5 Cruelty-free, Vegan Skincare Brands That You Probably Didn’t Know About
The past decade has brought about the rise of several skincare brands, with 2020 being the peak that caused more small businesses to sprout. And with social media, we are constantly bombarded with ads from influential brands by our favorite influencers. From Instagram reels, TikTok's, Youtube sponsorships, you name it.
It's now harder for us to decide where exactly to put our money. I don’t know about you, but when I’m bombarded with a lot of options, I suddenly get more confused and overwhelmed.
But one thing I've noticed is that more of these brands have become more conscious of the environment, more so skincare and beauty brands. Suddenly everyone is going sustainable from packaging to ingredients. And that's a good thing! But now, I think it has made it a lot easier to disregard small businesses who have the same mission, or maybe they're drowned by the noise, lost in the social media abyss especially when we don’t see their products advertised or displayed in stores.
So I’ve listed five leaping bunny approved, vegan skincare brands that you probably didn’t know about and which I believe are noteworthy.
If you’re on the market for a new moisturizer, you might want to check out October Beauty. At the time of writing, the brand's sole product is a moisturizer called October Moment Brightening Moisturizing Cream. A brightening, non-greasy, lightweight moisturizer that targets dehydration and reduces the appearance of dark spots and acne marks. It claims to be gentle on sensitive, acne-prone, and even eczema-prone skin.
It's a luxury skincare care brand founded in 2020 by Dr. Chloe Chng after completing her doctorate in Pharmacy. Her personal experience using homemade face masks gave rise to her passion for plant-based products that are sourced naturally.
Her plant-based cream combines ancient traditions with modern extraction and purification technology called the Orchiplex innovation, sourcing Vitamin C from the root of Bletilla striata (urn orchid). The root originates in Asia and is known for its herbal medicinal properties such as cell-regenerating abilities, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-aging to name a few.
Apart from being plant-based and cruelty-free, the moisturizer is also free from harmful chemicals such as parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and alcohol.
I don’t know about you, but a brand that’s not pushing a ton of different products at once just might be very promising! You can check out October Beauty on Instagram.
Yard skincare is a family-owned company inspired by Mother Earth and the Australian lifestyle. Theirs is an "everyday skincare for the conscious consumer." Each product is hand-blended with the highest quality, certified organic, and wild-harvested ingredients slowly infused and mindfully poured.
Not to mention, their commitment to earth-conscious products extends to their packaging sourced from recycled glass, metal, recycled, and recyclable plastic.
Their clean, vegan, and cruelty-free brand range from an array of face, lips, and body products. For the face, they have cleansers, exfoliants, cleansing balms, moisturizers, and elixirs, each with their respective key ingredients.
Meanwhile, their lip balms are formulated without silicone and paraffin, with flavors ranging from Coconut, Guava + Grapefruit, Caramel, Watermelon, and Coconut+ Lime. Their key ingredients are Castor oil which is rich in antioxidants, Almond oil for anti-inflammatory properties, and Meadowfoam seed, a great assistant in preventing moisture loss during the nighttime.
Their body line consists of aluminum-free deodorants, a selection of non-greasy hand creams, a non-drying hand+surface sanitizer, and a dry brush made from natural plant bristles.
Oh and if for some reason you suddenly find yourself wanting to do some cleaning after doing your skincare, they also have an antibacterial multi-purpose surface cleaner! How about that? You can check out Yard Skincare on Instagram.
My sensitive and eczema-prone skin readers, REJOICE! We have Pai Skincare. Founded by Sarah Brown and headquartered in London. The brand is independently certified and is not only cruelty-free and ISO certified, but accredited by The Vegan Society and The Soil Association. This means the company goes through third-party checks, annual inspections, production records, and traceability paperwork.
Therefore, guaranteeing us that there's no animal testing. A minimum of 98% of the ingredients originates from nature. Any non-natural ingredient must meet strict standards and do not exceed 2% of the formulation. No endangered plants. No controversial chemicals, parabens, and phthalates. No synthetic colors, dyes, or fragrances.
