Ethical Vegan Makeup - The Ultimate Guide

ethical vegan makeup

What is ethical vegan makeup?

Ethical vegan makeup is simply vegan makeup with strict beliefs system.

Usually, vegan makeup is all about non-animal products but since 10 years ago, cosmetic consumers become more aware of cruelty-free principles.

Types of non-ethical practices

Take mica as an example. In India where the mass of mica powder is produced, was once well known for engaging young kids as miners. They were lowly paid for long hours of labor.

Companies who buy from these ruthless mica miners are categorized as non-ethical. 

Another product that is mass produced is fabric such as linen, cotton and denim. To produce a wearable material on the human body always require a bit of work - cotton farmers use pesticides, make use of women and children to harvest and requires chemical bleaching and dye. 

In the cosmetics industry, formulators are highly recommended to use ingredients that are ethically-sourced or -manufactured.

How to be an ethical vegan makeup company?

First of all, think about what are your concepts.

What do you believe in? Do you believe in God, Nature or The Universe? Do you believe in alternative healing or science? 

People who believe in alternative healings usually use more herbs in their everyday life. 

Who do you serve? Are you helping the older generations or the young, modern ones? Younger generations tend to use product that deliver results quickly and immediately. 

What problems do you solve? Do these problems occur in men or women? Young or old? Married or single? For an instant, moms are constantly looking for vegan products for their children.

Do you trust your suppliers? Does your supplier have certifications? Do they practice a fair trade? Or do you suspect some illegal activities? For example, ivory trade is illegal globally.

What kind of tests will you carry out? Most of the time, product testing is required to test out what you can conclude from the formula you have created. However, testing cosmetics on animals is absolutely not necessary.

Why would anyone do that when their target customers are humans!

How to get ethically-sourced certifications?

Currently, there are no certification for ethical sourcing. However, there are sustainable types of certifications such as:

  • Leaping Bunny
  • Vegan (Approved by PETA)
  • Carbon Neutral, Carbon Trust Standard
  • Fair Trade
  • Rainforest Alliance Certified
  • Organic and Natural Cosmetics (Approved by EcoCert)

It is certainly not cheap to get certified but it will definitely gain trust in your customers, both current and potential ones!