When it comes to beauty, cosmetic and household items you may be surprised at the wide variety of animal ingredients that may be used. While some may come from sources that companies claim to be “cruelty-free”, I personally only use vegan products that do not contain any animal ingredients. Here, I’ve put together a list of the ingredients that may be in your personal, beauty and household items to check for.
Some of these items can be animal-derived, plant-derived or synthetic. I put a note next to those and urge you to reach out to brands to find out which they use.
- Ascorbyl palmitate – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Albumen
- Allantoin – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Ambergris
- Arachidonic acid
- Atelocollagen – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Beeswax
- Caprylyl Glycol – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Carmine
- Cholesterol – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- C.I. 75470
- Cochineal
- Collagen – This may be animal-derived, plant-derived or synthetic
- Conchiolin
- Conchiolin Protein
- Cystine – This may be animal-derived or synthetic
- E120
- Elastin
- Fragrance – This may be animal-derived, plant-derived or synthetic
- Gelatin/Gelatine
- Glyceryl Stearate – This may be animal-derived or synthetic
- Glycerine – This may be animal-derived or synthetic
- Glyceryl Oleate – This may be animal-derived, plant-derived, or synthetic
- Glyceryl Stearate – This may be animal-derived, plant-derived, or synthetic
- Guanine
- Honey
- Hyaluronic acid – This may be animal-derived, plant-derived, or synthetic
- Hydrolyzed Conchiolin (Pearl) Protein
- Hydrolyzed glycosaminoglycans
- Hydrolyzed Silk – This may be animal-derived or synthetic
- Iron Oxides – This may be animal-derived, mineral-derived, plant-derived or synthetic
- Isopropyl myristate – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Keratin – This may be animal-derived, plant-derived or synthetic
- Lactic acid – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Lactose
- Lactalbumin
- Lactoferrin – Learn more by reading Animal Ingredients: What is Lactoferrin?
- Laktose
- Lanolin – Learn more by reading Animal Ingredients: What is Lanolin?
- Lard
- Lecithin – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Manganese Violet (CI 77742) – This may be animal-derived,plant-derived, or synthetic
- Mica – This may be animal-derived, mineral-derived, plant-derived or synthetic
- Myristic acid- This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Natural Red 4
- Octyldodecyl stearoyl stearate – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Oleic acid – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Palmitic acid – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Pearl essence
- Pearl powder – This may be animal-derived or synthetic
- Pearl protein
- Propylparaben – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Progesterone
- Red 4
- Retinyl palmitate – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Royal Jelly
- Sericin (Silk Extract)
- Shellac – This may be animal-derived or synthetic
- Silk
- Silk derivatives
- Silk powder – This may be animal-derived or synthetic
- Silk Protein Amino Acid Blend – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Sodium hyaluronate – This may be animal-derived or synthetic
- Stearic acid – This may be animal-derived or synthetic
- Stearyl alcohol – This may be animal-derived or synthetic
- Squalane – This may be animal-derived or plant-derived
- Synthetic Beeswax – This may contain real beeswax diluted with plant-derived or synthetic waxes
- Tallow
- Urea – This may be animal-derived or synthetic