Skincare is one of the trickiest areas for vegans. Unlike food, there's no legal requirement to flag animal-derived ingredients clearly. You're left decoding INCI names like "cera alba" and "adeps bovis" — which are just beeswax and beef tallow in Latin. Here's the complete guide to what you're really putting on your skin.
We're adding cosmetics and skincare scanning to Is It Vegan soon. You'll be able to scan any product barcode and see exactly which ingredients are animal-derived. In the meantime, this guide covers what to look out for.
| Ingredient | Also called | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Lanolin | Wool wax, wool grease, adeps lanae | Grease from sheep's wool. Extremely common in lip balms, hand creams, and moisturisers. |
| Collagen | Hydrolysed collagen, marine collagen | Protein from animal skin, bones, or fish scales. Used in anti-ageing products. Plant-based alternatives exist but must be specified. |
| Carmine | CI 75470, cochineal, natural red 4 | Red pigment from crushed cochineal insects. Found in lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, and tinted moisturisers. Same as E120 in food. |
| Beeswax | Cera alba, cera flava | Wax from beehives. Used in lip balms, balm cleansers, and thick moisturisers. |
| Squalane (shark) | Squalene | Traditionally from shark liver oil. Now often plant-derived (from olives or sugarcane) but check the source. If it just says "squalane" with no plant source, be cautious. |
| Tallow | Sodium tallowate, adeps bovis | Rendered animal fat. Base of many bar soaps and some thick balms. |
| Guanine | CI 75170, pearl essence | Crushed fish scales. Used to create shimmer in highlighters, eyeshadows, and nail polishes. |
| Shellac | Lac, confectioner's glaze | Secretion from lac insects. Used as a coating in nail polishes and hair sprays. |
| Glycerin | Glycerol | Can be animal or plant derived. Very common in moisturisers and cleansers. Ambiguous unless source is specified. |
| Stearic acid | Octadecanoic acid | Can come from animal fat or plant oils. Found in cleansers and creams. Ambiguous. |
| Retinol | Vitamin A | Often derived from animal sources (fish liver oil). Vegan retinol exists (from beta-carotene) but must be specified. |
| Elastin | Hydrolysed elastin | Protein from animal connective tissue. Used in anti-ageing and firming products. |
These brands are entirely vegan and widely available in UK shops:
The Ordinary — affordable, science-led skincare. All products are vegan and cruelty-free. Available in Boots, Superdrug, and online. One of the best value options for serums and treatments.
Superdrug own brand — the entire Superdrug range is Leaping Bunny certified and mostly vegan. Their B. range and Revolution Skincare lines are popular and affordable.
e.l.f. — fully vegan and cruelty-free. Available in Superdrug and online. Known for affordable makeup but their skincare line is growing quickly.
Bulldog — men's skincare that's been vegan and cruelty-free since launch. Available in every major UK supermarket and pharmacy.
Pai Skincare — premium UK brand, certified vegan and organic. Particularly good for sensitive and reactive skin. Available in Sephora UK and direct.
REN Clean Skincare — most products are vegan (a handful contain honey or beeswax, clearly marked). Available in Boots and Space NK.
Unlike food labels which use common English names, cosmetics use INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) which is essentially Latin or scientific names. This makes it harder to spot animal ingredients. Here are the most common translations:
Cera alba = beeswax. Mel = honey. Adeps bovis = beef tallow. Adeps lanae = lanolin. Lac = shellac. Cera flava = yellow beeswax. Oleum animale = animal oil.
If you're already familiar with hidden animal ingredients in food, you'll recognise the same pattern: common substances disguised behind unfamiliar names. The same approach works: learn the top 10-12 offenders and you'll catch 95% of non-vegan products.
Our food scanner already checks 100+ non-vegan ingredients and 14 E-numbers instantly. Cosmetics scanning is coming soon.
Try the food scanner →This comes up in haircare and skincare equally. A product can be cruelty-free (not tested on animals) but still contain lanolin, beeswax, or collagen. Always check for both the Leaping Bunny logo (cruelty-free) and the Vegan Society sunflower (vegan). Some brands like Charlotte Tilbury are cruelty-free but use animal ingredients in many products.
Is It Vegan is built by a solo developer with no corporate backing. Every contribution helps cover hosting costs and keeps the site free.
☕ Buy me a coffee