Let’s lather up a list of palm oil free shampoo. Because you might not know this, but palm oil (or its many derivatives) is commonly found in shampoo—for no good reason other than increasing a company’s profit.
While the complex palm oil free debate isn’t solved by boycotting every product that happens to contain the stuff, we can reduce our reliance on it, especially in products where it serves no purpose.
We’d rather jump in the shower with palm oil free shampoo brands who put the planet before the bottom line. And that’s what you’ll find here, a roundup of our favorite brands who not only steer clear of palm oil but also use other safe ingredients and stick to ethical supply chains.
While you’re refreshing your scalp, we’re refreshing our content with our new Brand Rating System in hand. When we get around to applying it here, it will extend what we look for in brands to an array of eco-related criteria including chemical use, and climate and biodiversity impacts. To learn more about it, see here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
Our Favorite Shampoo Without Palm Oil
One of our favorite brands for refillable skincare and haircare products, Plaine Products keeps our hair clean with biodegradable and GMO-free formulas that come in refillable aluminum bottles. Plaine Products has been comprehensively rated by us on their sustainability credentials – find the full rating here.
Conscious Skincare provides a conscious alternative with palm oil and sulfate free shampoo to give your locks the TLC they deserve.
Index: Palm Oil Free Shampoo & Conditioner
- Plaine Products Jump to brand
- Conscious Skincare Jump to brand
- Ethique Jump to brand
- Superfly Soap Jump to brand
- EcoRoots Jump to brand
- Friendly Soap Jump to brand
- Battle Green Jump to brand
- Biome Jump to brand
- Acure Jump to brand
Plaine Products
Circular
All or some products are circular in nature - such that no part of the product needs to end up in landfill at the end of its life
Cruelty-free
Products are not test on animals at any stage in their production.
Locally Made
Products are made local to the brand's headquarters.
Non-toxic
All products are made with ingredients or materials that are currently considered non-toxic
Palm Oil Free
Products contain no palm oil or palm oil derivatives.
Plastic-free
All products are entirely plastic-free
Refillable
Product packaging can be refilled with more product, either at a physical store or via a return program.
Small business
This brand is a small business run by less than 15 people
Take Back Program
Brand offers a take back program for their products and responsibly manages returned items.
Thoughtful packaging
Product packaging has been designed and created with the end of life outcome in mind and can be easily recycled or composted.
Vegan
This brand does not use any animal products or by-products in their products
Woman Owned
This brand is owned by a woman or a group of women.
Zero Waste
Products are made with a low or zero waste approach where ideally no or limited waste is created throughout the production process or at the end of life.
1% for the planet
B Corp
Leaping Bunny
PETA
1% for the planet
Certified Environmental Giving — Businesses give 1% of their annual sales directly to vetted environmental partners.Plaine Products’ Shampoo
Make your mane smell like Citrus Lavender or Rosemary Mint Vanilla (or not smell at all) with Plaine Products. If you’d prefer to keep it plaine and simple, there’s a multi-use Sage Hair & Body Wash, too.
Free from palm oil and all its derivatives, they use vegetable glycerin from coconut oil and glyceryl mono stearate from other vegetable oils. All told, the shampoo and conditioners are both biodegradable, non-GMO, color safe, reusable, and refillable.
When you’re ready for more, just order a refill, keep your pump, and send back your old aluminum bottle in the order’s initial custom fit packaging for it to be cleaned and reused. If, for whatever reason you don’t want to refill, the aluminum bottle is infinitely recyclable.
About Plaine Products
Between hair care products, organic body wash, and lotions, Plaine Products was made to clean up our act. The sister-owned business is a Certified B Corp and certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.
They test and manufacture everything (even the aluminum bottles) themselves only using ingredients that are vegan and Leaping Bunny cruelty-free. They’re also a contributing member of 1% for the Planet and are carbon neutral.
Plaine Products has been rated by Sustainable Jungle. Find the full rating here.
My Personal Review of Plaine Products’ Shampoo & Conditioner:
“I love how fast Plaine’s shampoo lathers—just a small dollop, and it foams up enough to cover my whole scalp. It cleans my hair really well, too. The conditioner is so good that I don’t even need to use it every time I shower. When I do, my hair feels super soft and smooth, but never weighed down.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Conscious Skincare
Conscious Skincare has not been rated.
Conscious Skincare’s Shampoo
Conscious Skincare’s shampoos and conditioners are free of harmful chemicals, but they’re also consciously packaged in glass bottles (pumps are optional) with refills available.
