The complete guide to vegan skincare

The vegan movement is gaining a steady following across the globe – and while we’ve been hearing a lot about vegan food in recent years, the vegan skincare movement is also now getting popular. If you’re interested in exploring a vegan skincare routine, The Perfume Shop stocks many such products to choose from – and there are many reasons why you should. Read on to discover what makes vegan skincare so special.

What is vegan skincare?

So what makes a skincare product vegan? Like vegan food, vegan skincare contains zero animal-derived ingredients or by-products. Non-vegan ingredients can include beeswax and honey and silk protein. Lesser-known ingredients that are non-vegan include biotin, cetyl alcohol, keratin, and gelatine, which are all frequently used in skincare (organisations like PETA have a full list of such ingredients on their website for you to cross check that your beauty product definitely doesn’t contain animal derivatives).

Other non-vegan ingredients can include bee venom – which is sometimes used in products to numb the muscles in the face, for a ‘topical Botox’ effect; as well as lanolin – a wax secreted by sheep through their wool and which is often a key ingredient in lip balm and moisturiser.

Certain fragrances in skincare can also be non-vegan; ambergris is a highly prized perfume ingredient that adds a rich scent and is basically – wait for it – whale faeces! If you don’t like the sound of all that, then a vegan skincare regime might be the answer.

What are the benefits of vegan skincare?

Not only is vegan skincare more eco-friendly (not to mention better for our four- and six-legged friends), but also vegan ingredients tend to be gentler on the skin, making them less likely to cause redness and irritation. What’s more, vegan formulas are actually good at calming sensitive skin as the formulas tend to be more alkaline, helping to

How to spot a vegan skincare product

If you’re on the lookout for vegan skincare, they are usually very easy to spot. Usually the packaging has a ‘V’ logo. If it simply says ‘cruelty free’ this doesn’t mean it is vegan. While a product may not have been tested on animals (thereby making it cruelty free) it still might contain animal-derived ingredients, so they are not one and the same thing.

The Perfume Shop has a vegan skincare section, each product packed with plant-based and sustainable ingredients.

Here are three to start off with…