25 Cruelty-Free Shampoo Brands That Are Gentle on Your Skin

Beauty Without Cruelty has become a go-to for so many people looking for high-quality cruelty-free shampoo.

The brand is known for its many different items that are cruelty-free, but many love their Daily Benefits shampoo more than the others.

While the shampoo is slightly more expensive than the average drugstore price, it’s relatively cheap compared to more “luxe” brands!

Verdict: Best cheaper cruelty-free shampoo and hair care line

Who doesn’t love Trader Joe’s? And who doesn’t love tea tree oil?

This combination of two of the best things results in a lovely shampoo and conditioner pairing that leaves your hair feeling healthy and clean.

While it may be slightly more expensive than cheaper options on the market, this package is well worth every penny spent.

Verdict: Best shampoo and conditioner set that uses essential oils

Hempz is one of the best haircare brands available to purchase.

Specifically, their Triple Moisturizer Rich Daily Shampoo is their best selling, fan-favorite item that so many customers love.

The shampoo is especially great for those who are looking to moisturize their hair if it’s feeling particularly dry. 

Verdict: Best vegan and paraben-free moisturizing shampoo for dry hair

A shampoo that is paraben-free, sulfate-free, and cruelty-free, Giovanni has created a product that is great for your hair across the board.

This specific shampoo is great to smooth and nourish hair, leaving even the driest and frizziest hair moisturized and lovely.

This shampoo is also known to really help those who have an irritated scalp!

Verdict: Best cruelty-free shampoo for those with an irritated scalp

Chistina Moss Naturals Organic Shampoo is a fantastic shampoo that works for oily, curly, or even fine hair.

It’s a well-loved natural shampoo that so many customers swear by.

The shampoo helps clarify and moisturize your locks, while also relieving any dry skin on your scalp. Plus, it can be used by either men or women!

Verdict: Best shampoo for both men and women 

Puracy creates products that are made from plant-powered, natural recipes.

Their best selling natural shampoo and conditioner set is perfect for those who are seeking products that will help tame frizzy hair.

It’s a great set to use for both men and women — and it also happens to be 100% cruelty-free, non-toxic, vegan, gluten-free, biodegradable, and natural!

Verdict: Best plant-powered shampoo and conditioner set

Paul Mitchell creates some of the best haircare products that are currently available on the market. It’s a fantastic brand, though they do tend to sell more luxurious products — so their price points are higher than others, on average.

Their Tea Tree Special Shampoo is lovely and smells delightful. Many customers also say it really helps revitalize their hair and keep their scalp free from irritation or pain!

Verdict: Best luxurious shampoo that is also 100% cruelty-free

Sent From Earth creates products that are 100% cruelty-free and vegan, which customers absolutely love.

Their Caffeine & Saw Palmetto Shampoo is amazing for lots of reasons.

However, it’s clinically proven to help those who suffer from hair thinning and hair loss, so many have flocked to this! It has great reviews and seems to really work. Plus, it smells great!

Verdict: Best shampoo to help with hair loss

Argan oil has overtaken the beauty industry, and so many skincare and body lotion products have begun to make products with the oil in it.

Hask, on the other hand, has realized how wonderful the oil is for your hair!

Their Argan Oil Shampoo is lovely and keeps your hair shiny and smooth. The shampoo is also free of parabens, sulfates, gluten, artificial colors, and alcohol. 

Verdict: Best cheap cruelty-free shampoo

Kevin Murphy has a great haircare line that also happens to be 100% cruelty-free!

The brand creates absolutely amazing products, though their Blonde Angel Wash is by far their superior product.

The shampoo is perfect for those with colored or dyed hair, especially for those who have dyed their hair blonde.

Specifically, this wash helps those with dyed hair regain some color and vibrancy that may have been lost a few weeks or months after they dyed it.

This shampoo also helps your hair regain any shine that may have been lost, which is perfect for those who feel their hair needs a little boost of energy!

Verdict: Best shampoo for those who have colored their hair (especially blondes)

John Masters creates 100% cruelty-free shampoo, and their products are also 70% organic.

