Vegan Cosmetics-Not As Hard As You Think

If you haven’t noticed, many cosmetic companies are adding the little white cruelty free bunny to their websites and packaging. This little stamp of approval is actually a big deal, it is given by PETA and it means that their products are not tested on animals. But many companies are taking this many steps further by making sure that their products are completely Vegan. This means the cosmetics will not contain any animal or insect ingredients what so ever.

So you might be thinking, “hmmm….animal’s and insects in my makeup?” Well yes, it’s true and kind of disgusting if you ask me. My research has slightly made me want to do a double check through the ingredient list in my cosmetics. While not every ingredient is entirely out there, like Bee’s Wax, a lot of the ingredients are derived from cow, pig and even crushed beetles to make those shimmery shadows have their pretty pigment.  So look out for ingredients like lanolin, hyluronic acid, carmine, (beetles), pearlesence (fish scales), and even collagen.

Also, you shouldn’t get Organic and Natural confused with vegan. Many Organic makeup’s have these ingredients in them as well because they ARE consider an Organic ingredient. It was actually rather difficult to find a traditional cosmetic item completely void of an animal derivative.

So if you are on a search for Vegan cosmetics, you are not likely to find a whole lot of them at a traditional beauty store. Your best bet is to go to a health food store or purchase off line. I personally found great items through both options. Here is a list of some Vegan cosmetics.

Obsessivecompulsivecosmetics.com (100% Vegan)

Tarte Cosmetics (a few items)

Urban Decay (a few items)

Ecco Bella (many items)

ZuZu Luxe from Gabriel Cosmetics (many items)

-Kendra