When we use the term vegetarian regarding beauty and skin care products, we are saying that the product does not contain any animal ingredients. A vegan product does not contain any animal products and also doesn’t contain any animal-derived ingredients. At Utama Spice, we are honest and do not test on animals. We do have some non-vegan products that may contain beeswax. Always be sure to check the label for a full ingredient list.
Explaining Vegan Beauty Products
Several animal ingredients are often used in the manufacturing of beauty products. Some of these ingredients include beeswax, honey, shellac, and lanolin. Even if the manufacturer claims that their process is natural and doesn’t harm animals, it still can’t be considered vegan because animal ingredients are still be used.
In addition to the above-mentioned animal ingredients, you can also find the following common ingredients in beauty products and cosmetics:
Carmine: this is a red dye that is obtained from crushing female cochineal scale insects. It is often used to provide the color for some cosmetics.
Animal Hair: this is taken by shearing and plucking the hair off of animals and is commonly used to manufacture makeup brushes.
Keratin: this ingredient comes from the horns, hooves, claws, nails, hair, and feathers of certain animals and is often used as hair conditioners in cosmetics and beauty products.
Natural Doesn’t Mean Vegan or Vegetarian
Just because a product says it is natural, you can see that it doesn’t necessarily mean that the product is also vegan or vegetarian. Beauty expert, Paige Padgett says, “the word ‘vegan’ usually refers to products that do not contain any animal products and ideally are not tested on animals.”
She goes on to explain, “however, not all vegan or vegetarian products are organic, and some may not be cruelty-free, so one cannot assume. Truly vegan and vegetarian products should not contain even beeswax or carmine, which comes from a beetle.”
Not many people are aware of these animal ingredients included in many of their skincare and beauty products.
When determining if any of our products are vegan or vegetarian, it is important to read the labels and understand that just because it says natural or vegan, you still need to be aware of the labels and the ingredient list to be sure.
Meta: It is important to understand what it means for a beauty product to be considered vegan or vegetarian because many products contain ingredients that may surprise you.
