Thinking of going vegan? If you’re new to veganism, overhauling your diet and lifestyle might initially feel a little overwhelming.
If you’re unsure how to adapt your beauty routine to make it vegan friendly, this comprehensive guide to vegan beauty is perfect for you.
In this post, we help you to understand how your skin might change as you embrace a plant-based diet.
We also show you how to shop for authentic vegan beauty products and help you to learn which ingredients to avoid when adapting your beauty routine for a vegan lifestyle.
Want to jump straight in?
Shop vegan skin care Shop vegan hair care
Shop vegan toothpaste Shop vegan sunscreen
Do you need a vegan-friendly beauty routine?
In addition to following a plant-based diet, some vegans choose to avoid animal-derived beauty ingredients.
Whether you use vegan beauty products is entirely your choice. Strict vegans may wish to remove any animal derived materials from their lifestyle and if that is your preference, we offer huge range of vegan-friendly beauty and skin care products that are approved by The Vegan Society and PETA.
Before you give your beauty routine a vegan overhaul, we encourage you to first check whether your existing routine features any vegan-friendly products. If your routine is already suitable for a vegan lifestyle, there may be no need to change it.
When adapting your beauty routine for a vegan lifestyle, gradually phase in vegan-friendly beauty products, adjusting your routine accordingly to make sure that your skin gets all the care and goodness it needs to glow.
If you discover that some of your products are no longer suitable for your vegan lifestyle, consider using up or gifting what you own to avoid waste.
What happens to your skin when you go vegan?
The effect that going vegan has on skin will differ from person to person and adjusting your beauty routine can help you to counteract any imbalances that your skin goes through whilst you transition to a vegan diet.
Going vegan can have positive changes on skin. A vegan diet that’s rich in fruits and vegetables will provide skin with many of the nutrients it needs to radiate good health.
Some studies have also investigated whether a healthy plant-based diet may be better for those with inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema. Shop eczema-friendly, vegan skin care.
To keep skin healthy when following a vegan diet, maintain a balanced intake of vitamins and minerals with greens, fruits and nuts that are good sources of calcium and antioxidants.
The health and balance of skin is interlinked with diet and nutrition so making any unhealthy dietary choices, such as consuming high sugar or greasy vegan foods, could cause skin to become duller, drier or more congested.
Some nutrients that the body needs for healthy teeth, skin, hair and nails can be also harder to source when following a plant-based diet and as such, the NHS advises vegans to consider consuming foods that are rich in or fortified with Calcium, Vitamin D and Vitamin B12.
How to shop for vegan beauty
Shopping for vegan-friendly beauty products needn’t be stressful. The majority of our organic beauty products are all suitable for vegans and in the next section we’ve shared a few helpful tips for checking that your skin care and cosmetic choices suit a plant-based lifestyle.
- Learn to read labels
Animal ingredients can be added all kinds of skin, hair and beauty essentials and if you wish to weed animal derivatives out of your beauty routine, you’ll need to get familiar with reading ingredient labels.
At Green People we take immense pride in our plant-based formulations and, to help you check for plant-based formulations, we put every single ingredient on the product pages of our website.
- Look for The Vegan Society logo
Checking labels for non-vegan ingredients in cosmetics will get easier with time but a quick shortcut is to check product packaging or webpage for the logo of The Vegan Society.
Trusted by vegans globally, The Vegan Society allows brands to print their trademark on packaging once they have reviewed the formulation and are happy that it is plant-based and does not contain ingredients that are unsuitable for those following a vegan diet.
- Make friends with filters
The Vegan Society is clearly marked on all our vegan products, and you can also use our product finder filters to shop by your lifestyle needs.
Simply select the vegan filter box as you browse our product categories and we’ll only show you products that are Vegan Society approved.
- Get appy
Using vegan shopping apps can also help remove some of the guesswork when shopping for vegan-friendly beauty and we also recommend using The Vegan Society’s product search tool.
If you want to only use cruelty-free vegan beauty products, Leaping Bunny and PETA both have apps that can help you to determine if animal testing has been used during the manufacturing process.
Non-vegan beauty ingredients
Another way to easily spot when a beauty product is not vegan friendly is by being aware of animal-derived ingredients and scanning beauty product labels for their presence.
The following non-vegan ingredients can be found in cosmetics and skin care:
Squalene: Squalene can be found in moisturising skin care and because this ingredient can be sourced from shark, making it not usually suitable for vegans.
Thankfully, UK beauty brands now tend to favour using Squalane instead. Derived from olives, this plant-based ingredient converts to Squalene when it comes into contact with skin and helps to support a healthy, balanced skin barrier.
Carmine: Carmine is a dye that’s used to make cosmetics red and it is made from crushed cochineal beetles. Carmine can be listed on ingredients list by its Colour Index Number CI 75470. For a plant-based alternative to carmine, opt for make-up made with natural earth mineral pigments.
Keratin: Keratin is a protein that helps to make hair and nails strong. Often used in hair care it is extracted from ground-up horns, hooves, feathers, quills and hair of various animals.
