A guide to find out if something is vegan
You may want to know if something is vegan, so before posting to ask, here's a quick guide.
Labelled Vegan - Almost always vegan, however there have been cases of things being labelled vegan when they either test on animals or even have a non vegan ingredient in it (the first launch of Bailey's Almande)
Labelled Vegetarian - Many products labelled vegetarian are actually safe for vegans, but the packaging either is out of date, or the company isn't up to date with the terminology.
May Contain Traces of - If the product looks safe for vegans, but it says that it may contain traces of a non vegan ingredient it will mean that it's either made in the same factory or on the same conveyor belt/same equipment. This option is more likely to be just the same factory rather than equipment.
Not Safe for those with dairy/egg/shellfish allergies - Similar to above. It will mean that it's either made in the same factory or on the same conveyor belt/same equipment. This option is more likely to be on the same equipment rather than just the same factory.
Food
Basic ingredients: Meat, Fish, Shellfish, Milk (Dairy), Cheese, Eggs, Honey
Derivatives: Casein, Whey, Beeswax
- A note for the next few: Cochineal and some others will sometimes to be referred to by an E Number, so be aware of that. Also, with certain E Numbers and Vitamins you can have a plant based or animal derived version, but it's not a legal requirement to label whether it's plant or animal derived. To be sure, only buy products labelled 'vegan' as the E-Numbers will have to be plant derived. If it's labelled safe for vegetarians, the animal version may be used.
Other: Bone Char, Bonemeal, Gelatin, Carmine, Cochineal, Carminic Acid, Rennet, Fish Oil, Isinglass, Keratin, Lactic Acid, Lanolin, Pepsin, Tallow, Shellac, Glycerin
Vitamins: Vitamin D is the one to watch out for, along with omega 3. Vitamin D that has been added to foods can be lanolin (usually D3), omega 3 is usually fish related.
E Numbers: 120 (Cochineal), 441 (Gelatin), 469 (Sodium Caseinate, Casein), 542 (Bone Phosphate), 901 (Beeswax), 904 (Shellac), 910, 920, 921 (L-Cysteine), 913 (Lanolin), 966 (Lactitol), 1000 (Cholic Acid), 1105 (Lysozyme), 1518 (Glycerol)
E Numbers Cont: See Here (https://www.veganeasy.org/food/food-additives/) for more info, will include E Numbers which could be either animal or plant.
Clothing
Common Vegan Fabrics: Cotton, Acrylic, Linen, Hemp
Uncommon Vegan Fabrics: See Here (http://bikesexual.blogsport.eu/2012/03/24/list-of-fabrics-vegan-or-not/) for a list of uncommon fabrics that are safe for vegans.
Avoid These: Fur, Leather, Silk, Suede, Wool
Avoid These: See Here (http://bikesexual.blogsport.eu/2012/03/24/list-of-fabrics-vegan-or-not/) for a list of uncommon fabrics that are NOT safe for vegans.
Cosmetics, Make Up, Cleaning
When it comes to cosmetics, the big things to watch out for is firstly, if it's been tested on animals. Secondly the ingredients, which includes honey in things like moisturisers, but also in waxes it may be beeswax or other non vegan waxes.
Make Up - Animal testing for cosmetics is banned in the EU, but laws on animal testing do not extend to ingredients that are commonly found in both household items and cosmetics. In China, it is required by law that if you sell your product, it will be tested on animals, so a worldwide company might be cruelty free (not tested on animals) everywhere else except China. Some companies refuse to sell in China because of this, some companies do it regardless of this, it's up to you whether you purchase their products knowing they sell in China, because where you are buying it (if it's not China) it may be cruelty free.
Some brands to avoid: Avon, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Maybelline.
Something to note is you should look for the leaping cruelty free bunny (https://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/what-we-do/corporate-partnerships/leaping-bunny-certification-programme), which is an official certification and if this is on a product which does test on animals, the company would face harsh legal repercussions. The reason we mention this is:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t regulate “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals” packaging labels, so companies can put this on their packaging even if the product or ingredients have been tested on animals.
