Best Vegan Beauty and Body Brands to Help You Look (and Feel) Good

Looking for cruelty-free beauty and body products that work? Whether you’re a huge animal lover or you just want a cleaner beauty routine, vegan is the way to go. The ugly truth is that many makeup and beauty brands still test on animals and/or use animal products, not to mention many use questionable ingredients. With that in mind, consider these tried, tested, and true vegan beauty and body brands that won’t let you down.

I’ve personally used these products for years and have never been paid to promote them. While not every item on this list of the best vegan beauty and body brands is 100% organic, they are completely vegan and cruelty-free. Now that’s true beauty.

Weleda

Weleda is an all-natural, organic, plant-based product line that has been around for more than 95 years, but it’s surprising how many people still don’t know about it. Founded in Germany and headquartered in Switzerland, Weleda is all about strengthening the personal balance between body, soul and spirit. This vegan beauty and body brand is based on the principles of anthroposophy and uses biodynamic ingredients in their formulations, which tailor ingredients such as iris, wild rose, lavender and pomegranate to have a holistic effect.

Products range from hair and massage oils to eye creams, toothpastes, lip balms, body wash, and a baby line. (I love the Calendula baby body lotion!) Aside from the ultra-thick Skin Food creams, none of Weleda’s lotions are greasy and all the scents are sublime, especially Wild Rose and Sea Buckthorn.

Don’t be surprised if you instantly become obsessed with the aluminum-free Wild Rose deodorant spray that you simply spray on your underarms (it’s been my go-to for 15 years). And many people swear by the Stretch Mark Pregnancy massage oil even if they’re not pregnant! That’s the great thing about this brand: most of the products are multifunctional, so even though they can be a bit pricey, they offer great value because you can use them for multiple purposes — like the Pomegranate plumping eye and lip cream.

100 Percent Pure

Just as its name suggests, 100% Pure is completely free of any damaging chemicals, artificial fragrances, and toxins commonly found in beauty products. The all-natural, California-based vegan line includes cosmetics made with fruit dyes, makeup, moisturizers, masks, serums, scrubs, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, aluminum-free deodorants, “10-free” nail polishes, and even cruelty-free brushes.

There are so many products to choose from you’ll never run out of items to try. Seriously, this vegan beauty and body brand has maintained VIP status in my bathroom cabinet, makeup bag, and travel kits for well over 10 years and I hope they stay in business forever!

Some of my faves include the smells-so-good-you’ll-want-to-eat-it Vanilla Bean hand buttercream for daily use and the Multivitamin PM facial oil before bed. (It isn’t greasy and soaks into skin like a dream, especially with a gua sha tool.)

As for cosmetics, I absolutely love the Natural Fruit-Pigmented mascaras, which are super gentle on sensitive eyes and smell incredible. That’s because they’re formulated with natural pigment from ingredients like black tea, berries, and cocoa. The dark brown mascara made with cocoa is insanely delectable — it actually makes me wish I could eat my mascara every time I pull out the wand! Same goes for the berrylicious flavors of Blackberry (a pretty purple mascara) and Blueberry.

There’s also the Mattifying Face Primer that smoothes and plumps skin (without any dimethicone), goes-with-every-skin-tone fruit-pigmented Chiffon blush, and must-have Deep Hydration sheet mask. Clearly, I could go on and on, but instead, it’s best to browse this vegan beauty and body brand’s website for yourself to find products that pique your interest. There are sales quite often, so it’s worth subscribing on their site.

The best part is that 100% Pure has an awesome return policy, so you can always send back any products you don’t like for a full refund. In fact, on the few occasions that I have tried returning an item, their friendly customer service reps told me to keep it or feel free to give it to someone else and still refunded me. I call that 100% fabulous!

AILA Cosmetics

AILA Cosmetics (pronounced eye-luh) is the ultimate vegan, cruelty-free, non-toxic nail polish brand. But the reason this female-founded brand instantly became a favorite of mine wasn’t even because of the nail polishes (which come in fabulous shades including modern neutrals and nudes) — it was because of the nail polish remover!

