5 Cruelty-Free Japanese Cosmetics Brands You Can Trust

Cruelty-free makeup, while relatively mainstream in other countries, is not yet common in Japan. And without an organization like PETA to certify brands as vegan or cruelty-free, it can be doubly hard to find trustworthy brands.

Nevertheless, ethical makeup is popping up more and more. Below are five brands that make high-quality, cruelty-free makeup.

Cruelty-Free Makeup Brands in Japan

Shiro ($$$)

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ek__WFOJQ/

Shiro, which means white, makes vegan and organic skincare, haircare, make up, and fragrance products.

It is somewhat of an empire. In addition to the main Shiro cosmetics line, there is also Shiro Beauty (beauty salon in Omotesando), Shiro Life (food products), Shiro Home (home products) and Shiro Café (vegan café).

You can buy their products online or around the city. There are shops in various department stores like Isetan, Shibuya Scramble Square, and Takashimaya.

See the full list here.

MiMC ($$$)

MiMC, established in 2007, and makes various skincare and makeup products.

It is committed to using only natural, plant-based ingredients in their products. It does not use any synthetic colors, fragrances, or preservatives, and does not do any animal testing.

You can buy their products online, or at various department stores throughout the country.
It also has three beauty salons in Tokyo, Mie, and Sapporo where you can get skin treatments.

See the full list here.

California Organic House ($)

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Dky1UpBqP/

California Organic House is an online shop that sells imported vegan, organic, cruelty-free makeup from Californian brands.

It’s run by two Japanese women, Yoko and Mimi, and only sells products from women-owned brands. If you want to support women, this is the ideal site for you.

You can find eye, lip, and face makeup as well as skincare products from brands like Soular Organics, J&L Naturals, and Moonrise Creek.

It is a fully EC company and ships across Japan.

Three ($$)

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9QLSoFFX_z/

Three is probably the most established, popular brand out of this list.
It sells the usual haircare, skincare, and makeup products, but they also sell men’s products as well.

It is known for using natural, local ingredients and does not test on animals.

You can find their products in shops all around Japan and other Asian countries like Korea, Thailand, and Singapore. The full list is here.

It has also delved into the food world, with two restaurants in Tokyo.
Revive Kitchen Three Aoyama is an upscale French restaurant with vegan options, and Revive Kitchen Three Hibiya, a “modern shojin ryoryi” restaurant serving traditional Japanese Buddhist cuisine with a contemporary twist.

Personally, I love their Hibiya restaurant. It’s a bit pricey, but so inventive and delicious.

UZ ($$)

: uzu makeup

UZ is a cruelty-free, sustainable cosmetics line by Flowfushi. Everything from their brushes down to their packaging is made from sustainable products.

It specializes in lip gloss and eyeliner, which come in 6 and 13 different colors respectively.

If you’re like most people and prefer your eyeliner black, no worries—there are seven additional shades to choose from. Who knew black could be anything other than black?

While all of their products are cruelty-free, not all are vegan. The following UZ eyeliner shades are vegan: Black, Brown Black, Brown, Gray, Khaki, Yellow, Light Blue, White, Pitch Black, Matte Black, Metallic Black, Platinum Black, Green Black.

You can buy their products online, at Isetan Shinjuku, or Cosme in Harajuku. They also have shops in New York, LA, and Paris.