Vegan skin care isn’t just a trendy trend. It’s an ethical lifestyle and a better way to treat your skin, especially if you have sensitive skin. The plant-based formulations avoid ingredients that irritate or cause allergic reactions and use soothing, hydrating oils, butters, and extracts that nourish your skin.
They’re also packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that support healthy skin. And you can find them in a wide range of formulas, from cleansers to moisturizers and everything in between. The best part? They’re cruelty-free and sustainable, too.
While many people associate vegan skincare with expensive, high-end products, there are a number of affordable, budget-friendly brands that offer nourishing and effective formulas. For example, Banish is an independent skin-care brand that develops small-batch, acne-fighting products that are housed in recycled glass bottles. Their All Clear Mint Cleanser is formulated to help prevent breakouts and contains natural, anti-inflammatory ingredients like chamomile, spearmint, peppermint, and aloe vera.
But there’s a big difference between a vegan-friendly product and a vegan one. A vegan product is free from all animal products and byproducts, including honey, beeswax, lanolin (wool grease), stearic acid, collagen, carmine, and squalene. These ingredients can be found in most traditional skin care and cosmetic products, but they’re not necessary – many brands are now substituting them with other natural, non-toxic alternatives that have the same or better results.
And, because they don’t contain any animal products or byproducts, vegan-friendly products are also cruelty-free and never tested on animals. And, as a bonus, they’re often made with eco-friendly materials and produced in green factories that leave the smallest carbon footprint possible.
In the 30 years that Kathy Guillermo, a senior vice president of PETA, has worked to end animal testing in beauty, she’s seen two industrywide shifts. The first was in 1990 when companies like Estee Lauder and Revlon stopped testing on animals, prompted by consumer demand. The second is happening now, with large corporations like Unilever committing to end all testing on their products.
So, if you’re interested in trying out vegan skin care but aren’t sure where to start, here’s a quick guide. You can also try out a free online vegan ingredient checker, which allows you to copy and paste the list of ingredients from any product to determine whether or not it’s vegan.
While it’s great that there are now more eco-friendly options available, the next step is educating consumers to properly assess ingredient lists and comparing labels so they can make smarter choices when shopping. For example, “clean” beauty products aren’t always necessarily safer, as they may not be effective or have enough preservatives to keep them fresh.