Vegan Beauty

The beauty industry is changing all the time and I have been a part of this industry for 20 years now so it’s changes have affected me directly. Trends come and go and customer feedback is more important than ever giving way to a new age of beauty and an industry almost entirely lead by its consumer.

I have been a Vegetarian since I was a child and Cruelty Free products have always been important to me. Working as a Hair and make-up artist with these restrictions has been very challenging up until now. 10 years ago, if you wanted to buy a cosmetic item that was both cruelty free and Vegan you would be limited to small pool of online companies or perhaps products sold within health stores (some excellent products I have been using for years) however a vast amount of companies are now choosing to not only produce beauty products without the use of animal ingredients but also without any testing on animals whatsoever!

Europe has finally banned all cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients tested on animals and have a strict moral policy to this effect. China however has a very different view on this issue and sadly dominates the beauty market. China will not allow any foreign cosmetic brand to sell its product in the country unless it has been tested on animals. Some brands for this reason have pulled out of the Chinese Market but many remain. We still have a long way to go but these issues that have been close to my heart for some time now are also important to millions of others, pushing the industry in a direction which eventually with force some of the main brands to follow. A sign the times are indeed changing!

I have been a Vegan for 3 years now and I just thought it was time I shared with everyone my absolute favourite products!! I am sure you have your own and I would love to hear of them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do ...

ANDALOU

This is one of my absolute favourite skincare lines!! I have tried many over the years but as I am getting a (wee bit) older I can’t get enough of this!! The brand uses fruit stem cells as the core of their ingredients, they don’t use any harsh nasty chemicals, and their ingredients (to name a few) include Vitamin C, probiotics, roses and argon oil. It really is wonderful skin food and my skin really notices the difference. I love the Turmeric and Vitamin C Serum and the Hyaluronic lift and firm moisturiser. More info: ANDALOU

NEILS YARD REMEDIES

A well-loved brand that has been around since 1981!! A brand I have been very fond of for years now. They are almost Vegan with a great list of products to this effect. It is so nice to see this brand develop over the years as its popularity continues to grow. I have used these products for a long time now and even used the Baby range which was excellent (my baby in not a baby any more!) This company uses good old fashion and extremely effective ingredients such as almond, evening primrose and rose. They do lovely rich emollients like no other company I have encountered. If you haven’t tried the Rose facial oil yet your missing out! Rose is a brilliant anti ageing ingredient and great for fine lines! I find rose is also very balancing for women I find it keeps your skin glowing whatever time of the month! More info: Neils Yard Remedies

SUKIN

A great affordable, extremely ethical skincare brand. You won’t find any nasty ingredients in these products however they have found unusual but great alternatives for just brilliant skincare! I personally use the Super Greens range, I am mad about Greens and the effect of Greens but never thought about putting them on my skin so this was a great discovery. The range also has a good line for an oiler skin and I would recommend this to all my clients who suffer from this problem. I can’t tolerate astringents and nasty chemicals as they only make the problem 10 times worse!! Charcoal is an effective way to balance the skin gently, not stripping the skin of all its oils with the added benefit of removing excess toxins. I love the scrubs from this brand. They use tiny jojoba beads which gently remove dead skins cells leaving the skin glowing, rejuvenated and a lot younger …. Honestly try it!! More info; SUKIN

PACIFICA

This is a lovely beauty range using a great deal of natural ingredients too. I really love their black eye pencil, tinted moisturiser and they have a great highlighting palette, Radiant Shimmer trio that doesn’t cost the earth and smells divine as it is infused with Coconut. This gives a beautiful glow to the cheekbone area and smells like summer …. If you know what I mean!!?? More info : PACIFICA

BECCA

I’ve used this brand for years as it’s a cruelty free company. The products are at the top end of the market but worth the treat! I always carry the skin perfectors in my kit as they look amazing on my customers. Becca has many Vegan products including the shimmering skin perfector (Opal I love!) Also, lots of their foundations are Vegan too so check out their website for more info. It’s a lovely brand. More info: BECCA

W7 VERY  VEGAN

So, I was very excited to find the drug store brand W7 had brought out and entirely Vegan range!!! They have some great bases and palettes at an affordable price point. It’s new to me so I am still discovering the products but I would be interested know what you thought?? More info: W7 Very Vegan

INKA

This is a nice Australian brand. They have some lovely products. I particularly love their Long Lash Mascara which was a great discovery for me! I really struggled to find a good Vegan Mascara and have a drawer full of them!

This brand is cruelty free, entirely Vegan and 100% organic, and worth the money. More info: INKA

ARBONNE

I love and my brides love Arbonne!! I discovered this brand around 3 years ago and have included its products in my kit for some time now. They have some great primers and a fab eye primer too. I personally love their bases, many containing SPF which I use a lot working with my bridal customers. They have some lovely hair products and bath and body products too if you fancy indulging yourself! This range is at the top end of the market in terms of price but it is worth it. Great products and a great brand! More info: ARBONNE

PHIL SMITH BE GORGEOUS

This range was recommended to me by a friend. Its great and not too expensive. Check out the Coco – Licious products they are brilliant! More info: PHIL SMITH BE GORGEOUS

SUPERDRUG

Hats off to Superdrug whose entire range is cruelty free with most products listed as VEGAN (double check directly with them to find out which ones aren’t). I use the hairsprays and styling mousses from this range which I find good to have in my kit. The dry shampoo is also a very good buy!! MORE INFO: SUPERDRUG

I really could go on forever, it is hard to just name a few, certainly very exciting times for the beauty industry.

A great site to check out is crueltyfreekitty.com here you will find a list of companies and products that are Vegan. Very helpful!

Lipstick and Curls and Wham artists are so pleased to have many team members who can offer an entirely Vegan service. We want to make sure all our customers are happy and are provided with the exact service to suit their personal needs. 

Amanda (Lipstick and Curls)