What Is The Difference Between Vegan And Vegetarian Beauty?
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Ever wondered what the difference between vegan and vegetarian beauty is? It’s crucial to understand these terms before stocking your beauty cabinet as these terms don’t mean the same thing.
While both vegan and vegetarian beauty products aim to minimize harm to animals, they have a few differences that can impact your choice.
In this post, you’ll discover the key differences between vegan and vegetarian beauty products. From ingredient lists to ethical considerations, we’ll help you easily navigate the world of cruelty-free beauty.
What Is Vegetarianism?
Vegetarianism means saying goodbye to meat, fish, gelatine, and animal fats. But here’s the catch: you can still eat dairy, eggs, and all that cheesy goodness. It’s the perfect fit if you love animals but can’t part ways with your favorite omelet or morning yogurt.
You’ll steer clear of anything with gelatine or animal-derived collagen when it comes to beauty products. No crushed beetles in your blush, please! But don’t panic about beeswax or lanolin in your lotions; they’re typically vegetarian-friendly.
Why Choose Vegetarian Beauty?
You’re very passionate about ending animal suffering for our benefit, but you don’t really see a problem with using products created by animals; vegetarian beauty is your thing. It’s the perfect balance between benefiting from animal products, like beeswax, while not coming across any animal parts in the product.
Plus, it’s usually easier to find vegetarian beauty products than fully vegan ones, giving you more options.
While ‘vegetarian’ labels on cosmetics aren’t super common, they help us tell if a product is cruelty-free. However, figuring out if a product is truly vegetarian can be tricky!
Are vegetarian beauty products cruelty-free?
Not always. Vegetarian refers to the ingredients, while cruelty-free means no animal testing.
What Is Veganism?
According to The Vegan Society, veganism is all about a plant-based diet. That means no animal foods like meat, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, or honey. Veganism also means ditching animal-derived materials and products and steering clear of anything tested on animals.
A vegan product must not contain any animal ingredient at all, be it a part of an animal (like gelatin or animal fats) or derived from an animal (such as honey, beeswax, yogurt, lactic acid, and so on).Â
Why Choose Vegan Beauty?
You’re dedicated to ending animal suffering and don’t want to use any products made from animals at all; vegan beauty is perfect for you. It’s all about avoiding animal products entirely, so no beeswax or honey.
Plus, vegan beauty products are often seen as more ethical and environmentally friendly, giving you peace of mind if this is important to you.
While it might take a bit more effort to find vegan products, plenty of options are available, and many brands proudly label their products as vegan to make it easier for you.
Key Difference Between Vegan And Vegetarian Beauty Products
First things first, vegan beauty products do not contain any animal ingredients at all. This means ingredients that are part of an animal (like gelatin or animal fats) or derived from an animal (such as honey, beeswax, yogurt, lactic acid, and so on). These products assure you that no animals were used and no ingredients were sourced from animals or tested on animals.
On the other hand, vegetarian beauty products don’t contain any animal parts, but they can still contain ingredients that are either animal by-products or are produced by animals. Think of beeswax and honey; they’re vegetarian as they’re animal byproducts but don’t involve direct harm.
Just a heads-up about some ingredients: they can be quite the chameleons. For instance, glycerine, squalane, and stearic acid can be derived from both animal and plant sources. So, when you see these ingredients on the ingredient list, it doesn’t have to be an immediate no, but you must be careful and research.
Usually, the difference between vegan and vegetarian cosmetics is that ‘vegetarian’ products can have natural animal-made ingredients like beeswax and honey, which vegans avoid. Many eco-friendly beauty brands that aren’t fully vegan will label themselves as vegetarian.
To be sure you’re buying vegetarian products, always check the ingredients and do some research! Always check labels, and don’t shy away from asking brands for clarity.
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