Vegan cosmetics and toiletries

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Recipe from: Katinka Ehret

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Category: Vegan in everyday life

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Published on: 6 July 2019

The vegan lifestyle is not "just" about nutrition. Once you have identified with the values of creating as little animal suffering as possible with your own (consumer) behaviour and respecting and protecting the lives of everyone on this beautiful planet, you cannot avoid thinking about what is in your own care products, how they are produced and, above all, how they are tested before being launched on the market.

When I first heard about it and consciously thought about the fact that cosmetics and toiletries are not necessarily vegan, I really thought we humans are completely crazy.

Unfortunately, we can assume that the vast majority of hygiene and cosmetic products are not vegan because they either contain animal "products" or have been tested on animals.

Good that there are alternatives from new thinkers!

Fortunately, there are now more and more small and large companies that have taken up the cause of offering care products for which no animals are "used".

As you can see from the photo, I'm a fan of Lavera so far 🙂 But there are many more that you can now use with a clear conscience. Here is a small selection of brands/companies:

Lavera (100% certified natural cosmetics from Germany)
Alviana (100% certified natural cosmetics from Germany)
Sante natural cosmetics (100% certified natural cosmetics from Germany)
benecos (100% certified natural cosmetics from Germany)
Weleda (manufacturer of holistic natural cosmetics and anthroposophic medicines)
Lamazuna (Plastic-free natural cosmetics)
Natural Soap Manufactory (Family businesses that manufacture their own products sustainably)
Hydrophilic (Pure sustainability...)
Ecco Verde (Online shop for organic and natural cosmetics)

Here is a small selection of the best-known certificates that help you to quickly recognise at a glance on the product packaging whether the product is vegan:

Sustainability as another keyword

Why did I write above that I am a fan of Lavera so far? Well, once you broaden your awareness and think about what the consumption of certain products does in the world and what (negative) effects it has, the vegan approach more or less inevitably leads to the topic of sustainability.

And in this respect, some of the above-mentioned companies can still improve, as unfortunately most of the products come in plastic packaging.

But it's also up to us consumers to choose loose block soap instead of shower gel packaged in plastic. And toothpaste is also available in solid form, for example from Lamazuna. It may take some getting used to at first, but hey, in 3-4 weeks we'll have changed our habits and if we can do something good for nature, then it should be worth it 🙂

Best way - reduce consumption and do the rest yourself

Do you really need that?

However, the most sustainable and resource-saving thing to do is to start radically scrutinising our consumption and see whether we actually need this or that product. Because I'm sure that if you're honest with yourself, you'll find products in your bathroom that you don't actually need.

And if you've already gone this far, the only thing missing is the step towards doing it yourself. Fortunately, there are more and more "minimal waste" shops and initiatives online and offline, where you can learn how to make your own shampoo, soap or toothpaste at great local workshops, for example.

If you are interested in the topic of sustainability, I can highly recommend the "Wasteland Rebel" website. Here you can find information, instructions and much more on the subject of zero/minimal waste.

Making the changeover playful and curious

We are currently making this transition to increasingly sustainable, environmentally friendly and resource-conserving consumption and it is a really exciting process because you learn a lot and get to know a lot of new things - you just have to be open to lovingly questioning yourself and your actions again and again 😉

Are you already travelling this path or do you have questions about vegan care products? I look forward to your suggestions, recommendations, questions and other exchanges!

Your Katinka

Would you like to learn more recipes from this category?

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