Vegan skincare and makeup have become a focal point within the beauty industry in the past few years and, thankfully, many established brands are realising the importance of vegan cosmetics and removing animal products.
Online natural beauty and wellness retailer, Pure Skin Lab, have curated a handy guide for transitioning to a vegan beauty routine, and give some expert insights into how small changes can make big impacts.
What are vegan cosmetics?
Knowing if a product is vegan can, at first, be confusing. However, in short, a vegan product is one that does not contain any form of animal products. Alternatively, you can have cruelty-free products, which mean they haven’t been tested on animals before hitting the shelves (but may still contain animal products within their formulas).
Ideally, you want to be using products that are both vegan and cruelty-free as this means no animal has been harmed or distressed in either the production or testing stages. Many luxury brands are thankfully cruelty free, but many do still contain animal products.
Benefits of a vegan skincare routine
There are endless benefits to adopting a vegan beauty routine; from knowing you’re being kinder to the planet, to the benefits for your skin in general.
Vegan cosmetics tend to use natural and plant-based ingredients and their ingredient lists are also often much smaller than non-vegan products. This is great news for those with sensitive skin or skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea as often the ingredients are gentle, and can be less irritating on the skin.
Additionally, due to their plant-based formulas, vegan skincare and makeup products, tend to contain a variety of nutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins, which aid in nourishing and revitalising the skin.
In addition to the great skincare benefits, choosing vegan can be hugely impactful from an ethical standpoint. When buying vegan products, you are investing in an industry that not only protects animals, but protects the planet, too. Due to their plant-based formulas, vegan cosmetics are sourced sustainably, meaning they won’t be causing damage to the environment.
Transitioning tips
Do your research
Initial research will help you greatly to ensure you make the right purchases, so take time with this step. Read up on brands to see which of their products are both vegan and cruelty-free as their formulas may not always be consistent.
There are so many great resources to find information nowadays, from online blogs, magazine articles, to beauty influencer videos on YouTube who all discuss their favourite vegan and cruelty free products.
Read ingredients lists
Taking time to read over the ingredients is a crucial step when transitioning to a vegan beauty routine. There are some hidden ingredients to look out for, that are actually derived from animals, such as:
- Lanolin
- Collagen (unless stated plant-based)
- Squalene
- Glycerine
Thankfully, you can find plant-derived versions of these ingredients today, or alternative plant-based ingredients that have the same effect on your skin or better.
To ensure a product is cruelty-free, check the product description or look out for the leaping bunny logo, which certifies that the product has not been tested on animals.
Be conscious of waste
When swapping out your routine, try to avoid disposing of all your current products and starting your new routine overnight, this will lead to wastefulness, which in turns is damaging the planet.
Sustainability is a huge part of adapting a vegan beauty routine, so make sure you use up your existing products, and become more mindful in the amount of product you apply each time. Many people tend to overuse on skincare products, when only a small amount may be required. Do your research and make sure you’re being conscious of waste.
Start slow and steady
You can’t reinvent yourself overnight, so it’s best to introduce products one by one to know what works for you and what doesn’t.
When trying out lots of new products all at once it can be hard to detect if a particular ingredient is causing any skin issues. It’s important to remember that just because a product is ethically great, doesn’t mean it will specifically suit your skin type, so just like your existing products, it may take time to find the perfect one for your skin.
All imagery used in this article courtesy: Pure Skin Lab
