8 vegan skin-care brands you should know, and the best products from each company

Nuria Beauty was founded by a 15-year Johnson & Johnson veteran who traveled the world brainstorming skin-care products. She noticed that each community had certain "Holy Grail ingredients" local to them that helped address the specific skin concerns their environment fostered — such as clogged pores in warm, lush climates. She rounded up all of these remote beauty secrets into one encyclopedic master line: Nuria, which also happens to be 100% vegan.

Nuria also donates a portion of its proceeds to She's the First, a non-profit working to end gender inequality in education.

Acure is making a name for itself as the 100% vegan and "0% pretentious" brand for skin, hair, and body products after replacing the few products in its line that relied upon beeswax with animal-free alternatives. You won't find any parabens, sulfates, mineral oils, petrolatum, silicones, or animal testing with Acure's products. The Brightening Facial Scrub works on all skin types and uses a chlorella growth factor to stimulate new cell growth. It has more than 1,600 five-star reviews on Amazon.

Read our review of Youth to the People here

Youth to the People is 100% vegan and a prominent member of the superfood skin-care genre. YTTP products combine antioxidants from ingredients like kale and spinach with clinical pro-grade actives to make skin glow and retain moisture. The Superberry Hydrate + Glow Oil is a fast-absorbing face oil packed with rare super berry antioxidants, such as Maqui, the most antioxidant-dense fruit in the world.

Pai is a London-born line geared specifically toward sensitive skin. Its founder, Sarah Brown, broke out unexpectedly years before. After being continually disappointed by products claiming to be "hypoallergenic" and "organic" because they contained synthetics and irritants, Brown created Pai for effective, truly trustworthy skin-care for sensitive skin types. It's free from parabens, alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Petrochemicals, detergents, and artificial fragrance.

Pai has pledged to never test on animals, only use sustainable plant ingredients, and to choose recyclable or biodegradable packaging whenever possible. All Pai products are registered with the prestigious Vegan Society.

The company also has a 90-day money-back guarantee on all full-size products.

Odacité was created after Valerie Grandury was diagnosed with breast cancer and set out to remove all toxins from her life. Unwilling to sacrifice performance in her skin-care products, she decided to start blending her own, for herself and select private clients. The guiding light of the brand is potent, efficacious products sans toxic ingredients, and claim to only select botanicals that are organic, wild-crafted, or grown without chemicals far away from pollution.

Like many brands on the list, you won't find any fillers, preservatives, parabens, Phenoxyethanol, Nanoparticles, petrochemicals, PEG, or synthetic perfumes and dyes.

Plant Apothecary is a unisex, USDA organic beauty, grooming, and bath products line that follows principles of classical aromatherapy and herbalism. Its founders, Holly McWhorter and Bjarke Ballisager, founded the company after Holly's sensitive skin led her to study natural cosmetic formulation, aromatherapy, and herbalism in order to make her own products.

Its organic, cruelty-free, vegan products are also free of petroleum, parabens, phthalates, sulfates, silicones, and other worrisome synthetics.

Isle of Paradise is the vegan fake tan line created by celebrity tanning expert Jules Von Hep. After a decade spent in the industry, Hep created Isle of Paradise to combine traditional tanning formulas with color correcting actives that he was continually using to customize spray tans backstage. Peach tans are great for light tans and fair skin tones, green is recommended for golden glows that hide redness, and violet is best for creating a deep, dark tan and hiding orange, yellow, and ash tones. Ingredients like avocado, chia seed, and coconut oils make for a happy, hydrated glow.

Use the Mousse or the line's best-selling drops, which you can add to your favorite lotion to control your tan.