cruelty free skincare

[SallyK]

Sally, do they offer samples of thier products? I can't use a lot of things because either the fragrance is too much or too awful or they make my skin itch. I just bought something from Derma E and they did not offer the sample size of it, so I have to pay the shipping to send the full sized one back because the second I opened I knew there was no way I would put that on my face. :(

Yes! Samples are available for most of the skin care products. :D I'd be happy to send you some for your skin type...just PM me. I'm out of the office for a couple hours as soon as I post this, but you know how to reach me. ;)

[asamrb]

Organica,
Estee Lauder and all of its subsidiaries (Revlon, MAC, Aveda) are guilt-free, cruelty free. Aveda never tested on animals, and the other Estee Lauder teams stopped in 1996 for good. Check the PETA timeline if you question it. The one thing they are guilty of is use of ocassional milk products and/or beewaxes, so that is the animal products that Aveda was called-out for previously. Overall, these four lines of cosmetics and products are reliable and completely cruelty-free with Aveda in particular. And the creator of Aveda may be a wealthy wealthy man now, but ALL products and ingredients used by Aveda must meet a high quality standard and be harvested (ALL completely natural ingredients, no chems) in fair-trade working conditions and pesticide free orchards/crops/farms, etc. Check into their history for confirmation on that as well. In fact, just a couple years ago, as they checked up on their sources, a regular procedure for Aveda, one of their sources in South America was caught in a lie about the work conditions for the farmers, and the Aveda product using that source was immediately dropped and talks with that harvester for reform ensued. You are paying for, yes, in part a name, but also for quality ingredients and quality conditions for fellow workers in our world neighborhood. I admire a company like that.

CoverGirl, on the otherhand, DOES test on animals, as best I can gather from the extensive research I have done (I REALLY wanted to buy some of their great eyeshadow colors, but found no evidence that they are a "clean" company).


We all have great intentions and reasons for being vegans, as do the companies that strive to provide products that we use. We each have preferences, and sharing them are great and vital toward us learning and trying new great products, but check your labels, be wary of tricky wording, check PETA, write the companies themselves (not EVERY veggie company is registered with PETA yet, as PETA even says to inform them if you find another good company), and inform yourselves before jumping to conclusions a little too quickly. Better to ask more questions before fighting battles of which you know only half of the story (and no, I'm not bashing you Organica. :) I promise. I's saying that I see lots of ill-informed conclusions on vegan forums and lots of information that should spark interest in individual research but instead is taken as "the definitive"). Or ignore my advice. It's here to use and do what you want with, just like the information on labels, websites, and the grapevine.

Peace out and live love like a fight.

[organica]

Good post. I left the h&b industry before Lauder stopped testing, so thanks for the update: I am out of the loop & going on old info. I may consider Aveda now, although Lauder itself is a very chemical-filled line w/ lots of animal products still, is it not?

[doola]

Wow, someone rediscovered this thread! Since my last post I started using Weleda (http://www.weleda.com/) products and can't even imagine using any other creams ever again. Weleda list all ingredients on their packages (well, by law all the companies have to do that here) and theirs are always the shortest lists compared to any other company's. (If a company has a long list, I don't even bother reading it any more, because I am sure you don't beed THAT many ingredients for a cream, c'mon!!)
They use organic ingredients and are kind-of expensive, which is the reason why I avoided them for many years. Now that I tried them, I just think to myself that my skin should be worth the money - I only have one, after all! And the creams last a long time.

For anyone who is looking into trying new facial cream: try the IRIS day cream - it's fantastic!!

BTW, I still use (non-mineral-oil) baby oil instead of body lotion. Has anyone given it a try since the original thread?

[@Raeven]

i use the body shop.. it costs the same as bath and body works, but it works better, IMO. My skin feels softer, and I only have to use their moisturizers once a day, rather than over and over again.. with the same effects.

