The right vegan shampoo is your best beauty weapon.
To help make the best choice, here is our guide to the best vegan and cruelty-free shampoos for 2023. Pick your favorite shampoo from our collection and enjoy happy and healthy hair.
From Pacifica to Pureology, these vegan shampoo brands give your gorgeous hair naturally. No nasty chemicals, animal ingredients, or animal testing – just guilt-free lathering luxury.
What Makes Shampoo Vegan?
A vegan shampoo is free from all animal ingredients such as honey, beeswax, lanolin, lactoferrin, pearl, silk, keratin, and a variety of animal-derived proteins and fats. Vegan shampoo is also cruelty-free and not tested on animals.
Vegan shampoos mainly use plant-based oils and extracts. Common ingredients in vegan shampoos are coconut oil, argan oil, vegetable glycerin, shea butter, lavender, tea tree, rose, and other vitamin-rich plants.
The ingredient list on shampoo bottles can be long and confusing. This is why you should always look for a certified vegan label from PETA or other vegan organizations. If the label is missing, you can always choose a shampoo from our recommended list.
What To Look For In A Vegan Shampoo?
A good vegan shampoo uses natural ingredients and is free from additives and synthetic fragrances. Though additives like sulfates and parabens are considered safe, they can still cause irritations, especially for people with sensitive scalps. Shampoos can easily do without them.
Another important thing to consider when shopping for vegan shampoo is your hair type. Though most natural vegan shampoos are suitable for all hair types, you can boost their effectiveness by a mile by choosing the right kind for your hair.
If your hair is colored or damaged, choose a vegan shampoo that is restorative and highly hydrating. If you have thinning hair, go for a vegan shampoo that includes biotin and zinc. Also, curly and coily hair needs special shampoo to make your natural hair bouncy and defined.
When looking to make the most ethical choice, it is best if your vegan shampoo is made with organic and sustainable ingredients. This allows you to support the ethical treatment of animals as well as the people and our planet.
Best Vegan Shampoo Brands
Here are our favorite shampoo brands that are 100% vegan and cruelty-free. Most of these make shampoos in the USA from natural and organic ingredients.
Pacifica Beauty
Pacifica is a Californian cult brand with a fantastic selection of natural vegan shampoos. All their products are clean, vegan-friendly, and made in the USA.
Shop on: Amazon, Ulta, Walmart, Official Site
Acure
Acure offers natural and organic vegan shampoos, dry shampoos, and shampoo bars made in the USA. The shampoos are budget-friendly and free of parabens and sulfates.
Shop on: Amazon, Ulta, Target, Official Site
Function Of Beauty
This New York brand makes unique customizable vegan shampoos. With personalized design and ingredients, the shampoos make the best gift – for yourself and others.
Shop on: Official Site, Target
Maui Moisture
Vegan shampoos from Maui are specially designed for curls, waves, and coils. Made in Hawaii, each shampoo starts with a blend of aloe vera and coconut water.
Dae Hair
Dae is a vegan shampoo brand from Arizona. Inspired by the desert, the shampoos are rich in local herbs and plants like fragrant orange blossoms and moringa leaf extract.
Shop on: Amazon, Sephora, Official Site
Blossom
Blossom vegan shampoos are suitable for every hair type and texture. The shampoos use high-performing natural plants like coconut, peppermint, jojoba, and tea tree.
Shop on: Amazon
Pureology
From Pureology, you will find professional vegan shampoos that are perfect for dry, damaged, and colored hair. All shampoos are free of sulfates and parabens.
Shop on: Amazon, Sephora, Walmart, Official Site
Love Beauty And Planet
Love Beauty And Planet offers affordable vegan shampoos made in the USA. Though owned by Unilever, the brand is entirely cruelty-free and vegan.
Best Vegan Shampoos 2023
Tested and tried, these are our favorite vegan shampoos and conditioners for 2023. Hydrate, nourish, repair, and add shine – these cruelty-free shampoos do it best.
Drunk Elephant Cocomino
Cocomino is our favorite vegan shampoo. It is suitable for all hair types and makes your hair incredibly shiny. The soothing and nourishing formula features sacha inchi fruit, panthenol, and coconut amino acids. Pair it with Marula Cream Conditioner for the best result.
PS all Drunk Elephant hair products are vegan-friendly.
Pacifica Salty Waves
Enriched with banana, coconut, sea algae, and chia, this delicious vegan shampoo gives your hair body and softness. The natural formula is suitable for all hair types and is free from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, SLS, and mineral oil.
