There are a lot of beauty products out there – but are they vegan – Is Shea Moisture cruelty free? It’s perfectly normal for you to be asking yourself these questions if you are vegan or cruelty-free, or both!
If you are vegan, consuming plant-based food and supporting cruelty-free brands are the main values of being vegan.
I personally used to use Shea Moisture products a lot, but when I went vegan – I asked myself the same question you are asking yourself now -is shea moisture animal cruelty free?
So, let’s find out!
Is Shea Moisture Vegan And Cruelty-Free?
Does Shea test on animals? SheaMoisture products are cruelty free, Shea Moisture pride itself on being cruelty-free. But it’s worth noting that Shea Moisture is owned by a non-vegan company – and that is Unilever. So, do they actually care about being cruelty-free, or is it all just about money?
Now, it’s entirely up to you whether you would be willing to use SheaMoistures products Bearing in mind that they have ties with a non-vegan company.
Personally, I would occasionally buy some of their products, but not very often.
Is Shea Moisture Shampoo Cruelty Free?
Good news – shea moisture shampoo is cruelty-free! The good thing is also that they are labeled as cruelty-free, so you can easily identify them when you are shopping.
I even have a bottle of it at home now as we speak, I quite like it.
What Shea Moisture Products Are Cruelty-Free?
- Fruit Fusion Vegan Lip Butterstick
- 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Vegan Lip Butterstick
- Coconut & Hibiscus Vegan Lip Butterstick
- 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Vegan Salve
These are specifically marked as vegan or cruelty-free- so you can easily identify them.
Now, just because only these are marked as vegan, doesn’t mean others aren’t cruelty-free. I always say this – read the ingredients of all products just to be sure. Read my guide here on what to look for. However, I will still breakdown some of the things to look for i the ingredients of beauty products:
Non-Vegan Ingredients To Look Out For In Make-Up And Beauty Products:
1. Beeswax
This speaks for itself – beeswax is a product of bees, and bee exploitation isn’t vegan.
2. Keratin
Keratin comes from the hair and horns of animals and is often found in strengthening nail and hair products. So definitely not vegan.
3. Elastin
Elastin is also a protein extracted from the muscles, ligaments, and aortas of animals.
4. Collagen
Used in lots of anti-aging products, as well as lip plumping items, collagen is derived from animal tissue, bone, skin, or ligaments – often from cows. You must have heard of bone broth, bone broth is high on collagen simply because of the tissue and bones of the animals. Definitely avoid, it unless it’s specified it’s made vegan.
5. Carmine – aka cochineal, natural red 4, E120, and C.I. 75470
This red colorant, which is often used in lipsticks, blushes, and nail polish, is derived from insects. Cochineals are crushed to death for the color to be extracted. Definitely not cruelty-free.
6. Stearic Acid
Generally derived from pigs’ stomachs (also cows and sheep), this ingredient is commonly found in deodorant, soaps, hair products, and moisturizers.
7.Oleic acid – aka oleyl stearate
This animal fat is used as a softening and conditioning emollient in nail polish, soap, moisturizers, and make-up.
8. Guanine
Created by scraping the scales of dead fish, guanine is sometimes used to make sparkly nail polish, eyeshadow, highlighters, bronzers, and blushes.
9. Squalene
This chemical, extracted from shark liver oil, is commonly used in lip balm, deodorants, and moisturizers, among other products.
10.Casein aka sodium caseinate or caseinate
Casein is generally derived from cow’s milk and can be used in conditioning hair products and face treatments.
11. Glycerine
Glycerin generally comes from animal fats and is commonly used in a range of products including soaps, hair care, make-up, and moisturizers. However, some products use vegetable glycerin, which is suitable for vegans.
12. .Shellac
A resinous product, obtained from lac bugs, shellac is used in nail products, as well as some hair lacquers. A lot of these innocent insects are killed to create small amounts of this product.
13. Lanolin
This emollient is derived from sheep wool and is a common ingredient in lip products (balms, sticks, glosses), as well as hair products. It’s used to soften and moisturize.
So, watch out for these ingredients when buying any beauty product!
Summary – So Is Shea Moisture Cruelty Free?
It is yep, a lot of products are cruelty free, and some are even vegan. It’s also worth mentioning that they do not export their products from China. Why does this matter? – Well, China has a mandatory requirement for all products to be tested on animals before being sold to the public.
I also mentioned that SheaMoisture is tied with a non-vegan company, so that’s worth keeping in mind. If you are a very very strict vegan, I would recommend avoiding SheaMoisture – as any association with non-vegan companies or products is a sign that SheaMoisture isn’t as committed to being cruelty-free after all.
Anyway, if you were wondering and hoping is shea moisture cruelty free and vegan – you got your answers. This is specifically helpful if you are just transitioning to veganism and you have been using SheaMoisture before, so if you love them, keep using them, but make sure you use their vegan products only!
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