VEGAN VS CRUELTY-FREE BEAUTY

What’s the difference between the two terms? Here’s your guide.

Q:I’M ADOPTING A VEGAN LIFESTYLE AND I WANT TO OVERHAUL MY BEAUTY BAG ACCORDINGLY. A LOT OF MY PRODUCTS SAY THEY’RE CRUELTYFREE, BUT DOES THAT MEAN THEY’RE VEGAN? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

A:In recent years, we’ve witnessed a global shift towards conscious consumption. As such, a growing number of beauty brands are working to adopt a more ethical approach to cosmetics, from giant businesses such as Covergirl going completely cruelty-free to contemporary brands like KVD Vegan Beauty (formerly Kat Von D Beauty) developing innovative new formulas that eliminate animal by-products without compromising on results.

Our vernacular has also expanded. Terms such as “vegan” and “cruelty-free” are some of the buzziest right now (market research firm Mintel reported a 175 per cent boost in the number of vegan products launched between 2013 and 2018). In the beauty industry, they’re also some of the most commonly conflated, with many assuming that a declaration of one denotes compliance with the other. But given that they pertain to two separate ideologies, that’s not necessarily the case.

Like vegan food and fashion, vegan beauty products contain no animal-derived ingredients. However, products can be considered vegan without being deemed cruelty-free, as the term vegan only relates to the formula of the cosmetic and doesn’t scrutinise the production process. Cosmetics that are labelled cruelty-free signal that the brand hasn’t tested its products on animals during production, but they can contain animal-derived ingredients.

So where should you allocate your attention and hard-earned funds? If your primary concern is animal testing, Michelle Thew, CEO of Cruelty Free International, recommends looking for the organisation’s Leaping Bunny certification. “It’s the only cruelty-free approval for which a brand must demonstrate thorough checks of its entire supply chain, right down to raw materials and ingredients,” she explains. Vegans can consult Vegan Australia or look for the Vegan Australia Certified logo on local products.

Thankfully, plenty of beauty products are being formulated to be both vegan

cruelty-free, so you don’t have to choose between the two. Below are some of our favourites.