YOUR VEGAN SKIN CARE ROUTINE
The world (AKA the beauty industry) has wisened up to the fact that more and more of us are choosing to live a vegan – or at least a more conscious – lifestyle. Whether that’s a lifetime commitment, or giving Veganuary a go! Which means that more beauty brands and skincare products than ever before are vegan and cruelty-free.
Vegan skincare refers to products that do not come from animals, animal-derived products or animal by-products (such as collagen). For these skin care products to be truly vegan and cruelty free, they must also not be tested on animals. You can generally tell if a product is vegan and cruelty-free from the packaging - look out for a ‘V’ sign and a leaping bunny icon or by using our Cult Conscious lineup of beauty products given 'Proof Points' by our third party verification partner Provenance.
If you’ve recently (perhaps even just this minute!) realised that one of your all-time favourite products doesn’t tick all the boxes, or you’re simply curious about vegan skincare and want to introduce some more conscious products into your regime, thenbuckle up as we've put together this skincare routine using some of the very best vegan skincare products (suitable for most skin types!) with you in mind.
Then keep scrolling to unveil our list of the 10 best vegan skincare brands to add to your collection!
In This Article
- Step-By-Step Vegan Skincare Routine
- Step One: Cleanse
- Step Two: Second Cleanse
- Step Three: Tone
- Step Four: Serum
- Step Five: Eye Cream
- Step Six: Moisturise
- Step Seven: Face Oil
- Step Eight: SPF
- The Best Vegan Skincare Brands
- Vegan Skincare FAQs
STEP-BY-STEP VEGAN SKIN CARE ROUTINE
Ready to get acquainted with your new vegan skin care routine? There are eight steps, but the eye cream and oil are optional and the SPF only needs to be applied as part of your AM routine.
STEP ONE: CLEANSE
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Recommended Retail Price: 38.40€Current price: 30.72€
STEP TWO:SECOND CLEANSE
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Recommended Retail Price: 32.00€Current price: 25.60€
STEP THREE: TONE
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Recommended Retail Price: 28.00€Current price: 22.40€
Next up, it’s time to tone. Try Biossance’s Squalane and Hyaluronic Toning Mist - an award-winning formula that works to prep, set, tone, refresh and hydrate your skin. Made with plant-derived squalane and two - yes TWO - types of hyaluronic acid, this lightweight and fuss-free mist restores hydration to both the inner and outer layers of skin.
Top tip: This multitasking formula can be used in a variety of ways. Try it under or over your moisturiser to tone and boost hydration; to prep and set make up and give a dewy finish; to refresh skin and revive make up at any time of day; and even to cool the complexion after exercise!
STEP FOUR: SERUM
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Recommended Retail Price: 47.15€Current price: 37.72€
You can never have too much of a good thing in our eyes, so let’s have another dose of hyaluronic acid with Glow Recipe’s Plum Plump Hyaluronic Serum! This bouncy and lightweight serum with a heavenly plum scent is your go-to for plump and instantly-radiant skin. As well as our fave hydrating superhero ingredient, it's also bursting with vegan collagen (that’s right, you don’t have to miss out on collagen) and silk protein, which help support the skin’s barrier and guard against free radicals. Tap it on and get set to glow!
STEP FIVE: EYE CREAM
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Recommended Retail Price: 20.30€Current price: 14.21€
STEP SIX: MOISTURISE
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Recommended Retail Price: 107.30€Current price: 85.84€
Combining the mineral-rich thermal waters of Budapest with the potent antioxidants of plum oil, Omorovicza’s Illuminating Moisturiser brightens skin and diminishes the visibility of imperfections. This cruelty-free vegan moisturiser is light in texture but intensely hydrating, so it’s a godsend for those who don’t like heavy face creams but are desperately in need of a moisture boost.
STEP SEVEN: FACE OIL
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Recommended Retail Price: 32.00€Current price: 25.60€
STEP EIGHT: SPF
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Recommended Retail Price: 38.40€Current price: 30.72€
THE BEST VEGAN SKIN CARE BRANDS
These 10 vegan skincare brands are fully verified vegan and cruelty-free, so you can shop their entire range safe in the knowledge that no animals were harmed in the making of their products.
This vegan skin care brand is not only PETA approved…it’s Nobel Prize winning too! That’s thanks to its discovery that ageing is in fact reversible (who knew?)! Dr Levy’s products are proven to revitalise our dermal stem cells, which create essential collagen for smoother, firmer, stronger skin.
