MAKING CONSCIOUS CHOICES KINDER TO ANIMALS

Interest in vegan beauty is at an all-time high after growing steadily over the last 10 years. Although it is predicted that the global vegan beauty market will be worth $25.3 billion by 2029, lots of people don’t fully understand what vegan beauty is or why they should be looking out for it.

In 2023, The Vegan Society conducted a survey to discover whether people know about the animal-derived ingredients that might be lurking in their beauty products. Common animal-derived ingredients include beeswax, lanolin (sheep’s wool), carmine (crushed beetles), gelatin (cow or pig bones, tendons or ligaments) and collagen (bones, skin, ligaments and tissues of cows). The survey found that only 30% of those surveyed knew what a ‘vegan’ label meant, which is a product that contains no animal products and has not been tested on animals.

The Vegan Society want to help people make conscious choices in their beauty routines that are kinder to animals. Their new campaign – Conscious Choices – aims to give you practical ways of showing compassion to animals in all areas of your life. Whether you’re at the start of your vegan journey or an animal lover who wants to find out more, Conscious Choices is all about empowering you to choose health, hygiene and beauty products that are aligned with your values.

One way to start, is to learn about compassionate alternatives to products that are derived from or tested on animals. The society have launched the campaign with a short film, which is specifically focused on helping anyone who wants to make more ethical choices. In the film we hear co-founder of the vegan restaurant, Clean Kitchen Club and Made in Chelsea star, Verity Bowditch, as well as the founder of Root Minerals, a beauty brand registered as one of their Trademark holders. They talk about their journeys to veganism, the need for the industry to be more transparent about where – or from whom – their ingredients are sourced and share tips to empower animal-lovers to purchase products that reflect compassion to animals in all areas of their lives, beginning with cosmetics.

Commenting on the distinction between vegan and cruelty-free products, Verity Bowditch said: “Veganism goes way beyond the food you eat. Whether it’s deodorants, make-up, haircare products or toothpaste even – there's a difference between vegan and cruelty-free. Just because a product isn’t tested on animals doesn’t mean it’s fully vegan. I now know I’m making more conscious choices”.

As part of the campaign, The Vegan Society has also developed a free downloadable shopper’s guide to help you consciously choose cosmetics in a way that is kinder to animals, as well as tips, blogs and products to help you start your vegan journey. People wanting to make conscious choices should look for certified vegan labels – like the Vegan Trademark. A product registered with the Vegan Trademark has not been tested on animals by the company or on its behalf and does not contain any animal-based ingredients.

To celebrate the launch of the campaign, The Vegan Society are giving away two Vegan Trademark beauty bundles worth up to £250. To automatically enter the competition, take the short cosmetics quiz to test your knowledge and download the FREE guide by scanning the QR code! Terms and conditions apply.

For more information, follow the hashtag #ConsciousChoices on social media and find out more about the campaign at: vegansociety.com/elle/consciouschoices