So obviously this post is going to have something to do with cosmetics, which I'm sure you've figured out. In the cosmetics world, there are tons of animal and insect by-products used to create the beautiful red lipsticks we wear or the collagen serum we put on to help get rid of wrinkles. I wasn't aware of this until recently. Most cosmetic companies add a disclaimer to packaging saying they don't test on animals, which is fantastic, but most of them DO use animal by-products.
If you ever see on your packaging that an ingredient called 'carmine' is used, that's what gives the product it's red coloring. Carmine is an acid obtained by crushing tens of thousands of female cochineal insects (little flat wingless bugs that like to live on cactus). The thing is, carmine isn't just used in that pretty red lipstick - it's in your food, too. You like strawberry yogurt? You may just want to check to see if carmine is what's giving it that pretty pink color. Tropicana's Ruby Red Grapefruit juice gets its color from carmine, too, so I certainly wouldn't be drinking that bug juice. The FDA requires that carmine be listed as an ingredient on any product that uses it because it can cause allergic reactions, but the problem with that is they sometimes put different names for the same thing, making it confusing to figure out if there really is carmine in the product or not. Some of the other names for carmine are: Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red 4, C.I. 75470, or E120. Look for these names on any products you purchase and you might be surprised by how much bug stuff you're buying.
This is what the crushed-up cochineal dye looks like before it's put in your food, drinks, and cosmetics.
A lot of skincare products on the market today have collagen and elastin in them to make the skin look younger, tigheter, less-wrinkled, and whatnot. Collagen is a group of proteins found in the flesh and connective tissue of all mammals. It's mostly found in the fibrous tissues of ligaments, tendons, and skin. The collagen used in skincare products and also in collagen injections that can be done by dermatologists is extracted from animals. Elastin is a protein in connective tissue also, and it's what makes everything in the body resume it's original shape after stretching or contracting. When someone pokes you, elastin is what allows the skin to smooth back out instead of having a permanent poke mark forever. Elastin is also used in skincare products for the same reason it's in our bodies, and the kind in skincare products comes from animals. I can name off the top of my head at least 25 cosmetic products boasting high levels of collagen and elastin in them. I hate to knock a company that was kind enough to give me a job and whose products I truly adore, but Lancome is guilty of using both of these ingredients in their products.
Lancome's High Resolution Collaser-5X serum boasts that it targets 5 types of collagen in the skin to help repair the skin's natural collagen stores. This is a product I've sold (and personally used) for years.
Lancome's High Resolution Refill-3X cream has 3 key ingredients (hence the '3X): collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid (which is also found naturally in the body).
Keratin is found in animal horns, hooves, feathers, and hair. Human hair and nails are also full of keratin, so a lot of companies who produce shampoos and conditioners for the hair add in keratin to their products. There are liquid and tablet-form keratin supplements you can even take to make your hair and nails grow thicker and stronger, and these are derived from animals. For two years, I took one of these so my hair would grow out faster, thicker, and shinier. I admit that it worked, but I definitely won't be using those anymore.
Just one brand of dozens producing keratin-infused hair products.
A lot of soaps, hairsprays, conditioners, deodorants, facial cleansers, and creams have an ingredient called stearic acid. This is a saturated fatty acid that is taken from cows, sheep, and pigs, and it's even sometimes taken from euthanized dogs and cats from animal shelters (how awful is that?). It can often be listed under various names, such as: stearamide, stearamine, stearic hydrazide, stearone, Stearoxytrimethylsilane, stearoyl lactylic acid, stearyl betaine, or stearyl imidazoline.
That's what stearic acid looks like once it's been derived from animals and purified.
Tallow comes from beef or lamb fat that can be found in soaps, lipsticks, shaving creams, and other cosmetics. It is often used under other names, such as: sodium tallowate, tallow acid, tallow amide, tallow amine, Talloweth-6, tallow glycerides, or tallow imidazoline.
If you really take the time to look at the ingredients in a lot of products, you'd be surprised by how many animal by-products are listed, and this doesn't just go for cosmetics, but also hair products, bath products, and a lot of the foods in your fridge right now. It's disgusting to think that when you are setting your hair with hairspray, what's holding it in place is another animal's keratin proteins. When you're shaving your legs, that shaving cream is full of beef fat. And damnit that beautiful red lipstick you only put on for special occasions is crushed up bugs smeared all over your lips.
Later tonight or sometime tomorrow, I'll be posting about all-natural skin, hair, and cosmetic products that don't use any animal derivatives, so be on the lookout for that.
