Finding a good brand of vegan shampoo is trickier than it ought to be. Shampoos are diluted detergents, plus some thickeners and usually some perfumes and colorants. None of this need be animal-derived. Unfortunately, though, most shampoos still contain animal products. What’s more, many top brands are tested on animals.
Fortunately, a number of companies make excellent vegan shampoo. This page offers links to more a dozen recommended brands. If you’re just here to order an excellent, low-cost bottle from Amazon.com, you can stop reading now and click through to our top pick: Love Beauty & Planet’s Ultra Deep Hydration Shampoo & Conditioner.
Not only is this product vegan and cruelty-free, it’s a fantastic deal. You get two large bottles of shampoo and conditioner for less than what many other brands charge for just the shampoo.
What Shampoos Are Vegan?
Many vegan shampoo brands carry seals attesting to their refusal to use animal testing or ingredients. Despite what marketers would have you believe, cruelty-free brands tend to be of comparable quality regardless of how they’re priced. So what you probably want is a big cheap bottle of vegan shampoo, ideally without the need to visit three different stores to find it.
A number of well-known cosmetics companies, including Acure, Avalon Organics, and 100% Pure oppose animal testing and label all their products as vegan.
Here are the bestselling vegan shampoos carried by Amazon.com:
- 100% PURE: Kelp & Mint Volumizing Shampoo
- Aspen Kay: Shampoo Bar
- Acure: 100% Vegan Ultra Hydrating Shampoo
- Avalon Organics: Thickening Shampoo
- Aveeno: Plant Protein Blend Shampoo
- Beauty Without Cruelty: Shampoo Volume Plus
- Desert Essence: Fragrance Free Shampoo & Conditioner Bundle
- Ethique: Solid Shampoo Bar
- Garnier: Pure Clean Shampoo and Conditioner
- Giovanni: Smooth as Silk Deep Moisture Shampoo
- Honest Company: Shampoo & Bodywash
- L’ORÉAL: EverPure Bond Repair Shampoo & Conditioner
- Love Beauty & Planet: Hope and Repair Shampoo & Conditioner
- Oars + Alps: Men’s Shampoo & Conditioner
- Pacifica: Rosemary Invigorating Shampoo & Conditioner
- Paul Mitchell: Awapuhi Shampoo for All Hair Types
Not so long ago, vegan shampoos were tough to find. But now, you’ve got so many terrific options. It’s great to see more and more companies using exclusively vegan ingredients. No doubt our above product list will be twice as long in a few years.
Why Do Many Companies Use Animal-Derived Ingredients?
Given the growing interest in vegan lifestyles, why do so many shampoos still contain animal ingredients? It’s not because these substances possess unique cleaning abilities, but because they’re ridiculously cheap. Non-vegan ingredients are typically slaughterhouse byproducts. Meat packers would have to pay to dispose of this waste if it couldn’t be sold for a pittance to cosmetics companies seeking cheap filler materials. Really, the only reason to formulate a shampoo with animal ingredients is to cut costs.
So choosing a cruelty-free shampoo never means sacrificing on quality or performance. Your vegan shampoo options are excellent, and any product you choose keeps animals from harm.
