It’s Veganuary  &  we’re answering some of the biggest vegan beauty questions with vegan beauty blogger and expert Jessica Kilbury @veganbeautyaddict. Jessica is a vegan social media influencer currently living in Los Angeles. She has been creating content based around vegan and cruelty free beauty and lifestyle for the past four years.  She has a passion for animals, bright colors, black clothing and nude lipsticks.

Q.  What does Vegan Beauty mean? 

A.  Vegan beauty simply means products that are formulated without using any animal products.

Q.  Does vegan haircare work the same as non-vegan?

A.  We’ve come a long way in the terms of vegan haircare! When I first went vegan 10 years ago, I would say no! The vegan options were definitely lacking. Now, there are so many amazing products readily available that actually work and do wonders for your hair!

Q.  What are common vegan beauty ingredients?

A.  Common vegan ingredients can include many alternatives to their animal derived counterparts. For example, synthetic beeswax and plant waxes can replace beeswax in lipsticks. There are so many red dyes available that can replace carmine as a colorant. You can really use so many plants in the place of ingredients that are typically animal derived. I never knew you could have a keratin like effect in haircare by using spirulina (hello IGK Good Behavior!)

Q.  What are the most common non-vegan ingredients that you might not know about (i.e. Honey)? 

A.  The most common non-vegan ingredients in beauty products are beeswax and carmine, which can be found in almost anything from mascara to eyeshadow. Lanolin, honey and silk can also be found occasionally in beauty products. A common ingredient found in haircare that isn’t vegan is keratin. 

Q.  What’s the difference between Vegan + Cruelty Free?

 A.  Cruelty free simply means a product from the beginning to end hasn’t been tested on animals. This includes the ingredients right down to the final product. Vegan simply means a product has no animal byproducts in it. A product might be cruelty free and not necessarily vegan. On the other hand, a product can also be vegan and not necessarily cruelty free. 

Q.  Is vegan beauty better for the environment?

A.  I would like to think that it is! Just by bypassing animal testing, more energy is already saved. There tend to be more vegan and cruelty free brands that are considered “clean” and use better ingredients for the environment.

Q.  Why go vegan in general?

A.  Our bodies have an easier time digesting plants. I used to love cheese but ever since I gave it up, I haven’t had a stomach problem in over 10 years! That is a good reason in itself to go vegan! Also, the environment, the animals and health are also fantastic reasons!

Q.  Any advice or tips for people who are interested in becoming vegan? 

A.  Take it slowly, one day at a time! Don’t set yourself up for failure by trying to do everything all at once. Making a big life change takes time. Going vegan and buying only cruelty free products can be a struggle. You can make the switch to almond milk instead of dairy milk. You can even start using a vegan and cruelty free dry shampoo as your first step and you’re already doing something huge for yourself and the animals! (You could start by making the switch with some IGK First Class ;))