When we buy skincare, we make conscious choices based on certain factors. Like the brand, smell, texture, shade, packaging, or any other criteria important to us. But why not include animal-friendliness to that list?
The vegan lifestyle extends from food to cosmetics and a lot of people have already adopted it. And not only because it is a popular trend, but because it has many benefits. We have listed 3 big reasons why people should switch to vegan skincare.
What Is Vegan Skincare?
Vegan skincare is free of animal-derived components. In addition, vegan skincare is cruelty-free, meaning it has not been tested on animals. So most vegan skincare brands have developed formulas that are safe and effective. They contain plant-based or vegan-friendly ingredients instead of animal-based ones.
For example, instead of beeswax in lip care, vegan brands use coconut oil or shea butter. Instead of lanolin, vegan brands go with moisturizing hyaluronic acid or cocoa butter.
Many animal-derived ingredients in skin care have complicated names. Therefore, it may come as a surprise how many of these are actually found in everyday products.
So, a lot of skincare components are still made of slaughterhouse waste, animal fats, or internal organs. Such as collagen, elastin, keratin, silk, and squalene. You can also learn more about animal-derived skincare ingredients here.
To find vegan skincare products, it is beneficial to be familiar with vegan brands. Luckily, most of them put vegan labels on their products so it is fairly easy to spot them. In fact, looking for certified vegan stickers is the easiest way to recognize a vegan product. Another option is to read the list of ingredients and check the origin of the components.
3 Big Reasons To Switch To Vegan Skincare
The selection of vegan products is huge. As the demand is increasing, it is growing every year. Now, let’s learn about the main big reasons people make the decision to switch to vegan skincare … And why you should do it, too.
Vegan Skincare Can Be Better For Your Skin And Health
Yes, vegan cosmetics can improve your well-being. Veganism is mostly accompanied by health awareness. And as conscious producers, vegan brands often use cleaner and more natural components in their skin care.
So, vegan skincare products are often chemical-free, natural, and sometimes even organic. As plant-based ingredients usually contain more antioxidants and vitamins, they are also better for the skin.
If the origin of all the skincare ingredients were known to everyone, many people would give them up. Not only is the production of animal products cruel but the idea of rubbing animal fats on the skin, for instance, is also not appealing.
Some animal-based ingredients come from by-products and slaughterhouse waste from the meat industry. For example, collagen is a protein made of animal tissue. And lanolin is a popular emollient made from sheep sweat.
The skin absorbs a lot of the products we apply. That is why it is good to be aware of the ingredients. If you do not know how to pronounce most of the substances on your product’s ingredient list, take it as a bad sign. Conscious vegan brands try to achieve maximum results with very few ingredients. It is not confirmed that animal-derived components have a higher chance of being harmful to the skin and health.
Vegan Skincare Is Better For The Planet And Its People
Keeping farm animals has a devastating effect on our planet. It contributes to climate warming and causes environmental pollution. It causes the destruction of species and wasted resources. Animal farming produces large amounts of greenhouse gases and clears thousands of hectares of rainforest to enable it.
UN reports confirm that animal husbandry contributes the most to climate warming. In addition to a large amount of carbon dioxide, farming releases both methane and nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere.
Our natural resources are also not endless. The production of animal products is inefficient because it wastes natural resources. Such as food, water, land, air, fossil fuels, etc.
Further, climate warming and the cutting of rainforests lead to the widespread destruction of different species. Like polar bears, penguins, lemurs, gorillas, orangutans, parrots, tigers, etc.
To protect the Earth in the long term, our consumption habits have to change. Although eating a plant-based diet has the greatest benefit, consumers can also take a stand by choosing vegan skincare. It could easily be the first step in the right direction.
In addition, as vegan brands are often environmentally conscious, they use sustainable materials and often try to save on water and electricity. Moreover, they also pay attention to fair working conditions and fair pay.
However, be aware of greenwashing. Most vegan brands are health-conscious, environmentally friendly, and fully transparent with their ingredients. Still, the benefits of vegan skincare do not always apply.
Some brands use the vegan label as a smart marketing ploy to make a profit. All compounds may theoretically be vegan-friendly on the list, but that does not mean they are beneficial for the skin or the planet. Examples of these include silicones and parabens.
Vegan Skincare Contributes To Animal-Welfare
Vegan materials are often cleaner and modern technology makes them as effective. So, nowadays, skincare does not have to contain animal by-products. And to be fair, it really should not. Because non-vegan skincare contributes to animal suffering.
Like humans, animals are sentient beings. They feel pain, fear, joy, and pleasure. Animals are aware of their surroundings and they have the desire to live and avoid suffering. This is all confirmed by science.
The animal industry is one of the most severe and widespread forms of exploitation. It affects not only millions of farm animals but also thousands of people. A large number of farm animals never see the light of day and the conditions on farms are often cramped. Regardless of the keeping conditions, the life of all farm animals ends in the same way.
Although at first glance the connection between skincare and the animal industry seems non-existent, many skin care ingredients come from slaughterhouse waste. For instance, collagen, elastin, glycerin, keratin, and gelatin.
Further, it may not be obvious what the harm of consuming milk or eggs is. In large-scale production, however, they are similarly associated with exploitation. Milk-derived ingredients in skincare are lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, and lactose. And lecithin, for example, is derived from egg yolks.
In addition, vegan products are never tested on animals. So, they are 100% cruelty-free. Even though animal experiments are performed for scientific purposes, they cause pain, suffering, and injuries. Sadly, a very large part of animal testing is done for skincare and cosmetics.
Summary
Vegan skincare has many advantages, which can all be classified into three broad categories. These are, of course, our skin’s health, the environment, and animal welfare.
When shopping for vegan skincare, you can find short ingredient lists and clean components sourced mostly from nature. As the skin absorbs plant-based ingredients well, vegan skincare is effective.
Vegan brands are also more environmentally conscious. So they often carry out the entire production process with minimum harm to nature. They select ingredients carefully and use renewable energy as well as sustainable packaging.
However, the heaviest reason to replace non-vegan skin care is not to contribute to animal suffering. Vegan products are never tested on animals. They also do not contain animal byproducts.
Vegan products are becoming more popular, which means that we get a wider choice and better quality. And it is not just a trend that will die out soon. Vegan products are here to stay. Get to know the skincare world and find trustful brands from our guide to the best vegan brands and the best vegan skincare products of 2022.