Each product is individually patch-tested to ensure that they are suitable for acne and eczema-prone skin. "Pai is everything I wanted as a customer; skincare made with effective, organic ingredients, no-nonsense marketing, and a brand that understands products are just one piece of the puzzle,“ says Sarah.
Their Skincare line has a lot of products to choose from but is categorized into different collections to make it easier for shoppers to shop according to skin type.
Their Re-balance collection is for acne, combination and oily-prone skin. While their Calm range is for calming, soothing and prevention of future flare-ups. The Hydrate range is for dry and dehydrated skin and the Age Confidence is for mature skin types.
They even have boosters hash tagged as #CONCENTRATES that address every skin type. They have Vitamin C Booster (antioxidant) for hyperpigmentation and sun damage; Inulin Booster (prebiotic) for sensitivity and irritation; and Peptide Booster (amino acids) for signs of aging.
One more thing to love about Pai Skincare is that they have a 10-minute and 30-minute FREE skincare consultation on their website. Yes, I did say FREE! Honestly, what's not to love about this Pai? You can check out Pai Skincare on Instagram.
Hyge stands for How You Glimpse Everything and is pronounced as hy-ge (hygiene, without the "een" sound). It is a skincare brand manufactured in the United Kingdom and was featured in the February 2021 issue of British Vogue.
The company was founded by Yovani in 2020 after suffering from hormonal acne at an early age. She founded the brand knowing how severe acne impacts mental health and how exhausting it can be to find the right products.
They are committed to the purest and most effective ingredients with no animal testing involved. All their products are vegan except for their Conditioning Lip Balm containing beeswax.
Currently, the brand holds a Sugar Lip Scrub with a blend of vitamin E and Jojoba oil; a Conditioning Lip Balm formulated with coconut oil and a combination of butters; a Balancing Facial Oil with a blend of marula and apricot oils; and a Vitamin Infused Serum with vitamins A, C, and E to promote radiant skin. You can check out Hyge Beauty on Instagram.
While not yet certified by the Vegan Society or Vegetarian Society, according to VEGANness, I feel it is important to include Jordan Samuel Skin on this list because 85% of his products are suitable for vegans. Now, I may not be good at math, but I know that number makes up the majority of the line. And because I wanted to be sure, I checked. Eleven out of fifteen products in the skincare line are stated vegan. Moreover, it would be a shame not to shed more light on the brand since it was founded by a retired professional ballet dancer now esthetician, Jordan Samuel Pacitti having fellow performers in mind.
After frequently experiencing skin irritation from constant sweating under hot stage lights and heavy, petroleum-filled stage makeup, he sought out the help of fellow ballerinas regarding proper makeup removal techniques. Which resulted in him experiencing success mixing his own oil-based cleansers and hydrating serums. Soon enough he developed a passion for helping others achieve clear, glowing skin with knowledge he gained from the stage.
Each product is inspired by the healthy lifestyle choices of ballet dancers with ingredients that are known to be part of an anti-inflammatory diet.
His skincare line includes facial and body cleansers, mists, serums, moisturizers, and facial and body oils. So whether you need to prep your skin before a show, or look glowing and radiant during a stage performance, or hydrated and refreshed after, Jordan Samuel has choreographed a product just for you. So before you head over to the barre, check out Jordan Samuel Skin on Instagram.
All things considered, I love that all these brands had a personal story, and their skin woes led them to do great things to help others.
So whether you're simply on the lookout for a new moisturizer, a dancer looking for good skincare, or researching products that are safe for sensitive skin, I don't think you can ever go wrong with earth-friendly skincare. Not only are they kinder to the earth but kinder to your skin as well. You just need to find the right match. Which I know is easier said than done. Hence, I hope one of these will be the solution you've been searching for.
What brand has piqued your interest?
Disclosure: I am not an affiliate of any of the above-mentioned brands.
