Is Sigma Beauty Vegan? -

Sigma Beauty is known for its innovative makeup brushes, high-performing cosmetics, and professional-grade beauty tools. Founded in 2009 by a pair of scientists with a passion for beauty and precision, the brand quickly gained a reputation for combining performance with ethics. Is Sigma Beauty vegan?

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What Is Vegan?

Understanding what “vegan” really means in cosmetics is the first step to answering that. In the beauty industry, a vegan product means it’s made without any animal-derived ingredients or by-products—such as beeswax, carmine, or lanolin.

The answer isn’t always as simple as a yes or no. Let’s take a closer look at whether Sigma Beauty meets vegan standards, how its cruelty-free philosophy fits in, and what you can expect if you’re shopping for 100% vegan beauty products.

Sigma Beauty’s Ethical Philosophy

Sigma Beauty has built its brand on innovation and integrity. From the beginning, it positioned itself as a cruelty-free company, never testing on animals, and ensuring its suppliers uphold the same standards. That cruelty-free commitment has been a major reason beauty enthusiasts, professional makeup artists, and influencers trust Sigma products.

The brand is certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny, one of the most respected cruelty-free programs in the world. This certification means Sigma has gone through thorough verification to confirm that no part of its manufacturing process involves animal testing, neither by the company itself nor by third parties.

However, cruelty-free and vegan are not the same thing. A product can be cruelty-free without being vegan if it still contains ingredients derived from animals. So, where does Sigma stand when it comes to vegan formulations?

Is Sigma Beauty A Vegan Brand?

Sigma Beauty is not an entirely vegan brand, but it offers a wide range of vegan-friendly products. The majority of Sigma’s newer product lines, including their iconic makeup brushes, are made with synthetic fibers rather than natural animal hair.

This shift marked a major moment in the beauty industry, as Sigma became one of the first brands to develop high-performance synthetic brush technology that could outperform traditional animal-hair brushes.

These synthetic fibers, known as Sigmax® fibers, were designed to mimic and even improve upon natural hair performance. They pick up and distribute product evenly, last longer, and are more hygienic. Importantly, they are 100% vegan and cruelty-free. This makes Sigma’s brush collections an excellent choice for ethical consumers and professionals alike.

However, not every cosmetic formula from Sigma is vegan. Some of the brand’s makeup products have contained ingredients like beeswax or carmine in the past. Beeswax is used for texture and moisture retention, while carmine is a natural red pigment derived from crushed insects. Sigma has worked to reduce and replace these ingredients over time, and many of its new collections are explicitly labeled “vegan.”

If you want to ensure a product is vegan, the best approach is to check Sigma’s official website, where each product page clearly lists whether it’s vegan or not.

Sigma Beauty’s Vegan Makeup Brushes

Sigma’s synthetic brushes are one of the brand’s biggest accomplishments and remain a standout example of innovation in vegan beauty tools. The Sigmax® fibers were developed using polymer technology that allows the brushes to perform better than natural bristles, retaining shape, resisting product absorption, and staying softer over time.

These brushes are designed to handle all formulas, from powders to creams, and they don’t shed like traditional animal-hair brushes. For makeup artists, this not only makes them more hygienic but also easier to maintain.

Some of the most popular vegan brush collections include:

The Essential Kit – Brush Set
The Sigmax Kabuki Brush Collection
The Professional Brush Set
The Max Collection

All of these use synthetic fibers and cruelty-free materials, making them suitable for vegan users.

Sigma’s Vegan Makeup And Skincare Products

Beyond brushes, Sigma Beauty has expanded into color cosmetics and skincare. Many of these products are vegan-friendly, including their liquid lipsticks, eyeshadow palettes, gel liners, and skincare essentials.

Sigma frequently reformulates older products to align with vegan standards. In recent years, the company has made a visible effort to clearly label vegan products on its website, which helps consumers make informed choices without needing to cross-reference ingredient lists.

The Difference Between Cruelty-Free And Vegan

It’s worth emphasizing the difference between being cruelty-free and being vegan, as this is often where confusion arises.

A cruelty-free brand does not test its products or ingredients on animals at any stage of development. This includes ensuring that third-party suppliers and labs also follow the same ethical practices.

A vegan brand, on the other hand, avoids using any animal-derived ingredients altogether. This includes obvious items like honey, milk, and beeswax, as well as less-known derivatives like lanolin, shellac, or carmine.

Sigma Beauty is proudly cruelty-free, and it continues to expand its vegan range every year. While it’s not 100% vegan yet, many of its core products,including all makeup brushes,are completely free of animal-derived ingredients.

Sigma’s Commitment to Sustainability

Beyond cruelty-free and vegan practices, Sigma Beauty also prioritizes sustainability. The brand designs its brushes with eco-friendly handles, uses recyclable packaging, and sources materials responsibly. These small yet meaningful steps help reduce environmental impact while maintaining the highest quality standards.

Sigma also invests in durability, creating tools meant to last for years rather than months. Their brush ferrules are made of corrosion-resistant materials, and the fibers are antimicrobial, which extends product life. This sustainable approach helps reduce waste while offering long-term value for consumers.

How Sigma Compares To Other Vegan Beauty Brands

While many makeup brands are now moving toward vegan and cruelty-free formulas, Sigma stands out because of its early adoption of synthetic technology. At a time when most professional makeup artists preferred animal-hair brushes, Sigma proved that performance and ethics could coexist.

This innovation not only helped push the industry toward more sustainable materials but also inspired other brands to make similar changes. Today, Sigma continues to refine its formulas and expand its vegan offerings, showing that luxury beauty can be both effective and compassionate.

How to Find Sigma’s Vegan Products

If you’re looking to shop Sigma Beauty’s vegan lineup, the best resource is the brand’s official website, sigma beauty.com. There, each product includes a clear list of ingredients and a vegan label when applicable.

You can also find Sigma products at trusted retailers like Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom, and Amazon. When shopping through third-party sellers, always verify that authorized retailers sell the products to ensure authenticity.

The Future Of Sigma Beauty

Sigma Beauty continues to expand its presence in the ethical beauty space. With the growing demand for clean, vegan, and cruelty-free products, it’s likely that Sigma will transition more of its formulas to be entirely plant-based in the coming years.

The brand has already proven that vegan brushes can meet, and exceed, the performance of animal-hair alternatives. As consumers push for greater transparency and accountability, Sigma’s science-driven approach positions it well to stay ahead of industry trends.