Frequently I get a question, how beauty products can be non-vegan?🧐 This is how! Here are most common ingredients in cosmetics that are derived from animal world🍯🦋
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1️⃣ Beeswax (cera alba)
commonly used in mascara;
alternatives: plant and soya waxes.
2️⃣ Lanolin - derived from sheep wool;
used in lip and hair products;
alternatives: plant oils (coconut, olive) and butters (shea, coconut).
3️⃣ Shellac - obtained from lac bugs;
used in nail products, and some hair lacquers.
4️⃣ Carmine (cochineal, natural red 4, E120, and C.I. 75470) - derived from insects;
red colourant in make-up..
5️⃣ Silk - comes from silkworm which spins the silk around itself;
used in hair products and make-up.
6️⃣ Glycerine - generally comes from animal fats;
used in a range of products including soaps, hair care, make-up, and moisturizers;
alternatives: vegetable glycerin derived from soya, coconut oil, or palm oil.
7️⃣ Collagen - derived from animal tissue, bone, skin, or ligaments (often from cows);
used in anti-ageing products and lip plumping items;
alternatives: soya protein and almond oil.
8️⃣ Elastin - protein extracted from the muscles, ligaments and aortas of animals;
used in the same kind of products as collagen;
alternatives: hyaluronic acid and MSM.
9️⃣ Keratin - comes from the hair and horns of animals;
found in strengthening nail and hair products;
alternatives: soya protein and almond oil.
🔟 Estrogen (Estradiol) - obtained by extracting urine from pregnant horses;
found in most perfumes, restorative creams or lotions.
1️⃣1️⃣ Retinol - almost always derived from animals;
found in anti-aging products.
1️⃣2️⃣ Gelatin - boiled skin, tendons, ligaments and bones of animals;
hiding in creamy cosmetics and nail treatments.
1️⃣3️⃣ Casein (sodium caseinate or caseinate) - derived from cow's milk;
used in conditioning hair products and face treatments;
alternative: derived from plant-based milks (labelled as a vegetable protein).
1️⃣4️⃣ Squalene - extracted from shark liver oil;
used in lip balm, deodorants, and moisturizers;
alternative: vegan squalene derived from olives and wheat germ.
1️⃣5️⃣ Guanine - created by scraping the scales off dead fish;
used to make sparkly nail polish, eyeshadow, highlighters, bronzers and blushes.
1️⃣6️⃣ Oleic acid (oleyl stearate, oleyl oleate or tallow) - animal fat;
used in nail polish, soap, moisturizers and make-up;
alternative: plant-derived Oleic acid from coconut, olives, and nuts.
1️⃣7️⃣ Stearic Acid - derived from pigs', cows' and sheeps' stomachs;
found in deodorant, soaps, hair products and moisturizers;
vegan alternative available vegan alternative (also called stearic acid).
1️⃣8️⃣ Tallow - derived from the fatty tissue of sheep or cattle (process involves boiling the carcasses of slaughtered animals until a fatty substance is produced);
used in eye makeup, lipstick, makeup bases and foundations.
1️⃣9️⃣ Ambergris - derived from the waxy oil that lines whale's stomachs;
used to make the scent "set" in perfumes.
2️⃣0️⃣ Animal hair - sourced from fox, sable, horse, goat, mink and squirrel;
found in brushes (even ones labelled 'cruelty-free'), and sometimes used in false eyelashes;
alternative: synthetic options.