Veganism
Vegan skincare and veganism – all you need to know!
The concept of veganism can be traced back over 2000 years to Ancient Greece and India. Fast forward a few hundred years to the 19th Century, and individuals of note such as Percy Shelley, Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein started to spur on first a vegetarian, then a vegan diet.
Nowadays in the UK, veganism (where animal products are avoided completely) has increased 360% in the last 10 years! With delicious vegan food brands like Violife and Pudology, going vegan is easier than ever.
There are many attractions of a vegan lifestyle too – studies have shown that following a vegetarian or vegan diet can have huge health benefits. One study found a vegan diet more effective at reducing blood sugar than a traditional diabetes diet. Another study found that vegan sources of protein (rather than animal protein) reduced the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Note that cutting out dairy and eggs can also help eczema!
Animal agriculture also has huge impact on the environment; for example, it is responsible for up to 91% of deforestation. PETA also claims that going vegan reduces your carbon footprint by up to, on average, 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
And of course, we can’t forget about the benefits veganism provides to animals. Opting for plant-based ingredients means animal cruelty is avoided and biodiversity maintained.
But veganism goes beyond what you put on your plate – any form of animal product is avoided – from leather shoes to certain skincare and cosmetics items.
Vegan Skincare
You may be wondering what sorts of animal products you could possibly find in cosmetics – you’d be surprised. If you spot someone wearing a vibrant red lipstick, more often than not, the pigment stems from crushed beetles!
Benefits Of Vegan Beauty Products
Indirectly, there are benefits of vegan friendly beauty products beyond the cruelty free aspect. Vegan skin care tends to be generally more ethical, leaning towards using organic ingredients. Organically grown plant extracts are much more respectful of the environment due to absence of toxic pesticides and herbicides, which encourages greater biodiversity. Certified organic beauty products will also insist on any palm oil derivatives being from a certified sustainable source.
More natural and organic cosmetics are generally recognised as being kinder to sensitive skin and helping you to cut down on your toxic load.
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| Vegan Make Up | Vegan Hair Care | Vegan Face Care | Vegan Body Care |
Do Odylique’s Products Fall Under Vegan Skincare?
The majority of Odylique products are vegan, including our shampoos, and every single product is cruelty free (and PETA approved), meaning no animals were harmed in the process of making our skin, hair care or makeup.
As well as the vegan skin care products that we have, all Odylique products are vegetarian. We would never want or need to use bi-products of dead animals. This is also banned under Soil Association organic beauty standards to which all Odylique products are certified.
Our products and ingredients are tested on a panel of human volunteers with sensitive skin, not furry friends. However, a few of our products aren’t classed as vegan.
The only ingredients we use that are sometimes classed as non-vegan are honey and beeswax. However, many vegans are still happy to use them, depending on the individual.
According to PETA, the reason why these ingredients aren’t always classed as vegan is due to unethical farming methods practiced by certain farms. These include cutting off the wings of the queen bee to disable her from flying to other colonies and the practice of artificially inseminating the bees. However, this doesn’t happen on every farm. For Odylique products, we only source the kindest ingredients from trusted suppliers who don’t practice unethical or cruel methods of farming, which is why we are able to label every single one of our products cruelty free.
We also only use organic beeswax and honey – which has actually been praised for boosting the local bee population!
How Do I Know If I Am Buying Vegan Skincare?
Look deeply at the cosmetics you buy:
1. Look for the ‘vegan’ or ‘cruelty free’ logo and information signalling the company does not test on animals.
2. Certified organic cosmetics are often also vegan because of the ban on animal derivatives in certified organic beauty products.
3. Research the company’s policy on animal testing – it’s no use if the product is made from entirely vegan ingredients if the product is then tested on poor animals!
4. Don’t buy from cosmetic companies who sell in China. Animal testing is now officially banned in the EU, but companies can still get around this because if they sell in China, they are still required by the Chinese government to get products tested on animals. So the companies who claim to be ‘cruelty free’, yet still sell in China, aren’t as ethical as you might have hoped.
5. Sometimes products don’t display any official certification on their packaging, signalling the product is vegan or cruelty free, so it’s always worth looking at the ingredients to check for yourself.
6. Contact the company to find out more. There are lots of ingredients that can be derived from a plant or animal source and the ingredients list doesn’t always disclose which.
For more information on veganism and vegan-friendly products, check out the Vegan Society.
Want To Try Our Products?
We only source the kindest ingredients from trusted suppliers who don’t practice unethical or cruel methods of farming, which is why we are able to label every single one of our products cruelty free!
Use code: Vegan20 at the checkout for 20% off your order! – *Limited to one use per customer*
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More Advice?
If you’d like any more advice or information on our vegan products, please do email us – info@odylique.co.uk, add your question as a comment below, or call 01638 491022 – we’re here to help.
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