When selecting products vegans are specifically interested in knowing if the products contain animal products, were tested on animals, and whether or not they contain harmful ingredients.
Two questions I often get asked are: “Is it true that all cruelty-free skincare companies are safe?” and “Vegan skincare lines do not any contain harmful ingredients, right?”
Although I wish I could say that every vegan and cruelty free skincare line was safe, that is unfortunately, not the case. I am encouraged that many more companies are now making efforts to keep their products free of nasty chemicals that have proven to be harmful to humans. This can be credited to the pressure from conscious consumers that are insisting on safer alternatives.
One of the best resources available to check specific products is provided by EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. Although the list is not 100% up to date, it is a good starting point.
I would suggest being wary of some, but not all, brands that use words including “natural”, “botanical”, “green” and keep in mind that hemlock and even cocaine are also natural, botanical and green!
Cruelty Free Product Lines Using Some Questionable Ingredients
It is not my style to call out specific companies but the following is based on information gathered through EWG.org website along with numerous published studies on what have been found to be ingredients to avoid.
Since I frequent Vegan/Green events, one of the companies that causes me pause is Arbonne. Before running out to try their latest eye shadow or sunscreen, check out their ingredients. Their website says their products are “Pure, Safe and Beneficial”. However, here are just a few of the questionable ingredients found in some/many of their products:
- Avobenzone
- BHT
- Butylene Glycol
- Ethanolamines
- Methylisothiazolinone
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
- Sodium Metabisulfite
- Titanium Dioxide
A few other cruelty-free companies that I wish would reformulate some of the products in their line…
Alba Botanica – Many of their products contain fragrance, which can cause allergies, skin irritations and even organ toxicity. They also have products containing dangerous Retinyl Palmitate
Coola – Stay clear of their sunscreens!
Dermalogica – of the products included on the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, avoid their Intensive Eye Repair and Skin Renewal Booster. Some of their safer products include the UltraCalming Relief Masque, C-12 Concentrate and their UltraCalming Cleanser. Check the EWG database for more info on specific products here.
e.l.f. is an extremely inexpensive and fun brand to use but unfortunately not all of their products get an A+ for human safety. Stay away from products including Retinyl Acetate, Retinal Palmitate, Artificial Fragrance and Parabens.
Lush – It is admirable in what they do as far as not wasting products, adhering to cruelty-free standards, recycling and being advocates for charity but man-oh-man, a lot of their ingredients are scary! Fragrances, SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), Parabens, Propylene Glycol and Cocamide DEA.
Milani has discontinued a lot of extremely harmful ingredients from many of their products there are still numerous items that contain allergens, carcinogens and hormone disrupting chemicals.
Murad – If you read the labels you will find many nasty ingredients in many of their products including Retinyl Palmitate, Fragrance, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Oxybenzone and more.
Physicians Formula is doing a better job of “cleaning” up their ingredient list but the company still scores poorly when it comes to chemicals used in their face powders and foundations.
Prestige – Steer clear of their Fresh Glow Baked Mineral Blush, Sunbaked Mineral Powder, Shimmering Trios Mineral Eye Shadow Dust and Lasting Moisture Lip Gloss
Tarte – There are not many Tarte products up to date on the EWG.org Skindeep Data Base but I would definitely avoid the Tarte Exposed Lipsticks.
The following is a partial list of companies that test on animals AND use questionable ingredients in many of their products
- Almay
- Aveeno
- Avon
- Bobbi Brown
- Caress
- ChapStick
- Clean & Clear
- Coppertone
- Covergirl
- Dove
- Estee Lauder
- Garnier
- Head & Shoulders
- Johnson & Johnson
- Kiehl’s
- Listerine
- L’Oreal
- M.A.C.
- Mary Kay
- Maybelline
- Neutrogena
- Nivea
- Olay
- Old Spice
- Pampers
- Pantene
- Revlon
- Secret
- St. Ives
- TRESemme
- Vaseline
- Vicks
The following is a partial list of cruelty free companies that offer some good, clean alternatives in skincare
- Alima
- Au Naturale
- Botanic Organic
- Crazy Cat Lady
- Everyday Minerals
- Goop
- ILIA
- Jane Iredale
- Juice Beauty
- Kjaer Weis
- Mineral Fusion (Quite a few safe products but I would recommend trying to find alternatives for a few of their shampoos, lip glosses and nail lacquer.)