While so many of their hair products are amazing, let’s focus on their Zinc & Sage Shampoo.

This specific shampoo is a customer favorite, as it actually helps alleviate symptoms of psoriasis and eczema! It also helps those with dry hair and dry scalps.

Verdict: Best shampoo that helps those who have psoriasis and eczema

Yes To is a lovely cruelty-free brand that also uses amazing natural ingredients to create all of their products. The brand has makeup and skincare lines (and their skincare line is wonderful), but let’s focus on their haircare products today.

They have quite a few haircare items to choose from, but their Yes To Blueberries Healthy Hair Repair Shampoo is by far one of their best. This shampoo not only smells amazing (like blueberries! If you couldn’t have guessed!), but it also helps repair your damaged hair. It’s 98% natural and helps repair your damaged, dry hair in less than seven days.

Verdict: Best smelling repair shampoo that also happens to be cruelty-free

Looking for a little bit of volume? Look no further! Yarok has tons of amazing haircare products to choose from, but their Feed Your Volume Shampoo is definitely their best. It’s a perfect product for those who desperately want something that will help volumize their hair without making it look incredibly frizzy.

Yarok’s shampoo also happens to be 100% cruelty-free — but it’s also made without any gluten, alcohol, toxins, parabens, and sulfates. Plus, it’s vegan and made in the USA! It’s a great shampoo full of lovely natural ingredients that will help make your hair have a little bit more natural volume than normal.

Verdict: Best chemical-free shampoo that helps with the volume of your hair

Dandruff is the absolute worst, isn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s a common that affects so many people, men and women alike. But don’t worry! There’s a great cruelty-free option for you!

Jason Dandruff Relief Shampoo helps those with dandruff and any type of flaking and irritation that commonly goes with suffering from dandruff.

For best results, you should make sure to use this shampoo at least three times a week. At its very low price point, this dandruff shampoo is a definite must for those who are looking for a little relief. 

Verdict: Best cheap cruelty-free shampoo that helps with dandruff

If you really love haircare brands and products, you may have heard of Pureology before. They’ve become a really beloved brand for beauty bloggers and experts alike, and for good reason. They’ve consistently been creating high-quality products for a while now — and their shampoo is no different.

Specifically, their Hydrate Shampoo is the best. It’s a luxe option, so it’s definitely more expensive than some other brands on this list. However, it’s well worth the splurge. The Hydrate Shampoo manages to nourish and moisturize your hair without making it feel oily.

Plus, you can buy shampoos specifically for either fine hair or for medium/thick hair, which helps make sure you walk away with a shampoo specifically made for your hair type!

Verdict: Best luxe option for different hair types

Devacurl is another fan-favorite brand for beauty lovers, as they’ve consistently created amazing haircare products for a while now. Their No-Poo Original Cleanser is one of their best haircare products, and customers rave about it!

This shampoo is specially made for those who have curls. This shampoo helps keep your curls naturally defined and moisturized — and no other shampoo brand comes close to what this Devacurl shampoo does. It’s a must-try if you have curly hair!

Verdict: Best cruelty-free shampoo that helps define curly

Acure is a wonderful organic brand that creates high-quality skincare and haircare products. They have a ton of hair products you can choose from, and their inventory is vast. You can spend a lot of time browsing through their options.

Their Curiously Clarifying Lemongrass Shampoo is one of their best selling items. This shampoo is lovely, is gentle enough to use for daily use, and easily cleans hair. It is also paraben-free, sulfate-free, cruelty-free, and vegan! And, with its very low price point, it’s one of the cheapest options on this list. 

Verdict: Best gentle shampoo to use for daily use

If you love coconut milk, do we have a shampoo for you. First of all, Alba Botanica is one of the best cruelty-free brands on the market today. The brand makes amazing haircare and skincare products that are all organic, so they’re perfect items for those who want something a bit more natural to use on their skin and their hair.

