1. Nubian Heritage Abyssinian Oil & Chia Seed Body Wash ($12.99)
This is a super moisturizing gentle body wash with anti-aging ingredients. The Abyssinian oil softens rough, dry skin while the chia seeds and amaranth extract provide deep nourishment to restore healthy-looking skin. The ginseng is also a great ingredient to encourage skin's firmness.
If you have sensitive eczema-prone skin like me, I also recommend their Shea Butter & Aloe Vera Body Wash, as it is very gentle and fragrance-free!
The African Black Soap, Coconut & Papaya, Raw Shea Butter, Olive Oil & Green Tea, Mango Butter, Lemongrass & Tea Tree, Shea Butter & Aloe Vera scents are all vegan-friendly and lovely!
The Goats Milk & Chai Body Wash is not vegan, as it contains Goat Milk Extract, and the Indian Hemp & Haitian Vetiver Body Wash is not vegan as it contains Silk Proteins.
2. Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Body Wash ($8.99)
Yes To is a popular affordable and readily available cruelty-free skincare brand with lots of great vegan options. The Yes To Cucumbers wash is formulated with relaxing green tea and soothing cucumbers to make skin softer and smoother while providing some calming shower aromatherapy.
The Yes To Carrots Nourishing Body Wash, Yes To Blueberries Ultra Hydrating Body Wash, Yes To Grapefruit Exfoliating Body Wash and Rejuvenating Body Wash, Yes To Coconut Coconut Oil Body Wash, and Yes To Tomatoes Acne Fighting Body Wash are all also vegan-friendly! Most Yes To products are vegan, with the exception of some products which contain beeswax, honey, and/or silk amino acids.
3. Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Liquid Soap ($17.99)
This is such a classic multipurpose soap which is fairly easy to find in a variety of stores. It works for face, body, hair, food, dishes, mopping, laundry, and even for washing pets! I also found it works amazingly for cleaning my makeup brushes and sponges! While it may seem a bit pricey, it comes in a huge bottle (32 oz), and it is actually highly concentrated so a little bit goes a long way. For cleaning and other purposes, you can dilute the soap with water, as instructed on the bottle.
It comes in 8 natural fragrances: Almond, Unscented, Citrus, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Peppermint, Rose and Tea Tree, all of which are certified vegan. My personal favorite is Almond (it smells like macaroons). All of Dr. Bronner's products are also certified organic, fair trade, non-GMO, Kosher and of course, cruelty-free (Leaping Bunny-certified). Another plus is that some grocery stores offer a bottle refill service on Dr. Bronner's soaps, which allows you to continue reusing the same bottle and reduce your environmental footprint by doing so.
4. Method Moisturizing Body Wash ($5.99)
The same Method that makes non-toxic cleaning products has expanded into making affordable body washes as well! Their Moisturizing Body Wash is formulated with naturally derived hydrating ingredients like nourishing aloe to leave your skin soft, hydrated and beautifully clean.
It comes in 5 fragrances: Coconut Milk, Magnolia, Olive Leaf, Surfside and White Tea, all of which are vegan.
If you're looking for something less moisturizing, their Foaming Body Wash and Refreshing Body Wash lines are also vegan. In fact, ALL of Method's products are vegan.
5. John Masters Organics Blood Orange and Vanilla Body Wash ($18)
This body wash is definitely on the luxury end of the spectrum, but it is really good. Many of the ingredients used are certified organic, and it is also gluten-free. They use botanically-based ingredients like corn and coconut, which give the body wash an extra creamy rich texture to leave the skin soft and smooth after removing dirt and oil.
It is also available in Rosemary & Arnica and Geranium & Grapefruit scents, both of which are vegan.
All John Masters products are vegan with the following exceptions: Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner (honey), Sweet Orange & Silk Protein Styling Gel (silk proteins), Hair Pomade (beeswax), Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor (honey), Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructing Shampoo (honey), and Lip Calm (beeswax).
6. SheaMoisture African Black Soap Body Wash ($10.99)
Perfect for problem skin, SheaMoisture's African Black Soap Body Wash With Frankincense & Myrrh cleanses, hydrates and calms the skin, while helping to balance oily skin for clearer complexions.
