How to give your beauty routine a vegan friendly spin

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The switch towards veganism was not as difficult as it once was. As Indian consumers, the times have passed where you look only at international brands for good quality vegan options. You might even have a couple in your routine without realising it. With all changes, you can be intentional about the vegan products you add into your routine because a lot of them are better for you and the planet.

An easy way to switch your existing products to a more vegan-friendly option is by looking at ingredients. We start by looking for a PETA logo or anything. If we are unable to find anything like that, we start looking for ingredients that are plant derived, so any dairy and honey would not be a vegan-friendly option. Sometimes, even ingredients we might not even realize we consume might be non-vegan, such as glycerine (except for vegetable glycerine) is a common ingredient in personal care. Lanolin is also one such ingredient used for moisturising that is derived from sheep. A lot of hair conditioners use keratin as their conditioning agent, or milk proteins for moisturisation. Instead, try looking for a product that uses protein derived from vegan sources, such as quinoa protein. It works just as well in conditioning your hair and can be used instead of a product with a non-vegan formula.

Vegan-friendly options we have as consumers have been steadily increasing in the market, and finding a product that does not contain any ingredients derived from animals is easier than it once was. We no longer have to look at international markets or at steep import prices for a viable and good quality solution. There is a steady increase of homegrown bands meeting, and in many cases exceeding those standards.

Looking at ingredient lists is also an excellent habit to help find your next vegan-friendly essential. It gives you a look into what is actually going into a product and how much of it is present. It helps avoid products that are made from harmful ingredients, or ones that contain fragrances you might hate. On the flip side, a product that might not look the most appealing to you on the shelves could be full of the best ingredients and help with the concern you are dealing with specifically, that might not be advertised as the key ingredients but it could be a vital active ingredient that could help you reach the results you might be looking for.

Trying to make your routine vegan-friendly should be as stress-free as going into a weekend. All change is a culmination of many seemingly inconsequential steps.

Inputs by Sarika Gawande, Co-founder and Head Researcher, True Frog

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/beauty/how-to-give-your-beauty-routine-a-vegan-friendly-spin/articleshow/97517751.cms