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9 Of The Best Vegan Moisturisers, Tested By 530 Women
Completely vegan and they actually work.
Tested by Maria KumarBeauty and Grooming Testing Manager
We’re all trying to make our beauty regimes more planet-friendly, whether that be going down the more sustainable route by ditching make-up wipes and saving on water, or upping our recycling of empty pots and packaging. One of the biggest ethical beauty movements? Vegan skincare.
Veganism has gone from niche to necessary in recent years, with people proudly declaring their animal-free diets — but it’s not just about what we eat, it applies to our skincare routines too.
However, with beauty brands launching left, right and centre, it can be hard to figure out which ones are actually producing vegan formulas. So, our panel and experts have tried the best vegan moisturisers out there, to find the products that really do stand up to their non-vegan counterparts (and in some cases, actually perform better).
These are our standout vegan moisturisers:
Best vegan moisturisers
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Best vegan face cream for brightening
Ole Henriksen Goodnight Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Creme
Read review
Are vegan and cruelty-free the same?
Usually they come as a pair, but not always. A formula is considered vegan if it doesn't contain any animal-derived ingredients (similar to your favourite vegan dishes). Honey, beeswax, keratin, collagen, glycerin and squalane are all common skincare ingredients sourced from animals, making them a no-go when it comes to vegan skincare.
To be cruelty-free, a product must not have been tested on animals during any stage of the development process — from product formulation to the finished result.
If both are important to you, there are a number of ways to check.
The most obvious way is by looking at a product's packaging for a statement that declares its vegan and cruelty-free credentials. Similarly, brands can pay to be certified by Vegan Action, PETA, The Vegan Society or Leaping Bunny and will feature the organisations' logos.
Products can still be vegan and not certified though (confusing, we know). If you want to be an A* student, channel your inner skintellectual and always check the ingredients list.
How we test
To find the best vegan skincare products, our panel of 532 testers tried 39 brands of vegan day and night creams for a period of four weeks, to see how effective they were at boosting hydration and improving fine lines, wrinkles, age spots and pigmentation.
Testers also judged how easy each product was to use, as well as whether it had any impact on skin texture, radiance, elasticity and firmness.
To be included in our round-up, the moisturiser had to either be certified vegan or have a vegan-friendly ingredients list, checked by our experts.
Here are the best of the bunch.
Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturiser SPF 30
Wearing SPF every day is a must, and Rihanna has made it even easier with her brand's hydrating moisturiser, which contains SPF30. Unlike some suncreams, this product isn’t thick, but it still managed to leave our testers feeling moisturised and glowing.
Another no-no with an SPF is the white cast some of them leave behind, but those with darker skin tones needn’t worry here as almost all of our testers said this formula blended seamlessly into skin and made a great base for make-up.
Key specifications
| Type | Day cream |
|---|---|
| Size | 50ml |
| Fragrance free | No |
| Designed for | Dry, mature, oily, normal, acne-prone |
Caudalie Resvératrol Lift Firming Cashmere Cream
This moisturiser does what it says on the tin, leaving skin as soft as your beloved cashmere jumper. All testers found it was a thirst-quenching treat, especially those with dry skin.
The texture is on the thicker side, but it sank into skin quickly and didn’t cause any irritation. It also gave most of our panel a brighter, more radiant finish. Testers said it wasn't greasy or sticky, with many finding it was a great primer for make-up.
Key specifications
| Type | Day cream |
|---|---|
| Size | 50ml |
| Fragrance free | No |
| Designed for | Normal, dry, mature, oily skin |
Verso Daily Facial Fluid
Pigmentation can be an uphill battle, but our testers said this cream made some significant differences in just one month.
It features retinol — so make sure to follow up with some SPF — and our favourite pore-refining ingredient, niacinamide. It also contains hyaluronic acid to help tackle pigmentation from all angles.
Our testers said it managed to hydrate skin without feeling heavy and the appearance of age spots and pigmentation diminished over the course of the trial.
Key specifications
| Type | Day/night cream |
|---|---|
| Size | 50ml |
| Fragrance free | No |
| Designed for | For normal to oily skin |
Working to smooth and nourish skin as you snooze, this cream will help you wake up to a healthier-looking complexion. It’s formulated to prevent water loss and is packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients such as turmeric and liquorice, which also help improve skin tone and elasticity.
