13 Cruelty-Free Perfumes for All Personalities & Budgets

Quick Look

• Brands: Astrida Naturals, by rosie jane, Elixery, LUSH, Pacifica, PHLUR, Pour le Monde, Providence Perfume Co., Pura Botanicals, The Body Shop, Tsi-La, Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery. All Leaping Bunny certified, except LUSH certified by Choose Cruelty Free (Australia's equivalent); and Pacifica, by PETA.
• Widest scent selection: LUSH, Pacifica, Providence Perfume Co., The Body Shop, Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery.
• Vegan: by rosie jane, Elixery, LUSH, Pacifica, PHLUR, Pour le Monde, Province Apothecary, Pura Botanicals, Tsi-La. (Other brands mostly vegan.)
• Bargain brands: Astrida Naturals, Pacifica, The Body Shop.
• Big indulgence: Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery.

Key

Perfume types: Perfume has concentration of 15-40% aromatics (usually in alcohol base, but a perfume oil has oil base such as jojoba oil); eau de parfum, about 10-15% aromatics; eau de toilette, about 5-10% aromatics; eau de cologne (aka "cologne"), about 2-6% aromatics.

Perfume price key: $: under $30 per 30 ml. $$: $30-$90 per 30 ml. $$$: $90-$150 per 30 ml. $$$$: over $150 per 30 ml. Actual perfume volumes range from 7 ml to 50 ml, but price per 30 ml lets you compare price across the brands. (Note: 30 ml = 1 fl oz)

Astrida Naturals, $-$$

Perfume types: Perfume oil roll-ons, perfume and cologne solids, including for men. Scents are Sandalwood Vanilla, Vanilla Honey, Lemon Verbena, and Neroli Rose. Men's scents are Bay Rum and Haylaro (earthy). Roll-ons vegan, even Vanilla Honey - the "Honey" refers to fragrance, not ingredient. Solid perfume and cologne are non-vegan (beeswax).

Shop at: astridanaturals.com.

by rosie jane, $$, $$$$

Perfume types: Perfume oil ($$$$), eau de parfum ($$). Scents are Leila Lu ("pear, jasmine, fresh-cut grass"), Tilly ("grapefruit, coconut, gardenia"), Rosie ("nude musk and a hint of sweet rose"), James ("fig, amber, gardenia"), and Angie ("girly, floral with notes of honeysuckle, jasmine, fig"). Samples available for purchase. All-vegan brand (their musk isn't animal-derived).

Shop online at: byrosiejane.com and at sephora.com, b-glowing.com, and birchbox.com.

Shop locally at: Sephora and local boutiques. Find local stores (call first to make sure they have your item).

Elixery, $$

Perfume types: Perfume roll-ons. Scents are Bulgarian Rose, Cedratine & Bluebell, Mossberry & Gin, Nectar, Thousand Flowers, and White Amber. All-vegan brand.

Shop at: elixery.com.

LUSH, $$

Perfume types: Perfume, perfume oils, perfume solids. Many scents, and variety of scent. If unsure what to choose, try at a local store, or try the perfume solid version first ($11.95) before trying the perfume ($40-$60/30 ml). Perfumes are vegan.

Shop online at: lushusa.com.

Shop locally at: LUSH retail stores. Find stores.

Pacifica, $

Perfume types: Perfume sprays, perfume roll-ons, perfume oil minis. Traditional scents such as vanilla, patchouli, amber, lilac, rose, blood orange, many others. All-vegan brand.

Shop online at: pacificabeauty.com and ULTA.com.

Shop locally at: ULTA, Target, Sprouts, Whole Foods, natural food stores. Find local stores. (call store first to make sure it has your item).

PHLUR, $$

Fragrance types: Eau de parfum. Scents are Ameline (a twist on rose, with bergamot, pink pepper top notes, hints of patchouli and sandalwood), Hanami ("most minimalist scent...aquatic and floral"), Olmsted & Vaux ("citrusy burst...bright, crisp, clean"), Greylocke ("blend of pine and sea"), Hepcat ("smoky and raw"), Moab ("dry and spicy"), Sandara ("notes of forest air, violet leaves, timur pepper, sandalwood and oak moss"). Most scents are unisex. Samples available for purchase. All-vegan brand.

Shop online at: phlur.com and at credobeauty.com and sephora.com.

Shop locally at: Sephora and Credo. Find local stores.

Pour le Monde, $$

Perfume types: Eau de parfum. Award-winning. Scents are Envision, a unisex spicy oriental scent; Empower, a unisex citrus scent; and Together, a light floral scent. Samples available for purchase. All-vegan brand.

Shop at: pourlemondeparfums.com and at ecodivabeauty.com (Canada/USA) and macys.com.

Providence Perfume Co., $$-$$$$

Perfume types: Perfume oil ($$$$), eau de parfum ($$$), eau de toilette ($$-$$$), cologne ($$). Created by 2012 Natural Perfumer of the Year Charna Ethier. Fragrances nominated for the Fifi Award, considered the Oscars of the fragrance industry. Includes scents that are unisex and for men (e.g., Branch & Vine, Heart of Darkness). Samples available for purchase. All vegan except for Orange Blossom Honey perfume oil, which has honey absolut.

Shop at: providenceperfume.com.

Province Apothecary, $$$

Perfume types: Perfume oil: Parfum Botanique No. 14, "Inspire," a sweet spicy scent; No. 19, "Charm," a soft, bright floral scent; and No. 30, "Empower," a rich earthy scent. Perfumes are vegan.

Shop at: provinceapothecary.com.

Pura Botanicals, $$$

Perfume types: Perfume. Sunday Love is a soft floral (clementine, lavender, vanilla); and Nurturing Nova, an exotic, sensual blend. Perfumes are vegan.

Shop at: purabotanicals.com.

The Body Shop, $

Perfume types: Eau de parfum, eau de toilette. Many scents, including for men, in eau de toilette. Iconic scent is White Musk (musk not derived from animals). To see vegan products on thebodyshop.com site: on the main menu, choose Collections; then under "FREE FROM," choose Vegan Products.

Shop online at: thebodyshop.com.

Shop locally at: The Body Shop, at many major malls. Find local stores.

Note: The Body Shop is owned by Natura, which also is Leaping Bunny certified (through the EU certifier, Cruelty Free International).

Tsi-La Organics, $$, $$$$

Perfume types: Perfumes ($$), perfume oil minis ($$$$). Misaki is a unisex earthy lavender; Fiori d' Arancio, a bright citrus. Perfume oil minis come in additional scents. Samples available for purchase. All-vegan brand.

Shop at: tsilaorganics.com.

Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery, $$$$

Perfume types: Perfume, perfume solids, eau de parfum. From master perfumer Laurie Stern, these are the perfumes you dream of. The perfumes are beyond most of us, at hundreds of dollars per 8 ml, but she also has eau de parfums in the same scents, that at $48/4ml can be a very special splurge. She also has affordable sample sets. Vegan, except solid perfumes use beeswax from a hive that lives with her.

Shop at: purrfumery.com.

March 2019

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