Vegan living has become quite popular in recent years, and while I am not a strict vegan, I have drastically reduced my consumption of meat and animal products.
While it can be hard for some people to never ever eat a piece of chicken again, it is certainly possible to forever replace some products containing animal-derived additives with vegan alternatives.
Here are some of my favourites I discovered recently:
Skincare and Cosmetics
There are lots of animal-derived ingredients in skincare, which are not always easy to spot.
But thankfully, there are now a lot of vegan alternatives on the market, and as a bonus, most of them also avoid dodgy chemicals like parabens and mineral oils.
Here are my two skincare discoveries I have fallen in love with:
Sukin Naturals
Sukin is an Australian company shipping worldwide. All their products are entirely natural, carbon neutral and of course vegan.
My current favourites are the Hydrating Mist Toner and the Nutrient Rich Facial Moisturiser Super Greens, but there are more products in their range I want to try.
Saiya
Saiya is a UK based company, and their products are also made here.
Just like Sukin, Saiya skincare and cosmetics are vegan, cruelty and chemical free.
My favourites are the Anti-Ageing Collagen Cream Moisturiser and the Mineral Cheek Powder in Plum Pink.
What I also like about these products is that they include Zinc Oxide as a natural sun protection ingredient rather than nano-chemical additives.
Price range for both companies: very reasonable.
If I had one negative to mention, then it would be the plastic packaging that both companies still use, but hopefully this will change due to increasing consumer demand.
Chocolate
Moving on from skincare, chocolate is a food item that doesn’t depend on animal derived ingredients, so it is easy to switch over to vegan varieties.
Sometimes, vegan chocolate can be a bit boring, but I found that these two companies offer a more exciting rage of cacao indulgence:
Friars
Friars is a UK based luxury chocolatier offering a delicious vegan range.
The flavours I have tried so far are the Ultimate Peanut Butter Vegan Milk Chocolate Truffles and the Cheeky Gin Milk Truffles.
While they are not the cheapest chocolates on the planet, it is the quality that counts, and I’d rather eat less and enjoy more 😉
Booja-Booja
This UK-based chocolatier sells its products mainly on Amazon and local stockists.
The Gourmet Collection of Chocolate Truffels includes a variety of different flavours.
What I also like about these truffels is that they don’t contain palm oil, a common replacement for butter in chocolate recipes.
While there isn’t anything wrong with palm oil as a product, its production is unsustainable, as it often involves deforestation of rainforests and other habitats, so it is best avoided where possible.
As you can see, it is not that hard to go vegan by changing certain products, and you don’t feel like you are missing out.
Quite the opposite, vegan products tend to be more eco friendly and natural than conventional ones, and by switching you can make a big difference to your carbon footprint (and health!) over time.
I hope you enjoy exploring my vegan living skincare and chocolates recommendations.
If you try any of them, please do let me know. I’d love to hear from you!
Warmest wishes,
Christiane