As the largest organ of the human body, our skin is our protector — one that takes on everything the world throws at us. That includes the products we slather over ourselves. And when we use cosmetics filled with harmful chemicals, toxins, and harsh ingredients, imagine how that adds up over a lifetime. Then add that to things like germs, pollution, sweat, and everything else we come into contact with. Yeesh!
It makes sense, then, that the healthier your beauty cabinet, the better it is for your skin. Often, that means going vegan! Vegan skincare products don't contain animal ingredients or byproducts, which aside from being harmful to our furry and scaly friends, can be harsh and clog pores. Plant-derived, clean skincare products can offer environmentally-friendly alternatives packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that soothe, hydrate, and repair skin.
Just like cleaning up your diet, making healthy beauty choices can have lasting positive effects. But where to start? We've rounded up a few of the best vegan skincare products below alongside some helpful pointers. Bon appétit!
IN A NUTSHELL
Main Takeaways: Plant-derived, clean skincare products can offer environmentally-friendly alternatives packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that soothe, hydrate, and repair skin.
Good to Know: Vegan skin care products do not contain any animal ingredients or by products. However, just because a product’s formula is vegan, it does not necessarily mean that it is also cruelty free.
Recommended Products: All Fleur & Bee products are vegan.
Best Vegan Moisturizers
1. Fleur & Bee: Crème de la Cream Brightening Moisturizer
Call us biased, but our Crème de la Cream is a a brightening moisturizer that delivers heaps of beneficial goodies to balance and hydrate skin without leaving behind a greasy feel. We’ve included a good amount of Vitamin C to help brighten and even skin tone. It's silky smooth with a neutral scent, perfect for going under makeup as you face the day.
2. Fleur & Bee: Youth Fairy Retinol Moisturizer
Also from Fleur & Bee, Youth Fairy is rich in antioxidants and ultra-nourishing botanicals like sea buckthorn oil and shea butter. This retinol powered face cream will help plump and smooth your skin, as well as reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. In a consumer perception study, testers found that after just 6 weeks of using Youth Fairy, 87% saw an improvement in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. In addition, 90% agreed that their skin looks more even, and 87% said their skin feels smoother after using Youth Fairy regularly.
3. Fourth Ray: Face and Body Milks
Milk does the body good — especially when it's vegan! And Fourth Ray's face and body milks are no exception. These lightweight moisturizers replenish skin with everything from antioxidant-rich avocado to softening marshmallow root. All with vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, and paraben-free formulas.
4. EO: EO Intensive Repair Hand Cream
And if you've been overlooking your hardworking hands, we like EO Intensive Repair Hand Cream . Featuring a delicious orange vanilla scent, this hand cream contains mango seed, coconut and jojoba butters to deeply moisturize, and ceramides to restore your skin’s natural protective barrier.
Best Vegan Hair & Scalp Products
5. Verb: Ghost Hair Mask
Sometimes our hair needs to be treated, too! Using a hair mask once a week to nourish your lovely locks will help restore shine and reduce frizz and breakage. We recommend Verb Ghost Hair Mask, as it works with all hair types and won’t weigh your hair down as it deeply conditions.
6. Pacifica: Hair Nirvana Beauty Gummies
Looking for a way to strengthen your hair and satisfy your sweet tooth? Try Pacifica Hair Nirvana Beauty Gummies to support hair (and nail) health from the inside out. These vegan supplements include Vitamin E, Vitamin C and biotin and are free of common allergens such as wheat, soy, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts.
7. Briogeo: Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Shampoo
While all vegan products are plant-based, have you ever thought of using superfoods in your hair? Introducing Briogeo’s Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Shampoo, a nutrient-rich, smoothie-inspired shampoo for all hair types that's packed with antioxidant-rich fruits to support healthy strands. Even those with color-treated and chemically-treated hair can benefit from this shampoo; plus, their products are free of harsh sulfates, silicones, phthalates, parabens and artificial dyes.
Best Vegan Serums & Oils
8. Fleur & Bee: Just Dew It Hydrating Serum
Keeping your skin properly hydrated is one of the easiest ways to restore a healthy glow and prevent prematurely aged skin. Fleur & Bee’s Just Dew It hydrating serum is jam-packed with the best hydrating ingredients we could find, including hyaluronic acid, sea buckthorn oil, prickly pear oil, squalane and grapeseed oil, to name a few. In fact, it was awarded the best hydrating serum in SELF’s Healthy Beauty Awards. This antioxidant-rich serum will help plump and restore your skin with a shot of long-lasting hydration.
9. Fleur & Bee: Nectar of the C Vitamin C Serum
Speaking of antioxidants, our own Nectar of the C serum features 10% Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, a form of vitamin C that is more gentle on the skin and less likely to irritate. That means even sensitive skin types can benefit from this potent, yet gentle, brightening serum.
