6 products that you may not have realised are not vegan

There is an increasing trend of people who are opting for a vegan lifestyle. This means that the products they use don’t contain any animal products or by-products. While a vegan lifestyle means not eating meat and dairy, and only buying cruelty-free products, there are a lot of products that appear to be vegan but are not.

Here is a list of commonly used products that most people will assume are vegan, and what red flags you should look for.

Detergent

While most detergents may not contain animal products (some contain animal enzymes), many of them, especially by the bigger multinational companies, are tested on animals. This is because many of the countries they sell their products in require them to do testing by law. While many claim that they don’t test on animals, the fine print shows that they outsource the testing to third-party labs and don’t do the tests in-house.

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Apple juice

This may seem like an entirely plant-derived product, but few people know that a lot of commercial apple juice is clarified using fish bladders. If you are in doubt, then head over to the PETA or Leaping Bunny websites and check if your favourite brand is vegan or not.

Honey

A lot of pure vegans refuse to use honey because it contains bee pollen and they feel that bees are exploited for commercial purposes. They also substitute honey with sugar water or corn syrup. Neither has the nutrients that the bees need to thrive. This means most bees suffer from malnutrition and don’t survive. The good news is that some beekeepers are only collecting honey after winter when anything in the hive is extra. The three types of ethical beekeepers are Balanced Beekeepers, Natural Beekeepers, and Biodynamic Beekeepers, and that is what you should be looking for on labels.

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Make up

From fish scales in lipsticks and mascara to animal fat in foundations, a lot of makeup contain a variety of animal products. Additionally, a lot of companies test on animals as it is required they do it by law. While India has banned animal testing, many global brands still test on animals directly or through third-party labs as many countries they sell in require it by law. Check on the PETA or Leaping Bunny websites if your favourite product is truly vegan.

Jams

A fruit jam may seem like a completely safe option because it is made of fruit, right? But a lot of jams contain gelatin, which is an animal by-product. Be sure to check for the green dot on the back of the bottle to make sure that the product is vegetarian.

To make sure the product is vegan, go for a product that uses agave or maple syrup because some sugar is manufactured using bone ash.

Cigarettes

So, it turns out not only are cigarettes bad for your health, they may be interfering with your vegan lifestyle. These are among the top offenders as the tobacco industry performs animal testing and indiscriminate use of pesticides that affect plant and animal life. Another lesser-known fact is that some companies use animal haemoglobin in the manufacture of the filters.