No brand list of vegan paints stays correct for long. Formulations change, most ranges mix vegan and non-vegan colours, and a single pigment such as bone black (PBk9) can make one tube different from the rest of the line. The dependable method is to read what each maker says about its own products and then confirm directly with the manufacturer before you rely on it. This page collects maker statements, clearly attributed, with the caveat each one needs.
Nothing here is our own verification. Every entry is the maker's account, or a published report of it, as of the drafting date (August 2026). The page is part of our vegan art guide.
Key takeaways
- Most paint ranges are mixed: individual colours, often blacks made with bone char (PBk9), differ from the rest of the line.
- Golden states that its Bone Black pigment is made from carbonized cattle bones and names the products that contain it.
- Winsor & Newton's information, as reported from the maker's customer service replies, is that Cotman watercolours are vegan except three colours.
- Faber-Castell states that its products are vegan except its beeswax crayons.
- Formulations change, so always confirm with the manufacturer before relying on any list, including this one.
Why brand lists go out of date
A vegan paint list is a snapshot. Makers reformulate colours without changing their names, ranges gain and lose products, and a customer service answer from a few years ago may describe paint that no longer exists. Most brands are also neither all vegan nor all non-vegan. The animal content usually sits in specific pigments, such as bone black (PBk9, made from charred animal bones) or carmine, a red extracted from cochineal insects. So the useful question is rarely "is this brand vegan". It is almost always "is this exact product vegan today, according to its maker".
Maker statements at a glance
The table below is the substance of this page. Each row is what the maker itself says, or a published report of the maker's own correspondence. None of it is our verification, and every claim ages, so check the maker's current information before you buy.
| Maker |
What the maker says |
The caveat |
| Golden Artist Colors |
States its Bone Black pigment is made from carbonized cattle bones, and lists Bone Black, Jenkins Green, several Neutral Grays, Prussian Blue Hue, and Terre Verte Hue among products containing it. States its QoR watercolours use a synthetic ox gall substitute it describes as vegan, and that Williamsburg oil colours contain small amounts of beeswax. |
These are Golden's own statements. Check the current product page for each individual colour before buying. |
| Winsor & Newton |
Vegan art trackers publishing the maker's customer service correspondence report that Cotman watercolours are vegan except Viridian Hue, Raw Umber, and Ivory Black (PBk9), and that a longer list of the professional watercolours are not vegan. |
This is the maker's information as reported by third parties, not a statement we obtained. Confirm with Winsor & Newton directly. |
| Faber-Castell |
States that its products are vegan except its beeswax crayons, by the brand's own account. |
A broad claim covering many product types. Confirm it for the specific product you plan to buy. |
| Derwent |
Brand information, as reported by retailers, lists Coloursoft, Inktense, Metallic, and Lightfast pencils as vegan-friendly ranges. |
Reported through retailers rather than stated to us by Derwent. Confirm with the maker. |
How to read a vegan claim
Three habits keep you out of trouble. First, keep attribution straight: what a maker says about itself and what an independent body has verified are different things, and everything on this page is the first kind. Second, learn the pigment codes. PBk9 is bone black, made from charred animal bones, while carbon black (PBk7) and Mars black (PBk11) are the non-animal blacks, per Golden's Just Paint journal, so a range's black is often the first colour to check. The full pigment story is in animal-derived pigments. Third, remember the quiet ingredients: binders, wetting agents, and waxes can be animal derived even when every pigment is clear. For pencil and pastel ranges specifically, see are colored pencils and pastels vegan.
How to confirm before you buy
Write to the manufacturer. Name the exact product and colour, ask whether it contains any animal-derived ingredient, and keep the dated reply. A marketing page that says cruelty free or eco is not an ingredient answer, and if a claim is vague, treat the question as unanswered. Our guide on how to verify vegan art turns this into a step-by-step checklist, and the sustainable hub's page on greenwashing in the art world shows how loose green and ethical language spreads through the art market.
For a finished painting, the maker is the artist. VanArtHub does not label any painting vegan, because we have not audited artists' materials. Ask us about a piece and we will put the materials question to the artist before you buy, so the answer comes from the source.
Common questions
Which paint brands are fully vegan?
In the maker statements gathered here, none of the major art brands describes its whole catalogue as vegan. Faber-Castell comes closest, stating its products are vegan except its beeswax crayons, by the brand's own account. Ranges usually mix vegan and non-vegan colours, so check the exact product with the manufacturer.
Are Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolours vegan?
Reports publishing the maker's customer service correspondence say Cotman watercolours are vegan except Viridian Hue, Raw Umber, and Ivory Black. That is the maker's information as reported, not our verification, and formulations change, so confirm with Winsor & Newton before relying on it.
Which Derwent pencil ranges are vegan friendly?
Derwent's brand information, as reported by retailers, lists Coloursoft, Inktense, Metallic, and Lightfast as vegan-friendly ranges. Confirm with Derwent directly, because the report comes through retailers and product formulations change.
Why do vegan paint lists become wrong over time?
Because makers reformulate colours without renaming them, add and drop products, and change suppliers. A list is a snapshot of the maker's answers on one date. The current answer always lives with the manufacturer, so ask again before you restock.
How do I check whether one specific colour is vegan?
Look up its pigment code first: bone black is PBk9, while carbon black (PBk7) and Mars black (PBk11) are non-animal, per Golden's Just Paint journal. Then write to the manufacturer, name the exact colour, and ask whether any ingredient is animal derived. Keep the dated reply.
Treat every list as a starting point and the manufacturer as the source. When you are ready to look at finished work, browse our colored pencil works and original paintings, and send us the materials question for any piece you like.
