No, you don’t have “blush blindness”—everyone else is just wrong! True beauty comes from within, but a little blush doesn’t hurt—as long as it’s vegan. Whether you want a radiant summer glow or a full-beat glam, there are dozens of vegan and cruelty-free blushes on the market that will help you achieve the perfect look—without harming animals.

If it’s flushed cheeks you want, flush out animal-tested products from your makeup routine. We did the research—from powders to creams to cheek tints—to help you crush the blush look in an animal-friendly way.

PETA’s Guide to Vegan and Cruelty-Free Blushes

Powder Blushes

Milani Baked Blush

This all-time classic is a blush and highlighter in one, delivering the perfect pop of color with a luminous sheen. The Milani Baked Blush comes in 11 stunning shades, ideal for any skin tone, season, or mood.

• Price range: $
• Pigment level: Medium
• Shade range: 11 shades
• Finish: Luminous

Modern Minerals Blush

While many blushes have a bit of shimmer, some incorporate the natural look of a matte formula. Modern Minerals’ Love Blush comes in a neutral warm pink with mauve undertones, while Sedona Blush is a deeper terracotta shade with coral and tan undertones. These blushes are perfectly suited for a minimal “no-makeup-makeup” look, ideal for those who want a subtle splash of color.

• Price range: $$
• Pigment level: Light
• Shade range: Two shades
• Finish: Matte

100% Pure Fruit Pigmented® Blush

Before blush was powdered and packaged, red fruits were used to color cheeks. 100% Pure’s Fruit Pigmented Blush is crafted from finely compacted rice powder and pigmented with real fruits, designed to bestow a healthy, authentic rosy tint to your cheeks.

• Finish: Radiant
• Price: $$$
• Pigment level: Medium
• Shade range: 10 shades

Cream Blushes

e.l.f Putty Blush

The e.l.f Putty Blush has a smooth, blendable formula that instantly melts into your skin, giving you a soft, radiant finish. It’s lightweight, buildable, and suits any skin type!

• Price: $
• Pigment level: High
• Shade range: Eight shades
• Finish: Semi-matte

Pacifica Fluffy Blushy Blush

Pacifica’s Fluffy Blushy Blush has a silky-smooth texture that glides on effortlessly, delivering a fresh, natural glow. It’s infused with vegan collagen and other hydrating ingredients to help nourish the skin while adding a rosy tint.

• Finish: Radiant
• Price: $
• Pigment level: Medium
• Shade range: Five shades

Colourpop Instant Crush Lip & Cheek Balm

A multi-purpose beauty product? Yes, please! Colourpop’s Instant Crush Lip & Cheek Balm is super creamy, dewy, and versatile. Infused with cupuacu butter and shea butter, this antioxidant-rich formula keeps the skin looking—and feeling—healthy!

• Finish: Radiant
• Price: $
• Pigment level: Light
• Shade range: Eight shades (plus two limited-edition shades)

Tower 28 BleachPlease Cream Blush

Available in 10 rich, vibrant shades, the Tower 28 BleachPlease Cream Blush serves the ultimate sun-kissed look—even on the cloudiest of days. It’s creamy, pigmented, sensitive-skin safe, and offers a long-lasting glow.

• Price: $$
• Pigment level: High
• Shade range: 10 shades
• Finish: Radiant

Liquid Blushes

Revolution Beauty Superdewy Liquid Blush

Revolution’s Superdewy Liquid Blush delivers exactly what it promises, providing a sheer, radiant flush of color that will keep you fresh-faced all day long.

• Finish: Radiant
• Price: $
• Pigment level: Light
• Shade range: Eight shades

FLOWER Beauty Ultralight Liquid Blush

If you want a natural “pinched cheeks” look, the Ultralight Liquid Blush from Drew Barrymore’s FLOWER Beauty is the blush for you. Its smooth, super lightweight texture makes it easy to blend and build up for a bolder look.  

• Price: $$
• Pigment level: Light
• Shade range: Five shades
• Finish: Radiant

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush

A little goes a long way with Rare Beauty’s weightless, highly pigmented blush. This blush fan-favorite from Selena Gomez’s widely praised makeup line comes in 13 shades, ranging from matte to dewy.

• Price: $$
• Pigment level: High
• Shade range: 13 shades
• Finish: Matte or dewy

Drunk Elephant O-Bloos Rosi Drops

Who said skincare and makeup can’t go hand-in-hand?! Drunk Elephant’s innovative blush serum is omega-rich, adding a rosy flush while replenishing the skin’s barrier. Hello, healthy skin!

• Finish: Dewy
• Price: $$$
• Pigment level: Low
• Shade range: One shade

The Ugly Truth About Some Blushes

A pigment made from crushed female cochineal insects is sometimes used to give blush its rosy hue. This bright red coloring is called carmine but might be disguised in the ingredient list with nicknames like cochineal, carminic acid, natural red 4, or C.L 75470. In addition to this creepy-crawly secret, some cosmetics companies use other animal-derived ingredients and test makeup products on animals. Experimenters subject mice, rats, bunnies, and other sensitive, feeling animals to these deadly, pointless tests.

Compassion is the most important part of any beauty routine, because every animal is someone who does not want to suffer. Here are some cosmetics brands that are not cruelty free:

• Benefit
• Makeup Forever
• Maybelline

How Do I Know if a Blush Is Truly Cruelty-Free?

Just check PETA’s reliable global Beauty Without Bunnies database, which allows you to search a company’s animal testing status. Remember: You don’t need makeup to be pretty, but when you choose to use vegan and animal test–free blush, you’re making life just a little more beautiful for animals.

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