Gifts for Vegans and Vegetarians: Guide to Cruelty-free Bath and Body Products

How many women, and men too, get their year's supply of body lotions, soaps, or shave gels at Christmastime? Beauty, bath, and body products are an unfailingly popular choice for gift giving every holiday season. Vegetarians and vegans like to receive these items too. The tricky part for shoppers, though, is that these body products can't contain animal ingredients and certainly can't be tested on animals. It's a little easier to find the latter than it is the former. So try some of these shopping tips.

If you have a health food store like Whole Foods or a food co-op in your area, start there. You'll probably find an assortment of body products labeled something like this, "This product was made without the use of animal products and was not tested on animals," or "This product is suitable for vegetarians." Usually, such stores have several different brand options for soaps, hair care, skin care, lip balms, and cosmetics for all ages and genders. Mix and match an assortment of these items to fit the taste of the person receiving the gift and arrange them all in a cute basket or canvas tote bag for a holiday gift that even carnivores would love to find under their tree! *Note: suitable for vegetarians does not mean vegan. When in doubt, ask a sales person for help, or research the product online.

If you aren't fortunate enough to have a health food located within a convenient distant of your work or home, of course, you can turn to online resources for help, where you'll find a wider selection of items from which to choose. Try some of the following sites:

http://www.beautywithoutcruelty.com/new.php?p=Skin%20Care
Though their website is a bit frustrating to navigate, their reputation as a cruelty-free company is stellar and they have everything from hair care to cosmetics.

http://www.veganbathandbeauty.com/ "Inky" focuses on beauty products made especially for people of African descent. They even offer samplers and sets, perfect for holiday gifts.

http://www.lamasbeauty.com/hair.html- Lamas products are all the rage in women's magazines right now. Try the Pumpkin Spice Polish for face and body.

http://www.sevicosmetics.com/ - Their products range from mineral-based cosmetics to facial cleansers to hair care, and even more. Sample sized cosmetics are only $2.50- great for both stocking and gift baskets.

Looking for some name-brand companies that have a "no testing on animals" policy?

Try Arbonne, a vegan Mary Kay-like cosmetics and skin care company that offers a comprehensive product line. Arbonne is a well-established brand selling high quality products. Of course, on the downside, you'll have to find an Arbonne sales person in your area. But once you find one, having the face-to-face interaction with someone who is knowledgeable about the line can actually be a valuable thing. https://www.arbonne.com/shop_online/shoponline.asp

Aveda- Most of the Aveda products that don't qualify as vegan are cosmetics- the hair products are mostly vegan gift worthy. Their plant-based products are some of the most widely-used salon styling products on the market. Why? Aveda isn't popular because it's cruelty-free, it's popular because all their product lines work fabulously and smell amazingly, deliciously earthy. A basket of Aveda hair and body care products will beautify any vegan. Check this website for a list of vegan-friendly Aveda products: http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/showthread.php?t=828

Urban Decay- The name sounds icky, but cosmetics junkies will know this upscale brand of makeup, available at Sephora stores, is anything but. As a matter of fact, it's cutting-edge modern and totally glam. Their website lists all the vegan-suitable products and shows pictures of the packaging to help you find the right items. Choose from liquid and powder foundations, eye shadows, lip colors, and blushes. http://www.urbandecay.com/vegan.cfm

Must haves for men- Herban Cowboy vegan body care products, cologne, and X smell fantastically masculine! Try the "dusk" scent.
http://www.herbancowboy.com/