Vegan beauty sales booming, even among non-vegan women

British women are buying vegan beauty products despite not actually identifying as vegan. 

A study has found that 56% of British women between the ages of 18 and 45 who regularly wear make-up buy vegan beauty products, although a third (39%) aren’t actually vegan. 

Beauty discover engine cosmetify.com conducted  research into the nation’s vegan beauty shopping habits and revealed that 62% had made a decision to make more ethical choices in the past five to 10 years. 

44% said they’d be happy to pay more for “conscious” beauty products, with 68% choosing organic, 61% looking for natural products and 49% seeking out vegan options. 

However, only 9% of respondents said they exclusively buy vegan products, though 47% said they do this more than they used to. 

The report also showed a growing trend towards plastic-free products, with 39% of women saying they buy plastic-free beauty more then they previously did. 

Despite the indication that a large proportion of female beauty consumers now look for some type of “free-from” products, 54% of the study’s respondents said they would still buy a product that wasn’t 100% certified organic, natural or vegan.

“Many of the current trends in the beauty industry are driven by conscious beauty, particularly when it comes to organic, vegan and natural products,” said Isa Lavahun, digital brand manager at cosmetify.com  

“This coincides with the rapid shift in lifestyle choices, and that consumers are more ethically conscious than ever before. 

“Information is key to change, so beauty brands need to be more transparent about how they make and distribute their products. 

“It’s great to see consumers questioning certain packaging, and that movements like plastic-free are disrupting the landscape”.

Check out our vegan beauty guide for salons and spas.