vegan and cruelty free: more than just a trend

from the food we consume, to the products that we buy, more and more people are jumping on the vegan and cruelty-free trend and becoming more ethically conscious about the decisions they make.

with 2019 dubbed as the ‘year of the vegan’ by The Economist (for those who don’t know what that is, it’s an international newspaper for smart people), it also reported more than a quarter of millennials identify as being vegan. 

but what exactly is the difference between the two you ask? and why is going vegan and cruelty-free is so much more than just a fad?

we’ve nutted out those questions below, so you can spend less time stressing over labels and more time livin’ that ethically-conscious life. 

the difference between vegan and cruelty-free

while vegan and cruelty-free are two terms that are often used interchangeably, they are actually two completely different things. 

cruelty-free often refers to the process in which the products are made and tested. 

each year, more than 115 million animals are used to test different beauty products before they are manufactured and sold to the public. the reality for these animals is often a short and painful life, lived out in small cages, having never seen the sun or the outside world. 

when a product or a brand identifies as cruelty-free, this means it is not supporting such acts of animal cruelty. 

on the flip side, for a beauty product to claim that it is vegan free, it’s referring to the ingredients in the product, rather than the production process. simply put, vegan free means a product does not contain any ingredients from animals. 

Australia recently took some huge steps forward in the fight against animal cruelty, passing a bill to offically ban the testing of cosmetics on animals. the ban which starts in July of this year, also prohibits the sale of beauty products from overseas that have been tested on animals. 

until that ban comes into effect through, the Australian website choose cruelty-free is a great tool to use to weed out the bad from the good, as it lists all the companies in oz that practice cruelty-free production. 

but why should I care?

whether you’re wanting to become a hardcore animal rights activist, or you’re simply just wanting to make some small changes to the way you consume products (gotta start somewhere right?!) by shopping products that are vegan and cruelty-free, not only are you making a positive impact in your own life, but also the millions of animals that unfortunately don’t have a choice or a voice. 

at georgiemane we’re proud to say that our hair mask is both 100% vegan and cruelty-free as we believe good hair doesn’t have to come at the expense of others. 

so if you’re looking to start a more ethically conscious journey, there’s no better place to start than with our 10 minute hair mask. not only will it leave your hair refreshed, longer and stronger, but it’ll also make you feel good on the inside knowing you’ve invested in a brand that cares about our furry friends  🙌🏼