Why You Should Be Using Vegan Skincare as Part of Your Holistic Self-Care
Skincare is the ultimate form of self-care. There’s no better way to relax than giving your skin the TLC it deserves. Except skin care isn’t always what it claims to be. Many of the products you’ll find from mainstream brands contain chemical ingredients, such as parabens, can that irritate your skin and negatively impact your health.
There are dozens of studies online that highlight the self-regulated nature of the beauty and self-care industry. That’s why vegan skincare and ‘clean beauty’ have become movements within the industry.
At Hebe Botanica, we’re committed to creating products that are kind to your skin and the world around us. We use natural ingredients that are 100% vegan with cruelty-free formulas and packaging that is fully recyclable.
As part of our mission, we’re committed to educating our community about vegan products and the role they can play within a holistic self-care routine. Keep reading for our in-depth guide on ‘what is vegan skincare?’ and why your skin deserves to make the switch to natural ingredients.
What is vegan skincare?
Vegan skincare products are made without animal-derived ingredients. Most of the popular beauty products that you’ll find on shelves include animal by-products, such as beeswax, collagen, and lanolin.
Most people who choose to switch to vegan skincare are doing so to help the planet and to avoid irritating ingredients. One benefit of vegan skincare is that it’s often free of the chemicals and skin irritants that are linked to health issues, such as parabens.
Common animal-derived ingredients to look out for include:
- Beeswax – also known as E901 – is commonly found in foundations and lip products.
- Gelatine is an ingredient that works as a gelling agent, derived from boiled skins and bones of animals. You’ll often find gelatine in cream products.
- Lanolin is a moisturising ingredient that is obtained by washing sheep’s wool.
- Collagen is a product that naturally occurs within our bodies. Most skincare ingredients use animal tissue protein as collagen to plump and smooth the skin.
- Tallow is a type of animal fat that is used as a base for most beauty products.
Most animal-derived ingredients could be easily switched out for vegan alternatives. For example, there are dozens of options for vegan retinol instead of using an animal-derived source.
Instead of using animal-derived ingredients, vegan beauty and skincare brands rely on natural plant-based ingredients and synthetic ingredients. These synthetic ingredients often produce better results than animal-derived alternatives.
It’s worth pointing out that just because a product claims to be vegan, doesn’t mean that it is also cruelty-free. The beauty industry is largely unregulated, especially in its use of terms like “vegan formula”. You always do your research and make sure the facts stack up.
Why has vegan skincare become popular?
Vegan skincare has become popular as more people make the switch to a plant-based lifestyle. The demand for natural and vegan skincare also comes from the growing awareness of the danger of animal-derived and chemical ingredients on our skin and the planet. Its popularity is also linked to the most sustainable nature of vegan skincare.
As vegan brands typically use natural ingredients, their products are more ethically sourced than their mainstream counterparts. The beauty and self-care industries are going through a green revolution as consumers become more conscious about the ingredients in their products.
Clean beauty is a similar niche to vegan skincare and focuses on formulas made without chemicals and artificial ingredients that are linked to health issues. Vegan skincare falls under the ‘clean beauty’ movement
Is vegan skincare a fad?
Not at all! Vegan skincare is kinder to your skin as it contains fewer ingredients that could potentially irritate sensitive skin. Using products with vegan ingredients means that you benefit from formulas that are rich in antioxidants and vitamins, giving your skin the nourishment that it needs.
Some of the best skin-loving ingredients are vegan-friendly, such as lavender, aloe vera, and ginger. Most of these natural ingredients have been used for generations for their healing and skin rejuvenating properties.
Vegan beauty products also come with the benefit of containing fewer ingredients. That way it’s easier to know exactly what’s inside the product. If you have sensitive skin, switching to vegan skincare can help you avoid irritating ingredients and reduce the risk of redness.
Animal-derived ingredients can often irritate or be the source of contact allergy, so every skin type can benefit from trying vegan beauty products. Natural ingredients are gentler on your skin, while still giving you the same – if not better – results than animal-derived ingredients.
Vegan skincare also has benefits for the planet. By using fewer animal-derived ingredients, we can do our bit to tackle environmental problems and climate change, including soil erosion and water depletion.
What to look out for in vegan skincare
Not all vegan skincare products are made equal. At Hebe Botanica, we’re committed to educating our community so that they know what to look out for in vegan skincare products.
Look out for brands using environmental causes, like natural ingredients, as solely as a marketing tactic. This process is known as ‘greenwashing’ and is a trick to capitalise on the growing demand for clean beauty. We’ll be covering greenwashing in a little more detail below.
What you want to keep in mind is that vegan products aren’t regulated. There’s no standard that a product has to meet to be labelled as ‘vegan’ or ‘natural’.
We advise you to always read the ingredients list and product description before buying. Brands often slip non-natural ingredients like synthetic fragrance or beeswax into their formulas and don’t reference them outside of their ingredients list.
What is greenwashing?
