Take your pick (Picture: Metro)

Veganism is a lifestyle, not a diet.

It’s about shunning animal products in all areas of life, not just your fridge – and that includes skincare.

However, it can be difficult knowing what to look for when buying beauty products, as animal derivatives are disguised at every which turn.

We’ve included a fact box at the end of the article letting you know which ingredients to look out for, but it’s good to be able to instantly recognise brands that have the same ethics as you.


We tried out a wide range of vegan cleansers, covering all budgets.



All brands featured are cruelty-free and don’t trade in places like China, which require animal testing, as we don’t believe a company putting profit over ethics makes them animal lovers.

Some of the brands are fully vegan, while some have a few non-vegan products. These are clearly stated.

Here’s how we got on.

1. Rosa Centifolia No.1 Purity cleansing balm, REN, £25 for 100ml

‘I’ve been a fan of REN products before I knew they were vegan – I’ve been using their Clarimatte mask for years now.

‘For cleansing I usually use Glossier’s milky jelly plus some micellar water to get rid of my eyeliner, then something more intense for proper cleansing purposes, so I’m impressed that REN’s cleanser gets rid of every scrap of makeup without needing to scrub.

‘I use it with a hot cloth so it feels all luxurious, and I love that it feels really gentle and nourishing. Big fan.’

Is REN 100% vegan? Not all of them, find out which ones here.

2. Rejuvenating frankincense refining cleanser, Neal’s Yard, £20 for 100g

‘This smells dreamy and is really gentle, so not great if you’re wearing heavier makeup, but fine for taking off BB creams and the like.

‘It doesn’t leave your skin feeling stripped and the muslin cloth (included) is a nice one, which helps exfoliate the face.’

Is Neal’s Yard 100% vegan? No, beeswax is in some products. Find out more here.

3. Abyssinian oil natural cream cleanser, Beauty Kitchen, £12.99 for 50ml

(Picture: Beauty Kitchen)

‘Because this is an oil-based cleanser, it doesn’t feel the way you expect it to as you think of cleansers as being more squeaky clean, but this feels a lot richer.

‘It smells amazing, the sort of thing that Cleopatra probably bathed in, and the scent is very luxurious and essential oils-y. The rich texture and smell go together to give you a pretty unique cleansing experience.

‘It leaves your face feeling really soft and not at all tight, but it does still feel clean.’

Is Beauty Kitchen 100% vegan? No, some products contain beeswax. Find a list here.

4. Sukin foaming facial cleanser, Boots, £7.95 for 125ml

‘This is okay. It’s a nice basic cleanser to use with a facial spritz and Sukin moisturiser, but it’s not the best cleanser I’ve ever used.

‘Sukin is a great value vegan brand though, in general.’

Is Sukin 100% vegan? Yes.

5. Pure hydration hot cloth cleanser, Waitrose, £7 for 150ml

‘The cleanser comes with a muslin for application, and feels grainy and frothy against my skin.



‘It’s definitely one for exfoliating rather than soothing and not suitable for very sensitive skin. I found it took my makeup off very efficiently but I’d need something smoother for my skin type.’

Is Waitrose 100% vegan? No, other products contain animal derivatives.

6. Sukin micellar cleanser, Holland & Barrett, £8.12 for 250ml

‘I am used to using face wipes but decided I should be kinder to my skin and opted to try this one.

‘I found it did take a fair bit to get it all off (I don’t wear that much make up) and was tricky to get off mascara – but it left my skin really soft afterwards and the cleanser smells really nice and would definitely buy again.’

Is Sukin 100% vegan? Yes.

7. Gentle exfoliating cleanser, Bea, £32 for 50ml

‘It’s got green tea, vitamin E, hyaluronic acid and a whole host of other promising natural ingredients going for it so I was really excited by what it could do. It’s easy to use – the slightly viscous liquid comes out of a pump and foams up a little when it comes into contact with skin and water. And although it says it doesn’t take off make up, I find it does a pretty good job actually. Plus, it smells pretty lovely too.

‘But honestly, after a month, I’m not that convinced by the results. My skin isn’t noticeably smoother or clearer compared to normal, and if anything, it’s more flaky than usual, while still being greasy. I have a feeling that my sensitive, and annoyingly greasy, skin was a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience.


