Vegan and Cruelty-Free Korean Cosmetic Brands
Consumers are leaning towards vegan beauty brands and there are two good reasons why. The obvious reason being that vegan skincare source its ingredients from nature and are cleaner and safer for the skin. Others prefer vegan and cruelty-free products because they care about animal rights and refuse to support animal-testing.
There are brands that are vegan but not cruelty-free, and vice-versa.
- Cruelty-free simply means that the product and its ingredients have not been tested on an animal.
- Vegan means that there are no animal-derived ingredients in the product.
- Together would mean you cannot have ingredients such as honey, collagen, and snail mucin.
Being vegan is a commitment not all of us of can easily make, and the same goes for all beauty brands in the industry. It can be costly changing manufacturers and sourcing not as easily accessible ingredients. America is leading in the numbers of companies converting to vegan and cruelty-free. In South Korea, there are many vegan skincare products but only a handful of brands that can say ALL their products are vegan AND cruelty-free. Here are some of those brands:
1. Dear, Klairs
Dear, Klairs: claims to be the first vegan cosmetic brand that has been approved by the Korea Agency of Vegan Certification and Services. All products are developed without animal testing and are not exported to countries with animal-testing requirements. They’ve also made strides to support sustainability by partnering with eco-friendly and zero-waste businesses. Among their simple and minimal products is the Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop. It is a Vitamin C serum that evens skin tone and brightens dull complexion. Over 2 million bottles have sold making it a global best-seller.
2. Purito
Purito: takes pride in safe and clean products that help your skin health in the long run. Animal testing is avoided, and a portion of profits are donated to Best Friend Animal Society. All products are free from synthetic fragrances and dyes, phenoxyethanol, and triethanolamine. The brand image and concept is green and eco-conscious, with nature at its core. Late last year, Purito was wrapped in a controversy because of the false SPF level. From my experience using the Centella Green Unscented Sunscreen, it was lightweight and did not feel sticky and uncomfortable to wear. Last month, they made a comeback with a new formula of their sunscreen that’s been highly anticipated!
3. Beplain
Beplain- is a Korean skincare brand that offers clean beauty made with natural and effective ingredients for all skin types. Keeping the ingredient list simple, products are free from paraben, phthalate, SLS, SLES, mineral oil, artificial fragrance, and colorants. Caring for your skin with harsh products is possibly worse than not having a skincare routine at all. Beplain’s Greenful Ph-Balanced Cleansing Foam has received a Hwahae award in 2020 and recognition from Allure in 2019. Cleansing products that have low pH helps protect the skin barrier while clearing breakouts and unclogging pores.
It's 2021 and inevitably more consumers are more conscious of the ingredients in their products. Vegan beauty, similar to vegan diets, is increasingly becoming favorable in the beauty industry. I personally use products from all three brands but have not completely made the switch to a 100% vegan skincare routine. Are you a fan of vegan and cruelty-free cosmetic products?
