Non Food Products

Clothing

Vegans do not wear (or purchase) animal skins, fur, leather or wool. They do not wear or purchase silk or down (feathers). There are loads of animal-free alternatives and there is no need for us to be using animals for their skins (but the important thing is not to buy any more animal products - as we said on our home page, don't put off going vegan because you already own non-vegan clothes and household goods. You will replace them in time. Just don't buy any more!).

Finding vegan friendly items is becoming easier all the time, many of the high street stores such as M&S, Oasis, Urban Outfitters, NEXT, Topman and Topshop offer lots of options which are made from Cotton or viscose for example. Here are just a few available items you can find online:

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There are also companies that only sell animal friendly clothes and accesories such as Matt & Nat, Beyond Skin and Vegetarian Shoes. Here are some examples of what you might find:

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Cosmetics & Household

Vegans don't use products that contain animal ingredients or that have been tested on animals.

Some products carry the Vegan Society trademark, which means it should not contain animal ingredients and neither the product nor it's ingredients should have been tested on animals.

For non-trademarked products you will want to check:

1) that there are no animal ingredients and 2) that it hasn't been tested on animals.

This is a case of checking the product label (and getting to know which products are vegan friendly through vegan groups / friends etc). Superdrug, for example, states on its own brand products if they are suitable for vegans, and states that Superdrug are against animal testing.

Other brands may carry the leaping bunny logo, for example the Co-op's own brand products, which means neither the product nor the ingredients have been tested on animals. You also need to check that it is free of animal derived ingredients.

If a company labels it's product as suitable for vegans but does not have the Vegan Society trademark this should mean it is free of animal ingredients and hasn't been tested, but because there is no uniform labelling for vegan products it is best to check with the company to ensure that is what they are verifying.

This may sound quite tricky, but in reality vegans quickly get to know their go-to brands and products and by joining an online vegan group you can learn about other vegan options.

There are loads of cruelty-free vegan options available in local stores such as Lush, Superdrug, M&S, Co-op, Tesco, Whole Foods, Quality Vitamins and Herbs, Holland and Barrett to name a few and you'll find lots you can order online too. Here are some links and pictures to get you started: