Veganuary – How To Switch To Vegan and Cruelty Free Makeup With Em-J

Veganuary is a time when many of us are considering taking the leap towards eating a plant-based diet, or opting for more vegan products in our everyday lives. If you’re thinking about switching to vegan beauty products, or simply cruelty-free makeup, you can make small changes with no effort at all!

At Beauty Base we offer a range of ethical skincare and makeup, and we’ve got together with our official beauty ambassador, vegan beauty lover EM-J to discuss the vegan beauty industry.

What inspired you to become a cruelty-free beauty ambassador, and why is cruelty-free beauty important to you?

I grew up in a little village surrounded by nature and animals! Almost every family in my village had a dog and I had countless pets from ferrets, to lizards to chinchillas. This meant I grew up having a very strong bond with all animals, but, like most of us, we only see the nice side of the animal industry. Honestly, It wasn’t until about 3 years ago when I started opening the can of worms into animal exploitation, whether it be in the meat industry, the tourist industry and then of course-beauty. It led me to see what was really happening the beauty industry and I am now on a mission to spread awareness of how we can all live a life being, even if it’s just a little bit, more kind to animals. Every purchase we make is a vote to how we would like the industry to go, so we really do have the power to help!

Is there a difference between cruelty-free makeup and vegan makeup?

Yes. The term ‘cruelty-free’ simply means that a product has not been tested on animals. Vegan means it does not include any animals or their by-products. A typical example of animal ingredients being in cosmetics would be ‘Carmine’ which is crushed beetles, ‘Tallow’ which is melted animal fat or even ‘Guanine’ fish scales. This is just to name a few. So cruelty-free makeup could not be vegan, or vegan makeup could be not cruelty-free.

Is cruelty-free makeup more expensive?

No, not at all.

Tell us what we should be looking for when searching for cruelty-free makeup and skincare.

If you’re thinking of switching to cruelty-free makeup or wanting to expand your makeup kit, there are some cruelty-free logos to look out for. Most notably, the ‘leaping bunny’ logo will be printed on the label of your beauty product, which is internationally recognised as a sign that no animal testing has been carried out in the development of the product. You can visit the makeup or skincare brands website for more information on their animal testing policy.

You only use vegan or cruelty-free makeup products on your clients, what are their thoughts on this? Do you think it influences their own future beauty purchases?

Absolutely! I think people are shocked and intrigued as it wouldn’t cross their mind having animals in their beauty products anyway! It definitely opens a can of worms and they want to know more. It gets people thinking more about where their skincare and makeup actually comes from.

In your opinion, what are the best cruelty-free beauty brands and why do you like them?

My favourite cruelty-free makeup brands which have an awesome range of vegan products are Milani for makeup, LA Girl and I love the skincare by Himalaya Herbals and Inecto for body oils and creams.

Could you recommend a few star products from your vegan skincare routine?

My favourite face mask- maybe of all time….is the Dead Sea Spa Magik Clay Mask. It leaves your skin feeling incredibly soft, and I tend to apply this once a week as part of my skincare routine when I fancy a pamper. NSPA also has a lovely oil cleanser which cleans and hydrates the face wonderfully, and I never go on a job without my favourite Dr PawPaw balm for dry lips and skin.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in making the switch to vegan or cruelty-free makeup and skincare?

I would say not to worry about throwing everything away and wasting product or money. Instead, if you’re thinking of how to go cruelty-free with your makeup and skincare, just work on a product by product basis. Next time you run out of something- instead of buying your usual non cruelty-free/vegan product, simply search for something to replace that is! Beauty Base make it really easy to search in their ‘Vegan and Vegetarian’ department, where you can find affordable, high quality cruelty-free makeup and vegan skincare to add to your collections.

Tell us in four (or five!) words why we should consider cruelty free makeup in 2019.

Compassion. Equality. Planet. Happy animals!

We hope that this Veganuary has inspired you to consider adding some cruelty-free or vegan beauty products into your everyday makeup and skincare routines. Em-J is a proud vegan beauty ambassador for Beauty Base and highly recommends our vegan and vegetarian collections – so why not try them today?