Veganism is the new black! A Guide to Vegan Cosmetics
by Kyra Young on Aug 21, 2017
Have you seen "What the Health"? This new eye-opening and mind-blowing documentary exposes the truths within the food/meat industry. Many people have highly considered, if not already are, going vegan in all parts of their life including cosmetic and beauty care. As you may know, Kyra's Shea Medleys has stood for the Vegan and Cruelty-Free way since our launch back on September 29th, 2013. In addition to excellent service, we believe it is important to offer clean products that are natural, plant-based, and safe for the entire family. That is the kind of LOVE you will always get from KSM! We are also certified Vegan and Cruelty-Free by both PETA and CCIC's Leaping Bunny program.
As stated in our previous blog post, we encourage you to read the ingredients on the back of any products you intend to use. This little step will help you protect yourself, your family, and friends right now and in the long run. Becoming vegan is a heck of a lifestyle change that is definitely not the easiest when first starting out. Making the conscious choice to move forward, some people slowly, but surely begin to incorporate veganism into their daily lives. Why not start with your hair and skincare products? To help you get started, we have compiled the following lists of non-vegan ingredients to look out for personal and beauty care.
Common Cosmetic Ingredients Derived from Animals or Animal By-Products:
- Albumen, Allantoin, Ambergris, Amino Acids, Beeswax, Cholesterol, Cochineal Dye (Carmine, Carminic Acid), Collagen, Colors (Dyes), Elastin, Emu Oil, Estrogen, Gelatin (Gel), Goat’s Milk, Guanine, Honey, Hydrolyzed Animal Protein, Lactose, Lanolin (Laneth, Lanogene), Lard, Milk Protein, Mink Oil, Pristane, Progesterone, Retinol, RNA (Ribonucleic Acid), Sable Brushes, Silk (Silk Powder), Spermaceti (Cetyl Palmitate, Sperm Oil), Squalene, Tallow, and Turtle Oil
Common Cosmetic Ingredients that Can Come from Animals or Plants:
- Biotin, Caprylic Acid (Caprylic Triglyceride, Caprylamine Oxide, Capryl Betaine), Carotene, Glycerin (Glycerol), Hyaluronic Acid, Keratin, Lecithin (Choline Bitartrate), Myristic Acid, Nucleic Acids, Stearic Acid (Stearamide, Stearamine, Stearates, Stearic Hydrazide, Stearone, Stearoxytrimethylsilane, Stearoyl Lactylic Acid, Stearyl Betaine, Stearyl Imidazoline), Steroids (Sterols), Urea (Carbamide)
- Phrases like “Natural Sources” and “Natural Flavors”
This second list is where ingredients can get tricky as they may come from animals, plants, or even be synthetic versions. Check the labels for keywords such as "vegetable" or "plant-derived". If you are still unsure, do not be afraid to ask. Companies that have your best interest should be open and transparent to their customers. If the company does not know, tell them to ask their ingredient suppliers!
We hope these lists help and encourage you to choose healthy options for you and your family! Please feel free to tell us in the comments any additional non-vegan ingredients that we may have missed. If you want to know more about the ingredients used in KSM products, please see Our Ingredients page. We also list the ingredients under each product so you know exactly what you are getting before you place an order. Feel free to email us at info@kyrasheamedleys.com or text/call us at (323)244-7390 if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We are here for you!
Best,
Kyra Nicole & KSM Team