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What are vegan and what are cruelty-free skincare products? Why are these beneficial for you? We are taking a quick look at this here.
Looking back at some of the beauty and skincare products we used years ago, and comparing our favorite products now, it’s amazing the changes! We no longer use products with unhealthy chemicals in them— chemicals that have the power to disrupt our hormones, cause DNA and cellular damage, are neurotoxins or carcinogens, and even some that have the potential to cause reproductive harm!
Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and what it absorbs is never just topical, but rather works systematically throughout your body. When we started learning more about what was in the products we used, and how those products were tested, we were shocked. This was incredibly eye-opening, and we knew we needed to make some big changes in our routines.
What are "Vegan" and "Cruelty-free" skincare products?
These are simply products that contain no animal-derived ingredients. They don’t contain honey, beeswax, lanolin, collagen (although vegan collagen products will soon be available), keratin, squalene (derived from shark liver), or glycerin (derived from animal fat). Vegan formulations are kind to use, as they do nor require harm to any animals in the making of these products. However, just because a product is labeled “vegan” does not make them Cruelty-Free, as you will see.
“Cruelty-Free” skincare products are those which are not tested on animals. Did you know that roughly 200,000 rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, and mice die annually for cosmetics testing alone? This includes eye and skin testing as well as force-feeding these animals these products. Throughout this barbaric testing, the animals are not given anything to control their pain. And, at the conclusion of the testing, they are killed. These days there are many safety tests that are as effective or even more so than animal testing. Just as “vegan” products are not necessarily “cruelty-free”, there are also some “cruelty-free” products that still contain animal derivatives in them.
For these reasons, we have changed our skincare routines to include only vegan and cruelty-free products. This is a rapidly growing sector of the beauty industry, so choices are continually being added. Most people, when given a choice, will choose compassion over cruelty. Why pay someone else to harm an animal just for vanity’s sake? These products are becoming more and more popular and so many great products are available, at multiple price points.
Where to find vegan and cruelty-free products
One of our favorite places to shop for these products is the Detox Market. They are a company that has some of the strictest banned product lists. They will not sell any product which contains any of their banned products (all of which have negative health impacts), and their list is long. All of their products are Cruelty-Free, however, not all are vegan. We just read through the ingredients lists to verify that products are vegan prior to purchase. They also test all the products to ensure that they do work as described.
The vegan and cruelty-free products we use have more antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in them, and are easily absorbed. We like that we can feel good about using them, not only because they do not test on animals, but also because we can be confident that they will not harm us down the line, and they are better for the planet. #Winning.
These days, you can find these products virtually everywhere, and at all price points. I just takes a little extra time to look for the “cruelty-free” or leaping bunny symbol and to read ingredient lists to verify if they are vegan.
