In the late 80′s the media were keen on exposing brands that supported animal testing and we became aware of the cruelty animals experience in labs so we could look beautiful. Now, most of us try to avoid makeup and skin care products that are tested on animals. However, did you ever think about how that animal hair got to be in your make up brush?

Although some manufacturers claim the hair in their brushes comes from a natural moulting process and animals are not harmed or killed to gather the fur, true vegans or those wishing to live an animal free lifestyle will prefer a synthetic brush.

Toray and Taklon are modern, man made alternatives to hair, which can be used to fashion make up brushes. They are very fine nylon hairs which many make up artists swear by for giving clean lines when applying make up.

Dermaquest have done just that and produced a range of 100% vegan makeup brushes where the handles used are also part of a reforestation project. Unfortunately dermaquest brushes are not currently available in the UK.

However Ecotools are! These are expertly crafted (yet budget friendly ) beauty tools made from sustainable materials such as bamboo. Their range of professional quality vegan makeup brushes use soft synthetic bristles as an alternative to the animal derived bristles that are used in most brands of makeup brushes.

Ecotools were voted Best Cruelty-Free makeup Brushes in the 6th Annual PETA ‘Proggy’ Awards and one of the Best Beauty Buys of 2009 by Instyle magazine.

They also donate 1% of their annual sales to 1% For The Planet, an alliance of businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet.