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any people who turn to veganism do so out of concern for the wellbeing of mother earth. And there’s a good reason for this focus! Study after study shows that Veganism is the most sustainable diet, generating as much as 35% lower carbon emissions as a standard diet based on meat and animal derived products.
But one aspect of living greener that most vegans aren’t aware of is the importance of making the switch to vegan cosmetics. Not only are vegan beauty staples cruelty free, they’re better for the planet—and often better for you.
Here’s everything you need to know about making the switch, and why vegan cosmetics are the more sustainable choice.
Vegan cosmetics are free of all the animal derived ingredients used in old school, non vegan beauty products, like carmine, beeswax, and lanolin. But they’re also often free of another not so desirable class of ingredient: harsh, synthetic chemicals.
Most countries require animal testing to prove that man made compounds used in beauty products are safe for human use, something that’s obviously impossible for an ethical vegan brand.
As a result, vegan beauty is more likely to be based on natural ingredients sourced from plants. A great example of this is the clean vegan beauty brand's top-selling product, Vegamour Hair Serum , made from turmeric, mung beans, and red clover, instead of the synthetic chemicals on which other brands rely to achieve their desired outcomes.
There’s nothing worse than purchasing a brand new beauty product, only to find out it doesn’t work for your hair and skin. Whether it’s breakouts, dryness, or frizzled, unhappy hair, you don’t want to keep using a beauty product that makes you look less than your best—and yet, if you care about the planet it feels bad to generate unnecessary waste! The answer? Switch to vegan beauty.
With gentler ingredients that are more easily absorbed by your body, many experts say that vegan beauty products are much less likely to cause a reaction than their animal derived equivalents. That means less waste, and a better beauty experience.
Bees are essential to the health and wellness of biomes across the planet. And between rising rates of deforestation, dangerous mites and diseases, and shifting weather patterns due to global warming, they’re in danger of dying out.
By going vegan in your beauty routine, you’ll ensure that you aren’t causing any damage to these essential insects. Many conventional beauty products contain non sustainably sourced bee ingredients, like beeswax, royal jelly, propolis, and honey, which are produced in commercial hives where bees are worked to exhaustion.
Going vegan puts them out of a job, and back into nature where they belong.
According to an estimate from The Humane Society Australia, around half a million animals suffer and die for cosmetics testing each year. Aside from the cruelty of animal testing, all those animals produce a tremendous amount of earth damaging waste.
Animal excrement, run-off from testing, and the bodies of animals exposed to toxic chemicals over the course of testing are typically discarded via incineration, an energy intensive mode of disposal that releases carbon into the atmosphere.
Animal testing labs are also typically governed with more lax environmental standards than other scientific facilities. Put them out of business by going vegan.
From milk products to animal fats, honey, fish scales, and beyond, the cosmetics industry is always churning out formulations based on animals. Some of the worst culprits are grazing animals, such as cows and sheep, which graze in areas that are often created by deforestation.
Lanolin, collagen, and other beauty standards are created using the bodies of animals that rely on these artificially created grasslands to feed themselves.
The removal of trees is a major contributor to climate change, destroying whole ecosystems for the sake of beauty.
Single use packaging is one of the biggest contributors to the destruction of the planet. Made from crude oil, plastics get into our oceans, rivers, and other vital water sources, creating the microplastics epidemic that’s doing so much damage to the world.
Vegan brands know their customers care about the earth, so they’re much more likely to avoid unnecessary plastic packaging whenever possible.
Opting for alternative packaging solutions that are recyclable, reusable, and made with mother earth in mind, vegan beauty brands know that what’s on the outside of their product is just as important for the planet’s wellness as the compounds it contains.
By going vegan with your beauty routine, you’re making the choice that’s better for you, and better for the planet. And thanks to a growing trend of vegan beauty, it’s easy to make the switch.
Vegan and ethically minded consumers are making it more profitable for brands to offer earth friendly alternatives to standard beauty products.
The most important reason to go vegan is so you can encourage more brands to get on board.
All vegan beauty brands that never use animal sourced ingredients are growing more common, and the more consumers demand these alternatives, the more easily you’ll be able to find vegan alternatives to all your current beauty standbys.
Voting with your wallet and sticking to vegan beauty is a great way to put your money where your mouth is, encouraging mainstream beauty brands to do the same.