Brushes and Tools: Some tools may be made from bone or ivory, but more commonly what would make it non vegan is the bristles. If a tool is marketed using the words genuine, you can 90% be sure it will be made with animal products. Mink is a common one for beauty suppliers.
Cleaning Chemicals: The above information on cleaning chemicals applies. Many of the cleaning chemicals you use in your home will have been tested on animals using skin irritation and toxicology tests. It's partly why we know what chemicals are irritants and toxic (however if it says irritant or toxic this doesn't imply it's been tested on animals, but it's an indication. Look for the bunny)
Other
No matter how far removed from something being an animal product it is, you're still likely to get caught out. It's a learning thing and it's important to remember not to beat yourself up about it, because just about everything in the world around you has impact and likely has some kind of animal impact.
With that said, here are a few things which aren't vegan that you may not have thought about. (With some of these there will be vegan versions, as with many things, vegan versions can be common)
Band Aids, Kleenex, Pet Food*, Condoms, Post It Notes, Fireworks, Some Soy Milk (Casein), Bread (Char), White Sugar (Char), Some Fruit Juices (Vit D), Some Vegetable Soups (Dairy)
*Pet food - You may laugh when you find out that pet food is tested on cats and dogs because that makes perfect sense. However, in the past and possibly still today there have been horribly invasive tests like cutting muscle off cats and dogs.
Alcohol
When it comes to alcohol, a lot of people would be baffled as to why it wouldn't be vegan. In fact many alcohols aren't due to animal products being used in their production (especially in the aging, fining/stabilisation, clarification, or filtration processes).
Animal derived products used in the production of alcohol include; Albumin – derived from egg whites (may be caged eggs); Casein – Protein derived from milk; Chitin – derived from the shells of crabs, lobsters, etc; Gelatin – from bones and connective tissues of cows or pigs; Isinglass - obtained from fish swim bladders.
Other times, drinks are more obviously not vegan because they have cream (think Bailey's and Kahlua 'Ready to go'), honey, or processed sugars (which could have bone char).
Distilled Spirits - Generally all distilled spirits are vegan however there are exceptions as mentioned above. The most safe distilled spirits tend to be vodka or gin in terms of the processing. Some vodkas have been shown to use honey in (42 below), but the processing is generally fine. But you shouldn't have to worry about many other spirits. Liqueurs are a different story and there's a fair few that aren't vegan, check on Barnivore to be sure.
Wines - Mulled wines and fortified wines are ones to watch for, but there are vegan options. You'll find vegan options or completely vegan ranges in brands such as Blossom Hill, Moet and Chandon, Cooper Hawk, Frey Vineyards. Of course in their ranges there may be non vegan wines, so make sure to check.
Beers - Beers, ciders and ales are also ones to watch out for but there are plenty of vegan drinks in this category. Amstel, Asahi, Becks, Desperados, Stowford Press, Corona, Heineken. Most British beers are not vegan
See this list (https://theveganpunk.com/which-lagers-ales-ciders-are-vegan/) for lagers, ales, ciders etc.
Thankfully there is a vegan alcohol list that is constantly being updated called Barnivore. See their website here (http://www.barnivore.com/).
The Golden Rule - If it involves animals in any way, it isn't vegan (unless you are buying a voucher to take your dog to a dog specific spa). If you don't think it would include animals, there's still a good chance it will.
Make a Post
If you have read this and still no luck, feel free to make a post online. For you to get a good answer, the more details the better, otherwise you are putting the burden of finding out if it's vegan onto someone else who could be doing something else more worthwhile.
A quick google search: Product name vegan... Will usually work well, but if not, the following information will help you get an answer.
The reason the specifics as follows matter is because products change country to country, for example in Australia bone char is not used in ANY sugars, but in the US it is. In the UK the Kellogs range of products is not vegan but Apparently in Australia they are. Victoria secret sell their products in China so animal test, however outside of China they supposedly don't so whether you are in China or elsewhere would be extremely helpful.
Product Name
Company that makes the product
A brief description of what it is
Where you are considering purchasing from, online or instore (which supermarket)
What country you are in, or if buying online, what country it will be purchased from
A CLEAR picture of both the front and the ingredient list (put the package on a flat surface if necessary)