Everyone Should Be Talking About Vegan Beauty
This should also be the new normal that we should be talking about. Selena Gomez and Alicia Keys are starting new vegan beauty brands of their own. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama is partnering with the cruelty-free vegan beauty brand The Lip Bar as a power move to help more Americans register to vote. With vegan beauty, Tropika Club discovers that you don’t need to sacrifice being good when you’re looking and feeling good.
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Vegan Beauty vs. Cruelty-Free Beauty vs. Clean Beauty
It feels like they all mean the same thing. But don’t fall for it. To keep it simple:
Vegan products
It means that the products are free of any animal ingredients, such as wool wax, honey, and beeswax. When it comes to animal ingredients in makeup, keep an eye out for carmine, a red pigment derived from beetles, as well as gelatin – which usually comes from boiled animal bones. There may be synthetic alternatives too, in addition to the usual plant-based alternatives and botanical ingredients.
A common mistake is to avoid preservatives in vegan beauty products. However, natural ingredients are more prone to ingredient separation and bacteria growth. So having some additives could not only avoid contamination and prevent them from spoiling, but also maintain the efficacy of the products.
Cruelty-free products
This mean that the products are free of animal testing. Some new beauty products are tested on living animals before they enter production to assess its effectiveness, its effects on human health, as well as environmental safety.
The case against animal testing has been gaining traction. Testing new products on animals could inflict physical and psychological distress on the animals, and the effect may not be translated to the human body – nine out of every 10 candidate medicines that appear safe and effective in animal testing fail when given to humans. Not to mention, it’s time- and resource-intensive, not all substances can be tested on animals.
With the two definitions in mind, it’s important to know that vegan products could mean that they’ve been tested on animals. Conversely, cruelty-free products don’t necessarily mean they have no animal ingredients.
There’s another label you should look out for – clean beauty. There’s no official definition to it, nor are there any certifications. It can not only be confusing but misleading too. Some brands exploit the possible connotations it entails.
For example, some clean beauty products come. with label ‘chemical-free’. That doesn’t make any real sense, because chemicals can be either natural or synthetic. Another label that could be misleading is ‘plant-based’, which doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s healthy – plant-based candy is still candy.
How to Buy Vegan Beauty Products in Singapore
Beauty products in Singapore aren’t self-regulated, so they don’t need approval from the authorities before they hit the shelves. But you can spot some of the vegan labels by international organisations on the beauty products you’re looking for. Then your shopping trip will be as smooth as a breeze.
1. The Vegan Society
One of the more common labels that you can trust is by The Vegan Society. A team of dedicated and experienced professionals will check each product application to The Vegan Society against the criteria for being vegan. For further assurance, The Vegan Society also audits for the possibilities of cross-contamination with animal ingredients. The registration has to be renewed every year so that the information remains accurate and current. You can check out the products that passed their tests here.
2. Vegan Action
Another organisation that should be on your radar is Vegan Action. Established in 1995, they certify vegan products through the Vegan Certification Campaign. The Certified Vegan Logo is a registered trademark, where over 1000 companies currently have it on their products.
3. PETA
For extra peace of mind, you can check the list of vegan beauty companies that don’t test on animals in People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) ‘Beauty without Bunnies’ program. In addition to having an exhaustive list of cruelty-free brands, it also checks if they’re vegan to. The list is updated pretty often, as recent as 20/9/2020.
Get These Local Vegan Beauty Brands in Your Shopping Cart
You don’t need to look abroad to access top-notch vegan beauty brands. Singapore’s beauty industry have stepped up their game too. We’ve already covered Handmade Heroes and Solos Cosmetics as Halal-friendly Beauty Brands. Here are three more local vegan beauty brands that should be on your sights.
1. Alche{me}
The future is in conscious skincare. alche{me} provides personalised skincare that not only cares your skin, but the Earth we live in too. From the ingredients to the packaging, every step is carefully considered. So instead of instantly buying a product from their website, you upload a picture of yourself and their facial detection energy will assess your skin profile, along with a questionnaire. You can adjust your needs after too. The final product, made with potent botanical extract and vitamins in their state-of-the-art lab in Singapore, is bespoke to you.
As they become one of the more renowned local vegan beauty brands, they’ve remained faithful to their commitment to sustainability. Their products are made-to-order, so it minimises wastage. Their packaging consists of 100% recyclable wood and glass too; what’s not to love at alche{me}!
2. OASIS:
Dive into OASIS:. From their Beauty Kitchen store, they create vegan products an exciting assortment of beauty oils, serums, shampoos, and soaps. They make all of their products from carefully-sourced, plant-based ingredients, free of fillers and chemicals. OASIS: creates serums, beauty oils
Their store is also a refillery for their products, offering refills at 10% if you bring your bottles and jars back. It’s no wonder that they’re part of the Zero Waste Packaging Initiative – where businesses are encouraged to reduce waste through a circular packaging system.
3. Two Halves
They’re a new addition to the colourful crop local beauty brand enters the scene, and they are raring to go. Founder Ashley Yong established Two Halves just last October, after a one-year stint in public relations and marketing at Estée Lauder.
Yet, from day one, they’re focusing on treating sensitive skin. Their first product in the Better Balance range, the oil-free Soothing Hydrating Essence, is a testament to that. It took over a year to formulate the essence with a Japanese lab.
The result? A smooth, lightweight water-based gel consisting of cherry blossom leaf, soya bean seeds, and the Baikal skullcap – an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. It’s fragrance-free too, so it focuses on soothing and nourishing damaged and sensitive skin.
Have an Article to Suggest?
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