Buying Gifts for Vegans, Vegetarians: What to Avoid and Where to Shop

Shopping for gifts for vegans and vegetarians may seem like an arduous task, but with the right information and some tips on what to avoid, you will soon by shopping for vegan and vegetarian gifts like a pro. The following lists of ingredients and products to avoid might seem a bit lengthy, but the reality is that there are a lot of products out there that have either been tested on animals or contain animal-derived ingredients.

This guide to what to avoid when shopping for vegan and vegetarian gifts and where to find vegan- and vegetarian-friendly gifts will hopefully point you in the right direction and give you some helpful information for your next shopping trip.

Vegan and Vegetarian Gifts: Jewelry

When shopping for jewelry for a vegan or vegetarian friend or family member, you will want to take particular care to avoid anything made from silk, pearls, ivory, bone or leather. Depending on the vegan's or vegetarian's reasons for being animal-free, you may need to watch out for other items as well. For example, if the vegan or vegetarian in your life is environmentally conscious, you may want to avoid natural diamonds and other gemstones that are mined from the earth (and often under unethical employment practices) or wood, cork and rubber that have not been sustainably harvested.

Vegan and Vegetarian Gifts: Cosmetics and Beauty Products

Unless you plan to purchase products from a reputable vegan company, I would forego cosmetics and beauty products. It will just make your life easier if you avoid having to research every company for animal testing and making sure each item is free of animal products.

If you do decide to go with cosmetics or beauty products, look for products that state "cruelty free" on the package or have a rabbit logo noting that the product has not been tested on animals, or a seal of approval from the Vegan Society. Check out the vegan websites listed at the end of this article for stores and lists of companies that are vegan and vegetarian friendly, which provide safe places for you to shop for the vegans and vegetarians in your life.

Here are just a few of the animal products that are commonly found in cosmetics and beauty products: tallow, beeswax, rennet, lanolin, royal jelly, casein, gelatin, glycerin, stearic acid, amino acids, collagen, keratin, bee pollen, benzoic acid, biotin, diglycerides, guanine, mink oil, musk, oleic acid and a whole lot more.

A few of these ingredients can be derived from both plants and animals, but unless you are positive that it is plant-based, it's safer not to buy a product with these items on the ingredient list.

Also look out for sable, horse hair and boar bristles in cosmetic brushes and hairbrushes.

Vegan and Vegetarian Gifts: Clothing, Linens and Textiles

Clothing, linens and other textiles make great gifts for the vegans and vegetarians in your family or circle of friends. For some great clothing with vegan statements, check out the Herbivore Clothing Company at herbivoreclothing.com, or any of the stores listed at the end of this article.

When shopping for clothing, linens, towel sets or other textiles, watch out for items that contain wool, leather, suede, mohair, alpaca, chinchilla, fur, gabardine, cashmere, angora, animal skins (such as calfskin, sheepskin, snake or alligator), bone (sometimes used for buttons), down and feathers. Nowadays gabardine is sometimes made without worsted wool, but unless you are completely certain, it is safer just to pass on the gabardine.

Look for clothing and textiles made from hemp, bamboo, microsuede or organic cotton for your safest bets. Some vegans and vegetarians will wear and use non-organic cotton, but many will not - cotton is one the most pesticide-laden crops and pesticides, of course, are meant for killing critters.

Vegan and Vegetarian Gifts: Food Items and Candy

When shopping for food items for vegans and vegetarians you obviously will be looking for products that don't contain meat, but there are lots of other ingredients that are harder to recognize as animal products. Although vegetarians may not care if there is milk or egg in the food items they consume, vegans will not eat anything that contains these animal products, as well as a whole list of other animal-derived ingredients. The safest bet is to purchase food items or candy from a vegan store or to always look for "vegan" on the packaging. Some of the animal-derived products to watch out for are whey, casein, beeswax, gelatin, glycerin, stearic acid, albumin, natural flavors (generally are not vegan), rennet, beef fat, lard, bone meal, bee pollen, honey, carbamide, diglycerides and pepsin.

Vegan and Vegetarian Gifts: Candles and Décor

When shopping for household items and décor, you will want to avoid anything made from leather, wool, suede, animal skins, down, feather or fur and should purchase organic products as much as possible. For common gifts, like candles, avoid tallow and beeswax and look for natural, soy-based candles instead.

Vegan and Vegetarian Shopping Resources

There are lots of vegan and vegetarian stores online that are a perfect place to shop for vegan and vegetarian gifts. Listed below are a few options to get you started.

Veganstore.com

Pristineplanet.com

Ethicalsuperstore.com

Ecobaby.com

Cosmosveganshop.com

Petamall.com

Veganessentials.com

Greenpeople.org

Herbivoreclothing.com