We Share Some of the Best Cruelty Free Nail Polish Brands in the Indie World!

We recently shared a list of cruelty-free and vegan indie beauty brands, but we wanted to focus on cruelty-free nail polish brands for this post. Indie nail polish brands make some of the most beautiful nail polishes I have ever seen. They also have interesting formulas that you rarely see in more mainstream brands, like flakies and thermals.

This definitely isn’t a complete list of all the amazing indie nail polish brands that are out there, but it will give you a glimpse of your endless options!

Dear Sundays

Liv quickly fell in love with the beautiful, classic nail polishes from Sunday Studios. In fact, we have a post on which Sunday Studios polish you should wear based on your Zodiac sign! If you’re a classic nail polish lover, you will definitely fall in love with their gorgeous line-up.

Shleee Polish

Shleee Polish has some great examples of the unique shades and textures you can find in indie polish brands. I am obsessed with this gorgeous purple with a pink flip! This is another brand that has captured Liv’s heart, she has an entire collection of their shades. Her current favorite is En Pointe.

Anchor and Heart Lacquer

This beautiful polish from Anchor and Heart Lacquer is a great example of a thermal. Thermals change shades depending on the temperature they are exposed to! Their formulas are vegan, cruelty-free, and 5 free.

Fluide Beauty

Fluide Beauty is an awesome brand that sets aside the gender binary and embraces queerness of all kinds. I love how their models always include both masc and femme-presenting people. In fact, Fluide is one of the only nail polish brands I’ve seen swatch polishes on masc-presenting models! Their polish line is fun and colorful with a variety of finishes.

People of Color Beauty

People of Color Beauty has a gorgeous range of nudes for deep skin tones and bright pops of color. Their mint shade, Drinks on Me, is absolutely stunning and a polish I need to try one day. Their formula looks gorgeous and creamy. This nail polish line is perfect for people who lean towards nude shades but want some colorful options as well!

Pahlish

A classic in the indie polish community, Pahlish might be one of the largest brands on this list. They have all the flakies you could ever wish for. Seriously, how stunning is this teal polish from them??

Jior Couture

Jior Couture makes some of the cutest collections I’ve seen from indie polish brands. I seriously love how closely they tie with their inspiration! They have a wide variety of shades and finishes, too. And I love this green flakie – it is so unique!

Bees Knees Lacquer

Okay, first off – this yellow shade with holo flakies??? Bees Knees Lacquer lives up to its name with this shade, called The Witch Made Me Do It, inspired by Fear Street. They have a fantastic line up of shades and finishes. I like how this one above seems more of a sheer shade, too – sheer polishes can make for such a unique manicure!

Night Owl Lacquer

This beautiful purple shimmer is indicative of the gorgeous polishes Night Owl Lacquer creates. They have some of the most unique reflects, and a ton of bright colors to choose from!

Death Valley Nails

Death Valley Nails has long been one of my go-tos. In fact, we have an interview up with the brand owner and a review of their past Valentines Day collection! I love their Dust to Dust collection, where they take bones and rocks from around the United States, grind them up, and make them into some of the most unique and stunning nail polishes. I had to buy back-ups of my favorite shades right away. Their formula is thin and layerable and lasts a long time on the nails! Plus, they have a wide range of gorgeous earthy tones as well as some brighter polishes. Try them out for sure!

Polish Pick Up

Okay, okay. So you can’t choose just one brand to try? Well, we’ve got you. Check out Polish Pickup! Every month, a bunch of brands create a unique polish just for Polish Pickup. By using Polish Pickup, you can choose a ton of different brands to try all at once! It’s a great way to dip your toes into the indie polish world!

We hope this post has given you some mani inspiration! Let us know your favorite indie polish brand down below!

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