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This week on the VM blog we are talking about beauty products and personal care products. As many of us know, veganism extends beyond the dinner plate to what we wear, what we put on our bodies, how we think, and how we live our lives. But there are still plenty of misunderstandings out there about why we SHOULD be using vegan personal care products – what exactly does that mean? So, we asked three of the experts we have had the pleasure of working with this question:
What is the most misunderstood thing about beauty/personal care products that every vegan should know?
Here are their answers:
Kaylin Johnson: Kaylin’s Kit
It’s easy to find vegan beauty and personal care products, but don’t assume that these products are safe simply because they are vegan. A company might offer many cheap vegan options, but it’s important to read labels and look up ingredients to make sure you know what you’re putting on your body. I highly recommend utilizing the EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database that contains safety ratings for products as well as individual ingredients. Safe products don’t have to be expensive, but I tend to favor products from smaller companies that cater to vegans and vegetarians.
Guest Contributor Kaylin Johnson is an eco-friendly makeup artist living and working in Austin, Texas. She loves writing about vegan beauty on her blog, Kaylin’s Kit.
Evelyn Redcross: Foreue
Many vegans may question how the enzymatic, antiseptic, antioxidant and humectant properties of honey, which is not vegan, can be replaced in our beauty products, and result in zero exploitation of bees. When we omit honey, propolis or beeswax altogether, we can easily replace them with the vast choices from our plant kingdom.
Like all animal farming, there is no safe vegan borderline when it comes to bee farming. As a replacement for bee products I would suggest antibacterial/antimicrobial essential oils like rosemary or thyme, vitamins such as vitamins C or E, the great humectants, glycerin and lecithin, plus wax alternatives like candelilla, carnauba or soy. These can save the day and wondrously enhance vegan skincare products such as vegan lipsticks, lip balms, body butters, creams, hair products, soaps and candles.
Evelyn Redcross is a vegan, chef, journalist and gardening enthusiast, and has manufactured “Foreue” natural skin care products for nearly 12 years. All products are handmade and contain no preservatives nor harmful chemicals. Onwards, upwards and forward is her motto to encourage sustainability and efficient use of our earth’s magnanimous bounty.
Brandi Halls: LUSH Cosmetics
“Not tested on animals” is one of the biggest misconceptions in the beauty and personal care industry. Vegan or animal-friendly consumers, often purchase products that say “not tested on animals” assuming that their money is not supporting animal cruelty in any way; however this is always not the case. While the finished product may not have been tested on animals, the ingredients that went into creating that product, certainly could have been. In addition to that, some cruelty-free cosmetic companies are in fact owned by larger parent companies that are known to test on animals. So while they may have a line of cruelty-free products, the consumer’s money still ends up in the pockets of the parent company that is testing on animals. This is where LUSH Cosmetics, a privately owned company, sets itself apart from some other cruelty-free retailers. Not only do we not test our products on animals, we also won’t test our ingredients on animals and take it one step further in that we refuse to buy from any supplier that tests any of its ingredients on animals. We want our customers to trust that we have done the work to ensure that none of our money or their money goes towards harming animals in any way.
Brandi Halls is the North American PR & Campaigns Manager for LUSH Cosmetics, as well as a beauty enthusiast, eco warrior, human and animal rights campaigner, devoted LUSHie and lover of life! In her almost 10 years with ethical beauty purveyor LUSH, Brandi Halls has raised the profile of vegetarian and vegan beauty within the mainstream media whilst also campaigning to bring an end to the Canadian seal hunt, the shark fin trade and dog sledding just to name a few.
