There is no doubt that a vegan lifestyle takes a great deal of determination, effort, and attention, and may initially seem overwhelming. For most people, there is so much more to living a vegan lifestyle than just avoiding animal products in food. This includes each choice you make every day: the brands you decide to support, and, of course, the products you choose to put on your body.
At times, the responsibility of our own carbon footprint can feel daunting, but living a more sustainable life can also start from a smaller and often overlooked decision, such as changing to a vegan skincare routine.
Let’s be honest: the average skincare regime uses a myriad of creams and lotions, and many brands out there do their best to make us believe we need even more products. But how many of these really contain naturally-derived and vegan ingredients, beneficial for our skin and the planet?
If you are fairly new to veganism, trying making gradual changes in your lifestyle, or if you want to take the next step in your personal journey of environmental responsibility, here’s what’s important to know.
Making the Transition: Vegan vs Cruelty Free products
One of the most obvious first steps when switching to a sustainable skincare regimen is to swap to cruelty-free products. However, if we really want our decision to make a difference, we first need to understand what constitutes a vegan product and how it differs from one labeled “cruelty-free”.
Put simply, a vegan product does not use any ingredient that has come from an animal, whereas a cruelty-free product is one that has not been tested on animals. Cruelty-free products and vegan products are not mutually inclusive. In fact, it is possible for products labeled cruelty-free to still contain animal-derived ingredients.
Non-vegan skincare contains animal-derived ingredients, the most common examples being beeswax, retinol, collagen, casein, lanolin, elastin, and keratin. These common skincare ingredients are now so ubiquitous in many homes, yet, besides beeswax, the fact that they’re animal-derived is widely unknown. To be sure that no animal-derived ingredient is in your products, look for a vegan symbol on the packaging.
For those looking to increase their environmental responsibility, and protect and preserve the life we share our planet with, choosing both cruelty-free and vegan skincare is the next logical step. And it may be easier than you think.
The Importance of Vegan Products for Sustainability
The environmental benefits of a vegan diet are well documented, but did you know that choosing vegan skincare also comes with substantial environmental benefits?
Many animal-derived ingredients in skincare are by-products of mass farming. On the other hand, vegan skincare uses none of these ingredients, immediately reducing the carbon footprint of both industry and consumer comparatively.
The Importance of Vegan Products for Animals
For most people, adopting a vegan lifestyle is the most obvious choice to stop barbaric and unnecessary practices like animal testing. Once again, it is important to remember the difference between products that are cruelty-free and those that are fully vegan.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of animals are abused not just by the food industry, but also for product testing. Vegan skincare tends to use not just plant-based but also more cruelty-free and no animal is exploited, hurt, or killed.
Vegan Skincare is also better for your skin
The right vegan skincare regimen can be extremely beneficial for your skin. Several plant-based ingredients, like garlic, ginger, and aloe vera, have been known for their healing properties for centuries!
There are plenty of vegan skincare brands to try!
Several brands are now switching to vegan ingredients for their products.
Here at Veriant, we have always been committed to doing our best to help our customers’ skin as well as the planet we all share. We exclusively use vegan ingredients, most of which are derived from plants, like our sustainable shea butter and prebiotic goji berry extract in Steady As You Glow by Mella. Our facial moisturizer also uses our signature melatonin derived from St John’s Wort. Mella products are proven to be effective and are dermatologist-approved. Furthermore, Mella by Veriant offers in-depth ingredient breakdowns of our products, to offer transparency into where every material comes from and how it is made, for further peace of mind.
Vegan skincare brand Mella by Veriant uses 100% curbside recyclable or biodegradable and compostable packaging. Mella also uses as many upcycled ingredients as possible, such as olive squalene from the by-products of olive oil production, to further mitigate industrial waste.
Vegan Skincare – A Good Place To Start
Several brands and manufacturers have adapted their products and even production methods to more sustainable, vegan, and environmentally-friendly alternatives. Some of them have gone completely vegan, while others have made it easier for their customers to check the labels and know exactly what ingredients they are buying. With veganism and, in general, a more conscious population on the rise, the planet (and your skin!) will definitely benefit from vegan skincare.
Choosing to make the switch to vegan skincare can be an effective way to start exploring a vegan lifestyle, limit your consumption of animal products, and reduce your carbon footprint. It will benefit not only your skin but your environmental impact as a whole.
Each of our decisions can make a huge difference!