Large pores can make your skin appear congested and saggy. And while there is no cure for enlarged pores, there are steps you can take to reduce the look of pores.
To help you visually reduce the appearance of pores, we’ve put together this guide for the best vegan skincare for pores in 2024.
See also: Vegan Skincare For Blackheads
These products are designed to unclog your pores, smoothen the skin texture, and keep your skin plump and firm to give your skin a more poreless look.
PS All products below are vegan and cruelty-free, meaning they are free of animal-derived ingredients and have not been tested on animals.
Best Vegan Skincare Products For Pores
Here are the best vegan skincare products for shrinking pores in 2024.
IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Glycolic Acid Serum
IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores is a great vegan serum for pores. Made with 10% glycolic acid, it helps to unclog pores and gives your skin a blurred and smooth look over time. Hyaluronic acid plumps the skin with hydration. The texture is a bit sticky but it does work.
Paula’s Choice Daily Pore-Refining Treatment 2% BHA
Paula’s Choice Pore-Refining Treatment is another excellent vegan pore-shrinker. With 2% salicylic acid, peptides, and hyaluronic acid, it removes dead skin, dirt, and excess oil from pores making the skin look plumper, firmer, and poreless. It improves skin texture visibly.
If you have oily skin, we also recommend the same treatment with a stronger 4% BHA.
Shop on: Amazon, Official site
Cosrx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
This affordable KBeauty vegan cleanser is something we always recommend for large pores. Made with salicylic acid and tea tree oil (it also smells like tea tree oil), it gives pores a deep cleanse while balancing the oil in your skin. It keeps the pores clean and less visible.
First Aid Beauty Retinol Serum 0.25% Pure Concentrate
Retinol can be highly effective in reducing the look of pores by renewing skin cells, unclogging pores, and firming the skin. Our favorite vegan retinol for pores is the FAB vegan retinol serum – it’s a simple and clean formula that reduces pores without irritating the skin.
Biossance Squalane + BHA Pore-Minimizing Toner
Another great salicylic acid product is this Biossance’s vegan toner. It gently exfoliates the skin and tightens pores while hydrating the skin with vegan squalane. It’s an effective and clean solution for blurring the look of pores without drying out your skin.
Olehenriksen Cold Plunge Pore Mask
Clay is also a fantastic vegan ingredient to reduce the look of pores. This bestselling clay mask from Olehenriksen includes clay and AHAs that exfoliate the skin’s surface and draw out all gunk and dead skin from pores. Skin feels so refreshed and smooth after using it.
Dermalogica Sebum Clearing Masque
Dermalogica Sebum Clearing Masque targets large pores with clay and salicylic acid. The vegan face mask purifies pores and reveals clearer and more even skin. The mask also includes niacinamide that helps regulate sebum production and licorice to brighten skin tone.
Shop on: Amazon, Official site
Perricone MD Intensive Pore Minimizing Toner
To our joy, Perricone MD Intensive Pore Minimizing Toner is also vegan and entirely effective in blurring pores. It’s made with pore-cleaning salicylic acid and DMAE – a compound that helps to firm the skin which also reduces pores. We love the lightweight lotion texture.
Murad Oil & Pore Reducing Facial Moisturizer SPF 45
With enlarged pores, do not forget to use SPF – sun damage can cause the skin and pores to sag even more. We love this oil-free vegan sunscreen from Murad. It helps to keep the skin matte and clear and pores stay unclogged.
Best Vegan Skincare Ingredients For Pores
Here are the best vegan ingredients for reducing the look of pores.
- Salicylic acid – This popular BHA family acid exfoliates the skin and unclogs pores, thereby reducing the appearance of pores. It targets blackheads and acne and keeps the skin smooth. Salicylic acid is vegan and plant-derived. See more vegan BHA skincare.
- Glycolic acid – This AHA is also an excellent exfoliating ingredient that promotes cell turnover and keeps pores clean. It also firms the skin and brightens skin tone. Glycolic acid is vegan-friendly. See our selection of vegan glycolic acid skincare.
- Tea tree oil – Tea tree oil is a natural plant-based antiseptic that helps dry out congested skin and visually shrink pores. Tea tree oil also helps to prevent pores from sagging.
- Witch hazel – Witch hazel is a natural herbal astringent that reduces the look of pores by tightening the skin and reducing inflammation.
- Retinol – Retinol (vitamin A) is another vegan-friendly ingredient that effectively tackles pores. Retinol increases cellular turnover and improves skin’s structure, thereby unclogging pores and making skin appear smooth and poreless.
- Clay – Clay-based skincare helps draw out dirt, excess oil, and dead skin from pores. It’s a good way to get rid of more surface-level gunk trapped in the pores. Clay is also vegan.
- Niacinamide – Niacinamide gives skin light hydration and lowers sebum production, thus keeping pores clean and less visible. Niacinamide is vegan. See more vegan niacinamide skincare here.
- Hyaluronic acid – Hyaluronic acid plumps the skin giving it a smoother and more poreless appearance. It also helps to prevent clogged pores. In skincare, hyaluronic acid is usually vegan. See our selection of vegan hyaluronic acid skincare.
- Aloe vera – Aloe vera is also a great plant-based ingredient for enlarged pores as it includes natural salicylic acid. It also reduces the look of pores by hydrating and soothing the skin.
Vegan Skincare Routine For Pores
Reducing the look of pores is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s about building a consistent vegan skincare regimen that involves regularly cleansing, exfoliating, and hydrating your skin. A quality vegan cleanser is a key step in removing dirt, makeup, and oil from your pores.
It is also imperative you avoid harsh face scrubs and use a non-abrasive vegan exfoliator made with salicylic acid or glycolic acid. You want to melt away dead skin cells, unclog pores, and slowly create a smooth and poreless surface.
Vegan face masks made from clay are also great for drawing out surface-level dirt from your pores to give your skin a more even and purified appearance. In addition, astringent vegan toners can also tighten the pores and make them appear smaller.
When it comes to vegan moisturizers, avoid rich oil-based creams and opt for oil-free moisturizers made with aloe, niacinamide, or hyaluronic acid. A plump and hydrated skin makes pores less visible and also helps your skin to produce less pore-clogging sebum.
Whatever you do, do not skip vegan sunscreen. You may be inclined to think that SPF will clog your pores. But instead, UV-induced photodamage is the devil that makes your skin saggy and pores appear larger and more visible.
FAQ About Vegan Skincare For Pores
Vegan skincare can be good for pores as the best ingredients for treating enlarged pores are already vegan-friendly (e.g salicylic acid, glycolic acid, tea tree oil).
The best skincare for pores includes IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Glycolic Acid Serum, Paula’s Choice Daily Pore-Refining Treatment, and Cosrx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser.
Yes. The toner is vegan and cruelty-free.
Summary
Hope you found our selection of vegan skincare for pores useful.
Even though there is no way to ‘reduce’ pores, your skin can achieve a smoother and more blurred look by keeping your pores clean and skin firm.
If we come across more great vegan skincare products to reduce the appearance of pores, we will include them in this article.
See also: Best Vegan Cleansers
Article update on May 04 (2023): Fact checked and medically reviewed by MD Shimona Garg
Article update on February 18 (2023): Added more references
Article update on February 20 (2023): Added retinol as a beneficial ingredient to reduce the look of pores and included a vegan retinol serum in the recommended products’ list