- Mukti
- OSEA
- OZ Naturals
- Pacifica
- Radical Skincare
- Sevani
- Sibu
- Suntegrity
- SW Basics
- Vapour
- W3LL People
- Yes To
Read Those Labels!
Be vigilant in reading labels and checking ingredients. Remember “vegan” and “cruelty-free” does not necessarily mean free of harmful chemicals.
There is a published reference guide of Toxic Ingredients available, yet many US companies continue to test on animals, for no apparent reason. They even test ingredients already established as harmless. This testing is of no benefit to human end users and causes incomprehensible suffering to innocent animals.
Is the Product Truly Cruelty-Free?
Unfortunately, to be completely safe you should also do a bit more research before you purchase. It is advisable to additionally look beyond the label. In some cases a company can say they don’t test on animals, which is true, but may mean they do not test the final end product. What they don’t say is that some of the ingredients used in making the finished product were oftentimes tested on animals by someone/somewhere that they source ingredients from. What can you do to know for sure?
Look for the Leaping Bunny Seal or download and scan their app or PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies Guide for a comprehensive list of true cruelty
-free brands.
Countries that have banned cosmetic testing on animals include European Union (EU), Norway, Israel, India, New Zealand. China has also eliminated its animal testing rule for some products from companies within China but still requires testing on products including hair dyes, perfume, straighteners, sunscreens and antiperspirants. More importantly to note is that it is mandatory that all companies importing products into China must be tested on animals.
If you are committed to a vegan lifestyle following is a list of skincare ingredients derived from animals
Lanolin – Used as a skin emollient to entrap moisture in skin. Derived from sheeps wool. Alternatives include olive oil and coconut triglycerides.
Stearic Acid – Adds substance as a fatty acid. Mostly, here in the US it is derived from animal fat (tallow) even though there are palm-based alternatives.
N-Acetyl Glucosamine (NAG) – This ingredient is used to help even out skin imperfections. Comes from shells of crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, etc.) There are vegan alternatives.
Keratin – A naturally occurring protein that is derived from animal parts including nails, hair, hooves and horns Used for anti-aging in hair & skin products. Opt for products with amino acids.
Carmine – Beetle Shells – Used m
ostly in lipsticks and makeup looking for a bright, deep red shade or undertone. Avoid Carminic Acid, Cochineal, Crimson Lake, CI 75470 and E120 (all different names for carmine).
Ingredients Everyone, Vegans and Non-Vegans, Should Avoid
Thanks to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, http://www.safecosmetics.org/ here are some key ingredients, found in everyday products, to avoid:
Conditioner – TEA/DEA/MEA, Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives (Diazolidinyl Urea, Hydantoin, etc.), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (and anything else ending in “eth”), Benzophenone, Oxybenzone, Parabens
Lipstick – BHA, Hydrogenated Cotton Seed Oil, Mineral Oil, Padimate O, Petrolatum, Lead and other not-so-tasty heavy metals.
Hair Dyes – Resorcinol, p-phenlyenediamine, Toluene, Lead Acetate, Ethanolamines (Triethanolamine, diethanolamine, DEA, TEA, MEA)
Fragrance – Diethyl phthalate, Dibutyl phthalate, Ethylene Oxide, Nitrosamines, Benzophenone, Parabens, BHA, Galaxolide, Muxk xylene, Musk ketone, Ocinoxate, Tonalide, Styrene
Sunscreen – Benzophenone, Homosalate, Octinoxate, Oxybenzone, Padimate O PABA (Para-aminobenzoic Acid)
Skin Lighteners – BHT (Butylated Hydroxtytoluene), Cateareth-20, DMDHHydantoin, Padimate O, Hydroquinone, Mercury
Moisturizer – Polyacrylamide, PTFE, Placental Extracts, UV filters (oxtinoxate, oxybenzone, homosalate)
Nail Polish – formaldehyde, tolune, dibutyl phthalate, isopropyl Acetone, Methyl Ethyl Ketone and more.
