Natural vs Synthetic brushes…which ones do you need? What’s the difference? Why is this so complicated? How big is the universe? Who even am I? All very valid questions but I’m pretty sure I’m only qualified to answer the ones about makeup brushes.

When it comes down to it, there is not really a clear winner here. Natural brushes are better for some things, synthetics are better for other, so it’s hard to say what you need. But what I can tell you are the facts about each type, and tell you what I prefer to have more of and why.

THE FACTS

NATURAL BRUSHES//

• Made of animal hair. Many varieties are available but one of the most common is goat hair.
• Natural hairs have a follicle, which is basically like a texture or scaliness on a microscopic level. That texture helps pick up powder products more easily.
• They often get softer with use or “break in” like a leather shoe.
• They are often said to be better for blending because of the previous mentioned points (but I think that’s debatable)
• Should not be used for cream products because they stick in the hair follicle and it’s very difficult to get them clean again.
• Some claim to be cruelty free in spite of their use of animal hair but most people agree that that’s up for debate.

SYNTHETIC BRUSHES //

• Made of synthetic fibers to mimic natural hair.
• No follicle so they may not pick up powder products as readily.
• Works well with creams as well as powders.
• Generally easier to clean (especially with cream products involved)
• As long as the company is cruelty free you don’t have to worry about the poor animals.
• Usually more affordable pricing.

SO WHICH IS BETTER?

Like I said, each has it’s merits so there isn’t one clear answer. As far as blending is concerned I think that there are many synthetic brushes that blend just as well as natural ones these days, but there is definitely a clear difference with how easily they pick up pigment. That being said, over all I think that synthetic brushes are more versatile and they probably make up around 90% of my brush collection. The only time I find a real difference in using natural fiber brushes is in something highly specialized like the Nars Ita Brush which only really works well for powder contour but it does so really beautifully.

So when Natural vs Synthetic brushes gets down to the nitty gritty, it basically comes down to what you are looking for in a brush. Tell me, which do you have more of in your brush collection and why? I’m so curious what most people prefer!