A skincare routine that’s as good for you as it is for the planet

At a time when climate change is posing a serious threat, people are starting to shift into a more eco-friendly lifestyle and this includes being mindful, especially in the things they consume. In skincare, we are seeing brands update their product lines or formulations to cater to more sustainable options, while new ones are slowly emerging as well, positioning themselves as vegan.

But what is vegan skincare?

It simply means that the products don’t have any ingredients that come from animals, including their by-products like milk or honey since everything they use is from plants.

How is it different from natural or cruelty-free? 

Vegan skincare can be confused with cruelty-free skincare. However, just because something wasn’t tested on animals doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t derived from them. They can still have animal-derived ingredients like lanolin (sheep wool), squalene (shark liver oil), carmine or colourant (crushed insects) among others. Cruelty-free only qualifies that the products were not tested on animals like most usually are. 

Having a plant-based skincare routine does so much good for your skin. Its ingredients are more nourishing because they’re full of nutrients and antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E as well as natural oils like coconut and argan, and even have healing properties like aloe vera. Imagine putting on all of that instead of synthetic chemicals or ingredients like a cow’s uric acid.

Lastly, vegan skincare being 100% organic means they don’t harm the environment, not during the production or even at end of life stage. They just break down naturally into components, which is what people looking to invest in products that were made to be more circular in the way they’re used would want. Imagine using products in your skincare routine that not only takes care of you but of the animals, and the whole planet as well. If you’re working to reduce your carbon and overall impact on the environment, then you should definitely look into building a skincare routine that is all around vegan.