[brahmacharya]

Lovely ladies, don't forget that you needn't buy premade products to make your skin beautiful. Ayurvedic medicine suggests that you shouldn't put anything on your skin that you wouldn't eat, so go ahead and start schmearin' the avocado and oatmeal etc. etc. etc. It's a low-budget, guaranteed vegan, and childishly fun, way to stay pretty :lovesign:

[ProudVegan]

Any cruelty-free acne treatments???


Well In Hand, Zero Zits.. they have a cleanser and toner.

And Zenmed. They have two systems.. works well. Im using it rigth now. Have notice significant changes.

and i use Zuzu luxe makeup...

i want to try arbonne, but their website is confusing...

[synergy]

I just got some kiss my face peaches and cream moisturizer on sale and WOW!
It makes my skin feel so nice! It didn't dry out later in the day like it does with some other moisturizers. And it smells so yummy!!!!

[doola]

I just got some kiss my face peaches and cream moisturizer on sale and WOW!
It makes my skin feel so nice! It didn't dry out later in the day like it does with some other moisturizers. And it smells so yummy!!!!

You may want to have a look at how the Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep/productinfo.php?prod_id=903133) found that cream to be: they gave it a 8.4 on a score from 0 to 10, with 10 being of highest health concern! :no:

[kohlrabi222]

I use Aloe Vera 80 by Naturade, sometimes some Jason or Aubrey Organics..the Aubrey one is a light daytime lotion with SPF 15. Does anyone know of a good under-eye cream?

[Jinga]

You may want to have a look at how the Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep/productinfo.php?prod_id=903133) found that cream to be: they gave it a 8.4 on a score from 0 to 10, with 10 being of highest health concern! :no:

Just a note, that score is for the version of the product with alpha-hydroxy in it. The non a-h version is a still high, but slightly lower 7.5.

[Melissa M]

Does anyone know of a good under-eye cream?

Arbonne has an AWESOME eye cream!!

[doola]

Just a note, that score is for the version of the product with alpha-hydroxy in it. The non a-h version is a still high, but slightly lower 7.5.
My cream does not contain any a-h. But I still don't get their results. There is nothing harmful in this cream, it should get a 1!!!

[doola]

Does anyone know of a good under-eye cream? Try pure sheabutter or a mixture of sheabutter and jojoba oil, which has a creamier consistency (you will need to put the container with the sheabutter in hot water to melt it first, then add jojoba oil)

I made the above mixture to use as a handcream - and added a few drops of lemon oil, but for the face I would leave out the lemon.

[Jinga]

My cream does not contain any a-h. But I still don't get their results. There is nothing harmful in this cream, it should get a 1!!!

I think the score is mainly due to the less tested ingredients used in the product. I doesn't mean they are bad ... just that there is an unknown factor.

[PortableKitten]

Dotnetdiva,
Hey, how cool that there's someone else on this message board that lives somewhat close to me! We live only about 35 min from eachother! I'm surprised I didn't notice this sooner!

And yes, Aveda is certainly a company that is cruelty free, environmentally friendly, and natural - and expensive. Mr. Horst (I think that's how you spell it), the man who started Aveda, is a very very very rich man.
-Sally

i wrote to AVEDA and just got this email back:
-----------------------------------------
Thank you for visiting the Aveda website.

We appreciate you contacting us with your concern and hope this will help
you. We do have a small assortment of products that are made with beeswax
and honey. While our goal, as a company is to use 100% plant and flower
ingredients, we have not found substitutes for these ingredients at this
time.

You will find these ingredients in the following products.

Beeswax:
Lip Shine (all shades)
Lip Saver SPF15
Lip Tints
Pure-Fume Candles
onecolor PLUS TWO
eye liner MINUS PETRO WAXES
lip liner MINUS PETRO WAXES
mascara PLUS ROSE
Uruku Lip Pigment
Lip Color Concentrate
Lip Color Sheer
Plant Wax Soft Wax Hair Removal Formula
Plant Wax Hard Wax Hair Removal Formula
conceal PLUS PROTECT / discontinued
lip satin PLUS URUKU / discontinued
lip sheer PLUS URUKU / discontinued
lip sheer PLUS FRESH ESSENCE / discontinued
lip liner PLUS URUKU / discontinued
Fulfillment Chakra IV Solid Pure-Fume / discontinued
lip gloss MINUS LANOLIN / discontinued

Honey:
Phomollient
Sap Moss Nourishing Concentrate
Light Elements Mist Wax
Pure Abundance Volumizing Clay Conditioner
Pure Abundance Volumizing Shampoo
Volumizing Tonic

Please do not hesitate to contact us again should you need further
assistance.

