First Aid Beauty is a brand that specializes in the creation of skincare products and make up that target specific skin issues such as eczema, dry skin, acne, dullness, and redness.
This prestigious skincare brand was founded by Lilli Gordon, driven by the motivation to heal the skin. However, it was acquired Procter & Gamble for an estimated $250 million — a multinational company that claims to be cruelty-free but funds animal testing when required by law.
Does this mean First Aid Beauty is cruelty-free? Not necessarily.
Nevertheless, one thing is for sure, while First Aid Beauty does have some products that are vegan-friendly, the brand can’t be considered vegan. Â
Why is First Aid Beauty not vegan?
The reason is very simple. Not all of First Aid Beauty products are vegan, some of their products contain animal ingredients such as collagen, beeswax, and yogurt extract.
At the same time, First Aid Beauty also has products that don’t contain any animal ingredients, so if you’re intending to purchase from them, you need to be extra careful.
Collagen
Collagen is a protein found mostly in hair skin, nails, bones, and ligaments, which is derived mostly from animal sources, such as beef or fish.
At the same time, there’s also collagen that IS NOT derived from animals and is lab-created with genetically modified yeast and bacteria. The bacteria P. pastoris is the most effective and the most commonly used when reproducing high-quality collagen.
However, it’s likely that First Aid Beauty uses collagen derived from an animal source.
Beeswax
Beeswax, also referred to as Cera alba, is a wax-like property produced by bees to create the structure (honeycomb) that is essential to store honey and nurture young bees.
Naturally, because it’s produced by bees, beeswax cannot be considered vegan. In addition, since it’s a byproduct of honey production, it is often associated with unethical methods often employed by industrial beekeepers. One of those methods, for example, is the cutting off queen bees’ wings in order to prevent the worker bees from swarming and fleeing the colony.
This, obviously, is a method they use to ramp up the production of honey, which would otherwise be impossible if the bees migrated elsewhere.
Yogurt Extract
Yogurt extract is basically an extract derived from milk-based yogurt.
Obviously, it’s quite common in skincare products (and in most cases, cheaper from a commercial standpoint), but green skincare companies may use plant-based alternatives such as coconut yogurt extract derived from coconut yogurt.
Other Common Ingredients in Cosmetics
There are also other animal ingredients you may see in the skincare industry, besides the ones we’ve mentioned just now. Here are a few other common ingredients:
- Carmine
- Guanine
- Oleic Acid
- Silk or Pearl Powder
- Elastin
- Keratin
- Shellac
- Stearic Acid
- Glycerine
- Casein
- Squalene
- Lanolin
- Animal hair
- Honey
One important thing to note is that some of these ingredients may also be derived from plant-based sources. For instance, glycerine, although it’s commonly derived from animal fats, some companies may vegetable sources such as olives or palm oil.
If you’re in doubt, feel free to contact a company or manufacturer to obtain more information.
Is First Aid Beauty Cruelty-Free?
Yes, according to information publicly available on the First Aid Beauty website, the brand is indeed cruelty-free.
This essentially means that First Aid Beauty does not conduct tests on animals, and neither do their suppliers or any third-party laboratories. In addition, First Aid Beauty does not sell products in countries where animal testing is required by law. (i.e: China).
At the same time, we also have to note that First Aid Beauty is owned by Procter & Gamble, a multinational company that conducts animal testing when the law demands it. However, this is generally only applicable to products that the company intends to sell in China, which does not appear to be the case with First Aid Beauty.
First Aid Beauty is also PETA-certified, which provides us with an added layer of trust & safety, but to be quite honest, we’d rather prefer if First Aid Beauty was certified by organizations such as the Leaping Bunny Organization or Cruelty-Free International.
These companies have very strict criteria that companies generally have to follow in order to remain cruelty-free, and we’re not so sure whether or not that’s the case for PETA.
In any case, yes, First Aid Beauty is technically a cruelty-free brand.
Vegan Alternatives to First Aid Beauty
If, for some reason, First Aid Beauty is not a brand you can resonate with, allow us to make a few suggestions that we believe are optimal vegan substitutes for First Aid Beauty.
These are not the only brands, but they’re among the most popular.
Summary: First Aid Beauty is Not 100% Vegan
Yes, First Aid Beauty is not 100% vegan… as they have some products that contain animal-based ingredients such as collagen, beeswax, and yogurt extract.
However, there are two positives things to consider about First Aid Beauty:
- They still have a healthy amount of vegan-friendly products;
- And they’re essentially a cruelty-free brand, even though they’re owned by Procter & Gamble.
This being said, if you’d rather purchase from authentic vegan brands, you can always refer to the brands we’ve mentioned above, as they’re 100% vegan and cruelty-free.
Thank you very much for reading and we hope this blog post has helped answer some of your questions about First Aid Beauty. 🙂