Acure Daily Workout
If you need to wash your hair often, Daily Workout shampoo is what you need. Enjoy a gentle vegan shampoo made with watermelon fruit extract and blood orange. We love the lightweight consistency and can’t get enough of the refreshing scent.
Intelligent Nutrients Fortifi-hair
Fortify is the most luxurious vegan shampoo ever made. This professional vegan shampoo repairs and deeply hydrates dry and damaged hair with baobab protein. It also includes organic lavender, ylang-ylang, and geranium for an amazing floral scent.
Lush Rehab
A fan favorite, Lush Rehab is a rich cocktail of vitamins for your hair. The natural vegan shampoo uses fresh pineapple and papaya juice to nourish damaged hair while peppermint stimulates the scalp. For best result, pair it with Veganese conditioner.
BWC Daily Benefits
Beauty Without Cruelty organic vegan shampoo is simple but great. Free from palm oil and harmful chemicals, it leaves your hair clean and beautiful. The shampoo uses organic lavender and citrus essential oils and fits all hair types.
Desert Essence Coconut
Here is the best affordable vegan shampoo. Based on a blend of coconut, jojoba, and olive oil, the shampoo deeply moisturizes your hair and revives its natural luster. We also adore their Lemon & Tea Tree Shampoo.
More Types Of Vegan Shampoos
Are you looking for a dry vegan shampoo or a solid vegan shampoo? Or a vegan shampoo for men or kids? Here are some more vegan shampoos we love.
Best Vegan Shampoo Bar
Ethique Pinkalicious Bar
This zero waste vegan shampoo has a heavenly scent of grapefruit and vanilla. It is PH-balanced, plastic-free, soap-free, palm-oil-free, and 100% vegan.
Best Vegan Dry Shampoo
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day
Most of Living Proof’s products are vegan-friendly, including this bestselling dry shampoo. Free from harsh chemicals, it eliminates oil and residue leaving your hair fresh and clean.
Best Unscented Shampoo
Faith in Nature Fragrance-Free
This gentle fragrance-free vegan shampoo is perfect for sensitive skin. The hypoallergenic formula uses natural ingredients and is free from essential oils or fragrances.
Best Raw Vegan Shampoo
Morocco Method Apple Cider Vinegar
Morocco Method is the leader in vegan, raw, and paleo hair care. Their non-foaming Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo is a great natural product for revitalizing and repairing your hair.
Best Vegan Shampoo For Men
Aubrey Men’s Stock Ginseng Biotin
Made with biotin, ginseng & nettle, this men’s vegan shampoo strengthens your hair while refreshing and invigorating the scalp. It is free from chemicals and gluten.
Best Vegan Shampoo For Kids
The Honest Company Perfectly Gentle
Baby shampoos from this Jessica Alba’s hit brand are all vegan-friendly. Enjoy a mild, tear-free shampoo in many scents: orange vanilla, lavender, sweet almond, or unscented.
Vegan Shampoos By Concern
If your hair is dry, damaged, or thinning, these vegan shampoos hurry to the rescue. Enriched with special vitamins, plant proteins, and antioxidants, these high-quality vegan shampoos offer the best hair therapy.
Dry Hair
Acure Ultra Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner
Made with yellow argan oil and pumpkin, this natural shampoo packs your hair with moisturizing omega fatty acids. It’s the best hydrating vegan shampoo for dry hair.
Oily Hair
Pacifica Rosemary Purify Shampoo & Conditioner
The invigorating mint & rosemary shampoo is ideal for oily hair and congested scalp. Wash away all the stress and environmental toxins and enjoy an all-day minty freshness.
Damaged Hair
Oribe Gold Lust Shampoo & Conditioner
Oribe has made an excellent vegan shampoo for damaged hair. Featuring caffeine & unique pineapple enzymes, it balances your scalp and actually repairs the hair follicle.
Colored Hair
Paul Mitchell Color Protect Shampoo & Conditioner
Paul Mitchell’s hair dyes are vegan and so is their color care shampoo. This professional formula makes your hair color last longer while boosting shine and hair health.
Thinning Hair
Vegamour Gro Revitalizing Shampoo & Conditioner
Enriched with vegan keratin, this is the best vegan shampoo for hair growth. It is proven to reduce hair thinning and breakage while boosting hair strength and thickness. Read our full review here.
Itchy Scalp
Briogeo Scalp Revival Shampoo & Conditioner
Made with charcoal and coconut, this vegan shampoo is perfect for dry, flaky, and itchy scalps. It cleans, exfoliates & soothes the scalp while fortifying your hair with biotin.