‘I don’t think I will be switching from my usual cleanser.’

Is Bea 100% vegan? No, some products contain animal derivatives.

8. Gentle cleansing foam, Weleda, £15.95 for 150ml

‘This Weleda gentle cleansing foam is very gentle but it’s powerful enough to take off makeup.

‘It smells a bit herbally which makes you think it’s doing good things. It’s a nice smell.’

Is Weleda 100% vegan? No. Some products do contain things like beeswax, lanolin and goat’s milk. Find out more here.

9. Nourishing cleansing balm, Lucky Cloud, £21 for 60ml

(Picture: Lucky Cloud)

‘This smells absolutely delicious! It has neroli (my fave), geranium and sandalwood (another fave) essential oils which are really uplifting.

‘I love using this to take my makeup off as it feels like a mini spa experience massaging it in. It’s got jojoba oil to balance out skin’s natural sebum levels, which is great for my combination skin.

‘Lucky Cloud is handmade up in Scotland so it feels nice to support a small business. Plus, the packaging is 100% recyclable, which is important to me.’

Is Lucky Cloud 100% vegan? Yes.

10. B Pure Micellar Oil, Superdrug, £6.99 for 100ml

‘This is a faff to use. The bottle means you either get one drop or one pint of oil onto your cotton pad, which is annoying. Also, you have to wet your face before you use it, which kinda defeats the object of a micellar oil/water.

‘My skin felt okay afterwards but not as clean as I’d like it to (and I have dry skin so don’t even go for a stripped clean feel). I’ll probably decant some into a smaller bottle for holidays, but otherwise it’s not for me.


‘Oh, also it stings your eyes.’

Is B 100% vegan? Yes.

11. B Men volcanic cleanser 4 in 1 face wash, Superdrug, £3.99 for 150ml

‘This 4 in 1 wash smells great and does the job. It’s nice to use right after getting in from my commute, as it feels like it properly gets the city grime off my skin.’

Is B 100% vegan? Yes.

12. Orange and grapefruit clay cleanser, Heavenly Organics, £8.99 for 110g

(Picture: Heavenly Organics)

‘For those who love natural cosmetics, this is as good as you’ll get without making it yourself, as they’re all natural, ethical and handmade.

‘Containing ingredients like white kaolin clay, sweet orange peel oil and grapefruit peel oil, it has a lovely, zingy essential oils smell as it cleanses.

‘It’s nice to massage it in, leave it on while you shower and then wipe off with a muslin cloth. I also add tea tree oil to mine for added antibacterial effects.

‘Big fan of this.’

Is Heavenly Organics 100% vegan? Yes.

13. Original face wash, Bulldog, £4.50 for 150ml

‘The Bulldog face wash was a little harsh on my skin. However, I do have super sensitive skin and a friend of mine who also tried it said it was really good.’

Is Bulldog 100% vegan? Yes.

14. 9-5 cleanser, Lush, from £5.50 for 95g

‘I truly love Lush, but the 9 to 5 cleanser is a no from me. It pains me to say that. First off, the instructions: not good. Rather than massaging the cleanser into your face to break down makeup and dirt, the packaging advises you to apply the cleanser to a hot cloth or cotton pad.

‘I’m surprised such an eco-friendly brand would recommend a cotton pad (it’s how they use the product in their on-site video), but I didn’t want to completely wreck my cloth – if you’re applying the product with a cloth, the makeup and dirt will go straight to the cloth, rather than being broken down by a cleanser *before* being wiped away.

‘I had to use four pads in total, and after that I still had rings of mascara and eyeliner around my eyes. My skin felt hydrated, but not as clean as I’d like – it felt like the oils sunk into my face and left a residue behind. That might be good for someone with dry skin, but I like to be properly cleansed before I put on my facial oils.

‘The smell is also pretty strong (nice, but strong), so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who prefers things unscented.’

Is Lush 100% vegan? No, around 80% of Lush products are but some still contain things like milk and honey.

15. Hot oil cleanser, Wild Source Apothecary, £30 for 100ml

(Picture: Wild Source Apothecary)

‘This is such a lovely, luxurious cleansing oil, and would make a great gift for a beauty buff.

‘Wild Source is botanical-based beauty made in small batches, and the oil has some sort of plant in it (which made me jump when I first saw it, as I thought it was an insect…!).

