I was reorganizing my vanity last weekend and realized something: half the makeup I reach for daily comes from indie gothic brands nobody mentions outside alternative beauty circles. If your cart is full of drugstore staples and you’ve never heard of Bellabeautébar or Fyrinnae, this one’s for you.
Here are 15 cruelty-free gothic makeup brands I actually buy. Most offer vegan options too. Every single one has been tested on my very pale skin over 18 years of gothic beauty shopping.
1. Black Moon Cosmetics
A California indie brand, 100% cruelty-free and 100% vegan. They do liquid lipsticks, highlighters, eyeshadows — the lot. Their highlighters are my all-time favorites: Catshark is an iridescent purple moonlighter that looks like moonlit water on skin. Sleepwalker is the best black liquid lipstick I’ve found. I also can’t stop wearing Sorrow and Haunting from their liquid lipstick line.
Find them at Black Moon Cosmetics.
2. Glam Goth Beauty
Another California indie, 100% cruelty-free and vegan. Their Diamond Primer is the sticky base I use under glitter — it actually holds. They also make liquid lipsticks and loose glitters in black gothic packaging.
Find them at Glam Goth Beauty.
3. Girlcult
A Chinese alternative beauty brand whose embossed eyeshadow palettes are genuinely too pretty to depot. I own four of their palettes, and #51 Black Words is the one for gothic hearts: dark and moody. Their formulas back up the artistry. They state they’re cruelty-free. I order through YesStyle.
Find them at YesStyle.
4. Bellabeautébar
Founded in New York in 2018, now based in Sarasota, Florida. Their dark palettes read like a setlist. Basic Witch sits in my top 5 most-used palettes: 9 mattes, 2 holo-chromes, 2 multichromes, and 2 duochromes — one palette covers an entire gothic look. The matte formula is the best indie eyeshadow I’ve found for pigmentation. Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty-free, mostly vegan (mattes contain talc). Waterproof, smudge-proof, long-lasting.
Use code CORDELIA to save 10%.
5. Aromaleigh Cosmetics
The OG of gothic indie beauty. Cristiana has been handcrafting small-batch artisan cosmetics since 1988 from the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina. The Victorian Oddities collection is a masterclass in dark, moody, antique-inspired eyeshadow — some of my favorite work from any indie brand. Cruelty-free with many vegan options. I have been sent PR in the past.
Use code CORDELIA to save 15%.
6. Sugarpill
100% cruelty-free, mostly vegan. A long-time staple of alternative makeup. Their C3 Palette — black packaging, muted colors — is a gothic workhorse. They also make great lipsticks and capsule collections.
Find them at Sugarpill.
7. Necromancy Cosmetica
A Puerto Rican indie brand, 100% cruelty-free and vegan. They make bullet lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes with awesome gothic packaging. Their new palette is on my review queue — I suspect it will become a permanent fixture in my collection.
Find them at Necromancy Cosmetica.
8. Cosmic Brushes
A UK indie brand by Fay. They literally make a Gothic Palette, and it’s affordable with no filler shades — just dark, wearable tones that work. I own three of their palettes; the Gothic one is why they’re on this list. Cruelty-free.
Find them at Cosmic Brushes.
9. VE Cosmetics
A UK-based brand by Lynsey, an AuDHD vegan with OCD/Tourettes, EDS, and fibromyalgia. She’s been building it since 2015. It’s 100% cruelty-free, 100% vegan, PETA approved. The Blood Moon shades are exactly the kind of dark, dramatic collection that belongs on a gothic vanity. Supporting a disabled-owned indie brand while buying alternative makeup is exactly the kind of shopping I get behind.
Use code CORDELIA to save 10%.
10. Lethal Cosmetics
A Berlin-based indie, 100% cruelty-free and vegan. They basically do it all — eyeshadows, blushes, highlighters, bronzers, gel liners, lipsticks, glosses. My favorites are their single eyeshadows. Sleek black packaging. Keep an eye on this one; they release new products constantly.
Find them at Lethal Cosmetics.
11. Lunatick Cosmetic Labs
A Wisconsin indie, 100% cruelty-free and vegan. They have gothic-themed palettes for both light and deep skin tones, plus lipsticks and lip slicks. The packaging is always fabulous — dark, detailed, and unmistakable.
Find them at Lunatick Cosmetic Labs.
12. Rituel de Fille
A California brand, 100% cruelty-free, specializing exclusively in cream products — blushes, highlighters, eye soots, lipsticks. On my oily deepset eyelids their gelee formulas can be a mess (glossy lids + hooded eyes don’t mix for me), but their inner glow cheek pigments are amazing. My favorite is Nymph, a blood red. Black packaging with stars — very witchy.
Find them at Rituel de Fille, Credo Beauty, or Ulta.
13. Fyrinnae
A Pacific Northwest indie, 100% cruelty-free and vegan. They make loose and pressed eyeshadows, eco-friendly glitter, lip colors, and perfume. The packaging is simple but the colors are otherworldly — Northwest Night and Alpenglow are two of my absolute favorites. Their commitment to eco-friendly glitter raises the bar.
Find them at Fyrinnae.
14. Melt Cosmetics
A big indie brand, 100% cruelty-free with vegan offerings. They make everything — lip pencils, liquid lipsticks, blushes, eyeliners, highlighters, stacks, palettes. Their thin palettes are unique and travel-friendly. Radioactive is great for bright neon looks; I’m obsessed with Space Queen from Smoke Sessions (a cool-toned green matte); Muerte has beautiful cool tones throughout. You can pop into Sephora to pick them up.
Find them at Melt Cosmetics or Sephora.
15. Devinah Cosmetics
A 100% cruelty-free indie brand with some vegan offerings. They make beautiful multichrome and duochrome eyeshadows, highlighters, and bronzers. I recommend any of their multichromes — a set of limited-edition duochromes remains my favorite from them.
Find them at Devinah Cosmetics.
Worth It?
Verdict: Worth it. If you love dark, moody makeup and want brands that go beyond the usual Sephora wall, these 15 indie labels deliver. The discount codes (CORDELIA at Bellabeautébar, Aromaleigh, and VE Cosmetics) save you 10-15% on your first order — easy win.
Daily Pick: Black Moon’s highlighters and Bellabeautébar’s Basic Witch palette are the two I reach for most. If you only buy one brand from this list, start there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these brands beginner-friendly?
Most of them are. Cosmic Brushes’ Gothic Palette and Melt Cosmetics at Sephora are great starting points since they’re affordable and accessible. The smaller indies (Necromancy, VE Cosmetics) ship internationally and make ordering easy.
Do the discount codes stack?
The CORDELIA code works individually at Bellabeautébar (10% off), Aromaleigh (15% off), and VE Cosmetics (10% off). Check each site’s current promotions — pricing can change.
Are all of them vegan?
Most offer vegan options. Bellabeautébar’s mattes contain talc, Rituel de Fille focuses on creams, and Devinah has some vegan offerings. The fully vegan ones: Black Moon Cosmetics, Glam Goth Beauty, Necromancy Cosmetica, Cosmic Brushes, VE Cosmetics, Lunatick, and Fyrinnae.
Goth isn’t a fashion brand or a skin tone — it’s freedom of expression. These brands helped me embrace that. I hope they help you find your own shade of dark beauty too.