Recent research estimates that the number of vegans in Britain has increased by a huge 360% in 10 years. But while many of us make efforts to eat ethically, it can feel counterproductive to then use make-up, skincare, hair and body products that are made using animal derivatives.

Luckily, the beauty industry is finally cottoning on to veganism. If you’re Instagram-obsessed, you’ll have noticed a hoard of shiny new vegan beauty brands cropping up on the market recently – and bigger names are getting involved, too.

Many have made pledges to completely reformulate their products without animal-derived ingredients or by-products to meet the demands of consumers. Others currently eschew animal products entirely in favour of more ethical ingredients.

Here are five of our favourite vegan beauty brands and buys…

Ditch the notion that vegan make-up is second rate, because Hourglass is sure-fire proof that it can look luxe and deliver when it comes to inclusive shades and staying power. Make-up artists and beauty editors alike are obsessed with the brand’s Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Sticks, £42 each: we’re talking 32 shades, intense pigment, and a satisfyingly buttery texture that melts into the skin.

But the brand’s Ambient Lighting Palette  trumps everything. Comprised of three pressed powder highlighters, bursting with pearlescent pigments, a single dusting has the ability to make lacklustre skin look bathed in candlelight – and with winter in full force, we need all the glow we can get. The brand has also made a pledge to be 100% vegan by 2020. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette, £59, spacenk.com 

You only have to spend five minutes with Kat Von D herself to realise how completely and utterly dedicated she is to serving up both cruelty-free and vegan products.

A firm fixture in the beauty bags of make-up artists, celebrities, bloggers and editors, her Tattoo Liquid Liner does exactly what it says on the tin – stays put until you attack it with make-up remover at the end of the day.

The precise, malleable nib makes light work of fashioning feline flicks and geometric shapes, and the pigment doesn’t fade to grey within a couple of hours like other liners.

Kat Von D ‘Tattoo Liner’ Liquid Liner, £16, debenhams.com 

The hunt for the perfect vegan lipstick is over thanks to 100% vegan brand Axiology. A single swipe straight from the bullet yields a blanket of vivid colour that lasts way past lunchtime, while a veil of moisture protect lips from the elements – sans any animal-derived ingredients or by-products. 

We haven’t even touched on the snazzy gold case, the cruelty-free status and the fact that the paper boxes, which house each product including their matte lip crayons, are all recycled and organic.

Axiology Lipstick, £29, contentbeautywellbeing.com

Central heating-induced skin gripes like chapped lips, sandpaper-esque knuckles and halos of frizz don’t stand a chance against BYBI’s Instagram-worthy, 100% vegan multipurpose balm. It’s all down to shea butter, vitamin E and a dream team of plant oils. 

What’s more, the packaging is derived from sugar cane and completely plastic-free, so the environment will thank you.

BYBI Babe Balm, £18, bybi.com

The ultra-chic packaging housing Aussie brand MR. SMITH’s hairstylist-approved shampoo is bound to grab your attention, but it’s the all-vegan formula and undeniable results that will absolutely keep it. With a mega-mix of shea butter to nourish parched, fluffy ends, jasmine oil to keep frizz and flyaways on lockdown and patchouli oil to banish dandruff storms, excess oil and product build-up, you’ll want to kick all of your other shampoos to the side. 

Even better? Every other product in the line, which is brand new to the UK, FYI, also boasts vegan credentials.

MR. SMITH Balancing Shampoo, £25, salon64.co.uk

Main image: Dmitriy Ilkevich