In terms of SheaMoisture's other body washes, The Raw Shea Butter Baby Head to Toe Wash and Shampoo (my fave wash for eczema), African Water Mint Bubble Bath Body Wash, Sacha Inchi Omega Rescue Replenishing Bubble Bath & Body Wash, Raw Shea & Cupuacu Hydro Defense Bubble Bath Body Wash, Fruit Fusion Coconut Water Energizing Bubble Bath & Body Wash, Beauty Hack Body & Hair Cleanser Base, and The Dragons Blood Coffee Cherry Rebound Revive Bubble Bath & Body Wash are all also vegan. (No dragons were harmed.)
The following body wash formulas are not vegan: Coconut Hibiscus Foaming Milk & Body Wash (silk proteins), Raw Shea Butter (silk proteins), Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Body Wash (honey), and SuperFruit Complex Bubble Bath & Body Wash (silk proteins).
7. LUSH The Olive Branch Shower Gel ($32.95)
Everyone loves this classic shower gel from LUSH! It has a comforting warm citrus scent from mandarin oil and orange flower. It requires shaking up the bottle a bit to fully incorporate the olive oil, which can separate from the rest of the sea salt and mandarin juice-infused gel. This is another one great for cleansing and providing an invigorating aromatherapy experience.
Most LUSH shower products are vegan, including their Shower Gels (Dirty Springwash, Plum Rain, Happy Hippy, The Comforter, Yuzu and Cocoa, Don't Rain on My Parade, Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair, Beautiful), as well as their Shower Smoothies (Ro's Argan, Dreamwash, African Paradise, Turkish Delight), and their Shower Jellies (Needles and Pines, 93,000 Miles, Refresher).
The It's Raining Men Shower Gel and the Whoosh Shower Jelly are not vegan as they both contain honey.
8. Jack Black All-Over Wash ($21)
"The ultimate guy product from Jack Black", this is the perfect wash for those looking for a multi-purpose product. So while the price is on the higher side, it does the job of three products as it can be used for face, hair, and body. Plus, it's pH balanced, making it extra gentle for those with sensitive skin.
Their Turbo Wash Energizing Cleanser is also vegan.
9. Alba Botanica Island Citrus Very Emollient Bath & Shower Gel ($16.99)
Often on sale for $10-$12, this giant 32 oz bottle of shower gel is one of the most popular body cleansing products on Amazon! It has a fresh citrus scent and is formulated with pure botanical emollients as well as aloe vera. It is also pH balanced and designed for extra dry skin.
Their gel is also available in Honey Mango (which does not actually contain honey), Sparkling Mint, French Lavender, Midnight Tuberose, Herbal Healing and Coconut Rescue (all vegan).
10. Jason Invigorating Rosewater Pure Natural Body Wash ($10.99)
This gentle wash cleanses with botanical surfactants and safely nourishes with Vitamin E and Pro-Vitamin B5. It's formulated with a blend of rosewater and soothing calendula extract to be extra refreshing and soothing.
It is also available in Smoothing Coconut, Gluten-Free, Calming Lavender, Purifying Tea Tree, Soothing Aloe Vera, Revitalizing Citrus, Glowing Apricot, Relaxing Chamomile, Moisturizing Herbs, Softening Mango, Antioxidant Cranberry and Men's All-in-One (all vegan).
More Cruelty-Free Guides
If you've enjoyed this post, read our other cruelty-free guides to find the best beauty products for you:
- Best Cruelty-Free Makeup Wipes
- Best Cruelty-Free Skincare Brands
- Best Cruelty-Free BB & CC Creams
- Best Cruelty-Free Foundation
Which Brands Are Cruelty-Free?
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Hello! What about the brand Renpure?
But the cruelty free products are so expensive. This is why we will never have complete cruelty free products. These companies charge too much, and so many people cannot afford them. In many cases, companies have an elitist attitude and feel charging $18 for a bottle of body wash is acceptable. Bring the price down, and the sales will increase.
Thank you for this Information! So very important. I have thrown every product away that test on animals. Absolutely not necessary and awful!
I need a cruelty free unscented body wash
Just an fyi. Shea Moisture is unfortunately owned by Dove/Unilever now and Unilever does do animal testing.
Why this products are so pricey!?