More specifically, their Drink It Up Coconut Milk Shampoo is the best. This shampoo is definitely one of the best shampoos to use if you’re looking to moisturize your hair, as it gets the job done quickly. It also is very nourishing and perfect for those who love to use coconut in their beauty regime!

Verdict: Best cruelty-free shampoo that helps protect your hair from heat damage

Are you looking to clean your hair without stripping it of its natural oils? Alaffia has a solution for you! Their Shea Shampoo was made specifically for people who want to clean their hair, yet keep those lovely natural oils free from harm. The shampoo is made with shea butter, lavender, and coconut oil, all of which work to naturally enhance your hair.

The shampoo is also great for everyday use, as it’s gentle on your hair. Some customers do state that there’s a transitional phase where it feels like your hair is really oily and greasy right after you start first using the product. However, this phase will quickly end and you’ll see the wonderful results of naturally clean hair!

Verdict: Best natural shampoo that is also cruelty-free

You might have noticed that a lot of the shampoos on this list have tea tree listed in their ingredients. Tea tree is one of the best essential oils, as it helps both your skin and your hair naturally! Aromatica has realized this, and one of their best shampoos was created with this wonderful essential oil.

Their Tea Tre Purifying Shampoo does exactly what it says it does — it purifies your hair. This shampoo is perfect for those who want to cleanse and purify their hair and their scalp. This product is also amazing for those who have an itchy, inflamed, or flaky scalp and are looking for a way to help relieve any pain or irritation.

Verdict: Best shampoo for those who feel pain because of irritation or flakiness on their scalp

Only like to buy luxurious haircare? Rahua is one of the best brands you can invest in, then. A luxury brand that only produces the best of products, Rahua specializes in hair care items that are naturally made with only the most expensive ingredients. Luckily, their shampoo happens to be well worth the money that you spend on it!

Their Classic Shampoo is perfect for everyday use. Made with wonderful ingredients (such as Palo Santo oils), this shampoo leaves your hair feeling soft and luxurious.

Verdict: Best cruelty-free shampoo for daily, regular use

Finding hair products that are cruelty-free and natural tends to lead you down a path of items made with tea tree oil and lavender. However, there are so many other ingredients that are lovely for your hair, such as this shampoo here.

The 100% Pure Kelp & Mint Volumizing Shampoo is perfect for those who like more minty smells when they shower. This shampoo is amazing and helps keep your hair shiny, smooth, and volumized. It’s great for those who have flatter hair and are looking to increase its bounciness, yet without making it frizzy!

Verdict: Best shampoo for those looking to get volumized, natural beach hair

A shampoo that works for any type of hair, Dr. Alkaitis is a lovely natural brand that creates high-quality products. This brand is high end and the very definition of luxury, so their products do tend to be priced higher than other brands on this list. However, many customers swear by these products, regardless of their expense.

This specific herbal shampoo is amazing. It works wonders for those with normal, dry, or even oily hair. This shampoo also stimulates skin functions and helps circulate blood to your skin and hair roots! Overall, it’s a wonderful shampoo that does a lot. If you can splurge on it, you definitely should.

Verdict: Best high-end luxury shampoo product

Have you dyed your hair blonde a few weeks or months ago? Are you now stuck in a position where your color has faded, or turned into more of a brassy yellow color? This, unfortunately, happens all the time for those who dye their hair — but this shampoo is here to help you!

Together Beauty’s Purple Reign Shampoo, which is 100% cruelty-free, was created for blondes who have lost the lovely color of their hair. It’s great for any hair type (whether it be fine, medium, or thick texture). This shampoo is also vegan, gluten-free, and was made with recyclable packaging material!

Verdict: Second best shampoo for blondes on this list

Nature’s Gate has been creating amazing natural beauty products for decades now, and some of their customers have been buying their products for this long! Their daily cleanse shampoo has lifelong customers, as it’s a great product to use, regardless of what your hair type is.

This daily cleanse shampoo can be used daily, as it’s gentle enough for even the thinnest or most brittle of hairs. It also smells amazing and many customers state that your hair will smell good all day!

Verdict: Best daily shampoo to use that keeps your hair smelling fresh