With innovations from mushroom leather to soy candles, the trend for all things plant-based is influencing more than our diets. Now it’s spread to the contents of our make-up bags, too. Since 2015, there’s been a rise of 73 per cent in the number of beauty products carrying a vegan claim in the UK. But one thing the sector doesn’t match its food counterpart in is certification. While food packaging is studded with recognisable stamps and badges to help inform consumer choices, beauty products can be lacking. Brands often rely on in-house vegan logos, or claim ‘vegan friendly’ on the packaging. Jo Chidley, founder of conscious beauty firm, Beauty Kitchen, explains: ‘Certification can be costly and time-consuming; a quick way of letting customers know products are vegan is to create your own branding.’
HERE’S WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR:
VEGAN SOCIETY The gold standard: the Vegan Society logo is different to other UK cruelty-free beauty certifications as it guarantees products are not tested on animals, and don’t contain any animal ingredients. They register individual products as opposed to brands, so don’t assume the entire range is vegan.