Nowadays it’s hard to escape the buzz about the benefits of a vegan diet, and the vegan trend is now translating into our beauty and cosmetics products. A lot of brands label themselves as “vegan” while others are “cruelty-free”, so what exactly is the difference between the two?

Vegan products are those that don’t contain any products that may be derived from animals, such as beeswax, lanolin, collagen and gelatin. Cruelty-free products on the other hand, generally focus on the product testing process, refraining from testing ingredients and finished products on animals.

But this is where it gets tricky.

Photo: Ethicalelephant.com

Even though one might believe that products which are vegan, are also cruelty-free, this is not necessarily the case. Brands can claim to be vegan in their ingredients but still test their finished products on animals, as there are no labelling regulations. On the other side of the spectrum, brands that are cruelty-free don’t have to be vegan in their ingredients.

Nevertheless, there are brands that are both vegan and cruelty-free, or offer a vegan selection of their products. As with everything, it’s best to research the brands before you try them!