The reason why everyone is turning to organic vegan skincare products

There's a bevvy of organic vegan skin care products hitting beauty shops right now and for many good reasons.

If we’re what we eat, we’re also what we absorb. Your skin absorbs up to 60 per cent of every skin care product you use, so it makes sense to apply the same principles to skincare ingredients as you would ingredients destined for your plate. 

These days, many of us opt for fresh, organic vegetables, healthier ingredients and whole foods rather than chemical and preservative- laden fare. Cleaning up your bathroom cabinet at the same time is just an extension of a healthy lifestyle mindset – and can deliver great skin benefits, too.

Non-vegan skincare often includes elements such as uric acid (cow or horse wee!), lanolin (grease from sheep wool), Carmine (crushed cochineal insects) and beeswax that can clog up your pores and cause blemishes. It can also be overloaded with hidden synthetic chemicals (synthetic fragrances, parabens, petroleum, colourants and more) whose manufacture can directly harm the environment – generally, if you can't pronounce a skincare ingredient, it's a synthetic chemical.

After animal produces and synthetic chemicals are absorbed into your skin, they go straight into your bloodstream rather than heading to the kidneys and liver to be filtered. Just imagine what a build up of these ingredients can do in your system!

By contrast, organic skincare contains plant-derived ingredients with naturally occurring antioxidants, vitamins (A, C, E) and minerals to repair your skin from the inside out. Natural oils (coconut, olive, argan, rosehip and more) soothe and moisturise. If foods are better for you in their natural state, it stands to reason the same goes for skin products!

Plus, they're kinder to animals and our environment. Cruelty-free means that products aren't tested on animals, and there's no animal ingredients, by-products or derived products included in the formula – particularly good news if you have sensitive skin or a skin condition. And you’ll sleep better at night knowing no laboratory animal has suffered horribly for the sake of your vanity.

Vegan skincare has the same shelf life and is just as (if not more) effective as synthetic and animal product skincare. They also often no more expensive than non-organic skincare – and with more beauty lovers getting on the vegan skincare bandwagon there's a lot more choice, and quality out there than there used to be.

Vegan products also feature sustainable packaging, which means they’re made from recycled materials that are more eco-friendly than the flashy, shiny packaging of standard skin care, aimed at catching your eye and convincing you to buy.

A final word of caution – study your labels carefully. If you’re looking for a kinder, healthier, more effective skincare remember there’s a world of difference between terms “cruelty-free,” “vegan,” “natural” and “organic.” Natural and organic skin care doesn’t necessarily mean they include no chemicals or animal byproducts; neither does “cruelty-free” – the terms aren’t interchangeable.

Only by buying organic vegan skin care products can you be sure you’re choosing the most natural, plant-derived and animal-friendly options for healthier, more beautiful skin.