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Searching for the best brands that make 100% vegan hair products? Then read on. We found the top 7 brands that are committed to ethical and sustainable vegan practices.
These companies make awesome products, from shampoo to curl cream at every price point, from budget-friendly to high-end.
Considering Vegan Hair Products?
When you’re living a vegan lifestyle, you know that making sustainable, ethical choices doesn’t stop at your plate. The products you choose and use daily, including your hair products, should be free from any animal derivatives or byproducts.
Unfortunately, in the beauty world, some of the most popular brands are using anything but vegan ingredients. Take a peek in your bathroom closet.
In many of your old favorites, you’re sure to see animal-derived ingredients like:
- Collagen
- Keratin
- Silk
- Pearl protein
- Honey
To make matters worse, many of these conventional hair care brands are still testing on animals.
You might plan on using those non-vegan products up first or tossing them out right away. In any case, you’ll need to know which brands make vegan hair care products as you begin to restock your cabinet with cruelty-free choices.
You’ll want to replace those non-vegan products with 100% vegan hair products that ethically and responsibly get their ingredients from non-animal sources and never test on animals.
If you’re having trouble finding truly vegan hair products that work as well as their non-vegan counterparts, this guide is for you.
We’ve scoured thousands of products and reviews online to not only find the brands that make 100% vegan products but also get top-notch reviews from customers. See them all in this guide!
What Are Vegan Hair Products?
Oksana Mizina/Shutterstock
Let’s get the basics out of the way first. What are vegan hair products?
Vegan hair products:
- Do not contain ingredients that are derived from animals
- Do not contain animal byproducts
- Are not tested on animals (ingredients or finished product)
True vegan hair care brands don’t have just one or two vegan product options. Every single one of their products adheres to these standards. Brands that make 100% vegan hair products will never conduct or condone testing on animals.
That’s why many vegan hair care brands are Leaping Bunny Certified under the Leaping Bunny Program. This program started in 1996 under the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics in the US and Canada.
When you see a company that is Leaping Bunny Certified, they’ve pledged to end animal testing during any stage of product development and are subject to random audits. This is good to keep in mind as you check out the top 7 vegan hair care brands below.
Read Next: Vegamour Hair Product Reviews
7 Brands That Make 100% Vegan Hair Products
You don’t have to dream of a company that makes compassionate and cruelty-free products with no animal derivatives or byproducts. They do exist! It just takes a little research to find the best. Let’s take a look at the vegan brands that make the best hair products.
1. Aveda
This is a well-known brand that many don’t realize is 100% vegan. Aveda’s products are all vegan. Plus, they’re the first beauty manufacturing facility to use 100% wind power. Their motto is “100% vegan now and forever.”
This brand is committed to using sustainably harvested and produced products without animal derivatives or animal testing. Aveda wasn’t a vegan brand in years past due to one thing: Beeswax.
They decided to remove beeswax from all products in 2020, and today, their products are completely free from animal derivatives and byproducts. We applaud their commitment to sustainability and compassion in the beauty world.
Aveda’s high-quality hair care products have a great reputation. They consistently get good reviews from customers, and it wasn’t hard to find out which of their products is a must-have.
Top Product: Aveda Thickening Tonic
If you’re thinking of trying Aveda hair care, start with their Thickening Tonic. This miracle tonic instantly thickens even the finest hair, thanks to organic Indian gooseberry, wheat, and corn extracts.
This spray coats every strand it comes into contact with to physically expand and add fullness that gives your hair the lushest look. Customers leave it amazing reviews, saying it makes a dramatic difference in the thickness and fullness of hair.
Plus, it won’t leave your hair crunchy or stiff like volumizing products sometimes do. This tonic works best for anyone with fine to medium hair that needs more fullness.
2. Olaplex
Olaplex is a highly respected professional hair care brand that makes 100% vegan hair products. You’re probably familiar with Olaplex products and treatments that moisturize, rebuild, or strengthen hair. They’re used in salons across the country and are known to be effective, high-quality products.
Olaplex is committed to the following cruelty-free principles:
- They don’t use animal derivatives or byproducts in their hair care lines
- They don’t test on animals, ever
- They don’t sell their products in countries that require animal testing
- They ensure there is no animal testing anywhere in their supply chain
So when you purchase an Olaplex product, you can be sure you’re buying something that truly is 100% vegan.
Top Product: Olaplex Hair Perfector No. 3
The best-selling Olaplex product is their Hair Perfector No. 3. This treatment actually repairs damaged hair by filling in broken protein bonds in the hair. The result is hair that is smooth, soft, and stronger.
This is the product to reach for after a color or bleaching session. Your hair will feel healthier than it did pre-processing!
