Vegan Lifestyle Products ~ How To Level Up Your Veganism

When it comes to veganism most people think of replacing the use of animals in your diet, which means no meat or dairy or honey. But you might be surprised to find out that animal products aren’t just in your food.

I know that I was.

About two years after adopting a vegan lifestyle I actually adopted a vegan lifestyle and it was hard and pricier at first, but these days you can find vegan lifestyle products just about everywhere.

Today we’re going to talk about a few vegan lifestyle items that you may or may not know CAN contain animal products.

Deodorant

This one was a shock to me too. It never occurred to me, I’m ashamed to say, that deodorant could be vegan or non-vegan. But every single day I learn something new and one day a few years ago this was one of those things.

These are some of the ingredients in deodorant derived from animals:

1. Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat and is used as an emulsifying agent in many deodorants.
2. Beeswax is a natural wax produced by bees and is used as a thickening agent in deodorants.
3. Lanolin is a wax obtained from the wool of sheep and is used as a moisturizing agent in deodorants.
4. Glycerin a by-product of soap manufacturing and is often derived from animal fats and oils.
5. Collagen is a protein found in animal tissue and is added to deodorants for its moisturizing properties.

It’s worth noting that there are many deodorants available that are made free from animal-derived ingredients, so it is recommended to check the product labels.

I have found vegan deodorant at Lidl and DM so you should always check your favorite stores.

Face Wash

I don’t know about you but I wash my face at least twice a day with some type of cream or foam wash and on my workout days I also use a scrub or exfoliant. And now that I know there are vegan face washes and moisturizers, I only use them because why contribute my dollars (or LEU here in Romania) to animal slaughter?

Don’t believe me? Check out these ingredients on your face wash products:

1. Beeswax is a natural wax produced by bees and is used as a thickening agent in face washes.
2. Lanolin is a wax obtained from the wool of sheep and is used as a moisturizing agent in some face washes.
3. Collagen: A protein found in animal tissue and is sometimes added to face washes for its moisturizing properties.
4. Honey: A sweetener derived from bees, which is sometimes used in face washes.
5. Milk or Milk by-products : Many face washes contain milk or milk by-products like lactose, casein and whey protein. Reason? Who knows!
6. Glycerin: From animal fats and oils but also is produced synthetically which is how you get vegan skin care products!

Since moving to Europe most of my skin care products come from DM, which I first discovered in Germany. Back then there was just Alverde brand vegan products which I paid a premium for but now the store brand, Balea offers a wide variety of face wash, moisturizer, body lotion and even face masks free of animal products.

Pretty cool, right?

Body Wash

This one was less of a surprise to me thanks to Glycerin often being the top ingredient on the body wash bottles, but maybe you’re surprised? Here are just a few of the animal products that can be found in body wash:

1. Tallow: A rendered form of beef or mutton fat and is used as an emulsifying agent in body wash.
2. Beeswax: Wax produced by bees and is used as a thickening agent.
3. Lanolin: Wax obtained from the wool of sheep and is used as a moisturizing agent.
4. Collagen: This is a protein found in animal tissue and is sometimes added to body washes for its moisturizing properties.
5. Honey: This is a sweetener derived from bees, which is sometimes used in body washes.
6. Milk or Milk by-products : Some body washes might contain milk or milk by-products like lactose, casein and whey protein
7. Glycerin: This can be obtained from animal fats and oils but also is produced synthetically, so it is important to check the source.

Toothpaste

Along with glycerin, gelatin, lactose and casein which you can see are found in plenty of skin care products, toothpaste uses another weird animal product; Chitin, a type of polysaccharide found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects, and is used as an abrasive in some toothpastes.

Lesson? Check Your Labels!

This is why many vegans can be found squinting at the back of all kinds of ingredient labels because some of the items listed above may be accidentally vegan, but if you’re too busy for that then head straight for the products with those beautiful words on the back. VEGAN.

Depending where you are in the world, you should be able to find at least a few different vegan options for basic skincare, dental care and even hair care products. Start with big name drug stores and work your way around until you find what you’re looking for because let me tell ya, it’s out there!

Have a fantastic weekend!