Vegan shoes, vegan food, vegan cosmetics… Vegan is hot and has long since lost its tree-hugger image. Thank goodness! From the start of SELF, I knew I would go for 100% animal-friendly products. Animals that have to suffer to make us more beautiful? I can’t accept that idea.
Fortunately, animal testing for cosmetics has been banned in Europe for several years now. On European soil, no cosmetic product may contain ingredients that have been tested on animals. A step in the right direction, but we are not there yet. In 80% of the countries worldwide, testing cosmetics on animals is allowed. In China, it is even mandatory for some beauty products! Crazy, right?
Note the logos
Many consumers are consciously looking for animal-friendly care products today. And we at SELF are of course very happy about that. But making the right choice is not always easy.
Vegan, animal-friendly, natural… Unfortunately, there are still many pitfalls in the legislation surrounding the use of these terms. And cosmetics giants sometimes dare to abuse this. So don't blindly trust beautiful promises on packaging and be critical. Correctly interpreting ingredient lists is not always easy, but these recognized quality logos offer a handy guideline.
Cruelty-free or vegan?
Cruelty free or vegan? I often get asked what the difference is between the two. Well, it's actually simple.
- The label cruelty-free guarantees that cosmetics have not been tested on animals. Animal-friendly cosmetics. The products can still contain animal ingredients, such as beeswax, lanolin, keratin...
- Vegan cosmetic products do not contain any animal ingredients.
Both claims have an eye for animal welfare, but in a different way. A cruelty-free product does not have to be vegan. And strictly speaking, vegan cosmetics do not necessarily have to be cruelty-free either. Are you still with us?
At SELF we go for both. Our products are 100% animal friendly and vegan.
From harvesting our ingredients to cleaning our production lines, we ensure that no animal product is needed anywhere. And that for every step of the production process, since the very beginning in 2016.
Our efforts were rewarded a while ago with an official vegan certificate. SELF is now globally recognized as a vegan brand by The Vegan Society. I can't tell you how happy that makes me!
At SELF we go for both. Our products are 100% animal friendly and vegan.
From harvesting our ingredients to cleaning our production lines, we ensure that no animal product is needed anywhere. And that for every step of the production process, since the very beginning in 2016.
Our efforts were rewarded a while ago with an official vegan certificate. SELF is now globally recognized as a vegan brand by The Vegan Society. I can't tell you how happy that makes me!
A short recap to avoid confusion 😉
- Vegan cosmetics : always not tested on animals, without animal ingredients, but do not always have to be natural (may also contain chemical ingredients).
- Cruelty-free cosmetics : always not tested on animals, may contain animal ingredients, contains both natural and chemical ingredients
- Natural cosmetics : do not have to be cruelty-free, may contain animal ingredients, but no chemical ingredients.
How do you view animal-friendly or vegan cosmetics? Do you consciously choose for it or are you not really concerned with it? Tell me! I would love to hear what you think about it.
Love,
Team SELF