It’s also perfect for repairing damage from other sources, like chlorine, UV rays, heat styling, and rough styling. Let the reviews online speak for themselves – this Olaplex product gets 4.6 stars on average from almost 80,000 reviews!
3. Pureology
Pureology is owned by L’Oreal and is 100% vegan and cruelty-free. They are taking several steps to create more sustainable, ethical, and earth-friendly products that don’t put unnecessary strain on the environment.
Pureology’s products never contain any animal derivatives or byproducts. Everything they use is plant-based or synthetic. They never test their products on animals at any stage of product development, from ingredients to the finished product.
We love that Pureology holds firm to these principles while making some of the best hair care products on the market. They have an awesome reputation in the beauty industry. Most of their products have 4.5 to 5-star reviews online because they really are effective.
Top Product: Pureology Color Fanatic Leave-In Conditioner Spray
If you have to pick just one of their products to try, make it Pureology Color Fanatic Leave-In Conditioner Spray. This leave-in conditioner/detangling spray works wonders on all hair types that have been color-treated.
It protects your color from fading while providing lightweight moisture and hydration for softer, more manageable, and less frizzy hair. It also acts as a heat protectant! Key ingredients you’ll find in this leave-in are, like all Pureology products, 100% vegan and plant-based or synthetic.
It contains nourishing ingredients like coconut oil, olive oil, omega-3 rich camelina oil, and aromatic herb extracts for a beautiful scent. It gets 4.7 stars from more than 10,800 reviews online!
4. Noughty Haircare
Noughty Haircare makes incredible vegan hair products that are never tested on animals during any stage of product development. They are Leaping Bunny Certified to be cruelty-free. This means you can trust that their products are made with compassion, sustainability, and ethical practices in mind.
In the brand’s own words: “Our lifelong promise to remain vegan, vegetarian and cruelty free will never change and we never use any animal or animal-derived ingredients in our products. Not now, not ever.”
Any hair care brand with this level of dedication to vegan and cruelty-free principles is A-OK in our book. But the quality of Noughty’s products really puts them over the top. All of their products get consistently good reviews, but there’s one that stands out above the rest as the best.
Top Product: Noughty To the Rescue Moisture Boost Conditioner
Noughty Haircare’s best-selling product is Noughty To the Rescue Moisture Boost Conditioner. This heavy-duty conditioner can moisturize and hydrate even the driest strands to make locks shiny, healthy, and frizz-free. Key ingredients are shea butter, olive seed extract, argan oil, and almonds.
This conditioner is award-winning, and like all Noughty products, it’s 100% vegan and cruelty-free. If you want shiny, soft, and manageable hair that looks healthier after one use, grab this vegan conditioner.
5. Curlsmith
Curlsmith is quickly becoming one of our favorite hair care brands for curly hair. They’re dedicated to using natural ingredients that are 100% vegan as well as cruelty, paraben, sulfate, phthalate, and silicone-free.
They never test their ingredients or finished products on animals, and they don’t sell their products in countries that require animal testing.
If you have curly hair, you know how hard it can be to find great products that actually work. Trying to find vegan hair products that actually work on curly hair is even harder! But Curlsmith has you covered.
This vegan brand collaborates with trichologists (hair and scalp scientists), professional stylists, and women and men with curly hair to constantly improve and develop new products.
Top Product: Curl Defining Styling Souffle
The best-reviewed product in the Curlsmith catalog is Curlsmith Curl Defining Styling Souffle. This semi-solid gel has medium hold and physically supports curls by forming a lightweight “cast” on the hair.
This helps curls hold their shape throughout the day without being weighed down. Once the cast dries, you scrunch the hair upward to break through the thin cast and reveal soft, defined curls.
It also delivers moisture deep into strands to keep curls bouncy and full of life. Nourishing ingredients like mashed avocado and babassu oil give thirsty curls all the hydration they need to look their best.
6. Cake Beauty
Cake Beauty is easily one of the top vegan beauty brands out there. They focus on creating compassionate hair care products that never contain animal derivatives or byproducts and are never tested on animals.
They make use of highly effective plant-based ingredients proven to improve hair’s appearance, health, and strength instead. With a motto like “Naturally luxe beauty,” what else would you expect?
Cake Beauty was founded on five basic principles that they are dedicated to sticking to:
- Created in Canada: Every product is conceptualized and formulated in Toronto, where Cake was founded.
- No Animal Testing: Cake doesn’t purchase ingredients from any supplier that tests on animals. They don’t test their formulas on animals, and they won’t sell their products in countries that require animal testing by law.
