Veganism, a promising and kind lifestyle, is being adapted by many people across the globe to reduce animal suffering and environmental degradation. The millennials today, are not just shunning meat for consumption, but have also been refusing the usage of products derived from animal sources. This new trend has crawled into the make-up industry and a new “vegan” or “cruelty-free” make-up is being introduced to the markets.
A majority of the beauty products are jammed with animal-derived products and toxic chemicals which are very harsh and tend to damage the skin cells. The general composition of make-up includes animal-derived ingredients such as honey, beeswax, gelatin, collagen, cholesterol and various other unsustainable chemicals. Apart from these, the cosmetics industry has also been using suspicious and intimidating ingredients like urea, snail slime, ground-up hooves, placenta, whale and bee vomit and cat glandular secretions. When these sickening and unpalatable ingredients are not acceptable for regular consumption, why use them on your skin to get absorbed inside your body?
Vegan cosmetics are known to be safer and more humane than regular make-up as they are not only devoid of these animal by-products but also of harmful chemicals and metals. The use of plant products influences the biological functions of the skin by providing to it many useful nutrients and keeping it vibrant and healthy. Botanical products are rich in vitamins, antioxidants, essential oils, proteins and other bioactive compounds which get absorbed by the skin and help in providing antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and tyrosinase inhibition effect, which further helps in prevention of various skin conditions. The utilization of plant extracts could be an asset, sustainable to the environment. As compared to the synthetic cosmetic ingredients, the plant-based ingredients are mild, biodegradable and exhibit lower toxicity.
Vegan brands are also immensely careful about the packaging designs and the material and try to keep them as eco-friendly as possible. Vegan cosmetics and accessories come with a very environment-friendly packaging usually made from recycled materials. There is absolutely no dearth of variety of the vegan cosmetic products and hence more and more brands are trying to switch over to the vegan version of make-ups.
It is a common practice of the make-up industry to test their formulations on animals and this animal testing is also ‘required by the law’ in some countries. But according to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), there is no specific requirement of animal-testing in testing cosmetics for safety, and, it even supports the use of alternative methods over animal testing. Hence many companies have adopted cruelty-free products which ensure that no animals are harmed during the formulation and testing processes. This cruelty-free market is expected to grow by at least 6% through 2023 according to a report from Market Research Future.
Vegan and cruelty-free products are hence a very prudent option for health and lifestyle limitations and support animal welfare, all while promoting natural and healthy skin. With all these novel options available, why choose products that harm your skin and the environment?
By,
Himaja Darbha
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