Tips for Embracing the Vegan Make Up Revolution

By Maria Rogerson

December 3, 2020Health & Beauty Skin care

Being vegan is not just about the food you eat – it’s a lifestyle choice that includes everything you do and the decisions you make. One of the biggest challenges for vegans is finding skincare and makeup products that are clean, certified and vegan.

What Are Vegan Beauty Products?

vegan_beautyCruelty-free and vegan beauty products aren’t tested on animals and generally contain natural and organic ingredients that are gentle on the skin. One of the best ways to achieve glowing, wrinkle-free skin is choosing good-quality products. The quality, purity and safety of the ingredients are critical components for the effectiveness of skincare products.

The same applies to makeup. Besides knowing how to apply makeup, the quality of the products you use have a great impact on the final look. Naturally, vegan skincare and makeup products are the best choices with the purest ingredients that can help rejuvenate the skin and give you a healthy glow!

If you are looking to switch to a natural beauty routine, I have a few tips to help you find really great vegan make up products to keep your skin healthy and glowing.

Check the Ingredients

What makes a vegan product is the ingredients it contains and whether or not they are derived from animals. Milk, honey and beeswax are obvious examples, but the list is quite extensive. Once you get familiar with them, it’ll be easy to spot and avoid them. Here are some common offenders worth keeping in mind.

Beeswax

Beeswax_incredientsA non-vegan addition usually used as an emollient in cosmetics.

Carmine

A red pigment used to colour cosmetics. It is created by crushing beetles.

Guanine

Guanine (also labelled as dew pearl, natural withe 1, guanine enol, mermaid, C. I. natural white or natural pearl essence) is a component of fish scales scraped off dead fish. When added to alcohol, it creates a pearly essence used to add shimmer and glimmer to cosmetics such as eyeshadows, blushes and nail polishes.

Squalane

squalaneThe basic definition of squalene is shark liver oil. It’s commonly found in all sorts of cosmetic.

Animal Hair

It is used on cosmetic makeup tools. Instead, look for brushes with synthetic bristles.

Shellac

shellac-beautyA resin secreted by the lac insect. It is commonly found in nail lacquers.

Vegan make up products can have a certified vegan or certified cruelty-free label, so look for it before purchasing. If the product isn’t certified with labels, contact the company and manufacturer. If they have nothing to hide, they’re likely to give you some insight into the ingredients and their stance on animal testing. Make sure to do your research prior shopping to minimize the chances of making a purchase that contributes to animal suffering.

Use the Apps

If you find it confusing to interpret labels and ingredients, there are plenty of mobile phone applications that can do all that hard work for you. With these applications, all you have to do is scan the barcode or enter the name of the product and they will let you know everything you want to find out.

Understand the Difference Between Vegan and Cruelty-Free

vegan_crueltyfreeIt’s important to know that the terms “vegan” and “cruelty-free” are not the same thing. “Vegan” refers to products without any animal-derived ingredients, but it does not specify on the production process. In other words, items tested on animals can claim to be vegan. The same way, “cruelty-free” means that the product has not been tested on animals in the process, but can contain animal-derived ingredients. So, if you want to get a product that is both vegan and cruelty-free, it must have both specifications on the label.

Find Your Favourite Brand

A few years ago, good quality, cruelty-free and vegan beauty products were hard to find and were pretty expensive. Nowadays, with more and more brands offering vegan beauty products, stocking up can be a few clicks away. And like embracing meat-free Mondays, start slow. You can’t expect to change all your habits and products overnight. Keep in mind that any improvement you make is a positive step. Even if you initially only buy a couple of vegan makeup products, you’re still making an impact.

What to Do with Your Old Stuff?

Chances are, you already have bought many products that don’t meet your new ethical standards, but they are still useable and you are conflicted between throwing them away or breaking the rules of your new lifestyle. Many people choose to use the products they already have until they are finished and then make a vegan choice when purchasing new products to avoid wasting what has already been produced and purchased. Alternatively, you can consider donating your items to friends, family or charity shops. You could also sell unused pre-purchased products online and donate the money to a deserving cause.