Catchy phrase you might have heard, but at Kavella, we mean it!
As we recently updated our Ingredients We Don’t Use page, we came across even more information that we wanted to share, especially about animal and animal by-product ingredients that are commonly used in cosmetic and personal care products.
Here are just some of the “animal” ingredients you might come across on your cosmetic labels: guanine, tallow, gelatin, lanolin, squalene, collagen, estrogen, keratin, and yes, honey and beeswax. There are many cruelty-free, plant-based alternatives to using these animal-based products, so why not use them!
Here are some of the alternatives we use in our hair care products: Contrary to popular belief, honey is not considered vegan. It is made by bees for bees, and their health is sacrificed when it is harvested by humans.
Instead of using honey to strengthen the hair cuticle, as some other brands do, we use rich plant oils that include: Organic Grape Seed, Safflower and Sunflower oils. These alternative ingredients can be found in our Recovery Collection. Along those same lines, many brands of heavy styling creams and waxes add beeswax to thicken their hair care formulas.
Instead, we use Olive Wax (a combination of Hydrogenated Olive Oil, Olea Europaea and Olive Oil Unsaponifiables), which is used in our Medium Hold Cream Wax and our Recovery Mask. Instead of the common strengthening ingredient keratin (made from ground up hooves, horns and feathers, etc), we use plant derived proteins from quinoa, jojoba, baobab and rice.
We also use plant-derived panthenol, which acts more like a protein on the hair. It penetrates the hair shaft, retains moisture in the hair, making the hair less susceptible to breakage.
These alternatives work beautifully to add strength back into your hair. We also use them in quantities that won’t cause protein buildup, unlike some “protein treatments” on the market.
Another common ingredient in hair care is hydrolyzed silk protein, derived from silk worms, used for its strong hygroscopic properties and, being a protein, its ability to heal damaged hair.
At Kavella, we have no need for this ingredient either, especially when we use humectants like sucrose cocoate and organic vegetable glycerin, as well as a wide variety of plant-based hydrolyzed proteins for hair repair.
Instead of squalene, a substance derived from the liver of sharks, we use squalane that is derived from olives in our products. See, we mean it, when we say, “Ol-ive” our products are vegan and cruelty free! Get it?
But seriously, all Kavella® products are PETA certified vegan and cruelty-free and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free. We only use ingredients we know are safe, and we go above and beyond mandated regulations for our environmentally conscious, savvy consumers!
Check out our Ingredients We Use page for more information on our beautiful and mindful plant-based ingredients alternatives!
