Do you know what's in your beauty products?

When you go and buy a new lipstick/shower gel/perfume/face wash what do you look at? Colour, price, brand, or something else? I bet you don't immediately look at the ingredients? No? Me neither, but mainly because they are either scientific gobble-de-gook or you just have no idea what it is. But even if you did know something about an ingredient would you know where it is from? I have done a little bit of investigating in the past and identified two ingredients that I now try to avoid: parabens and SLS, see my previous post here. So what else do your beauty products contain?

Yes we all love our animals but did you know that alot of ingredients in our beloved beauty products are actually Animal by-products? So what should you be looking out for?

Collagen

This is created in our own bodies naturally but it is also created from connective tissue in animals.

Products it's in: Anti-aging products

Gelatin/Agar Agar

Hmmm yes I know what you're probably thinking, isn't that jelly? Well yes it is used in jelly and other food products but it can also be found in your beauty products. It is made from reconstituted animal bones, connective tissue and intestines.

Products it's in: Nail polish remover

Glycerine

Created from animal fat

Products it's in: Soap

Guanine

This is fish scales, usually from herrings, which are used for their pearlescent shimmer

Products it's in: Eyeshadow, blusher

Elastin

Again this is also created naturally by our own bodies but it is also sourced from connective tissue.

Products it's in: Anti-aging products

Keratin

This is a structural protein found in the hair, nails and horns of mammals. 

Products it's in: 

Lanolin

This is excreted from sheep and it is infact sebum, rather like the sebum or oil which is excreted through our own skin, but on a sheep it is from their wool. Sheep are often bred to create more wool to create more sebum. 

Products it's use in: Lipstick

Musk

Derived from the genitals of muskrats, beavers and other animals

Products it's in: Perfume

Silk

Created from the fibre from silk worms

Products it's in: Face powders, soaps

Sponge

Yes natural sponge is as it suggests natural and it was once a living creature.  Sponges live in the sea

Products it's in: Sponge!

Squalane/Squalene

This is mainly sort from sharks but can also be derived from olive oil. As a result deep sea sharks are being greatly overfished for this product.

Products it's in: Oil-free moisturiser

Stearic Acid

Often taken form the stomach of pigs

Products it's in: cosmetics, soaps, hairspray, deodorant

Tallow

This is an animal fat usually obtained from cows. It can also be derived from plant oils but these don't have the same benefits.

Products it's in: soap, lipstick, shaving creams.

Urea

Excreted from urine and other bodily from animals

Products it's in: deodorant, handcreams, body lotions