‘All Wild Source products are raw, and made with things like flowers, stems, roots and leaves. As well as sounding great, it actually does a good job, and takes off my makeup a treat.’

Is Wild Source 100% vegan? Yes.

16. Foaming face wash, 31st State, £12.99 for 150ml

(Picture: 31st State)

’31st State is a line of natural skincare for teenage boys, but I’m a grown man and I’m into it.

‘The face wash has a really nice smell to it and leave me feeling really clean, but not stripped.’

Is 31st State 100% vegan? Yes.

17. Glycolic fix skin cleaning pads, Nip+Fab, £12.95 for 60

‘You know what can be a massive faff? Cleansing. All that…liquid. But it’s got to be done, unless you want to end up with really oily, polluted skin.

‘If only you could combine a genuinely great cleanser with something super convenient like a face wipe. Enter: Nip+Fab’s glycolic fix skin cleaning pads.

‘Simply get some micellar water, give your eyes a good going over to get rid of any makeup, then whizz these bad boys over your skin. SO simple. SO effective.

‘My skin felt really clean after – like I’d actually gone to the effort of using a muslin cloth and cleanser. Combined with the Nip+Fab No Needle Fix serum, it was just really bloody nice.’

Is Nip+Fab 100% vegan? No, some of their products contain animal derivatives, and a list can be found here.

18. Foaming facial wash, Skin Genius, £17.99 for 150ml

(Picture: Skin Genius)

‘Skin Genius is aimed at ‘teenage skin’ but we all know that acne can hit at any age.

‘Managing acne doesn’t have to involve completely stripping your skin, and this is a really gentle, but effective cleanser. It smells nice and zingy and makes your face feel soft, while also feeling like it’s doing its job, with all the natural active ingredients like witch hazel, nettle and calendula.

‘Also a massive fan of Skin Genius’ clarifying lotion (£19.99 for 100ml). It’s a lovely gel-like lotion that you let soak into your skin after cleansing, full of natural ingredients that work to kill bacteria and sooth inflammation.

‘My acne has mostly gone now and I use this as maintenance. Couldn’t live without it.’

Is Skin Genius 100% vegan? Yes.

19. Glycolic fix cleanser, Nip+Fab, £7.95 for 150ml

‘I’ve never used cleanser before – I am a skincare cavewoman and usually use face wipes – but this was an all round good experience with my first cleanser.

‘I used it with Nip+Fab’s glycolic fix liquid glow extreme 6% liquid exfoliator and my face felt smooth and moisturised afterwards, in the same way it does after I use a face scrub or face mask.

‘The exfoliate made my face sting a bit because my skin can be a bit sensitive but it did a good job in getting rid of the gross dirt and germs that I probably don’t get rid of when I use facial wipes.

‘I’m excited to continue using these.’

Is Nip+Fab 100% vegan? No, some of their products contain animal derivatives, and a list can be found here.

20. Drops of Youth gentle foaming wash, The Body Shop, £9.50

(Picture: The Body Shop)

‘Imagine a spa in the middle of the Finnish fjords, full of pines and fresh water. Now imagine bottling that smell, that cleanliness and then whizzing it up into a foam and rubbing it all over your face. That is what the Body Shop has done here.

‘The Drops of Youth foaming face wash smell divine – invigorating enough to wake yourself up first thing in the morning without being too aggressive on the senses.

‘My face felt really nice and soft after. Definitely the best face wash I own.’

Is The Body Shop 100% vegan? No, some of their products contain animal by-products like beeswax.

Animal-derived ingredients to look out for Beeswax – used as an emollient in skincare products. Honey – from bees, obviously. Often used for its naturally antibacterial properties. Chitin – a polysaccharide that was first discovered in the cell walls of mushrooms, but now more commonly comes from the exoskeletons of crustaceans, insects and arachnids. Basically, it’s ground-up crab shells. Collagen – a major structural protein found in animal connective tissue. It usually comes from cows, pigs or fish. Elastin – a protein found in animal artery walls, intestines, lungs and skin. Lanolin – animal fat extracted from sheep’s wool. Stearin/stearic acid – derived from the fat of cows, sheep or pigs. Often a by-product of animal agriculture. Information from The Vegan Society

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