Veganuary month resolutions for a sustainable beauty regime

Veganuary started as a challenge in 2014 to inspire non-vegetarians to follow a vegan lifestyle for the 31 days of January. The motive behind promoting Veganuary is to start off the year in a more conscious manner and contribute to the well-being of one’s surroundings and the planet as a whole. The basis of the challenge is to eliminate all animal products from your diet and lifestyle for the entirety of January. However, for beginners and those with no prior experience with veganism, it might be daunting to switch to a purely plant-based lifestyle, so they can choose to centre certain aspects of their lifestyle, such as skin care products, makeup and clothing, around veganism. 

Why should you take up this challenge?

Veganism has proven to benefit individuals in several ways, both physically and emotionally. These are some of the excellent ways you can thrive if you follow this challenge. 

1. Be more environment-friendly

If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, veganism is your answer. Animal farming and agriculture lead to an increased level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, as research has shown. Therefore, the lesser the dependence on animals for their products, the lesser the harmful gas production will be, ensuring a cleaner and safer environment. 

2. Contribute to a cruelty-free lifestyle

By switching to a purely vegan lifestyle, you minimise your dependence on all kinds of animal products, thereby not contributing to animal cruelty. A large percentage of the 100 million animals killed in the process of animal testing account for the testing of cosmetics. You can save your conscience by changing your preference to a vegan, cruelty-free brand. Organisations like PETA and Beauty Without Cruelty are actively spreading awareness about this issue and making individuals worldwide more conscious. 

3. Better health and energy 

Vegetarian food is rich in nutrients, and consuming high amounts of fruits and greens is bound to boost your energy levels substantially. It will also contribute to excellent long-term health compared to heavily relying on processed and nov-vegetarian-dominated foods. 

How to start a vegan-centric skincare routine?

When people think about going vegan, changing their makeup or skincare products generally doesn’t strike them. But you would be surprised to find out how many animal-based products are in your cosmetics. Honey, squalene, beeswax, carmine, and fats are commonly found in beauty products derived from animals. There are vegan alternatives to all of these ingredients. 

Here are some ways in which you can start your vegan beauty journey in 2023:

1. Look for vegan haircare

For years, animal-based products have dominated the cosmetic industry under the garb of doing miracles. Lanolin, obtained from sheep, is extensively used in hair care products as it is used to moisturise hair. Some other ingredients like beeswax, casein and keratin find high usage in haircare products for their excellent properties. However, people fail to realise that vegan alternatives to almost all such ingredients could be easily incorporated into beauty products and yield similar, if not better, results. For example, the True Frog Anti Dandruff Combo is composed of purely vegan ingredients and is also devoid of animal fat, parabens, sulfates, heavy metals and phthalates. In spite of lacking animal products, it is a very well reputed product and is quite popular among users.  

2. Buy sustainable sanitary napkins and tampons

Most producers of intimate products still continue to do animal testing, which is detrimental to the environment. They are also majorly composed of plastic and bleached with chlorine. This contributes to a significant amount of waste generation, filling landfills extensively. Several home-grown, eco-friendly brands produce pads from bamboo fibre, cornstarch and organic cotton. Newly emerging Indian brands like Carmesi, Vivanion, Anandi are among the plethora of environment-friendly alternatives to the mainstream brands flooding the Indian market. 

3. Opt for vegan ingredients for your skin

When you think of applying something to your skin, you should ask yourself, “Would I eat this?”. If your answer is a solid yes, then rest assured that the product would do no harm to your body. Take the Ilana Lip Scrub, for example. It is constituted of only coffee powder, licorice, vitamin E and soybean, all of which are naturally occurring ingredients and would have no adverse effect if used for a prolonged period of time. The CosIQ AirGel is a great vegan moisturiser for normal to dry skin. It utilises mostly plant-based ingredients alongside a few essential chemicals like hyaluronic acid. 

4. Say no to mink-free lashes

Are you a fan of fake lashes? Think again. Those attractive accessories are often made of mink fur, resulting in animal cruelty. Opt for fur-free lashes instead from vegan and cruelty-free brands. 

5. Add vegan supplements to your diet

When following Veganuary, the protein intake needs to be kept in check. Especially for newbies who heavily rely on non-vegetarian foods to fulfil their protein needs, it can become challenging to incorporate sufficient protein in their diets. You should therefore include vegan protein supplements, such as the Cosmix No-Nonsense Plant Protein and SwisseMe Plant Protein. These products are laden with natural plant extracts and nutrients, making them an excellent choice to be included in your diet and part of your beauty routine. They also come with a non-dairy vegan milk powder blend. 

Veganuary may only be a month-long challenge, but if you follow it religiously for these 31 days, the impacts of it are sure to make you adopt it as a routine throughout the rest of the year. If consumers continue to make conscious choices over the years, it will bring about a radical change in the beauty industry, with most brands aligning their products with the theme of clean, vegan, and cruelty-free beauty.

- Srishti Chakraborty