Dr Alkaitis Organic Ageless Facial Elixir
The Ageless Elixir is one of Dr. Alkaitis’ most profoundly complex, nourishing products, essential for mature and aging skin.
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April 28, 2024
Decoding Clean Beauty
Vegan V's Cruelty-Free
What's the Difference?
The rising trend of clean beauty has bought with it greater consumer awareness around our skincare and beauty products and how they are made. The impact we have on our planet and the need to preserve the precious balance of our environment is reaching every aspect of our lives and our beauty products are not exempt. As a conscious consumer, now more than ever, it is important to be informed and make good purchasing decisions.
Cruelty Free and Vegan beauty are at the core of the clean beauty ethos but like most things in the beauty space they aren’t formally or legally defined. Understanding the labelling on product packaging and being confident in it’s meaning can at times be challenging. Let’s take a look at what cruelty free and vegan really means at The NATIVES Co.
Vegan Beauty
Powered by pure plant extracts and potent botanical actives vegan skincare goes hand-in-hand with clean beauty. Focusing on organic and sustainable plant-based ingredients to create vegan skincare products is at the forefront of many clean beauty brands ethos.
As a definition Vegan applies to formulations where ingredients are not derived from animals; meaning no animal ingredients including animal by-products. For some of us vegan is a lifestyle choice that seeks to exclude all forms of exploitation of animals, instead promoting the development and use of animal-free alternatives (The Vegan Society 1988). But even for those of us who don’t follow a vegan lifestyle, plant-based skin care still offers great benefits for healthier skin. Vegan products are made from plants grown in nature, utilizing the best natural antioxidants, vitamins and minerals for strong healthy skin.
Modern formulation techniques means that plant-based vegan makeup is no longer a compromise on performance or colour. Au Naturale Makeup proves that Vegan makeup is high performance skincare in makeup and a great alternative from the MAC and NARS pure pigment colour choices.
Cruelty Free
Imagery of bunnies suffering in the name of mascara is all too prevalent and so very antiquated when choosing skincare and makeup. As a general definition, Cruelty Free means that the product has not been tested on animals. However, there is a varying degree of cruelty free. While a final product may be cruelty-free it may contain ingredients that are tested on animals or acquired from animals in cruel ways.
We recommend looking to Brands that source and formulate with cruelty free ingredients, supporting a zero tolerance on animal testing or animal cruelty in all trials and at all levels of production.
What’s the difference between Vegan and Cruelty Free?
A Vegan lifestyle does lend itself to a cruelty free lifestyle, however a vegan claim does not guarantee the product is not tested on animals or cruelty free. Look for Vegan certification like Vegan Society, Certified Vegan or PETA that incorporate cruelty free as part of their Vegan certification process and allow consumers to shop across both.
A product can be cruelty free and still contain animal by-products that are ethically harvested without harm to animals. An example is beeswax or honey in skincare. As an animal by-product this ingredient is not suitable for Vegan labelling, rather we refer to these products as “Beegan”. The beeswax or honey ingredients are ethically sourced, and in fact support sustainable farming and safe harvesting practices that protect our precious bee population, essential to plant life on earth.
Cruelty Free and Vegan Certifications
The Leaping Bunny accreditation is the gold standard for cruelty free skincare and beauty products including makeup. It is an Internationally recognised programme that encompasses the lifecycle of a product from the ingredients supplied through to the final formulation. Leaping Bunny conducts ongoing audits of certified brands to ensure continued compliance. Other certifications include PETA Beauty Without Bunnies and Choose Cruelty Free (CCF), based in Australia. Cruelty free certification gives consumers confidence in their cruelty free choice and purchase.
Vegan certifications are gaining popularity as more of us identify with veganism as a holistic lifestyle choice. While the Vegan Trademark by the Vegan Society is the most globally recognised, other certifications such as Certified Vegan and Vegan Australia, all have strict guidelines that exclude animal by-products and verify vegan claims.
What if a brand isn’t certified?
A brand can still be cruelty free and/or vegan without being certified. Opting for products that are not tested on animals is often associated with clean beauty brands that have a holistic ethos. They encompass not only cruelty free practices, but go that extra step formulating with the best sustainably sourced potent ingredients from nature ensuring products are free of parabens, sulfates and synthetics. Select a brand that is transparent. Another good indication is clinically proven trials and tests on humans. The efficacy of these products are tested on real people, giving the consumer assurance that these formulations are both safe and effective.
Shop Vegan and Cruelty Free Beauty
By shopping at official stockist specialist stores that have a Clean Code like that at The NATIVES Co. you can be confident that cruelty-free and vegan claims are genuine. Each product has a number of Clean Code “eco-stamps” for quick reference. Our Skincare experts do the research on each brand and product, while working closely with the Brand Founders ensuring cruelty free products as a standard and verifying any vegan claims. In line with our clean ethos we only stock cruelty-free brands and products plus we’ve selected the best vegan brands to offer you a great range of vegan skin care products and vegan cosmetics. No exceptions!
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One thought on “Vegan Beauty versus Cruelty Free”
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