By Rissa Miller, Vegetarian Journal Senior Editor

As you’re preparing to dress up for Halloween, or any occasion going into the holiday season, consider going vegan with your nail color. Many major brand polishes either contain animal ingredients or are tested on animals. 

Wondering what non-vegan ingredients might be in nail polish? 

– Carmine: In red polishes (as well as lipstick and blushes) many make-up producers achieve brilliant reds by adding carmine, which is another way to say boiled and crushed beetles. 

– Guanine: Used to give shimmer and sparkle to nail polishes, Guanine is derived from fish scales and animal tissue. It’s frequently found in colors that are luminous or glittery.

– Oleic Acid: Straight up animal fat, melted into oil, Oleic Acid is used to thicken and add luster to polishes.

– Pearl: Ground pearl is a rare ingredient, but can be used in polishes. Pearls are created by oysters, then harvested and mashed into a shiny powder for cosmetics. 

– Shellac: This ingredient is another way to say “bug saliva.” Shellac is technically a resin secreted by the Indo-Chinese bug laccifer laca, commonly found on trees. It is processed and sold as dry flakes and dissolved in alcohol to make glossy liquid shellac.

To avoid these, look for vegan brands to create your look for any occasion. Additionally, note if any brand you consider is also “cruelty-free,” which means it’s not tested on animals by the manufacturer or any third party supplier. Some brands show the vegan V and the cruelty-free leaping rabbit on their labels, displays or websites. 

Shown in the photo, a spooky trio from Element Botanicals, http://elementbotanicals.ca/. The collection is called Bewitched and the colors shown are Pumpkin Queen, Rusty Cauldron, and Belladonna. Many brands offer blacks, purples and other dark colors for Halloween. Then switch it up for the holidays with reds, whites, or orange!

Other vegan nail polish brands include:

100% Pure https://www.100percentpure.com/collections/nail-polish

Beauty Without Cruelty https://www.bwcv.com/en/nails

Ella+Mila https://www.ellamila.com

L.A. Girl https://www.lagirlusa.com/collections/nails

LVX https://shoplvx.com/collections/nail-lacquer

Mineral Fusion https://www.mineralfusion.com/collections/nails

NCLA https://nclabeauty.com/collections/nail-lacquer

Pacifica https://www.pacificabeauty.com/collections/nail

Wet N Wild https://www.wetnwildbeauty.com/nails.html

YAPA Beauty https://yapabeauty.com