Their plant-based organic Cypress and Sage shampoo and conditioner infuses nourishing herbal oils with pro-vitamin B5 and prebiotics for a chemical and cruelty free cleanse. That and their Pure Sulfate Free are EWG verified.
About Conscious Skincare
As the name suggests, Conscious Skincare and its female founder, Rebecca, focus on organic products with a clean conscience. Driven by personal health issues, she wanted to create products that worked—without complications or compromises.
From natural face wash to moisturizer, everything is made in-house, using ethically-sourced and palm oil free ingredients. Finished products are approved by the Vegetarian Society, PETA, and Leaping Bunny Cruelty Free.
Their philanthropic efforts include product donations to essential workers and support for animal rescue charities.
Ethique
Ethique has not been rated.
Ethique’s Shampoo Bars
Whether your mane is oily, dry, damaged, flakey, curley, sensitive, or blonde—or you just want some balance—Ethique will cater to all and any of your follicles’ needs with a variety of formulas to choose from depending on your hair type. All are plant-based and palm oil free.
Their zero waste shampoo bars are compostable in wrapping and concentrated in formula, that is one bar equals around three bottles of liquid shampoo. Unlike some other natural shampoos, there’s no transition period required either.
About Ethique
New Zealand-started, globally-spread Ethique has raised the bar (literally) with bar and cardboard push tubes for all kinds of personal and home care products. The Certified B Corp ticks all the eco and ethical boxes and their ingredients in most cases are directly traded.
They’re certified by the Orangutan Alliance for being palm oil free but are open to using RSPO palm oil once they can be sure it’s legitimately sustainable.
Offsetting 120% of the company’s carbon emissions, they’re climate positive. Not only do they plant a tree for each order, but they also donate 2% of sales to environmental and animal welfare organizations.
Superfly Soap
Superfly Soap has not been rated.
Superfly Soap’s Shampoo
With varieties like Avocado & Banana, Orange Spice, Mango, or Unscented, Superfly Soap’s palm oil free conditioner and shampoo sound delicious. You practically could eat these shampoo bars, too, as they’re made with recognizable, natural ingredients like macadamia nut oil, rice bran oil, and cocoa butter.
You can choose to get the bars unwrapped or wrapped in vegan paper with eco ink.
About Superfly Soap
Hailing from Scotland, Superfly Soap is an affordable, award-winning, skincare brand. Founder and foodie, Lisa, uses her favorite foods—ground orange peel, coconut oil, avocado oil—to make cold process soaps that are always vegan, cruelty free, and palm oil free.
Everything is made using renewable energy and zero waste practices (meaning minimal, eco-conscious packaging). Selling on Etsy means she guarantees the carbon emissions of shipping are offset.
EcoRoots
EcoRoots has not been rated.
EcoRoots’ Shampoo and Conditioner
EcoRoots’ shampoo and palm free conditioner bars can be directly applied to wet hair of all types, including curly or color-treated hair. Cocoa butter, coconut oil, and rapeseed oil-derived surfactants replace palm oil in all formulas.
In addition to an unscented version for sensitive scalps, nine unisex scents are available for slightly different purposes. For instance, for anti dandruff purposes, they recommend Forest Mint.
They’re not only all-natural but highly-concentrated. Just one bar will outlast two to three plastic bottles.
About EcoRoots
Colorado-based EcoRoots is fast becoming a house-hould name among its zero waste beauty brand counter-parts. Products are handmade in the USA, using ethically sourced ingredients. All packaging is recycled and compostable, too.
Friendly Soap
Friendly Soap has not been rated.
Friendly Soap’s Shampoo Bars
With a range including Lavender & Geranium, Peppermint & Eucalyptus, and Lavender & Tea Tree, Friendly Soap’s scents sure do put a smile on our face since they don’t contain sulfates or preservatives. And instead of palm oil, a blend of organic argon, castor, coconut, and olive oils are used.
Just a heads-up, they’re not suitable if you’re going to use them with hard water, as it can cause a chemical reaction that reduces their efficacy and may produce an insoluble residue.
About Friendly Soap
Everything is handmade by team members who are paid higher than living wages. They’re listed as an Ethical Consumer best buy, not least because they’re certified by Fair Tax, meaning they pay the right amount of corporation tax.
The packaging is recycled and recyclable and they use eco shipping services instead of fossil fuel-intensive freight.
With every order, a portion of profits supports global hygiene projects through Just a Drop. They also partner with Treesponsibility, giving the Friendly Soap team paid volunteer days to assist with replanting woodlands and hedgerows.
