CeraVe: 7 Vegan & Cruelty-Free Alternatives

Balancing a vegan lifestyle with beauty products can be challenging, even for the determined and seasoned vegan. If you have go-to brands that you love but which contain animal products, you might be struggling to find viable alternatives.

CeraVe is one such brand that is difficult to replace, but there are options out there. CeraVe might do a great job of moisturizing your skin, but there are quite a few things that you can replace it with if you read the ingredients carefully and look for equivalents. For example, you might consider Paula’s Choice Ceramide-Enriched Firming Moisturizer, or Pixi Rose Ceramide Cream.

We’re going to use this article to find products that will work as alternatives to CeraVe, so your skincare routine doesn’t have to suffer. These options will all have ingredients in common with CeraVe, maximizing the chances that they will work well for you.

What Are The Vegan Alternatives To CeraVe?

moisturizer

CeraVe has managed to stand out from the crowd because it contains ceramides, which help to minimize moisture loss and keep your skin hydrated for longer. They are key to moisturizing effectively, and they will ensure your skin retains its elasticity and stays hydrated and fresh.

Furthermore, CeraVe is a gentle moisturizer with a short ingredient list. This makes it easy to determine whether there’s anything that is likely to irritate your skin. 

It utilizes both hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which are humectants that pull moisture into the skin and plump up the cells. This makes the skin look better and fresher, and maximizes its appearance.

However, all of those benefits are meaningless if you’re a vegan, because CeraVe is not cruelty-free, and is owned by L’Oreal, which is known for testing on animals.

That will leave you looking for alternative products you can use for skin hydration – and fortunately, there are quite a few options. You might want to try:

  • Pixi Rose Ceramide Cream
  • Ceramedx Ultra-Moisturizing Cream
  • Paula’s Choice Ceramide-Enriched Firming Moisturizer
  • Paula’s Choice Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer
  • Florence’s Skin Rehab Rich Cream
  • Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream
  • BYBI’s C-Caf Cream

Option 1) Pixi Rose Ceramide Cream

pixi

If you’re looking to replicate the ceramides in CeraVe skin cream, Rose Ceramide Cream by Pixi is an excellent option. It comes in attractive packaging and smells great, and it will work for many skin types. However, you should be careful and test a small area of your skin first, as it can sometimes be an irritant.

Option 2) Ceramedx Ultra-Moisturizing Cream

ceramedx

This moisturizer also contains the ceramides that are so important in a good skin cream, and it backs those up with some of the same oils as CeraVe. That means it might be ideal if you’re missing that particular blend, and it will nicely create a barrier on your skin that should protect it as well as moisturize it.

Option 3) Paula’s Choice Ceramide-Enriched Firming Moisturizer

paula's choice purple moisturizer

Another excellent option, this moisturizer offers the ceramides and still uses glycerin as a humectant, but it’s got a few other benefits that might set it apart from the competition – including vitamin C. This will help to revitalize your skin, making it look and feel better, and nourishing it. Vitamin C is probably one of the best known vitamins for skin health.

That means this moisturizer will help to tackle lines and aging skin, as well as eliminating dry and itchy patches.

Option 4) Paula’s Choice Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer

paula's choice blue moisturizer

With the same standards of glycerin and ceramides, this moisturizer goes the extra mile by adding potassium, magnesium, and calcium to your skin. It’s a very gentle moisturizer, so it’s perfect if you tend to suffer from itchiness or sensitivity, and it will lend your skin a full, attractive look.

If you need deep hydration throughout your skin and you tend to be a little sensitive to products, this is definitely something you should try.

Option 5) Florence’s Skin Rehab Rich Cream

florence

There are a few different blends available under this name, but they all contain the valuable lipids, ceramides, and natural oils that you will find in CeraVe. Using this moisturizer regularly will help to hydrate and enliven your skin, leaving it looking fresh and beautiful.

Option 6) Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream

lala retro

In spite of its unusual name, this is a great alternative to CeraVe, because it contains 3 ceramides and humectants. It’s got 6 African oils in it, and it will create a barrier to protect your skin and trap moisture inside. 

Option 7) BYBI’s C-Caf Cream

bybi

If you feel your skin is looking a little tired, this contains vitamin C and caffeine and will work to reintroduce moisture and form a protective barrier.

Conclusion

As you can see, you don’t have to suffer from dry, flaky skin just because you don’t want to contribute to animal suffering. There are plenty of vegan options you can try to rehydrate your skin and leave it feeling fresh and pleasant.

Photo of author

Alexandre Valente

Hey there! My name is Alex and I've been vegan for over six years! I've set up this blog because I'm passionate about veganism and living a more spiritually fulfilling life where I'm more in tune with nature. Hopefully, I can use Vegan Foundry as a channel to help you out on your own journey!