When it comes to vegan and cruelty-free perfumes, I have to say, I think we're living in the golden age of it all. There are so many great options available—and new ones keep getting introduced into the space, too. Plus, there is a huge variety of scents to choose from, whether you lean into florals a lot, prefer spicier notes, gravitate towards fresh fragrances, or want something more grounded. There's something for everyone!
As for figuring out whether a perfume is vegan and cruelty-free or not, there are a couple of things to look for. Luckily, most of the time, the attribute is loudly and proudly featured whether you're shopping online or in-store. But if you can't tell, first you'll want to make sure it's not tested on animals. And then see if the fragrance uses any animal-derived products (like honey, beeswax, ambergris, civet, and musk). Many of these have vegan counterparts, though, so you don't have to worry about missing out on those notes or ingredients.
And you can also take a look at our shopping list below for some inspiration. Happy spritzing!
Warm and spicy, this fragrance is subtle and layerable. So you can wear it solo or with another scent. It has notes of ambrette seeds, jasmine petals, and musk.
Glossier's You is a big favorite with so many Who What Wear editors. It's just the perfect everyday fragrance. And the coolest thing is it smells a bit different on everyone. Notes include pink pepper, ambrette seeds, ambrox, and iris.
If you're a fan of classic vanilla, you're going to love this rich scent. In addition to vanilla, it features cappuccino and caramelized cedarwood.
This unisex fragrance combines rose absolute, cumin, vetiver, musks, cedar, and amber for a truly unique scent.
Potent and rich, this perfume is so intoxicating thanks to Moroccan rose, Indian patchouli, Somalian incense, and amber.
The description on this perfume reads, "It feels just like sleeping in your birthday suit," and if that's not intriguing, I don't know what is. The warm and spicy fragrance has notes of rose, nude musk, and vanilla.
This earthy and woody scent is just so comforting, but also fresh at the same time. Key notes include sandalwood, vetiver, amberwood, cedarwood, and cinnamon nutmeg.
The 7 Virtues' perfume takes a classic vanilla scent and elevates it with some exciting pairings like fresh pear, rose, and caramel infused with amber.
For something light and carefree, try this floral fruity fragrance. Peonies are the main scent here, but it's got other ingredients like blackcurrant, pink pepper, candy floss, cedarwood, and vetiver to round it all out.
Now, this is a truly interesting scent that you don't normally come across—it's inspired by a hip '90s bistro the co-founder of D.S. & Durga worked at until the early aughts. The savory fragrance features top notes of lime flower water, coriander seed, and pear; middle notes of mandarin, bell pepper, and pea flower; and base notes of basil, nutmeg, and moss water.
Grassy and earthy vetiver is mixed with Italian bergamot, grapefruit peel, cardamom, African bigarade, celery seed, white iris, Haitian vetiver, warm amber, and guaiac wood.
You can have the best of both worlds here since this fragrance is both a citrusy and woodsy scent. The hypoallergenic perfume has top notes of lemon, grapefruit, and sage leaves; middle notes of magnolia, lily of the valley, and tiare petals; and base notes of sheer amber, pink salt, cedar, and musk.
DedCool makes really interesting and yes, cool, unisex fragrances. Taunt is a popular scent with a blend of bergamot, amber, vanilla, and fresh dew.
Spritz on this refreshing fragrance for a pick-me-up. Citrus notes are combined with neroli and amber here.
This fragrance will work on even those with sensitive skin types or allergies. It's a floral scent with notes of jasmine, linden blossom, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, tuberose, coriander, bergamot, bitter orange, pink pepper, lemon, pimento berry, and hibiscus seed.
If you can't go for a walk in the woods, you can spritz in this deep woodsy unisex fragrance with scents of incense, cedarwood, and sandalwood. And even better news: The brand donates 5% of Sequoia fragrance and candles sales to Sequoia Parks Conservancy.
Uplifting, sensual, and freeing, this fragrance feels like summer (but you can wear it even in the dead of winter if you wanted). Notes include Sicilian lemon, mandarin, orange flower absolute, Egyptian jasmine, vanilla, sandalwood, and waterlily.
The description explains that the mimosa flower (which is the key scent here) was used by Grecians in the time of celebrations to decorate as a sign of joy and good luck. Sounds good, right? Other notes include grapefruit, pink pepper, pineapple, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, patchouli, musk, tonka beans, and vanilla.
Senior beauty editor Erin Jahns describes Flor de la Virgen as exquisite and truly perfect. The bright and citrusy scent features pomelo, saffron, lemon rind, fig leaf, ivy leaves, jasmine petals, olibanum, cistus, labdanum, clear musks, and ambrox.
Inspired by high-end Melrose Place in Los Angeles, Ouai's fragrance is a rich scent of rose, bergamot, lychee, cedarwood, and white musk.
If you're bored of the usual citrus and floral scents, why not experiment with a tea-infused one? Nanyang features black tea, green tea, white flowers, leather, and saffron. It's a tribute to Singapore.
This one evokes a day on a tropical island. The sensual scent includes key notes of ylang-ylang, Tahitian tiare, and ambergris.
DedCool's Fragrance 03 manages to be both light and a bit woodsy thanks to top notes of juniper berries and saffron; middle note of black violet; and base notes of blonde woods and vetiver.
Santal 33 is a total classic—and it's just a bonus that it's vegan and cruelty-free, too. The rich and woody scent is so captivating with scents of violet accord, cardamom, iris, ambrox, cedarwood, leather, and sandalwood.
The Strawberry fragrance is fresh and bright, and not sticky sweet. It features top notes of sparkling bergamot, mara strawberry, and pink pepper; middle notes of jasmine petals, jasmine lactone captive, and woodland greens; and base notes of cedarwood, oakmoss, captive musks, and orris root.
Hinoki Fantôme is my absolute favorite candle scent, so of course, I'm a big fan of the perfume version. It's a compliment magnet with notes of cypress, black pepper, olibanum, tobacco leaves, orris, cedarwood atlas, hinoki, fir balsam, patchouli, oakmoss, smoked leather, cypriol, and cistus.
The perfect mix of a grounding and floral scent, Sandalwood Temple has the deep, woodsy notes of cedarwood and sandalwood, and fresh notes of bergamot, neroli, and orange blossom. It has a little hint of sweet with vanilla, too.
It feels like you're on the open seas with this salty floral fragrance. The key scent of salt spray rose is combined with bergamot, petals, lemon oil, linden, dune grass, muscone, salt water, and white moss.
