Best Vegan Skincare (2026): Cleansers & Moisturizers

The Top 3 Vegan Skincare Basics

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Best overall cleanser

Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser (8 oz)

Gel-to-foam face wash · 8 fl oz

$39.00

Check price →

Best budget moisturizer

e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Face Cream

Fragrance-free face cream · 1.7 oz

$13.00

Check price →

Best budget cleanser

Good Molecules Hydrating Facial Cleansing Gel

Lightly lathering gel · 6.7 fl oz

Check price →

All 5 Vegan Skincare Basics, Side by Side

#	Pick	Key specs
1	Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser (8 oz) Best overall cleanser	Gel-to-foam face wash · 8 fl oz Byrdie’s best overall face wash (90+ tested)	$39.00Check price
2	e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Face Cream Best budget moisturizer	Fragrance-free face cream · 1.7 oz Byrdie’s best budget drugstore moisturizer	$13.00Check price
3	Good Molecules Hydrating Facial Cleansing Gel Best budget cleanser	Lightly lathering gel · 6.7 fl oz Byrdie’s budget face wash for dry skin (85+ tested)	Check price
4	Naturium Niacinamide Gel Cream 5% Best lightweight moisturizer	Gel-cream · 5% niacinamide · 1.7 oz Byrdie’s best drugstore moisturizer under makeup	$18.99Check price
5	Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Moisture Barrier Cleanser Best creamy cleanser	Creamy gel-to-foam wash · 5 oz On Byrdie’s 14 best face washes (dry skin)	$28.00Check price

How We Picked

Gate one: the brand is in the Leaping Bunny database (checked November 5, 2026). Gate two: the maker says the product, or its whole brand, is vegan. Each pick names that source.
Then the testing: Byrdie’s face-wash tests (90+ washes overall, 85+ for dry skin) and its nine-tester, four-week drugstore moisturizer test, all of which quote board-certified dermatologists.
We also read Good Housekeeping’s and Allure’s current cleanser and moisturizer lists. Their winners were mostly brands we couldn’t find in the Leaping Bunny database, so they’re not here.
No sunscreens or SPF moisturizers. The FDA treats moisturizers with sun-protection claims as drugs as well as cosmetics, and that’s a different guide.
Only listings sold by the brand or by Amazon. We never tested anything ourselves; findings belong to the outlets we link.

The Reviews

Ranked, roasted, and label-checked.

Best overall cleanser

Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser (8 oz)

The green juice of face washes, minus the line at the juice bar. Byrdie tested more than 90 face washes over several rounds and named this one best overall: its tester found the gel-to-foam texture lathered beautifully and washed away dirt, oil and makeup without leaving skin stripped. It’s built on kale, spinach and green tea, comes in a refillable glass bottle, and the brand labels it a vegan formula with no animal-derived ingredients. For anyone who wants one cleanser and zero decisions.

gel-to-foam texture
kale, spinach + green tea
8 fl oz glass bottle
16.9 oz refill sold too

Why it made the list

Byrdie’s top pick out of 90+ face washes
Gel-to-foam texture that testers liked
Big refill pouch cuts down on bottles

Watch out for

Byrdie says it could be more hydrating
Has a scent: the brand calls it fresh and herbaceous
The priciest cleanser here

Type: Gel-to-foam face wash
Size: 8 fl oz (2 oz and 16.9 oz refill also sold)
Key ingredients: Kale, spinach, green tea
Cruelty-free: Leaping Bunny certified since 2021
Vegan: Brand: vegan formula, no animal-derived ingredients
Owner: L’Oréal (deal announced December 2021)

Sources: Byrdie: The 14 Best Face Washes · Youth To The People: Superfood Cleanser · Leaping Bunny: Youth To The People · L’Oréal: acquisition announcement

Check price on Amazon →$39.00 as of Nov 5, 9:13 PM ET

Best budget moisturizer

e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Face Cream

Proof that a moisturizer doesn’t need a velvet box and a French accent. In Byrdie’s drugstore moisturizer test (nine testers, four weeks at home), this was the best budget pick: thick but not heavy, quick to sink in, with a natural finish that’s neither matte nor dewy. Its tester found a small amount goes a long way. The formula pairs hyaluronic acid and niacinamide with squalane, peptides and vitamin B5, and the whole e.l.f. brand is vegan. If you like it, the Holy Hydration! line has a cleanser too, though none of the experts we used tested that one.

hyaluronic acid
niacinamide
squalane + peptides
fragrance-free
1.7 oz

Why it made the list

Byrdie’s budget winner
Fragrance-free
Brand-wide vegan, Leaping Bunny and PETA certified

Watch out for

No SPF: it’s a moisturizer only
A cream, not a gel; very oily skin may prefer the Naturium below

Type: Face cream
Size: 1.7 oz
Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, squalane, peptides, vitamin B5
Cruelty-free: Leaping Bunny certified since 2022
Vegan: e.l.f.: 100% vegan, no animal ingredients
Owner: e.l.f. Beauty, Inc.