While a vegan diet may seem straightforward, vegan skincare can be a little more confusing. This fact is largely due to greenwashing within the beauty industry. Greenwashing is when a brand appears to be environmentally conscious by creating a false impression through their marketing, often using misleading information.
You want to look at the ingredients used to determine if the product is actually vegan. It’s also worthwhile to look out for other terms, like ‘natural’ and ‘organic’. These ingredients are typically used in place of animal-derived ingredients.
Most vegan skincare brands will have a certification on their packaging that indicates that there are no animal-derived ingredients in their products. You’ll see want to double check the ingredients list before you add the product to your cart.
The role of vegan skincare in holistic self-care
A holistic self-care routine is something that we can benefit from having. Your self-care routine could be taking a relaxing bath, indulging in your skincare regime, or lighting your favourite candle. Self-care looks different to everyone.
Holistic self-care is all about focusing on improving our wellness by regularly checking in on ourselves. It’s also about finding balance, including giving your body the nutrients and care it needs.
There’s no better way to do this than with vegan and natural products. You can take advantage of their nutrient-rich formulas and avoid the chemicals and animal-derived ingredients that could negatively impact your body.
Another part of holistic self-care focuses on thinking about our connection to the earth. We all have a role to play in preventing climate change and protecting our planet. Switching to vegan products is one of the easiest things we can do to reduce our environmental footprint and create a healthier planet.
Creating a holistic self-care routine can help you reduce stress, boost your energy, improve your happiness, and treat feelings of anxiety or depression. Our goal at Hebe Botanica is to give you 100% vegan products to kickstart your holistic self-care journey.
Meet our favourite vegan products
At Hebe Botanica, we believe that vegan products are the secret to glowing skin and holistic self-care. Are you not sure where to start with your vegan self-care routine? We’re sharing three of our favourite Hebe Botanica products to kickstart your journey with vegan products.
Soothe and relax your body and mind with our nourishing bath soak. Available in three scents, our innovative Sea Soak contains a blend of relaxing salts and organic essential oils. They work to relieve body aches and soothe your skin for a relaxing self-care bath. While the organic essential oils work to help you unwind, the flower extracts hydrate and support your skin’s natural barrier.
Just add a few scoops into warm water and allow the Sea Soak to dissolve before getting into the bath. We recommend indulging in your bath for at least 15 minutes to take advantage of the nourishing ingredients in our Sea Soak.
Pro-tip! Our Sea Soak can also be used in place of Epsom salt for foot soaking.
We can’t talk about self-care without mentioning candles. If you’re a fan of ‘hygge’ – the Danish way of living that went viral during lockdown – you’ll know all about the self-care benefits of candles. Research shows that lighting a candle can help reduce stress, improve sleep, and brighten your mood.
Candles are a key part of any holistic self-care routine. You can burn the candle at times when you’re feeling stressed to help you concentrate or help you relax and unwind at the end of the day.
Our Coconut Soy Candle is available in three natural scents – amber, rose, and lemon. This range of scents allows you to choose from citrus, musk, and floral base notes to select one that reflects your personality.
At Hebe Botanica, our natural soy candles are hand-poured and don’t contain harmful additives, such as parabens and sulfates. As a natural brand, we’re always looking for ways to become more sustainable. Our soy candles come in a coconut shell that you can repurpose after finishing your candle or put in your compost.
Give your skin the love it deserves. Our Restorative Omega Body Oil is packed full of skin-loving ingredients that are designed to promote your skin’s natural protective barrier. It also works to brighten your complexion, including fading stretch marks, scars, and discoloration.
This natural body oil contains a range of nourishing ingredients, such as rosehip seed oil and omegas 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9. The lightweight formula is designed to easily absorb into your skin without leaving behind any unwanted residue.
Our body oil also acts as an anti-ageing treatment with its macadamia seed oil and passionfruit seed oil. It’s suitable for all skin types and is the perfect post-shower treatment to help repair, protect, and rejuvenate your skin.
These three natural products are the perfect introduction to vegan self-care products and Hebe Botanica. You can explore more of our natural self-care and body care products here.
How to make your self-care more sustainable
At Hebe Botanica, our goal is to be the go-to choice for eco-friendly products. Our packaging is just as important as the formula inside them. We work to keep waste at a minimum by using fully recyclable packaging. Some of our best-selling products, including our Coconut Soy Candle, are designed to be repurposed after use.
You can make your self-care more sustainable by looking for opportunities to lower your carbon footprint. Instead of relying on cotton pads and single-use wipes, our reusable makeup removal pads cleanse your skin and are reusable hundreds of times over.
Together, we can take sustainable steps to embrace vegan skincare and help protect the planet we call home.
Are you looking to create a holistic self-care routine with vegan products? Read our guide with 8 self-care tips here. Our blog is full of educational posts and advice on how to get the most out of our natural bath and body products.
Have you got a question about vegan skincare? Leave them in the comments below!
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