous, so it holds onto product forever, meaning wasted product and more frequent thorough cleanings. With vegan  brushes, there’s no cuticle, so products aren’t absorbed into the actual fibers themselves. Product readily slides off the bristles when cleaned, as opposed to staying locked into natural hairs. You’ll end up saving money over time because you’ll use less product with each application.

4. Bristle Shape

One of the top reasons for choosing natural hair brushes is because of their fluffiness and ability to blend. Previously, it was hard to find a synthetic brush whose bristles puffed out instead of gravitating in towards one another. 

For precise brushes, like the Detail Shader or Dual Brow/Liner, this brush structure is perfect but for fluffier brushes, like a powder or eye blender, not so much. This is why we created our own line of Dual Fiber brushes, which combine short and long bristles. The short bristles help puff out the brush head, giving you that fluffy, airy feeling. 

Check out our favorite Dual Fiber brushes, Dual Fiber Face and Dual Fiber Eye, to see how you can achieve a lightweight and seamlessly blended look.