Sources: Byrdie: The 9 Best Drugstore Moisturizers · e.l.f.: vegan and cruelty-free statement · Leaping Bunny: e.l.f. Cosmetics

Check price on Amazon →$13.00 as of Nov 5, 9:13 PM ET

Best budget cleanser

Good Molecules Hydrating Facial Cleansing Gel

The cheapest pick on the page and the least dramatic, which is exactly what you want from soap for your face. Byrdie, which has tested more than 85 face washes for dry skin, named it the best budget-friendly option: it left its tester’s dry skin feeling moisturized, and a small squeeze does the job. It has no added fragrance, a pH of 5.5, and rosewater plus pineapple extract. Good Molecules labels this cleanser vegan and cruelty-free.

no added fragrance
pH 5.5
rosewater + pineapple extract
6.7 fl oz

Why it made the list

The cheapest pick here
No added fragrance
Left Byrdie’s tester’s dry skin feeling moisturized

Watch out for

Byrdie: grab a separate remover for mascara and heavy makeup
Basic by design: a cleanser, nothing more

Type: Gel face wash
Size: 6.7 fl oz (200 mL)
pH: 5.5 (brand)
Cruelty-free: Leaping Bunny certified since 2021
Vegan: Good Molecules labels this product vegan

Sources: Byrdie: Best Face Washes for Dry Skin · Good Molecules: product page · Leaping Bunny: Good Molecules

Check price on Amazon → as of Nov 5, 9:13 PM ET

Best lightweight moisturizer

Naturium Niacinamide Gel Cream 5%

For people who want moisturizer to feel like nothing at all. Byrdie picked this gel-cream as the best drugstore moisturizer to wear under makeup: its tester wore it under a variety of other products with no pilling, and Byrdie says a single pump should do it. It leaves a dewy finish. Naturium lists it as vegan, fragrance-free and cruelty-free. Think of it as the lighter partner to the e.l.f. cream: same shelf, thinner coat.

5% niacinamide
gel-cream texture
fragrance-free
1.7 oz

Why it made the list

No pilling under makeup in Byrdie’s test
Fragrance-free
One pump per use, per Byrdie

Watch out for

Byrdie: may not be enough for very dry skin
Costs more per ounce than the e.l.f. cream

Type: Gel-cream moisturizer
Size: 1.7 oz
Key ingredient: 5% niacinamide
Cruelty-free: Leaping Bunny certified since 2024
Vegan: Naturium lists this product vegan
Owner: e.l.f. Beauty (bought Naturium in 2023)

Sources: Byrdie: The 9 Best Drugstore Moisturizers · Naturium: product page · Leaping Bunny: Naturium · e.l.f. Beauty SEC filing: Naturium deal closed

Check price on Amazon →$18.99 as of Nov 5, 9:13 PM ET

Best creamy cleanser

Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Moisture Barrier Cleanser

If gel cleansers leave your face feeling like a squeaky dinner plate, try the creamy one. It made Byrdie’s list of the 14 best face washes, with dry and mature skin listed as its match, and Byrdie liked its soft, creamy texture. The ingredient list reads like a fancy brunch: ceramides, colloidal oatmeal, avocado oil and hyaluronic acid. Glow Recipe marks this cleanser vegan and cruelty-free, and it skips synthetic fragrance.

ceramides
colloidal oatmeal + avocado oil
hyaluronic acid
no synthetic fragrance
5 oz tube

Why it made the list

Creamy texture for drier skin
No synthetic fragrance
Made Byrdie’s 14-pick shortlist

Watch out for

Byrdie: a bit messy coming out of the tube
Pricier than the Good Molecules gel

Type: Creamy gel-to-foam face wash
Size: 5 oz (150 mL)
Key ingredients: Ceramides, colloidal oatmeal, avocado oil, hyaluronic acid
Cruelty-free: Leaping Bunny certified since 2020
Vegan: Glow Recipe labels this cleanser vegan

Sources: Byrdie: The 14 Best Face Washes · Glow Recipe: product page · Leaping Bunny: Glow Recipe

Check price on Amazon →$28.00 as of Nov 5, 9:13 PM ET

What Actually Matters

Certified beats cute packaging. “Cruelty-free” on a bottle is a marketing word. Leaping Bunny certification means the company signed on to the program’s no-animal-testing standard, suppliers included.

Leaping Bunny doesn’t check what’s in the jar. It covers animal testing, not beeswax, lanolin or carmine. That’s why every pick here also carries a vegan statement from its maker.

Gel or cream? The dermatologists Byrdie quotes point dry or sensitive skin toward creamy cleansers with humectants like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, combination skin toward gels, and oily skin toward foams. Translation: Glow Recipe if you’re dry, Good Molecules or Youth To The People if you’re not sure.

Fragrance. Good Molecules, e.l.f. and Naturium are fragrance-free. Glow Recipe skips synthetic fragrance. Youth To The People has a scent. New to a product? Try it on a small patch first.

Who Owns What

Youth To The People belongs to L’Oréal, which announced the deal in December 2021; Leaping Bunny notes that the parent company isn’t certified. Naturium belongs to e.l.f. Beauty, which closed its purchase in October 2023. e.l.f. is e.l.f. Beauty’s own brand. Leaping Bunny lists no uncertified parent for Good Molecules or Glow Recipe.

Label readers, unite: if you check INCI lists for fun, give your protein powder the same treatment. Start with our clean-label vegan protein powders.

Quick Questions

Is Leaping Bunny certified the same as vegan?

No. Leaping Bunny is about animal testing. Vegan is about ingredients. A certified brand can still sell a lip balm with beeswax, so we required both.

Why no CeraVe, Cetaphil or Vanicream?

Dermatologists love them, and they top plenty of lists. But we couldn’t find any of the three in the Leaping Bunny database on November 5, 2026, so they failed our first gate.

Youth To The People is owned by L’Oréal. Does it still count?

Youth To The People itself is Leaping Bunny certified, and Leaping Bunny flags that its parent company isn’t. That’s the fact; whether it matters is your call.

How many products do I actually need?

Start with two: a cleanser and a moisturizer. One from each half of this list makes a full starter set. Add more only if you want to.

Will any of these fix a skin condition?

We don’t make skin-condition claims, and neither should a face wash. If you’re dealing with one, a board-certified dermatologist is the right person to ask.

Don’t Forget the Protein

Vegan from head to toe, and in the shaker too. See our top 10 vegan protein powders or take the 60-second powder quiz.

Keep Reading

Sources

Specs and models change: check the Amazon listing before you buy.