With more and more scrutiny of brand’s supply chains, the origins of perfume ingredients is becoming something increasingly important for the consumer. This article outlines the fragrance brands which are both cruelty free and vegan for every budget.
Table of Contents
- What Does Cruelty Free Mean?
- China And Animal Testing
- What Does Vegan Mean?
- SOKI LONDON Perfumes
- Floral Street Perfumes
- Ariana Grande Perfumes
- Kayali Fragrances
- Glossier You
- Le Labo
- The Body Shop
- IKON
What Does Cruelty Free Mean?
Cruelty free is a term used to describe products or practices that do not involve animal testing or animal cruelty in any way. This means that the products have not been tested on animals and do not include ingredients that have been tested on animals. The term is often used for cosmetics products, and of course fragrances.
China And Animal Testing
Up until 2021 all perfumes sold in China were required by law to have been tested on animals and therefore could not be cruelty free. However, this law has recently been relaxed, allowing the sale of cruelty free products to the Chinese market. I think this animal testing requirement is the reason why many big brands like Dior and Chanel have not offered cruelty free perfumes, as China is a large and growing market for them.
What Does Vegan Mean?
A vegan perfume is a perfume that does not contain any animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products, such as honey, milk, beeswax or lanolin. Historically, perfumes included ingredients from animal glands (civet) and even from whale’s stomachs (ambergris).
In the past vegan perfumes have typically been made from plant-based ingredients, such as essential oils, and often contain natural fragrant compounds like citronella, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, and other aromatics. However, recently many perfumes which don’t necessarily contain natural ingredients have become vegan, largely due to the ability to synthetically recreate natural scents.
It’s important to note that just because a perfume is vegan it doesn’t necessarily mean that its also cruelty-free; this also applies the other way round too.
SOKI LONDON Perfumes
When I set out to create my first perfume it was very important to me that it was vegan and cruelty free. My first fragrance Empress was released in 2022 and has been officially approved by PETA as vegan and cruelty free.
Floral Street Perfumes
Floral Street is a British perfume brand that creates innovative, modern fragrances featuring unique, sustainable ingredients. Their collection of fragrances range from floral and fresh to bold and daring, with each scent designed to capture an emotion or a moment in time. Their mission is to create an accessible, luxurious, and sustainable fragrance experience, with products that are ethically-sourced and cruelty-free. Floral Street fragrances is available in the US at Sephora, and in the UK at FeelUnique.
Check out my article on the entire Floral Street perfume range.
Ariana Grande Perfumes
The Ariana Grande perfumes have become one of the most successful celebrity fragrances of all time, with her fragrance brand alone worth one $1bn. Cloud is her best selling fragrance and is often said to be a dupe of the far more expensive Baccarat rouge 540.
Kayali Fragrances
Kayali fragrances is a sister brand of Huda Beauty; it was quite literally set up by Huda’s sister Mona Kattan. This extensive range of Eau de Parfums includes some real gems; check out my article on every perfume they make.
In the UK Kayali fragrances are available at Feel Unique, Cult Beauty and Boots. In the US Kayali fragrances can be found at Sephora and on Amazon. Kayali is also available at Sephora Canada, Sephora Australia, Sephora Germany, and Sephora New Zealand.
Glossier You
Glossier is famous for their natural and glowing makeup products. However, their first and only perfume called Glossier You has been a great success. It’s a musky, creamy perfume which is subtle and feminine. It reminds me of Narciso Rodriguez For Her and other clean, musk fragrances.
Le Labo
Le Labo is a luxury fragrance house that specialises in handcrafted, small-batch perfumes and colognes. The brand is based in New York City, and their fragrances are made with only the highest quality, ethically sourced ingredients. Each scent is composed of a unique blend of natural essential oils, and the packaging is minimalist and eco-friendly.
The Body Shop
The Body Shop is an international cosmetics company that specialises in ethical beauty products. The company was founded in 1976 in Brighton, England and is now owned by the French cosmetics company L’Oreal. The company is known for its commitment to social and environmental responsibility and is a leader in the global fight against animal testing and the exploitation of people and resources. Use code AFFSOKI for 20% off at The Body Shop UK.
IKON
IKON fragrances are a collection of vegan and cruelty free Eau de Parfums. They are all nicely concentrated and I found they last well. The ingredients for the IKON fragrances are responsibly sourced and the packaging is cardboard, so no plastic!
The IKON fragrance range is exclusive to The Fragrance Shop (which is UK based but ships internationally).