Testers said it hydrated without causing irritation, and managed to improve skin texture overnight. Most found it left their skin feeling firmer and brighter, too. In fact, testers were so impressed that all agreed they would continue to use this cream after the trial.
Key specifications
| Type | Night cream |
|---|---|
| Size | 50ml |
| Fragrance free | No |
| Designed for | Dry, dehydrated skin |
Ole Henriksen Goodnight Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Creme
Featuring the natural retinol alternative, bakuchiol, this night cream targets everything from fine lines to dark spots, and gently exfoliates skin as you sleep.
Our testers reported waking up with some serious glow and said their complexion looked more plumped. It also helped to smooth the skin, leaving it with a softer feel, and some noticed added firmness too.
Key specifications
| Type | Night cream |
|---|---|
| Size | 50ml |
| Fragrance free | No |
| Designed for | Dull skin |
Coming in a handy portable tube, this face cream is a lot more convenient to pack in an overnight bag than some of the glass jars on our list.
It delivered on skin results too, leaving most of our testers with a more dewy, brighter appearance. When it came to hydration, almost everyone said if left their skin feeling more nourished.
Key specifications
| Type | Day cream |
|---|---|
| Size | 30ml |
| Fragrance free | No |
| Designed for | All skin types |
Omorovicza Instant Plumping Cream
Packed with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and ceramides, this cream aims to restore skin and leave it looking plump.
Our testers said the thick, creamy texture was a treat to apply, and it helped increase hydration levels. Despite being deeply moisturising, most agreed is soaked into skin quickly (so you don't end up sticking to your pillow during the night). A little went a long way too, balancing out the initial investment.
Key specifications
| Type | Night cream |
|---|---|
| Size | 50ml |
| Fragrance free | No |
| Designed for | Dry, mature, normal |
bareMinerals Skinlongevity Long Life Herb Night Treatment
It can be tricky to find a night cream that doesn’t set off sensitivity, but this one is fragrance-free and aims to strengthen your skin’s fragile barrier to reduce any damage caused by stress, free radicals and environmental aggressors.
Our testers didn’t experience any irritation during use, and almost everyone found its lightweight texture refreshing and soothing on the skin. Most also saw an improvement in fine lines, leaving them with improved elasticity.
Key specifications
| Type | Night cream |
|---|---|
| Size | 50ml |
| Fragrance free | Yes |
| Designed for | Sensitive skin |
Pai Skincare Salvation Jane Echium and Hyaluronic Acid Omega Rich Moisturiser
Rich in antioxidants and omegas, this cream aims to protect and replenish skin.
Our testers said it did a great job at calming and soothing any redness and inflammation caused by breakouts, without causing any irritation. The lightweight texture soaked into skin quickly but didn’t leave it looking greasy.
Key specifications
| Type | Day cream |
|---|---|
| Size | 50ml |
| Fragrance free | Yes |
| Designed for | Mature, dry skin |
Florence is our Senior Beauty Writer, specialising in expert-tested beauty and grooming reviews — from toothbrushes to the latest skincare launches. She’s committed to sharing recommendations for products that truly work and make people feel confident and healthy. Prior to this she was at Tropic Skincare, where she worked closely with biochemists in the lab, delving into the functions of each fresh, natural ingredient and conveying its efficacy to her audience in easy-to-digest terms.
With over five years’ experience in beauty and health journalism, Florence has written for ELLE, Women’s Fitness, Sister Magazine, National Geographic Traveller and many more, with a strong sustainability angle thread through much of her work.
When she isn’t packing for a trip away, working out, eating out or reading up on retinol serums, you’ll probably find her experimenting with her film camera and building her portfolio of portraits. Florence’s photography can be found at florencereeves-white.com, her Instagram is @florencereeveswhite and her twitter is @floreadsnwrites
Maria is our Beauty and Grooming Testing Manager, and since joining in mid-2022, she has managed the testing for mutiple categories including scalp scrubs, collagen supplements and retinol serums. In addition to her master's degree in chemical engineering and a diploma in cosmetic science, she recently received her MBA from the London College of Fashion, focusing on case studies within the beauty industry. Prior to joining the company, she worked within the global technical team at the Estee Lauder Companies for over six years, collaborating with the chemists and engineers to launch luxury beauty products at scale and to quality. She has also worked as a formulation scientist within the pharmaceutical industry and takes this evidence based approach into all her product testing.
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