I know I’m not alone in that I have recently started being more conscious of the environmental impact that the products I use have and what the supply chain actually looks like. It’s something that we’re all becoming increasingly aware of and the pressure to get it right can, at times, feel overwhelming. There is more information than ever before and we have more power now than we ever have to make informed purchasing decisions, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Along with this information we also have to navigate how we feel about these issues and acknowledge what is actually achievable for us and our lifestyles at this point in time. It’s something that I have been thinking more and more about this year, and whilst I am far from perfect, I have started to make more gradual changes, particularly in my beauty routine. 

The beauty industry can be a marvellous place, and something that I adore, but it’s also deeply problematic on a number of levels. Despite these flaws I do think there are ways that we can all start to consume beauty products, from the essentials to the little luxuries, more conscioulsy and strike a better balance between enjoying the products we buy and reducing the impact we have on the world around us, if we so wish. I’ve already started to make changes when it comes to the number of single-use products and waste that my beauty routines produce. For me, the next logical step has been examining where my products come from, what’s in them and what impact did they have on the environment as a whole, not just in terms of climate change, to get to my bathroom shelf.

I want to make a quick disclaimer; I am far from perfect, I’m not an expert at this and still have a lot to learn about the world of vegan and cruelty free beauty. Despite there being more information than I know what to do with it can feel complicated and contradictory at times, and then you throw in the issue of parent companies and it gets even more complicted (some brands that are themselves cruelty free are sometimes deemed otherwise if they are part of a larger parent group, such as L’Oréal or Estee Lauder Companies, that do allow or fund animal testing in other territories). This said, I’m trying. I’m trying to make changes where I can to opt for products that are vegan and cruelty free and to just be more mindful of how the products are getting to me.

So how have I gone about this change? Well, firstly I’ve decided to operate a one-in-one-out policy; I won’t replace anything until it naturally runs out. I worked in the beauty industry for a number of years and within that time I was lucky enough to be given a large number of products to test and try, so with that I naturally have quite a substantial stash of unopened products. It seemed too wasteful to just bin the things that no longer fitted in my criteria (plus, the damage has already been done at this point) and it also seemed a waste of money on my part to start repurachsing everything in a beauty routine. Replacing items with more vegan and cruelty-free products when I naturally ran out felt like a more managable way to make the transition and also more sustainable in terms of being a lifestyle change. If you’ve listed to the 20’s Are Hard episode on sustainability you’ll know I’m all about making small and achievable changes that you can keep up for the long term.

I’ve also allowed myself some room for simply being human, for not getting it 100% right all of the time and also making sure these changes fit in with my lifestyle. For example, if I can’t find a vegan and cruelty-free alternative I’ll try to make sure that the product is at least one of these. If the best alternative isn’t within my budget then I’ll try and find something that is at least sourced more ethically. Like I said, I have a long way to go but making big changes gradually makes them much easier to stick to and also allows me to learn as I go.

A few months in and I’m by no means perfect but I can happily say that I haven’t struggled to find good alternatives. It’s exciting to discover a whole new world of vegan and cruelty free products that I haven’t tried before, and it’s been a pleasant revelation to find that some of the things I love still fall into the vegan and cruelty free bracket. I’ve just found that it take me a bit of time to research the products I’m thinking of buying before I just run out of my usual shower gel (although, shower gel, shampoo etc have been some of the easiest products to substitute). There are also a number of affordable brands, such as Superdrug’s own brand ranges and The Ordinary that are both cruelty free and have a number of vegan items in the range so not everything has been as expensive as I worried it might be.

This is definitley a change that is going to take time and plenty more research (if you have any good resources please hook a girl up!) and a fair bit of experimenting to find the perfect substitutes but it’s something that I’m excited about too. It allows me to try new brands and discover new products and that really is one of my favourite things about beauty. But more importantly than that it’s another small step to make sure that I’m living as consciously as I can and that I’m continuously trying to make improvements that I feel I can make. It isn’t for everyone and this certainly isn’t me trying to convince everyone that they should overhaul their rotuines now. Maybe it's something you aren’t willing to compromise on but you’ve made changes in other areas of your life. I firmly believe it isn’t about us all doing everything perfectly all the time and it’s more important that we are all trying to do as much as we can as often as we can. Will I never buy a beauty product again that isn’t totally vegan or cruelty free, probably not. But I’m trying and I’m sharing that process too. From now on, any products on this side marked with a ‘^’ will be vegan and any marked with a ‘*’ will be cruelty free so if you’re reading a post and want the information it’s there, but if you aren’t fussed then just know that it’s still a great product. There are countless little changes we can all make to live a little more thoughtfully so whether you’re doing this or something different, it still has an impact. If you’re on the vegan & cruelty-free beauty train with me then let me know, share your must-haves and let’s chat! If not then that’s fine too, I’m still always up for a chat, especially about beauty!