Most Vegans Know To Avoid These Make-Up Ingredients. Do You? 

You might regret reading this article.

Seriously...

Some of the ingredients used in everyday, non-vegan beauty products are a little revolting..

Are you sure you want to know?

Okay, but if you discover you're not so keen on using these as part of your beauty regime then read to the very end. We show you how to avoid these unpleasant and unnecessary ingredients.

 #1: Cochineal (crushed beetle) 

Check the ingredients on your favourite red lipstick, blusher or nail polish.

There’s a good chance if you are using a non-vegan range it includes carmine (or it might be listed as cochineal, crimson lake, natural red 4, CI 7540 or E120).

Carmine is derived from the body and eggs of the cochineal, a scaly beetle-like insect that is farmed on cacti in Latin America..

This beetlejuice could be listed as a ‘natural ingredient’. 

After all, what’s more natural than ground-up bugs!  

It could also be listed as cruelty free. So if you want to avoid bugs in your make-up then buy from a vegan brand.

#2: Keratin (ground up feathers and hooves)

You’ll often see keratin in hair care products.

Just bear in mind that keratin is a protein extracted from hooves, horns, quills and feathers of a variety of animals.

#3: Shark Liver (aka. squalene)

Squalene is a moisturising oil widespread in sunscreen, lipstick, foundation and other cosmetics. 

While squalene can be extracted from plants, such as olives, it is up to 30% cheaper to source from sharks. Which means some of your non-vegan brands could be contributing to the capture and killing of hundreds of thousands of sharks every year.

 #4: Cow Fat

Most bars of soap include sodium tallowate which is rendered down cattle fat.

If you don’t fancy washing yourself down in cow fat then look out for vegan alternatives.

#5: Sheep Grease

Lanolin is the greasy substance sheep create to keep their wool waterproof.

This is a common ingredient in many lip and hair products.

#6: Beaver Butt Secretions

This ‘natural ingredient’, Castoreum, is obtained from the anal glands of beavers.

Due to its cost it’s no longer used as a vanilla substitute in food but you will find it is still used in some high end perfumes!

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