Non-Vegan Skincare Ingredients To Watch Out For
Introduction
In this article we will talk through all the trendiest animal skincare ingredients, and what you can swap to in order to ensure a vegan skincare routine.
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Non-Vegan Skincare Ingredients to Watch out For
1. Squalane
Squalane is a lightweight, non-comodogenic oil used in skincare which mimics your skin’s natural sebum. This makes it a powerful tool for hydration. Historically, this has been sourced from shark liver. Although it is now illegal in many areas, it is still used where labelling laws and regulations are weak.
Make sure you look for a vegan brand, or a product that is explicitly stated to use plant-based squalane. In this way, it is usually sourced from plants such as olives and sugarcane.
Our recommendation:
- AXIS-Y Dark Spot Glow Serum. This lightweight serum is ideal as a beginner’s brightening serum, with plant-based squalane for natural hydration and 5% niacinamide for an even skin tone.
2. Collagen
This viral ingredient has been everywhere recently, even though it isn’t even absorbed very well by the skin. It usually is sourced from cows or fish, appearing as ‘bovine’ or ‘marine’ collagen in the ingredients list. While there are now products with collagen/collagen mimicking structures made from plants, the efficacy of these are still unclear.
The solution: Vitamin C
Vitamin C increases your skin’s natural collagen production. Many studies have verified Vitamin C’s anti-aging and brightening properties, making it one of the most effective ingredients for all-round plumper, healthier, brighter skin. Pure Vitamin C is too strong if you’re just starting out, so using a serum with Vitamin C derivatives or plant extracts that are naturally high in Vitamin C can be a great place to start.
Our recommendations:
- UpCircle: Peptide Serum with Blood Orange. This gentle peptide serum is a perfect collagen replacement. Packed with plant peptides and natural Vitamin C deriving from upcycled blood orange, it’s lightweight and ideal for serum beginners. UpCircle is a leaping bunny certified vegan and cruelty-free brand.
Remember: It’s vital that you wear SPF when using Vitamin C products (although you should be wearing it everyday!)
Further Readings
→ Vegan Skincare Guide: How to Get Glass Skin
→ Vegan and cruelty-free healthy aging routine
3. PDRN
PDRN is the latest Korean beauty craze, but it is unfortunately not vegan or cruelty-free as it is derived from salmon DNA. It is usually used for hydration and barrier repair, so as a vegan and sustainable replacement we suggest to use these two products together:
- SKIN1004: Centella Ampoule.
Centella Asiatica, also known as Cica or tiger-grass is one of the best plant-based ingredients for a healthy skin barrier. It’s calming, soothing and hydrating. This ampoule from SKIN1004 is almost 100% pure Madagascan Centella.
- Muihood: Tao Rice Water Essence
This essence is packed with fermented rice, snow fungus and prickly pair, making it a hydration and glow powerhouse.
Together, these two products will give you the soothed barrier and hydration vegan skincare routine you’re looking for.
4. Snail Mucin
The snail mucin craze may have died down, but it is still a popular add-on ingredient in skincare. Snail mucin never had any measurable benefits past some hydration anyway, and for hydration there are many other more efficient (and less cruel ingredients).
To quench your skin’s thirst, we recommend the following:
- Dear, Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask. This mask can be used as a moisturiser, nourishing your skin with plant-based Vitamin E which is essential for healthy aging as well as hydration.
Conclusion
Swapping to vegan skincare doesn't mean compromising on your skin's health or hydration, in fact it's the very opposite with animal ingredients having little to no measured benefits in various scientific studies.
If you're still confused on where to start with creating your new cruelty free and vegan skincare routine, check out some of our other blog posts below which have comprehensive guides.