Battle Green
Battle Green has not been rated.
Battle Green’s Shampoo
With arguably the largest range of scents including Mint, Citrus, Chamomile, Lavender, and Tea Tree varieties, Battle Green has shampoo bars whatever your preference. The solid shampoo and conditioner is formulated with plant-based ingredients for treating a variety of issues, like dryness, frizz, detangling, split ends, while adding luster and softness.
You may experience the need for an adjustment period, for which they recommend using a weak vinegar rinse.
Each bar can last about 80 washes and comes minimally packaged in compostable wrap.
About Battle Green
North Wales is home to Battle Green, Etsy seller of eco alternatives for the everyday like sustainable toothbrushes, dry shampoo, and more. Everything is handmade, using mostly organic and always vegan friendly ingredients. These don’t include palm oil. Instead jojoba oil, cocoa butter, grapeseed oil, olive oil, and derivatives from coconut oil are used.
Biome
Biome has not been rated.
Biome’s Shampoo
Have dogs, dandruff, oily hair, a sensitive scalp, or lice? No problem. With palm oil free hair products for all of the above, Biome is a one-stop follicle shop.
The coconut oil shampoo comes in bar form and features organic plant oils, clay, and essential oils. Instead of conventional conditioner, they offer a 100% Jojoba Oil Spray. It’s multi-purpose, so can also be used as a moisturizer, cleanser, bath oil, or carrier oil.
To stay looking grease-free between washes, check out their Dry Shampoo for Light and Dark hair. It comes in a reusable/recyclable glass bottle.
About Biome
Biome is one of Australia’s best ethical online marketplaces, stocking a wide range of personal care products. Now they have their own line of vegan, cruelty free, and mostly organic eco-friendly makeup, haircare, skin care, and more.
Eco-conscious packaging is all you’ll find when you order from this Certified B Corp and Net Zero company.
Acure
Acure has not been rated.
Acure’s Shampoo
Acure does not do shampoo in half measures. Maybe your hair’s curly, wavy, colored, dry, dull, flat, or a little lackluster, well…there’s an eco-friendly shampoo bottle or bar to take care of it.
Natural ingredients give each type clarifying, hydrating, and smoothing qualities sans sulfates or parabens.
About Acure
With hair and skin care products, deodorant, and vegan sunscreen, Acure is a cure for all us conscious consumers looking for ethical alternatives. Everything is paraben-free, sulfate-free, petroleum-free, formaldehyde-free, mineral oil-free, and cruelty free. Mostly coconut oil-derivatives are used in lieu of those from palm and ingredients are often sourced from fair trade suppliers.
While they do use plastic packaging for most products, they have a national recycling program through a partnership with TerraCycle.
Why Buy Palm Oil Free Shampoo & Conditioner?
About 50% of the products we use and eat contain palm oil. In shampoo, palm oil works as a conditioning agent. The creamy liquid helps to restore hair’s natural oils, keeping it feeling moisturized and healthy.
You may also see one of palm oil’s derivatives in shampoo: Palmitate, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), and Palmityl Alcohol—to name a few. In these cases, palm oil is transformed into a cheap surfactant that works to cleanse and foam.
So why are people increasingly looking for palm oil free shampoo and conditioner?
For the same reason they’re seeking out palm oil free toothpaste.
We’ve already washed, rinsed, and repeated this question several times when we looked at sustainable palm oil, but as a quick refresher:
- Palm oil is the cheapest and most efficient oil seed crop, meaning we consume around 74 million metric tons of it a year.
- Despite that, the world (multinational corporations being the principal culprit) is hungry for more. We’ve deforested more than 27 million hectares with the crop, destroying animal habitats and human settlements.
- Within the industry, human rights violations are common, as are threats to endangered species, like the Sumatran tiger, Borneo elephant, and orangutan.
However, this is a complex issue that can’t be solved by going totally palm oil free. Other types of vegetable oils require as much as 10 times more land, so if we switched overnight it could have an even worse impact on our planet. Instead, we should cut it out where we can without necessarily going cold turkey. Where we can’t cut it out, seek sustainable sources bearing Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and other similar certifications.
If you’re looking to cut down on your personal palm oil consumption, shampoo and conditioner are an easy way to do so. Especially since many palm oil alternatives—namely jojoba, argan, coconut, castor, avocado, sweet almond, grapeseed, and olive oil—are more beneficial for our luscious locks.
The alternatives we’ve rounded up are especially helpful if you suffer from dryness, frizziness, dandruff, breakage, dullness, or damage.