Thanks for this list! I have sensitive skin like you and I’m excited to try out these recommendations because I’m working to remive all non-cruelty free brands from my routine. I noticed that you have a link to iHerb for the Nubian Heritage products, and wanted to let you know that iHerb sells horse oil based Korean skin care creams, a product made with “German horse oil” from the slaughtering process. I’m just trying to let anyone know about it that might be interested because iHerb has seemed to build a reputation for selling good products. They also sell prods made with pig collagen I think (also K-beauty). Not saying that Amazon or others don’t sell them too, but wanted to let you know about it! Thanks for everything you do!!
Hi Suzi! I have bought Jason products (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste) after seeing them on your site – which is really helpful, btw!
However, after seeing that Jason is actually owned by Hain Celestial, I tried to get some info on the parent company… thing is they own a bunch of companies. One of them “produces” chicken and turkey. They also invest on Chi-Med, who on their annual report give information about their 500 sq.m. animal testing facilities… (https://budgetfriendlytoo.wordpress.com/2014/03/06/hain-celestial-group-actually-vegan/)
This is becoming so incredibly tricky: all the small, cruelty-free-to-the-core companies seems to sell out at one point and honestly I find it contradictory to buy a vegan product from a brand whose parent company is involved in animal farming…
Again, thank you for all your good work!
Would you consider making a post about cruelty free hair products for kinky or curly african american hair? I have tried to do my own research, but im not sure how to contact these brands in a way that would make them want to answer me. I also have looked at other blogs, but no one has done this yet. This would be very helpful for me and im sure many others.
SheaMoisture started as a POC-owned brand, so most of their hair products cater to that type of hair. I have the opposite type of hair [pin-straight 1a], so I can’t vouch for how they work on kinky hair, but my husband has curly 3b hair and they work well for him.
Yes I know Shea Moisture is a great cruelty free brand, but I feel like that’s one of the only brands out there that are openly cruelty free and certified. I guess I just want more options for me and others with this type of hair. I have contacted other brands on social media about their status, but I would feel better if they would answer with more than a yes or no. (P.S. I think I have 4b curly hair.)
You should look into Carol’s Daughter. They are cruelty free and POC owned!
Check out diva curl! Great for super curly kinky hair ☺️ My friend who is a hair stylist uses it and it is cruelty free.
Hi. I just wanted to say that Dr. Bronner’s is one of my favorites! And yes, a little does go a long way. But I have not tried it for washing makeup brushes. Great idea. Mine need washing now, so I think I will try it. I have the peppermint right now but also love the rose, almond, and citrus. Thanks for sharing the tip about the brushes!
Awesome! Yes, I actually think it gets my brushes cleaner than actual brush cleaners. I hope it works out for you! 🙂
My husband has used the SheaMoisture African Black Soap Body Wash with Frankincense & Myrrh for his psoriasis. It worked well and we LOVE the smell, but he was going through it too quickly, so he switched to the bar soap version. Then they came out with the African Black Soap Eczema & Psoriasis Therapy Medicated Cleansing Bar, so he switched to that one. They smell so fantastic that I keep the good-smelling empty boxes in the bathroom for weeks. 🙂
For my super-sensitive skin, I use the unscented Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap, and follow up with a homemade in-shower lotion [since the Dr. Bronner’s can be quite drying on its own]. I use that soap for *so* many things around the house!
I thought that Method wasn’t cruelty free when they started testing their ingredients and products on daphnia aka water fleas. Did they stop doing the testing or are they still conducting it? Because I’m confused as to why one of their body washes is listed in this post. It doesn’t make sense that daphnia testing is not in the same category as animal testing.
Hi. I also just found out that Method tests on water daphnia in the UK but not in the US. Still, that doesn’t make it any different no matter where it takes place! I am really saddened by this. I have been using Method for several months now and loving it, but I can’t continue to use it knowing that they do this. I do not care how small the creature is, a creature is still a creature!
Also method has hidden toxins. Read on think dirty app.
Just thought I would let you know that I have done quite a bit of research today, and I am pleased to tell you that Method does not test on water Daphnia (if they are being truthful and I believe that they are).I emailed the company and I was very pleased with the response, so everyone can relax about Method….it’s cruelty-free!