For a greener planet,

Debbie
Aveda Web Relations

Needless to say, I was very disappointed as I had a couple of these.

[Satya]

Love all this great info. I'm so happy I came upon this site and this thread. There is nothing better than a little self pampering, BUT pampering your self with guilt-free, cruelty-free, all natural vegan products makes it all the more LUXURIOUS--for me anyway. :hi:

But, there are so many other products I could use some advise about.... Does anyone know of a hair gel that is vegan? Or what about make up? I'm in desparate need of a powder (non-foundation). I've been putting off buying some because I have no idea where to get it. I went to Bath & Body works, but they have changed there compacts and I don't like it. Anywhere else??? Or what about nail polish???? :cry:

Also, just wanted to make a comment about verifying product lines as being vegan from the PETA site. I went to their "Helping Animals 101" conference last year and I asked about how they acquire their info. I was told that even thier list, as comprehensive as it may appear isn't 100% accurate. THey basically just send various companies a form in which they can claim to be cruelty-free or not. They don't do much more checking than that. At least that is what I was told. But of course if a company is caught in a lie Peta would make it known.

Thanks!
S

[SallyK]

Hi Satya!
Check out my website for powder - www.crueltyfreeskincare.myarbonne.com
Giovanni hair products are vegan! http://www.giovannicosmetics.com/Mline/data/ML_exphome.php I have never tried the gel but the magnetic wax is the ONLY wax that I buy - it's so awesome!!
As far as nail polish goes, I've been meaning to research Zoya http://www.artofbeauty.com/scrpt/scr.dll/cat?brand=2 a little more. They claim to have a "safe" nail polish so they might also appeal to the vegan crowd.
Hope that helps!

[ProudVegan]

Anyone here tried Exuviance by Neostrata? Saw it at Ulta.. was told that its all natural and works wonderfully for your skin. Just not sure whether it is vegan based on the ingredients.

their website is www.neostrata.com

[brahmacharya]

But, there are so many other products I could use some advise about.... Does anyone know of a hair gel that is vegan? Or what about make up? I'm in desparate need of a powder (non-foundation). I've been putting off buying some because I have no idea where to get it. I went to Bath & Body works, but they have changed there compacts and I don't like it. Anywhere else??? Or what about nail polish???? :cry:


I just got Curelle's hair gel and it is all plant derived as far as I can tell and I'm really loving it...also alcohol free. Is Acquarelle [nail polish] vegan I wonder? They advertise in my Yoga Journals.

[ladymcquaid]

Anyone know anything about Caboodles? I asked them about animal testing, but this is the answer I got: Hi Suzanne and thanks for your interest in Caboodles. As far as our Caboodles bath & body products go, we never test on cute cuddly animals! If you'd like to find out more about Caboodles Cosmetics, please direct all cosmetics inquiries/comments to: *oops, can't send links yet* :)

"As far as our Caboodles bath & body products go"......What the heck does that mean??

[Cinnamon toast]

I've seen a few references in this thread to Cetaphil skin cleanser. I really like that product. Does anyone know if it is vegan?

What is your typical skin care routine?

[lilgirl252729]

Face Wash: Avalon Organics

Face Toner: J/A/S/O/N/ Vegee tonic

Toothpaste: Tom's of Maine or J/A/S/O/N/

Shampoo: Avalon Organics

Makeup: Almay

[tanya_macneil]

Just an FYI, Clinique's website states that they do not test on animals but they do use some animal by-products in their products. Arbonne just got Vegan Certified - check it out at arbonne.com or...

[edited by skylark to remove spam]