- 100% Vegan: Cake’s different products never contain animal derivatives or byproducts. They’re mostly plant-based with a few choice synthetics. They’re certified as cruelty-free and vegan by PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program.
- Naturally Luxe: The focus is always on natural in Cake Beauty products, and they never use potentially harmful ingredients like sulfates, phthalates, parabens, or talc.
- Totally To Die For: Cake Beauty wants to make every product it has “to die for.” They want customers to love using their products because they’re effective, not just use them because they’re natural and vegan.
Top Product: The Curl Friend Defining Curl Cream
Cake Beauty’s top-selling product is The Curl Friend Defining Curl Cream. It’s unlike any other curl cream you’ve tried. You get all the usual benefits – anti-frizz, heat protection, detangling, moisturizing, and light curl-defining hold.
But this one’s unique because a) It’s vegan and b) It’s so lightweight. It can even be used on fine hair without weighing it down! Users say it works just as well for redefining second-day curls. Moisturizing shea butter and natural oils are formulated to sink deep into strands without adding weight.
The result is perfectly defined curls that are bouncy, soft, and frizz-free. Plus, it smells great. Reviews back it up, with 4.6 out of 5 stars from over 3,000 reviews.
7. Pacifica
Pacifica Beauty is another great vegan and cruelty-free brand you can trust. Their website states it, but we’ve confirmed through multiple organizations and third parties that their products truly don’t contain a single animal-derived ingredient or byproduct.
They don’t test on animals, don’t buy from suppliers who test on animals, and won’t sell their products in countries that require animal testing. They’re even PETA Beauty Without Bunnies certified.
So they’re definitely a 100% vegan brand with cruelty-free products. Speaking of their products, they’re pretty awesome, and customers love Pacifica. But one product seems to stand above the rest.
Top Product: Coconut Super Power Damage Control Hair Mask
Pacifica’s Coconut Super Power Damage Control Hair Mask is one of their top-rated and best-selling hair products. This one, like all products made by Pacific, is 100% vegan and cruelty-free. But that’s not all it has to offer!
It’s a deep conditioning treatment that restores moisture, makes hair shiny and soft, and helps repair damage naturally. You’ll find hard-working natural ingredients like coconut oil, rice water, and antioxidant-rich fruits and plants in this powerful hair mask.
There are no harsh sulfates, silicones, parabens, phthalates, or mineral oil in the formula. The smell is incredible without being overwhelming.
The mask is applied and rinsed out, so it’s effective on all hair types, from fine to coarse and straight to coily. You only need to use it twice a week to get amazing results.
Finding the Best Vegan Hair Products
Our list of the seven best brands that make vegan hair care products (and top product recs from each) is a great start. But if you’re living this lifestyle, you’ll want to know how to find great vegan products on your own.
There are a few ways we’ve found to make it easier:
1. Learn About Ingredients
We wish you could take a company’s word for it when they say a product is 100% vegan, but it’s been proven time and time again that this label is often incorrectly applied to products.
You should know how to read ingredient lists to look for animal-derived products and byproducts to avoid. Some examples include collagen, keratin, silk, pearl protein, eggs, and honey.
Others are harder to spot because they can be harvested from animal or plant sources, like lanolin, glycerin, and squalene. Take some time to research common ingredients to avoid in vegan hair products to ensure you don’t slip up and buy the wrong product.
2. Check Online Databases
There are multiple databases online that contain info on all the hair care brands you’ll come across in your search. You can determine whether a brand is truly 100% vegan, if they’re cruelty-free, how they source their products, and more when you check out databases online.
Start with the following to check out the products you’re currently using or make sure one you’re considering is really vegan.
- PETA’s Cruelty-Free Database
- Leaping Bunny Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide
- Ethical Shampoo Brand Database
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
Research is essential to determine if a product is truly 100% vegan and cruelty-free. Once you’ve done your research and found a few products to use, it’s easy to settle for the first ones you try.
But don’t be afraid to experiment! A product that sounds great on paper may not play well with your hair type, porosity, or texture. Keep experimenting and trying new products to find what works best for your hair type and styling needs.
The first or second product you try may not be the best for your hair, but you know what they say: Sometimes, the third time’s the charm. Choosing to support hair care brands that are committed to no animal testing and no animal derivatives or byproducts is a major step to take.
It usually means getting rid of most of the hair care products currently in your cabinet and starting from scratch. Fortunately, there are a ton of truly vegan hair care brands around today.
Internet connectivity makes it possible to read up on any brand you’re interested in to learn whether their products really are vegan and cruelty-free.
Once you’ve decided to switch to vegan hair care, the hardest part is finding out which brands are safe to use – and you’re off to a great start now that you know the top 7 brands and their best vegan products.