Cruelty free hair and skin products
Finding Styles in the ailses
When it comes to lipstick, eyeshadow and other color cosmetics, many perfectly intelligent women seem to shut down their critical faculties. Each year, women happily spend millions of dollars on cheap petroleum byproducts, FD & C colors and artificial ingredients. Why? Because, frankly, we don't expect much from our cosmetics: We want fashionable colors, pleasant fragrances and textures, reasonable staying power and perhaps most important, a glamorous image. Savvy women, however, are demanding more from their cosmetics than seasonal palettes.
"A lot of women are starting to look at their cosmetics with the same filters that they look at other aspects of their life," explains Paddy Ryan, spokesperson for Zia cosmetics. "They're questioning whether it's such a great idea to wear layers of chemically based colors on their face, and they're wondering whether it's really necessary to use talc in powder and chemicals in sunscreens."
Natural cosmetics companies cater to skeptical consumers by eliminating artificial colors, fragrances, chemicals, common skin irritants (talc) and comedogenic ingredients (mineral oil). Zia's foundations, for example, use iron oxides (natural mineral substances) instead of artificial colors.
The vegan alternative
There is a significant difference between a cruelty-free label and a vegan label. Vegan products adhere to cruelty-free standards, but in addition, these products don't contain any animal ingredients or animal byproducts. Many conventional beauty products, particularly cosmetics and shampoos, contain ingredients that are derived from animals or animal byproducts.
If you're concerned that your beauty products aren't vegan and a telephone call to the company doesn't reveal whether an ingredient is animal-derived or not, PETA's Wesley suggests contacting an animal protection organization. They'll be able to provide you with the detailed ingredient information that makeup labels do not provide.
Here is a listing of some surprising animal ingredients to look for on cosmetic labels and some greener alternatives:
Ingredient: Allantoin Source/Use: Found in cows and other mammals and used as a healing agent in many cosmetic creams and lotions Alternative: Allantoin is also found in many plants, particularly the extract of comfrey root
Ingredient: Beeswax Source/Use: Wax from virgin bees is used as a sealant in lipsticks, mascaras, eye creams, lip balms and nail whiteners Alternative: Paraffin, vegetable oils and fats
Ingredient: Boar bristles Source/Use: Hair from boars commonly used in makeup brushes and toothbrushes Alternative: Nylon or vegetable fibers
Ingredient: Biotin Source/Use: Found in all living cells and used in cosmetics and shampoos Alternative: Plant sources
Ingredient: Stearyl alcohol or sterols Source/Use: A mixture of solid alcohols that may sometimes be prepared from sperm whale oil and is used in skin creams, hair rinses and some shampoos Alternative: Vegetable stearic acid
Ingredient: Fish liver oil Source/Use: A source of vitamin A sometimes used in cosmetics and hair dyes Alternative: Vitamin A derivatives from carotene (carrots) or synthetic sources
Ingredient: Mink oil Source/Use: An emollient used for its moisturizing properties in cosmetics and skin creams Alternative: Vegetable/natural oils such as avocado, almond and jojoba
Ingredient: Silk/silk powder Source/Use: The tiny fibers made by silk worms to form a cocoon -- used as a coloring ingredient ion face powders and soaps Alternative: Milkweed seed-pod fibers or synthetic silks
Ingredient: RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) Source/Use: Slaughterhouse waste that is commonly used in many protein-enriched shampoos and conditioners Alternative: Plant cells
Ingredient: Sponge (luna and sea) Source/Use: A sea animal that looks like a plant and is used as an ingredient for sponges and loofahs Alternative: synthetic sponges
Ingredient: Stearic acid Source/Use: Fat extracted from cows, sheep and pigs and used as a lubricant in deodorant, hair spray, shampoo and soap Alternative: Vegetable fats or coconut
Other Pages
Cruelty Free Products 1
Cruelty Free Products 2
Cruelty Free Products 3
Cruelty Free Products 4
Cruelty Free Products 5
