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You might be surprised at just how many skincare products contain animal products – and if you are not aware of them, they are not easy to avoid. Common animal-derived ingredients found in beauty and skincare products include shark liver oil, carmine, gelatin, allantoin, ambergris and placenta.
Gardiner Family Apothecary skincare is 96% vegan – that means our formulations are created without using any ingredients derived from animals or sourced from animal by-products. Our very few non-vegan items contain Manuka honey, beeswax and lanolin. We are always actively researching suitable alternative ingredients.
We believe that good skincare is kinder skincare – but vegan does not, of course, necessarily mean ‘cruelty-free’. We are proud of our PETA Cruelty-free certification, which means we do not conduct or commission any animal tests, anywhere in the world, on any of our ingredients, formulations or finished products. Look for the bunny symbol!
Much of what we put on our skin is absorbed right into our skin, so we believe that the purer and gentler we make our skincare ranges, the kinder they will be to our bodies. Vegan skincare products generally contain fewer ingredients that are likely to aggravate dry and other skin conditions.
Ingredients sourced from plants and non-animal sources offer lots of good things to our creams, lotions and serums – antioxidants, minerals and natural oils that tackle dermal damage, nourish and repair. As vegan ingredients are 100% natural, they don’t harm the environment and break back down into non-harmful components.
Wherever possible, we have substituted animal products for non-animal products. For example, most glycerin – which is a natural foamer - comes from animal fats, but we use glycerin sourced from vegetable oils in our wash-off products, including facial cleanser, shower gel, hand wash, body wash and baby bath, as well as our leave-on emollient moisturisers and sunscreens.
Elave Baby Skincare Essentials – Sensitive Baby Bath, Shampoo and Intensive Cream are 100% Vegan as well Natural and Organic certified by ECOCERT. That means 99% of the total ingredients are from natural origin and 20% of the total ingredients are from organic farming. Aloe vera and camomile extract in derma-approved free-from formulations soothe and protect delicate young skin.
Elave Derma Essentials bring the same level of pure, free-from protection to dry and sensitive adult skin. The Sensitive Body Wash, Shampoo and Body Lotion offer vegan consumers an opportunity to sample formulations with soothing camomile and vitamin E combined with non-animal sourced glycerin.
The Ovelle Hand Hygiene Kit is PETA-Approved Cruelty-free and Vegan. Moisturising coconut botanicals, emollient moisturisers and non-animal glycerine in the Hand Wash, Hand Cream and 70% Sanitising Gel guarantee effective control of bacteria and viruses in preparations which protect and repair, despite frequent handwashing.
Non-animal sourced glycerin also features in our vegan sunscreen formulations. The Elave Sun Smart Bundle – Sensitive Sun SPF30, Daily Skin Defence SPF45 and Botanical Aftersun contain antioxidant vitamins B5, C&E, invisible zinc, aloe vera and cooling menthol for head-to-toe protection against harmful UV rays.
Browse our website for lots more fantastic Vegan, Cruelty-free, Sustainable and ECOCERT skincare formulations that protect you – and the planet. Also available at Tesco, Boots, Dunnes Beauty, Chemist Warehouse and local pharmacies.
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It’s never too soon for tweeners to start a sensible skincare routine
The first six months of life are particularly important for delicate young skin. When a child is born its skin is anatomically mature, but functional maturity continues during the first year of life and is often not complete until around the age of two.
From the age of two until puberty, children’s skin is naturally soft, smooth and full of water, but it is also a lot thinner and more vulnerable than adult skin and is therefore more liable to be affected by environmental pollutants and irritants.
Aloe vera – a skincare remedy straight from Mother Nature
The gel-like component of the aloe vera plant is known to help with a variety of skin issues like sunburn, small cuts and abrasions. The name derives from the Arabic word ‘alloeh’ - meaning shining bitter substance – and the Latin word ‘vera’ – meaning true. References to the use of aloe vera can be found in Chinese and Sumerian writings dating back to 3000BC
