By now, we bet you’re aware of what a big boost going vegan can give to your environmental impact. Even making the switch in small ways, like trying Meatless Monday or going from cow milk to oat milk in your morning latte, can have a profound impact on our planet. In fact, researchers at Oxford University said veganism is the single biggest way to improve your environmental impact, reducing your food carbon’s footprint by up to 73%.
By the team at Vegamour
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- Ethical Skincare Brands: A Complete Guide
- Cruelty-Free Makeup Brands: A Complete Guide to Ethical Cosmetics
But it’s bigger than just your diet. Committing to making the switch to vegan beauty products, from your face wash to your hair care goes a long way in supporting the health of planet earth. Here are the top five ways that vegan beauty products can help save the planet:
- Vegan beauty products use less harsh chemicals
Because of the high standards of ethical and clean beauty they apply to their brands, vegan beauty lines are much less likely to use harsh chemicals. Many conventional beauty brands use animal testing to develop lab created ingrediants which are harmful to the animals they are tested on, and can have a serious impact on the planet. In addition, lab tested ingredients require far more energy, resources, and carbon output than naturally sourced, organically grown compounds.
And honestly, who wants a ton of harsh, mysterious, and hard to pronounce chemicals slathered all over their hair and skin? Instead, try sticking to vegan products containing ingredients derived from nature, for a beauty routine that’s better for the planet and much more enjoyable for you.
- Vegan beauty products are less likely to be discarded
Every environmentalist has been there. You’ve just purchased the most expensive new face peel, or treated yourself to a bath soak, hair mask, or other beauty treat, only to find that it leaves your skin aching and itchy. The culprit might be the harsher, lab derived ingredients used to create non vegan beauty products.
Sticking to botanically sourced beauty means you’ll be putting natural ingredients on your hair and skin. You’re less likely to have the severe response that some people with sensitive skin can suffer from when they use harsh, chemical skincare products, which means less product waste. The chemicals in your skincare can take a long time to biodegrade, so keeping them out of the waste stream is the key to more sustainable beauty. Any step you can take to reduce your waste is a step in the right direction!
- Cruelty free beauty saves animals’ lives
Even the most nefarious of the conventional beauty companies aren’t testing on endangered species, but that doesn’t mean that animals won’t be impacted by their harsh business practices. Taking animals out of their natural environment and into a lab is bad for mother earth, and the needless breeding of organisms creates a negative environmental impact. Beyond the ethical considerations, animal testing is just bad for mother earth.
Although there are over forty tests that can determine product safety and efficacy without the use of animal testing, conventional brands prefer to stick to the bad old ways. Animals like rabbits and mice are exposed to lab created chemicals that are too harsh for their sensitive eyes and skin, exposed to physical suffering that often ends in death.
It’s upsetting to think about, and it’s not the only way. Sticking to cruelty free, vegan products means you have the confidence to know your beauty routine isn’t built off the suffering of innocent creatures, and that it’s better for mother earth.
- Vegan beauty products don’t promote deforestation
It might surprise you to learn that non vegan beauty products can be packed with animal derived ingredients. Not only do these products violate the ethical guidelines vegans seek to adhere to, they actively promote deforestation by encouraging the clear cutting of old growth trees to make room for animal grazing fields.
Here are the most common deforestation promoting animal ingredients to look out for in your beauty products:
- Casein aka sodium caseinate or caseinate
- Lanolin
- Glycerine
- Elastin
- Oleic acid – aka oleyl stearate, oleyl oleate or tallow
- Stearic Acid
- Non vegan keratin
Make the switch to products that use vegan versions of these common ingredients, like lotion that uses vegetable instead of animal fat derived glycerine, or a shampoo and conditioner set (see our full guide to sustainable shampoo brands) that is based on vegan keratin. This way you get all the benefits of these ingredients, with none of the ethical and environmental drawbacks.
- Using clean beauty products encourages ethical consumption
Last but not least, let’s talk about mindset. As it turns out, switching to an all vegan and cruelty free beauty routine is a great way to change yours!
A growing number of people report that ethical concerns are at the heart of their purchasing decisions. From cleaner beauty to clothes and shoes produced in fair labor situations, you have the power to change the world by voting with your wallet.
Unfortunately, there are a large number of companies capitalizing on this trend by making false claims of ethics and sustainability they have no intention of supporting with their actions. “Greenwashing” is the name for this phenomena, when brands make superficial changes like using brown paper packaging or using environmental buzzwords to make their products sound more sustainable than they really are.
Final Thoughts on Vegan Beauty Products
Buying from only vegan, cruelty free beauty brands is the best way to make sure the products you use every day are keeping their promises. These brands are held to a high standard of accountability, so they have to do what their buzzwords promise.
Whether or not you chose to follow a vegan diet, making the switch to a beauty routine that’s animal cruelty free is better for you, better for the environment, and a more ethical, sustainable choice.
If you’re ready to make the switch, don’t just trash your products and rebuy. Instead, gradually replace non vegan products as you use them to avoid unnecessary waste. You’ll have successfully transitioned to an all vegan beauty routine in no time!