Is Shaving Cream Vegan?

Whether you’re a die-hard vegan or just want to reduce your impact on the planet, you might be asking yourself “is shaving cream vegan”? We all know that many skincare brands test their products on animals and that many soaps contain animal products, but what about shaving cream?

What Ingredients Are In Shaving Cream?

Deciphering whether skincare products are vegan or not isn’t as easy as taking a quick look at their ingredients list. After all, most of us don’t know our sodium tallowate from our sodium sulfate. Add to that, that even products with entirely vegan ingredients may well have been tested on animals, and it’s a whole new can of proverbial worms!

So, let’s start by looking at what goes into Pure Shave shaving cream, and then discuss a few of the ingredients you might want to avoid if you’re vegan-minded. 

Pure Shave Shaving Cream is vegan-friendly and contains: Aqua, Disodium Lauryl Succinate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glyceryl Stearate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate.

While the ingredients listed above are vegan, they’re not always. In particular, glycerin (glycerine and glycerol) can be produced from either plant or animal sources. And there are plenty of other nasties to look out for in shaving creams.

Non-Vegan Shaving Cream Ingredients

Many shave creams, gels and soaps contain ingredients that lubricate and moisturise, but that are sourced from animals. Here are the main culprits you may find in your bathroom staples:

Sodium Tallowate

Tallow, which is rendered from animal fat, is one of the main non-vegan ingredients in soap and soap alternatives and is used because it’s relatively cheap and widely available in the meat industry, where it would otherwise be discarded.

Honey or Beeswax

Because honey and beeswax are both produced by exploiting bees, neither is considered vegan. While there’s no arguing that these ingredients smell delightful and work well in skincare, there’s no place for them in a vegan product.

Palm Oil

While it can be argued that sustainably grown palm oil is more vegan-friendly than some alternatives, in general, palm oil is not considered vegan friendly. This is due to its farming contributing to the displacement and death of many animal species.

Is Shaving Cream Tested On Animals?

Although brands aren’t likely to publicise it, the majority do test their skincare products on animals. This includes giants in the industry such as Aveeno, CeraVe, Clarins, Clearasil, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, Nivea, Palmer’s, Palmolive, Vaseline and so, so many more.

Pure Shave never tests our products on animals. So, you can be assured that when you make the choice to buy our shaving cream, it’s not at the expense of the planet, or our furry friends.

Find out more about our green ethos in Pure Shave – The Greener Way To Groom