This soy-based nail polish remover is an oil that actually nourishes your nails and has absolutely no harsh ingredients, no chemical smell, and leaves none of that chalky residue. And yet it works, even on dark colors. You can get it in a bottle or in individual cloth packs that are perfect for traveling.

This vegan beauty line was created by a board-certified podiatric surgeon who was recovering from a rare cancer scare, and as such it’s ideal for those with chemical sensitivities. The nail polishes are made without parabens, sulfates, gluten, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, DBP, TPHP and all those other chems you want to avoid.

Pacifica

Pacifica has some of the yummiest lotions, potions and perfumes to be found. This is another vegan beauty and body brand that creates products that smell so good you’ll wish you could eat them. The Pacifica brand offers a whole array of cosmetics but it’s the natural perfumes, lotions, and lip tints that have been my must-haves for as long as I can remember.

For a sexy all-natural fragrance, try Island Vanilla. It’s an addictively gourmand perfume that offers the perfect amount of sweetness. You also can’t go wrong with Indian Coconut Nectar, which makes me feel as though I’m on a tropical vacation. The Color Quench lip tints come in 100% recyclable tubes and unlike chemical-based balms, they won’t dry out your lips thanks to natural avocado and coconut oils.

What’s more, Pacifica’s tinted balms smell scrumptious and give just enough color so your lips won’t feel naked. Try the Blood Orange for a sheer coral color, Guava Berry for a berry-stained hue, Sugared Fig for a deeper plum tint, or Vanilla Hibiscus for a light pink shimmer and the most delicious fragrance. There’s also a color-free, utterly delectable Coconut Cherry flavor that’s a much cleaner alternative to ChapStick.

Dr. Bronner’s

If you had to choose just one soap to have for the rest of your life, consider Dr. Bronner’s. This vegan-friendly, organic, biodegradable brand has been around forever (well, since 1948) and the castile (vegetable oil based) liquid and bar soaps aren’t just for your body — the labels encourage you to also use them as shampoo (for humans and pets), mouthwash, dish cleaner, laundry detergent, household cleanser and just about anything else you can imagine.

I’ve always been entertained by the cosmically-minded (some might say wacky) labels, which make for good reading while in the shower. The brand has also expanded to other products including lotions, toothpastes, shaving creams, and more but I generally stick to the liquid and bar soaps. That said, the Dr. Bronner’s lavender coconut lotion can usually be found on my bedside table because it soaks up so quickly with a non-greasy finish and a wonderfully light, relaxing fragrance.

Speaking of fragrances, with so many to choose from (think body-tingling eucalyptus, beautifully sweet almond , and skin-soothing rose),  you’ll never get bored with these vegan beauty and body products that also contain nourishing hemp seed oil. It’s also worth noting that Dr. Bronner’s now sources 100% of the organic hemp seed oil in its soap and other products from U.S. farmers, so it’s a win-win all around.

Rahua

The ultra-luxe Rahua organic haircare brand has an impressive list of all-natural vegan ingredients like aloe and quinoa, but the real star of the show is rahua, a rare nut oil found in the Amazon rainforest. Even more impressive is that the oils are sourced and processed by local people using sustainable and traditional methods.

Beauty editors love the shampoo and conditioner and I’m a huge fan of the Cream Wax, which is great for short hair (my husband loves it), and the jelly-like Leave-In Treatment, which gives a weightless finish that also prevents hair from splitting during blowouts and using hot hair tools.

However, my must-have Rahua product is the travel-sized Hydration Detangler + UV Barrier that I spray on the ends of my hair after towel drying. It’s a fast and easy way to prevent split ends and lock in moisture. Plus, it has its own fruity scent that’s different than Rahua’s signature palo santo scent that can be a bit too herbaceous and masculine for some.

Clean Up Your Routine With These Vegan Beauty and Body Products

Whether you’re a devoted vegan or simply want to be more mindful about the ingredients you put on your body, these cruelty-free brands offer clean and effective products you can count on. Just as with diet and exercise, take small steps toward your goals and enjoy the process.

Remember, there’s no need for an extreme makeover unless that’s what you want. These vegan beauty and body brands are an excellent starting point and I hope you enjoy them as much as I have over the years. Let me know what you think in the comments below and feel free to share any favorites you recommend.

 

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