Vegan Cosmetics: Look Gorgeous With A Clear Conscience
People who do not consume animal products can now enjoy beauty products with a clear conscience, by using vegan cosmetics. These natural, cruelty free products will make you look just as beautiful as standard make up and beauty products, but do not cause any suffering to animals.
Vegans believe that it is wrong to use any part of an animal’s body in the production of food or other products to be used by humans. Veganism involves not only eliminating meat, dairy and eggs from the diet, but also making an effort to not consume animal products in any area of life.
This lifestyle can make it difficult to buy cosmetics, as most beauty products contain ingredients that are derived from animals. Labels do not always indicate explicitly whether a product is suitable for vegans. To find out, you should either contact the manufacturer, or look through the list of ingredients to check that none of them come from animals.
But how can you tell which of the ingredients are animal based? That can be tricky. Some common ingredients to look out for are shellac, a red dye made from crushed beetles, lanolin, which comes from sheep’s wool, and beeswax. You should also look out for keratin, which comes from hooves, horns and feathers and is often used in hair products.
The most widely used animal ingredient is gelatin. This alters the consistency of a product, so it is often used in creams, gels and pastes. It is made from the bones of cows and pigs. Vegans should check the label carefully to make sure gelatin is not listed as an ingredient.
There are alternatives to animal ingredients, which are used by the manufacturers of vegan cosmetics. For example, plant-based oils can be used instead of animal grease to produce make up.
Animal testing is another thing that could make a product unsuitable for vegans. Despite alternatives being available, some manufacturers still choose to test their products on animals. One test that is commonly performed is to apply a product to the eye of a rabbit to see if it causes irritation or damage. Rabbits are chosen for this test because their poor tear ducts mean that they cannot easily wash irritants out of their eyes. The rabbit endures great pain during these tests, which can last for days at a time. You should always check the label to find out whether a product has been tested on animals.
Vegans love make up and beauty products just as much as the rest of us. Thanks to the availability of vegan cosmetics, they are now able to enjoy them with a clear conscience.
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