Woolworths is driving the vegan lifestyle into the mainstream in South Africa with its announcement that its WBeauty ranges are 100% vegan.

This is in step with worldwide trends, where more and more consumers are turning to veganism, which excludes the consumption of all animal products and products with animal-derived ingredients, as a more ethical lifestyle that is gentler on the Earth.

From a beauty perspective, the most common animal-derived ingredients are musk and ambergris used in fragrances, animal hair used in cosmetic brushes, carmine in colour make-up as well as lanolin, collagen, keratin, beeswax and royal jelly used in make-up, skincare and bath, and body products.

Woolworths Beauty Quality, Innovation and Sourcing Manager, Deshi Moodley, points out that Woolworths has had a long-standing commitment to Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC) for many years, and that this is a natural next step in their Good Beauty Journey. BWC, an animal rights organisation, endorses products like Woolworths’ WBeauty ranges because they are free from animal testing. 

“Beauty Without Cruelty also promotes veganism as a more compassionate and conscious way of living,” says Moodley. “So, in keeping with our Good Beauty Journey commitments, we have been steadily switching to vegan ingredients across our Wbeauty bath and body and cosmetic ranges. This switch was a long journey in itself as replacing non-vegan ingredients with vegan ingredients required a lot of investment in ingredient and product development into ensuring that the products were of the highest quality and safe to use on skin. We are truly delighted that we have now reached our 100% vegan milestone and can offer our Woolies customers superb quality ranges that offer many additional benefits.”

The transformation to vegan beauty includes all WBeauty skin care and colour cosmetics, as well as WBeauty’s bath and body ranges, fragrances, nail polishes, cosmetic bags, and beauty accessories. 

“Vegan beauty is a fantastic option if you have sensitive skin or allergies,” says Moodley. “Vegan makeup, skin and body care products are less likely to cause acne, rashes or inflammation. And of course, the major benefit is better-looking skin because the ingredients are either plant-based or synthetic which hydrate the skin, help with uneven skin tones and encourage a more youthful appearance. The products are high-quality, last longer while being kinder to the environment. So when it comes to 100% vegan WBeauty, you’ll buy better, and also look and feel better.”

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