Vegan beauty is here to stay. See our collection of the best vegan beauty resources from top vegan beauty brands to vegan makeup, vegan skincare, vegan haircare, and vegan perfume.
Everything You Should Know About Vegan Beauty
Want to know more about vegan beauty? Here are some of the most common questions about vegan beauty answered in a short and concise way.
What Is Vegan Beauty?
Vegan beauty is simply beauty that is made without the use of animal-derived ingredients, most commonly beeswax, honey, lanolin, carmine, guanine, collagen, and keratin. Vegan beauty is also not animal tested nor uses ingredients that have been tested on animals.
Is Vegan Beauty Cruelty-Free?
Yes. Vegan beauty is also cruelty-free, meaning vegan beauty is not tested on animals. While some cosmetics brands that still use animal testing often mislead consumers and label some of their formulas vegan, a beauty product cannot be truly vegan if it’s animal tested.
While vegan beauty is always vegan, not all cruelty-free beauty is vegan. Many beauty companies today are cruelty-free and firmly against animal testing, yet most of them still like to use non-vegan ingredients such as honey or carmine.
Is Vegan Beauty Better For You?
Vegan beauty is not automatically better for you than non-vegan beauty. Vegan beauty is above all an ethical choice, not a health or quality choice. While many vegan brands use clean and skin-friendly ingredients, we cannot claim vegan beauty is always the better choice.
That being said, you can be sure that vegan beauty is not also anyhow worse than non-vegan beauty. All animal-derived ingredients used in cosmetics can be easily replaced by vegan alternatives that are either synthetic or plant-based.
Is Vegan Beauty Natural?
Vegan beauty is often also natural but it’s not a rule. Most vegan beauty brands use a high content of natural and organic ingredients. When cosmetics company decides to brand themselves as vegan, they tend to utilize the power of plants as much as possible.
However, there are also many vegan beauty brands that are not very natural. Some brands prioritize making vegan beauty products that are affordable (E.l.f. Cosmetics, Acure) or high-performing (Hourglass, KVD Beauty). Natural ingredients cannot always achieve that.
Is Vegan Beauty Eco-Friendly?
Vegan beauty is not significantly more eco-friendly than non-vegan beauty. Aside from beeswax or snail mucin, most animal-derived ingredients used in beauty are byproducts. While animal agriculture is the least eco-friendly, animals are not usually directly raised for beauty products.
Nevertheless, beauty brands that are vegan tend to be more eco-conscious than traditional non-vegan drugstore brands. Vegan beauty brands often use ingredients that are sustainably sourced, use recyclable packaging, and are manufactured locally using renewable energy.
Is Vegan Beauty Expensive?
Vegan beauty is not expensive. Many leading vegan beauty brands such as E.l.f. Cosmetics, Acure, and Pacifica Beauty are very accessibly priced. Cheap drugstore beauty brands like NYX, Wet N Wild, and CoverGirl also have a wide selection of cheap vegan beauty.
Making a beauty product vegan does not up the costs for a producer. Beeswax can be replaced by cost-effective synthetic wax. Vegetable glycerin is also very affordable along with other plant-based oils and emollients. Cheap beauty staples like talc are anyway vegan-friendly.
But as with everything, you can also find vegan beauty brands that are expensive. Hourglass is one of the examples of a vegan beauty brand that is positioned in the high-end category.
Is Vegan Beauty Halal?
Vegan beauty is not necessarily halal. While these trends sometimes go hand in hand, vegan beauty brands do not always work in accordance with Islamic rules when it comes to water permeability, advertising, or business loans.
If you are looking for a vegan beauty brand that is also halal, we recommend Inika Organic. This Australian beauty brand is fully vegan, cruelty-free, organic, and certified halal.
Which Beauty Brands Are Vegan?
Some of the 100% vegan beauty brands include KVD Beauty, Pacifica Beauty, and E.l.f. Cosmetics, Hourglass, Milk Makeup, Pür Cosmetics, and Merit Beauty. See more vegan beauty brands here.
Where To Shop For Vegan Beauty?
The best selection of vegan beauty is available online, especially on Sephora, Ulta, and Amazon. You can also find many vegan beauty products at Target and Walmart. Simply choose beauty products with a certified vegan label.
Summary
The world of vegan beauty is a beautiful one. Animal suffering should have no place in beauty products in 2024. Animal-derived ingredients are also needless in cosmetics with so many vegan and synthetic alternatives available.
As the world of vegan beauty is growing, we will keep writing about it and tell you all about our favorite brands and products. Thanks for helping to make a kinder choice by choosing vegan beauty. The animals and we at Vegan Avenue thank you.
Main image: courtesy of KVD Beauty
