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Vegan Safe Products

Veganism is a practice of using and consuming only products that are completely free of animal products. Getting protein and nutrients on a diet of plant foods can be challenging, but finding animal-free cosmetics, shoes, and cleaning supplies sometimes seems near-impossible. But thanks to an increasing desire to be cruelty-free and an awareness of a growing vegan customer base, many companies now offer accessible vegan products.

  1. Cosmetics

    • Even when cosmetics are not tested on animals, it can be difficult to find products free of animal-based products such as lanolin, dairy, beeswax and carmine. While there are a few completely vegan makeup companies, such as Beauty Without Cruelty, many other companies offer some vegan products. Aware of its vegan customers, Urban Decay clearly labels its vegan items and even puts together ready-made color palettes of all vegan eyeshadows and blushes. If bright, bold colors are what you're into, Manic Panic's makeup and hair dyes are completely vegan, and No Miss has a line of vegan nail polish. Some of MAC's products are also vegan.

    Skin and Hair Care

    • With soap, shampoo and deodorant, vegan options are plentiful. Lush's soaps, haircare products, lip balms, massage bars and lotions are 100 percent natural and their non-vegan products are labeled as such. Abba offers salon-quality vegan shampoos, conditioners, and styling products. Jason, Dr. Bronners, and Kiss My Face offer less expensive vegan soaps, while Tom's of Maine and Nature's Gate offer cruelty-free toothpastes and deodorants. Some of the personal care products sold at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are also vegan--check the labels for tallow and other animal products.

    Shoes and Faux Leather

    • Lucky for vegans, many modern shoe designers have figured out that shoes don't have to be real leather to be real stylish. Mooshoes in NYC offers exclusively vegan boots, high heels and sandals and has an online store. Modcloth.com also sells many vegan shoes and bags, specified on their site. If the wallet's tight, Payless also sometimes uses vegan faux-leather, and of course canvas is always a vegan alternative.

    Cleaning Products

    • When it comes to laundry detergent, cleaning sprays, tub cleaners and dish soap, the Method line at Target is a good vegan option that has nicel scents including cucumber and lavender. Alternatives include Seventh Generation and Biokleen.

    Pet Foods

    • It's a tough question: Does being a vegan mean raising a vegan pet? For some vegans, the answer is yes, and luckily for them the brands Evolution, Natural Life, Nature's Recipe, Wysong and Natural Balance all have Association of American Feed Control-approved vegetable based dog foods. Cats though, don't generally do well on vegetarian foods due to the high protein-density they require.

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