About 14%of the world population is vegan. Many beauty brands, including Akilah's Essentials, promote their products as vegan. But there are so many controversies surrounding vegan skincare. For example is vegan skincare cruelty free? Are there ingredients we should avoid? Alarming right? Don’t worry that’s why Akilah's essentials is here. Keep reading and let us break it down for you.
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What Is Vegan Skincare
Vegan skincare is formulated with plant products instead of animal products. Therefore, it not only avoids the fat and tissues of animals it also avoids their byproducts like milk and honey. Vegan skincare does not use products like cholesterol, squalene and stearic acid, which are also commonly used in many major beauty brands.
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What is the difference between vegan and cruelty free skincare?
Just to be clear, just because it is vegan doesn’t mean it is cruelty free.
Cruelty free products are not tested on animals but could be derived from animals. For example, a facemask may include goats milk but for it to be cruelty free it could not have been tested on animals.
Here is an additional list of common animal based products found in beauty and skincare:
Lanolin: a very common skincare ingredients because of its moisturizing properties. Lanolin is made from the fatty substance found on sheep’s wool.
Carmine: cochineal is extracted from cochineal bug which is crushed and mixed with carmine acid.
Guanine: is extracted from fish scales and is mostly found in lipstick and nail polish.
The main benefit of vegan skincare is that it is cruelty free. Many of the animal products manufactured in "developed" countries are done so on confined animal farming operations better known as C.A.F.O.'s or factory farms. These farms are often hundreds of acres in size with thousands of animals living in subpar conditions. The idea of using the products produced from cruelty to make oneself beautiful can be a turn off. Is our personal beauty worth the pain and suffering of sentient creatures? Vegan skincare avoids all of this. If you're not vegan but interested in adapting this area of your life to prioritize animal welfare here is a great list of affordable and accessible vegan skincare.
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At Akilah's Essentials we prioritize both the health and wellness of our customers and the earth that provides us with the resources to make these products. This is why we use both vegan and organic ingredients. We want you to feel good about the products you include in your beauty and wellness routines. Even if you're not vegan there's no harm in making an effort to switch to vegan skincare. Why not make the switch today with Akilah's Essentials?