This eco-conscious, philanthropic brand is committed to harnessing nutrient-dense superfoods that have an impact on your skin’s health – and less of one on the planet and its animals! Every formula is cruelty-free and 100% vegan – take your pick from its wide range of kale, kombucha, and vitamin-infused skin care products.
3. BIOSSANCE
Melding leading scientific research with a staunch commitment to sustainable practices, BIOSSANCE is leading skin care into a new age. From their vegan and cruelty-free status to the ethically and sustainably sourced squalane in every product, this line is setting out to change the beauty industry and your skin for the better.
4.BYOMA
BYOMA is a vegan skin care brand dedicated to boosting your skin’s barrier by repairing, restoring and regenerating the skin’s structure and barrier function. Thoughtfully packaged in fun, neon-coloured bottles and tubes made from recyclable materials, these skin care essentials make for an unmissable feature in your bathroom cabinet!
5. MILK MAKEUP
Milk Makeup stands for good ingredients and epic payoff. All its products are cruelty-free, paraben-free and 100% vegan – from its high-performance, good-to-skin skin care products to its make up collection too!
6. VERSED
A fan favourite, this skin care brand is vegan, cruelty-free and clean. Its focus is on results-driven hero ingredients that are as safe as they are effective, and it’s all packaged up in low-waste, pretty pastel packaging that’ll look picture perfect on your bathroom shelf.
7. PAI SKINCARE
Pai Skincare is designed to nourish super-sensitive skin without irritating it. From soothing cleansers, creams and oils to exfoliating masks, the pure, potent (and fully vegan) line is as luxurious as it is gentle, brimming with organic ingredients that will soothe even the most distressed complexions.
8. {VOTARY}
For a guilt-free glow – and a perfect base for make up – look no further than VOTARY. The vegan skin care brand’s luxurious line harnesses the power of premium plant oils, which deliver incredibly soothing, age-defying benefits without sitting on the surface of your skin (as creams and man-made mineral oils can). Clean as well as green, VOTARY is sustainably packaged, and the formulations are blended in the UK!
9. PACIFICA
Proof that beauty with a conscience doesn’t need to cost the earth, Pacifica is an accessible wellness brand with a commitment to our planet (and the animals that inhabit it) at its core. Proudly 100% vegan and cruelty-free, its high-performance products are powered by natural ingredients that will nurture your skin to no end.
10. THE ORDINARY
The Ordinary’s simple but clinical formulations make it super easy to build a vegan skin care routine that addresses your own unique skin concerns. Take your pick from its extensive product range, bursting with hardworking actives that deliver promising results.
VEGAN SKIN CARE FAQs
What does vegan skincare mean?
Vegan skincare refers to skincare products that do not contain any animal-derived ingredients. This is different from ‘cruelty-free’ which only means that the product was not tested on animals. The full list of animal-derived ingredients include: beeswax, lanolin, collagen, gelatine, honey, carmine, milk and keratin. Vegan skincare instead replaces these with plant, mineral or synthetic alternatives.
Is vegan skincare better?
Whether vegan skincare is “better” than non-vegan skincare depends on how you define “better,” because vegan products aren’t automatically superior. How effective a specific vegan product is for your skin depends on your skin type, the results you’re looking for, and whether your complexion is sensitive. While vegan products can sometimes be gentler, certain plant-based ingredients—especially essential oils—can still cause redness or irritation. However, if you’re conscious about being more ethical in your choices then yes, vegan skincare is generally ‘better’.
How do you know if skincare is vegan?
The best way to determine if a product or brand is vegan is to use Cult Beauty’s Cult Conscious initiative, in partnership with Provenance. Provenance is a third-party verification system where brands must provide evidence to support their claims. Once verified, Provenance displays these credentials as “Proof Points” within out Cult Conscious lineup, making it easy to see which products meet ethical and vegan standards and makes shopping for the best vegan skincare easy.
Rina is Cult Beauty’s Midweight SEO Copywriter and has always had a passion for beauty and skin care (rich moisturisers are her obsession). What started as a love for The Body Shop and their famed Born Lippy lip balms (in ‘Watermelon’ of course!), she is now more interested in finding products with proven effectiveness instead of broken promises. A loud and proud VIEVE fan, Rina owns nearly every item of the range and recommends the brand to anyone who will listen... When she’s not intently reading ingredient lists, you can find her either immersed in multiple true crime podcasts or a fantasy romance novel, with an *extra* hot cappuccino in hand.
