MAC is a prestige brand of makeup sold in some department stores, their own stores, and online. MAC does not make gluten free makeup, per se, but they do pay enough attention to their products to be able to say which of their products has glutinous ingredients and which don’t. They do acknowledge that even products that don’t contain glutinous ingredients can come in contact with gluten, so gluten free is not guaranteed because of shared equipment.
MAC offer a huge line of cosmetics, including but not limited to foundation, eye makeup, lipsticks, moisturizers, makeup removers, and fragrance.
I contacted MAC to ask generally about whether their makeup is gluten free, but also about particular products. Their representative sent me the following information:
A FREE, online, one to one virtual consultation with a MAC Artist of your choice. Choose from a 30 or 45 minute service and get expert answers on any makeup question you have, as our Artists guide you through a tutorial unique to you. Just let us know if you want to cover anything specific in the comments section of the booking form.
– Lipstick (Amplified) contains wheat, barley, and soy
– Lipstick (Amplified Creme) contains wheat, barley, and soy
– Lipstick (Cremesheen) contains wheat, corn, and soy
– Lipstick (Frost) contains ingredients derived from corn
– Lipstick (Glaze) contains ingredients derived from corn
– Lipstick (Lustre) contains ingredients derived fron corn and soy
– Lipstick (Matte) contains ingredients derived from soy and corn
– Lipstick (Retro Matte) contains soy
– Lipstick (Satin) contains ingredients derived from corn and soy
– Viva Glam Lipstick – please reference finishes listed above
– Ultimate Lipstick contains soy
– Pro Longwear Lipcreme contains corn and soy
– Mineralize Rich Lipstick contains wheat, barley, and soy
– Casual Colour contains soy
– Mineralize Moisture SPF15 Foundation may contain soy and ingredients derived from corn and other grain sources
– Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 contains corn and soy
– Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation contains corn and soy
– Lip Erase contains soy
It’s up to you whether you’re willing to use a product that is made on shared equipment, but before you purchase MAC’s makeup, make sure to contact them and ask whether what you’d like to use has glutinous ingredients. I have not yet tried their products, so if you try any, let me know!
- Ulta Loves Mac Cosmetics Make-up Services Ulta Beauty. In every Ulta Beauty store where we have a M.A.C boutique, you can sit down with a highly trained M.A.C artist and get a professional makeup application, get a step-by-step lesson, or a quick demo. M.A.C makeup artists celebrate individuality and there’s no one-look-fits-all.
- MAC is a prestige brand of makeup sold in some department stores, their own stores, and online.MAC does not make gluten free makeup, per se, but they do pay enough attention to their products to be able to say which of their products has glutinous ingredients and which don’t.
- Get makeup artist training. Here’s the thing, you can’t really get certified as a makeup artist by M.A.C. Unless you’re an artist who’s already working for the company, there aren’t any open makeup classes offered by M.A.C. For emerging artists.
If you want to keep up with our latest news here at Ethics & Aesthetics, click here to follow our brand new Instagram account!
MAC Cosmetics are one of the most popular makeup brands around. A dupe of their famous lipsticks is still one of the most requested things on my local cruelty free Facebook groups! Unfortunately, MAC Cosmetics are not cruelty free – they allow animal testing to occur on their products, and they are owned by a non-cruelty free parent company.
Are MAC Cosmetics Cruelty Free?
Mac Cosmetics are not cruelty free. MAC Cosmetics state on their website:
Along with many other popular brands, although MAC Cosmetics state that they have never tested on animals, you can see from the quote that they allow their products to be tested on animals by ‘some governments’. As we all know, true cruelty free brands do not sell their products under governments that conduct animal testing.
In addition to this, MAC Cosmetics are owned by Estée Lauder. This leads to a fairly complicated debate on whether or not an animal testing parent company can own a cruelty free brand. (Get more info here). I always say that it’s up to an individual to decide whether or not they want to buy from brands with animal testing parent companies, but either way it’s worth noting.
Do MAC Cosmetics have Vegan Products?
No MAC products can be classed as vegan because they are all subject to animal testing. Makeup Academy (MUA) is a great alternative brand that is 100% cruelty free and vegan.
Are MAC Cosmetics a Sustainable Brand?
Hidden away on their website is a link to MAC Cosmetics’ “Back to MAC” scheme, which gives you a free lipstick for every six empty MAC containers returned to store for recycling. This can only be done in-store and doesn’t seem to be particularly well advertised on their website, but at least it’s something.
This post may contain affiliate links