Green People does not use keratin in our strengthening hair care products; instead, we use Quinoa. This only grain to contain all 9 amino acids, find out why this protein-rich grain is ideal for providing strength and shine to coloured and frizz-prone hair with our guide to protein hair care.
Beeswax: Made from a mixture of plant wax, pollen and a secretion from bee glands, Beeswax is another beauty ingredient that is not vegan friendly. We use Beeswax in a few of our products and we make it clear when this is used.
Glycerine: This humectant is used in toothpastes and skin care and it can be either vegetable or animal derived. The form of Glycerine that Green People uses is vegetable derived.
Propolis: Propolis is used in our Fennel & Propolis toothpaste, and this is the only Green People toothpaste that is not vegan-friendly. This ingredient is considered unsuitable for vegans because Propolis is produced by bees to seal their hives to keep them free from bacteria and fungi.
Lanolin: This wax is derived from animals with wool coats and is often used in balms and salves. Lanolin is not used in any Green People products. Instead, we use natural plant waxes. Read more about our lanolin-free products.
Tallow: Used less frequently, tallow is an animal fat that was traditionally used to make soap. Green People does not use tallow or soap in any of our hand washes which are all vegan friendly.
Discover our introductory vegan skin care routine
As you may have gathered by now, Green People offers a huge selection of natural and organic beauty products that are suitable for vegans.
We’ve selected some of our bestsellers to create a short routine of essentials to get you started on your vegan-friendly beauty journey.
Need a bit more detail? You can read some more about them here, with some alternatives included for those who prefer scent-free products or have very sensitive skin.
BEST VEGAN CLEANSER
Gentle Cleanse is one of our most popular plant-based skin care products and of course it is cruelty-free and approved by The Vegan Society.
Gently purifying, Squalane derived from Olives softens and replenishes as you cleanse whilst Calendula’s properties calm and Aloe Vera nourishes, soothes and hydrates. It is lightly scented with Rose Geranium Oil.
Gentle Cleanse & Make-Up Remover 150ml
Soft, clean skin starts with our bestselling cleanser
£27.00
If you prefer to use scent-free skin care, Scent Free Cleanser also uses Squalane, Aloe and Calendula but is free from essential oils, making it suitable for even ultra-sensitive skin types.
Scent Free Cleanser 150ml
This fragrance-free cleanser is a sensitive skin essential
£27.00
BEST VEGAN SERUM
Hydrating Firming Serum is a brilliant plant-based skin serum. Cruelty free and approved by the Vegan Society, this multi-tasking vegan skin care product not only sinks deep to intensely hydrate all skin types, but it is can also be used as a skin toner or combined with facial oil to lock in moisture and make a nourishing primer.
Hydrating Firming Serum 50ml
Naturally supercharge your skin hydration: plump, smooth & firm
£27.00
For sensitive skin we also offer a Scent-Free Calming Serum which is also approved by The Vegan Society.
This ethanol-free serum cares for sensitive skin with soothing moisture-binding properties from plant sources including Marshmallow Root Extract, Green Marine Macro Algae and Chamomile.
Scent Free Calming Serum 50ml
Bursting with moisture-binding actives, this gentle serum is our go-to for skin-plump hydration.
£27.00
BEST VEGAN MOISTURISER WITH SPF
Everyone needs to protect their skin from the sun and vegans should be aware that some SPF day cream products may contain Beeswax.
Approved by The Vegan Society, Day Solution SPF15 is a vegan-friendly day cream that’s formulated with broad-spectrum SPF protection and nourishes skin with soothing, hydrating plant properties from Green Tea, Chamomile and Hemp Seed Oil.
Day Solution Cream SPF15 50ml
Hydrate, balance and protect with this natural face cream with SPF15
£27.50
If you prefer to use a higher-factor vegan facial SPF moisturiser, Scent Free Facial Sun Cream SPF30 is also plant-based and approved by The Vegan Society.
Scent Free Facial Sun Cream - SPF30 50ml
Defend against sun damage every day with our best-selling SPF30 facial sun cream
£27.50
BEST VEGAN FACIAL OIL
If you have dry skin a vegan facial oil makes it easy to seal hydration into the skin to promote a healthy glow.
All Green People facial oils are approved by The Vegan Society and one of our favourites is Anti-Ageing Facial which is suitable for all skin types and rich in rejuvenating Rosehip.
Anti Ageing Facial Oil 30ml
Lock in soft skin hydration with this natural and organic facial oil
£29.00
For those that prefer to use scent free vegan skin care, our Nordic Roots Marine Facial Oil is also approved by The Vegan Society and uses Atlantic Seaweed to firm and intensely hydrate skin.
Nordic Roots Marine Facial Oil 28ml
Nourish and glow with this unscented facial oil for sensitive skin
£32.00
What do our customers say?
Would you like help building a vegan-friendly beauty routine? Our UK customer care team is available to help and can be contacted on 01403 740350.
If you wish to republish this content, please credit Green People as the original creator with a link to "Going vegan? How to adapt your beauty routine" Please do not use an affiliate link.
