With the massive boom in vegan skincare in recent years, many people have been asking whether these products are better for your skin than regular cosmetics. With a focus on natural ingredients, this seems like a fair assumption to make.
However, things aren’t quite that simple. Let’s dive in.
Everything you need to know about vegan skincare
When most people think of veganism they think of meat-free and plant-based diets and the total exclusion of animal-sourced products. In skincare terms, the thought process is very similar.
Vegan skincare products use completely natural ingredients that aren’t sourced from an animal base. Even things like honey are forbidden, despite its beneficial qualities. The reason for this lies in the ethical drive behind the vegan movement. Supporters of vegan products claim they are more morally in line with the standards of modern society, have less of an environmental impact, and are more sustainable. The idea of being cruelty-free is also heavily linked with the vegan movement, as there is no testing on animals.
This comes with a price
Unfortunately, despite the good intentions behind the vegan skincare revolution, it comes at a price for normal consumers. Generally speaking, the production process for vegan cosmetics costs a lot more money than regular products. The end result sees customers having to pay more for the privilege of using vegan products, and many people may be priced out even if they want to support the cause. At the moment this is just the reality of this sector of the industry, and hopefully, it can improve in time.
Are vegan products better for your skin?
This is the main question. While the focus on naturally sourced ingredients may give the impression that vegan products are better for you, it isn’t that simple.
First of all, there are a host of natural ingredients out there that can cause irritation to people who may have sensitive skin or allergies. Much like regular skincare products, this can happen to anybody, so there’s no clear advantage when it comes to potential side effects.
Next, vegan products are less likely to contain preservatives, thus giving them much shorter expiry periods. This may not be something you particularly mind, but for regular people, it means they’ll have to use their products quickly and more than likely pay to replace them more often.
Finally, there actually is a larger likelihood that vegan products will give you more natural nutrients and vitamins than regular products. Of course, this will depend on the product and brand, but the natural ingredients are more likely to have more goodness packed within them.
But the jury really is out on whether vegan products are “better” for your skin. The truth is both vegan and non-vegan products vary in their effectiveness based on the ingredients they contain. They should all be judged individually and on a case-by-case basis.
Final word
While we appreciate and support the growth of the vegan skincare sector, our main priority is the consumers in the store. We can’t say that vegan products are better for your skin, because quite frankly there’s no evidence to support that claim.
Both vegan and non-vegan products can do an excellent job of treating your skincare needs. It comes down to personal choice of which direction you want to go.