The L-Plate Vegan

Toiletries and Cosmetics

Reading labels is one way to find out what exactly has gone into your shampoo, but unless you’re a trainee chemist, you probably won’t know what most of it means. A few words to look out for and avoid like the plague are: beeswax, chitin, collagen, elastin, keratin, lanolin, oleic acid, olostearin, oestrogen, propolis, shellac, spermaceti wax, squalene and stearin (see the boo-hiss glossary on page 36 for details). This is not a comprehensive list and some of the above can be obtained from a non-animal source, but it may give you a clue. For a list of vegan toiletries and cosmetics, it’s back to The Animal Free Shopper.

In the meantime, all Honesty, Meadowsweet, Nature by Nature and Green People products are vegan, as are the Beauty Without Cruelty range and some of Martha Hill. Most of the Dead Sea Spa Magik are vegan too. Try their salt scrub, it’s really exhilarating and you emerge from the bath or shower smelling and feeling wonderfully fresh and energised. Apparently it stimulates the circulation too – give it a go!

Look out for Kingfisher Natural Toothpastes in your local health store. They’re a little pricier than the average though well worth the extra in our opinion. The flavours are soft and subtle and there’s a good choice including Fennel and Mint with Lemon.

The Bodyshop keeps a list of which of their products are vegan, just ask to see it. If you are lucky enough to have a Lush store in your high street you’ll find most of their skincare, hair and bath products are suitable for vegans (all are vegetarian and neither the ingredients or finished product are tested on animals). If they aren’t in your town yet, you don’t have to miss out, as there’s a mail order service and you can contact them on 01202 668 545. Also keep your eyes (and nose) open for Original Source products – found in most supermarkets and on the highstreet. Their gorgeous products aren’t tested on animals and don’t contain any ingredients derived from animals (except the sodium tallowate in the Tea Tree and Lavender & Spearmint bar soaps, so avoid those). Other stores such as Superdrug, Holland & Barrett and the Co-op all produce many cruelty-free products as well. The Co-op have a great range: toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, household cleaning products and so on, and none of their finished products or ingredients have been tested on animals since 1985.

As you may have already realised, just because the finished product is vegan, it doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been tested on animals. Companies have different policies – some test blatantly (eg L’Oreal and Procter & Gamble), others have a ‘rolling year’ policy which means that they won’t use products that have been tested within the last x number of years, others again have a fixed cut-off date, so that no animal tests have been conducted for that product since that time.

A comprehensive booklet on toiletries, household products and pet foods can be obtained from the BUAV, who can be contacted at 16a Crane Grove, London N7 8NN. Tel: 0207 700 4888.

Perfumes can be made using some dodgy ingredients: ambergris, musk, castoreum, and civet are to be avoided. There are plenty of animal-friendly alternatives about – for example, Beauty Without Cruelty, Barry M, Culpeper, Superdrug, Co-op, Camilla Hepper and Dolma all make vegan perfumes and sprays. Dolma do a handy trial sized bottle of their fragrances and you can buy them individually or in sets of 5 or 10 and experiment a little.

Vegan Clothes

It may sound obvious, but leather, fur, wool and silk all come from animals. And they don’t just politely ask the animals to hand it over either. The leather industry is a highly profitable part of the meat industry, and you cannot support one without the other. Fur is… well, fur and is boycotted by many top models, and all sane people. Wool, of course, supports the lamb meat industry and all the adults are killed for ‘low-grade’ meat. A high proportion of wool comes from the slaughterhouse floor. As for silk, millions of silkworms are killed by baking, steaming or electrocution in order to extract the silk. They may not be as cute as lambs but they still deserve a break!

Leather-look clothes, belts and shoes can be bought by mail order from Vegetarian Shoes, 12 Gardner Street, Brighton BN1 1UP (01273 691913) www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk, and also from Ethical Wares, Caegwyn, Temple Bar, Felinfach, Ceredigion SA48 7SA (01570 471155) www.ethicalwares.com. They look great and you’ll have an easy conscience too!

Shop from the comfort of your leather-free armchair by delving into the www.veganstore.co.uk. This company has done a lot of the hard work for you. Among the array of vegan goodies you’ll find a really glam range of leather look ‘No Bull’ biker jackets plus T-shirts, sweat shirts… the list is endless. Get surfing! (They do edible goodies too!) Have no fear if you’re not online as you can ring them for a mail order catalogue – 01273 302979.

Choose fake fur every time if you’re into that look, and instead of wool, choose man-made fibres or cotton. Remember that wool is often blended with other fibres, so you may need to start label reading again!

Of course, Viva! sells a great range of t-shirts, sweatshirts and belts, as well as vegan toiletries and dog food! See www.viva.org.uk or call 0117 944 1000 for a Gifts for Life catalogue. Also see the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation’s catalogue ‘The Vegetarian Shop’ – call 0117 970 9150 for a copy or buy online at www.vegetarian.org.uk.

Vegan Shoes

Men often find it harder to buy vegan shoes, but try the cheaper high street stores and look for ‘man-made’ or ‘synthetic’ labels. Shoe Zone, Marks and Spencer and most other large chains will stock a range of non-leather shoes, or buy canvas shoes and boots – not too practical in the snow, but great for summer wear! Alternatively, you can buy good quality leather-look shoes, boots and sandals mail-order from Vegetarian Shoes, Ethical Wares and the Vegan Store (see contact details in the above section).

Pet Foods

If you’ve gone vegan you might want your pooch and moggy to join you. There are many options available, the trick is to find out which one tickles their tastebuds. Log on to Veggiepets at www.veggiepets.com for a super selection. Also sniff out our Gifts for Life catalogue for a choice of doggy treats.

Go For it!

So that’s it! Easy isn’t it? If you want more info, have a read through the Viva! Books for Life list (call Viva! on 0117 944 1000 for a free copy). You’ll find not only a choice of recipe books, but books about animal rights, health and vegetarian/vegan travel guides. In the meantime, get stuck into all that lovely cruelty-free nosh. Enjoy!

Glossary