They say that with great power comes great responsibility. And while a quote from Spider-Man doesn’t typically go hand-in-hand with the beauty industry, it perfectly conveys the need for companies to campaign for change. One way of doing so is by producing planet-friendly goods via substituting animal by-products for plant-based ingredients. Gaining traction as conscious consumers advocate for increased transparency, the vegan beauty market is set to reach US$21.4 billion by 2027. But what does vegan really mean in the beauty sphere? Vegan-certified goods are formulated without animal-derived ingredients, the most common being honey, lanolin (wool grease), squalene (shark liver oil), allantoin (cow urine) and ambergris (whale vomit) to name a few — and upon discovering the ingredients’ origins, it isn’t difficult to understand why some buyers and brands are making the switch. The certification is often used in tandem with cruelty- free and clean, potentially leading consumers to believe that it is an all-encompassing term. However, it is possible for vegan items to be tested on animals and those certified as clean or cruelty-free to include animal by-products; clean products are free of toxic chemicals and cruelty-free products have not been tested on animals at any stage. To ease confusion, online databases including Cruelty-Free Kitty, The Vegan Society and PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies Program list companies by category, while apps such as Think Dirty simplify ingredient lists.
MOJEH's Picks
If there was ever an excuse to go shopping, splurging to save the planet tops the list. When overhauling your makeup routine, ensure you’ve got the whole package with our round-up of vegan, clean and cruelty-free beauty buys to invest in this World Vegan Month and beyond
