Best Vegan Products in 2026

What the vegan score on a Compare page actually measures

Every product in the database carries a 0–100 ethics score, and the vegan component of that score answers one narrow question: does any input to this product originate in an animal? We look at the declared ingredient list, the brand's own formulation statement, and any third-party vegan certification. Where a brand is silent on a borderline input — glycerine, stearic acid, mono- and diglycerides, or 'natural flavouring' — the claim is treated as unverified rather than assumed vegan.

That is deliberately conservative. A product with a lower confidence rating is not accused of containing animal inputs; it simply has not published enough for the claim to be checked. Certified products rank above self-declared ones for the same reason a signed audit ranks above a press release.

Where animal ingredients still hide in 2026

Food is the easy case, because ingredient declaration is legally mandated in most markets. The harder categories are cosmetics, cleaning products and textiles. Lipsticks and blushes use carmine, a red pigment made from cochineal insects. Shampoos and conditioners use keratin and silk amino acids. Nail products and confectionery glazes use shellac, a resin secreted by the lac insect. Wool grease gives us lanolin, which appears across lip balms and moisturisers.

Household products are worse still, because ingredient lists are frequently partial. Fabric softeners have historically used tallow-derived quaternary ammonium compounds; some glues and gelatines in packaging are animal-derived even when the contents are not. This is why the category pages below score household and beauty items on transparency as well as on ingredients — a brand that will not publish a full list cannot be verified.

Vegan, cruelty-free and sustainable are three different questions

Shoppers routinely treat these as one label, and brands benefit from the confusion. Vegan is about ingredients. Cruelty-free is about animal testing, including testing carried out by suppliers or required by a market's regulator. Sustainable is about the material footprint: emissions, water, land use, packaging and end-of-life.

A product can be all three, or any one of them alone. A vegan silicone-based primer might be sold in a market that mandates animal testing. A Leaping Bunny–certified moisturiser might contain beeswax. A certified-organic wool jumper is neither vegan nor plastic-free, but may still be the lowest-impact option in its category. Our category rankings surface all three axes rather than collapsing them into a single badge.

Buying vegan products: step by step

1. 1

   Pick the category, not the brand

   Start from a category page rather than a brand you already know. Rankings are recalculated as evidence changes, so the leader is often a brand you have not heard of.

2. 2

   Check the certification column first

   A Vegan Society, V-Label or Certified Vegan mark means an auditor has seen the full formulation, including processing aids you will never find on a label.

3. 3

   Read the flagged-ingredient notes

   Where a product is not certified, the product page lists the specific inputs that could not be verified, so you can decide for yourself.

4. 4

   Cross-check the cruelty-free status

   If animal testing matters to you, open the cruelty-free ranking for the same category — the two lists overlap far less than most shoppers expect.

5. 5

   Scan it in the app before you buy

   For anything in a physical shop, the VeggieOS barcode scanner returns the same verdict, including flagged ingredients, in a couple of seconds.

Animal derivatives by product category — what to check before buying

Mistakes to avoid

Frequently asked questions

Is 'plant-based' the same as vegan?

No. 'Plant-based' has no legal definition in the EU, UK or US, so it describes the marketing angle rather than the full formulation. A certified vegan mark means an auditor has checked every ingredient and processing aid.

Can a vegan product still be tested on animals?

Yes. Vegan describes ingredients only. If a brand sells into a market that requires animal testing for cosmetics, or lets a supplier test raw materials, its vegan products are not cruelty-free.

Which vegan certifications are the most reliable?

The Vegan Society trademark, V-Label, Certified Vegan (Vegan Awareness Foundation) and PETA-Approved Vegan all require formulation disclosure. The first three also audit manufacturing for cross-contamination controls.

Are vegan products more expensive?

In food, plant-based staples such as legumes, grains and tofu are usually cheaper than their animal equivalents, while branded meat and dairy analogues carry a premium. In cosmetics, price tracks brand positioning rather than vegan status.

How often are these vegan rankings updated?

Scores are recalculated whenever a certification, ingredient list or brand disclosure changes, and the full catalogue is re-checked on a rolling daily cycle.