Dandruff
Jason Dandruff Relief Shampoo & Tea Tree Conditioner
Jason’s anti-dandruff vegan shampoo is designed to control scalp dermatitis and mild psoriasis. It is made with salicylic acid, sulfur, jojoba, olive, and rosemary oils.
Buildup
Noughty Detox Dynamo Shampoo & To The Rescue Conditioner
This clarifying vegan shampoo lifts away buildup, pollution & residue from your scalp and hair. The peppermint & sorrel leaf extracts leave your hair clean and fresh.
Vegan Shampoos By Hair Type
Different hair needs different care. Shop vegan shampoos for your hair type from Briogeo, Giovanni, Maui Moisture, and other premium cruelty-free brands.
Straight Hair
Briogeo Blossom & Bloom Shampoo & Conditioner
This volumizing vegan shampoo is a godsend for straight hair. The special mix of ginseng, biotin, and vitamin B5 offer immediate volume with long-term hair health.
Fine Hair
Verb Ghost Shampoo & Conditioner
Ghost is the most weightless vegan shampoo. It includes quinoa protein, moringa seed oil, and sunflower seed extract to gently hydrate and fortify fine hair while adding shine.
Frizzy Hair
Giovanni Smooth As Silk Shampoo & Conditioner
Enriched with apple and aloe extracts, this vegan shampoo gives you silky soft and frizz-free hair. It is paraben-free & sulfate-free with a luxurious glistening formula.
Natural Hair
Maui Moisture Smooth & Repair Shampoo & Conditioner
The gorgeous vanilla shampoo hydrates and softens unruly and thick natural hair. The gentle aloe vera-based formula is free from silicones, parabens, and mineral oils.
Coily Hair
Maui Moisture Curl Quench Shampoo & Conditioner
Maui’s Curl Quench vegan shampoo is best for coily hair. Aloe vera, coconut milk & papaya hydrate tight curly hair while giving them a bouncy definition.
Curly Hair
Pacifica Pineapple Curls Shampoo & Conditioner
Enhance all types of curls with this tropical vegan shampoo. Pineapple, hyaluronic acid & super oils provide curly hair with intense moisture, smoothness, and volume.
Wavy Hair
Sun Bum Curls & Waves Shampoo & Conditioner
Known for vegan sunscreens, Sun Bum has also the best vegan shampoo for wavy hair. Monoi coconut oil and seaweed protein heavenly hydrate, defrizz & define your waves.
Blonde Hair
Pureology Strength Cure Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner
This vegan purple shampoo beautifully tones blonde, gray, and lightened hair. It effectively neutralizes bras while also strengthening and repairing damaged hair.
FAQ About Vegan Shampoo
A vegan shampoo is free from animal ingredients and is not tested on animals. Some common ingredients that make a shampoo not vegan include honey, lanolin, pearl, silk, and animal-derived keratin.
Compared to drugstore shampoo brands, a natural vegan shampoo is always a better choice for your hair and scalp. Just make sure your vegan shampoo is free from harsh chemicals.
There is a wide selection of vegan shampoos available on Amazon. Our favorite vegan shampoo brands on Amazon are Pacifica Beauty, Acure, and Maui Moisture.
Dove shampoos are not vegan since they contain animal products. The company also exports its products to China that, until this year, required animal testing.
Aussie shampoo is not vegan and inlucdes animal-derived products.
Wen shampoos are not vegan and include animal products and byproducts.
No, sadly OGX is not vegan. The brand sells its products in mainland China where until recently animal testing was mandatory for imported cosmetics.
ArtNatural’s Argan Oil Shampoo is not vegan since it contains honey. The brand is cruelty-free though and does not test on animals.
L’Oreal Ever Pure is not vegan. L’Oreal Paris products are sold in China where until this year animal testing was required by law.
Summary
Like vegan food, vegan shampoos are packed with vitamins, minerals, proteins, and antioxidants your hair so badly needs. Achieve the most luscious hair using only natural and organic vegan shampoos that are safe and healthy for you and the planet.
We absolutely love the vegan shampoo selection of Pacifica Beauty, Acure, and Maui Moisture. By using the highest quality natural ingredients, these companies make top-quality vegan shampoos that can beat old drugstore brands at any time.
As we come across new vegan haircare brands all the time, we keep updating this list with new favorites. Stay tuned to new vegan-friendly shampoos & conditioners.
See also: Vegan Hair Dye, List Of 100% Vegan Haircare Brands