10. Biossance: 100% Squalane Oil
If you want to keep it simple and are looking for the ideal oil to use on your face, body and hair, Biossance 100% Squalane Oil will smooth and soften your skin from head to toe. Derived from sugarcane, squalane is similar to our skin’s own oil (sebum), rendering it an effective natural moisturizer.
Best Vegan Products for Eyes & Lips
11. Fleur & Bee: Eyes Eyes Baby Anti-Aging Eye Cream
For those who appreciate just how crucial a good eye cream can be, Fleur & Bee's Eyes Eyes Baby is a multitasking anti-aging cream that softens the appearance of wrinkles, reduces the look of dark, puffy eyes, and hydrates. All with sustainably sourced and manufactured ingredients lovingly wrapped in recyclable packaging.
12. Fleur & Bee: One Lip Wonder Lip Treatment
For chapped, moisture-starved lips, Fleur & Bee offers One Lip Wonder lip treatment. A little goes a long way with this vegan and petroleum-free treatment balm for your lips. Coconut oil and castor seed oil moisturize and hydrate, while plant stem cells protect and smooth your lips. In addition, we’ve included peptides to help plump your lips for the perfect pout!
Best Vegan Cleansers
13. Fleur & Bee: So Clean! Facial Cleanser
For a reliable everyday cleanser, our So Clean! facial cleanser removes dirt and makeup and cleans without giving your face that uncomfortable tight feeling. Did we mention it balances your skin's natural oils, promotes smoother skin, and is free of over 1,300 harmful toxins?
14. Suki Skincare: Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser
When you want to combine your cleansing and exfoliating efforts into one time-saving step, Suki Skincare Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser is your best bet. Made with sugars and colloidal oats, this cleansing scrub will help you gently buff off daily build up and leave you with a smoother, softer complexion. It’s great for all skin types, even those with sensitive skin.
15. e.l.f.: Holy Hydration! Cleansing Balm
To round things out, we’ve added a vegan makeup remover to our list of recommendations. Known for their affordable vegan products, e.l.f.'s Holy Hydration! Cleansing Balm melts into a luxurious oil to remove makeup without stripping the skin. It delivers hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and peptides for a silky smooth feel and intense hydration.
Best Vegan Toners
Skincare toners have a variety of uses, from balancing oil, adding hydration, or calming irritation. They can be used to treat specific concerns and are typically applied right after cleansing your skin. We recommend starting with a soothing hydrating toner that can be used throughout the day.
16. Fleur & Bee: Rose and Shine Rose Water Toner
Our Rose and Shine rose water toner uses rose hydrosol to calm and soothe your skin, and it includes glycerin to lock in hydration. Spritz it on after cleaning or masking, and carry it with you on exceptionally dry or hot days to refresh.
17. Farmacy: Deep Sweep 2% BHA Toner
For those concerned with minimizing the appearance of large pore and balancing excess oils, we recommend Farmacy Deep Sweep 2% BHA Toner. This gentle exfoliating toner uses salicylic acid (a beta hydroxy acid) and papaya enzymes to purify your pores.
Best Vegan Face Masks
When a visit to your facialist isn’t in the cards, masking at home is the next best thing. Depending on your skin type and any concerns you may have, there’s a face mask for every one.
18. Fleur & Bee: Prince Charcoal Detox Mask
Our Prince Charcoal detox mask contains coconut charcoal to detoxify, bentonite clay to balance, kaolin clay and glycolic acid to exfoliate, plus a plethora of nourishing botanicals such as reishi mushrooms, rosehip oil, squalane, and ylang-ylang to restore your skin after it literally sucks out all the icky stuff from your pores, leaving it silky smooth.
19. Joanna Vargas: Eden Instant Lift Mask
Is anti-aging the name of your game? Joanna Vargas Eden Instant Lift Mask is our pick when it comes to sustainable sheet masks. Made with bamboo and infused with cherry blossom, hyaluronic acid and CoQ10 to deeply moisturize and help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Created by celebrity facialist Joanna Vargas, this mask works for all skin types and is especially beneficial for those with sensitive skin.
Good Enough to Eat
We hope this round-up will get you well on your way to becoming a vegan skincare aficionado. We know selecting skincare products that are good for you, the planet, and kind to animals isn't always easy.
Thankfully, there are now a large number of plant-based products available that are also cruelty-free, so you can breathe easy knowing that you have options in every category.
And when in doubt, Fleur & Bee will always have your back with all-natural, vegan, and cruelty-free skincare products that are sourced, made, and packaged sustainably! Now excuse us while we go hug all the animals.
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