The biggest misconception behind vegan beauty products is the crunchy textures and cheap packaging that come at the price of knowing how your makeup is being formulated. Luckily, in the past couple of years, the makeup and skin care industry has undergone tremendous changes: rebranding and making sure vegan beauty products are better than ever.

What is vegan beauty? 

We all have heard about “organic” or “green” beauty products that are being pushed on by social media. Vegan, however, is a less ambiguous term that actually has a set-in-stone definition within the beauty industry. In short, it means the product contains no animal byproducts or animal-derived ingredients, such as carmine, lanolin and beeswax. It’s also important to note that cruelty-free doesn’t mean vegan. Rather, it denotes that the products weren’t tested on animals at any stage in the process. A product can be cruelty-free without being vegan and vice versa, so keep that in mind while you’re shopping.

How do vegan makeup and skin care actually help? 

Vegan beauty products tend to be eco-friendly. Using natural products is one, and on top of that, most of the containers from vegan beauty products are usually recyclable and environmentally friendly. This applies to cruelty-free products as well. Most of us do not keep the boxes we get our makeup in, and packaging that can be recycled is certainly a good option to reduce waste. 

What’s in it for me? 

Vegan makeup products aren’t only a way to help solve the landfill crisis but may help your skin in certain cases. Normal cosmetic products include some very weird ingredients such as dead insect extracts and other acids taken from animals. 

Some of the ingredients found in vegan cosmetics include aloe vera, chamomile and glycerin.

These ingredients aren’t too harsh on the skin and allow you to know exactly what you are applying. Vegan cosmetics have proven to be better for those who have sensitive skin because they’re composed of fewer ingredients than some nonvegan cosmetics. The packaging usually lists all of the ingredients included in the product, which makes it easier to choose exactly what you want.

Vegan makeup is usually higher quality

Because of all of the natural ingredients used in the products, vegan makeup provides longer wear and easier application to the skin. Animal extract infused components usually irritate the skin, while plant-based ones can be soothing on the skin.

Granted, vegan makeup and skin care might be more expensive than usual, but many brands offer options for all budgets. When shopping for makeup or skin care, remember that more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better quality. What’s most important is that you feel comfortable with the containing products and the effect you are getting after use.