Lanolin and the use of animal products in skincare
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free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 10:43 am

Something that has been on my mind lately is the use of animal products in cosmetics and skincare. I once heard that lanolin clogged your pores, but saw no evidence of this as some of my lip balms contained lanolin. Not until I looked lanoln up on Wikepedia that I learned it's a substance secreted from a sheep's skin to protect their wool from the elements. It is insoluable in water, so what I'm wondering, does it really clog pores?

I'm also wondering what other animal products are hiding in products? I have a feeling there's more than we think.

What does everyone else think about this, and do you have a problem with using products containing animal-derived ingredients?

free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 11:34 am

I definitely agree with you that it's distressing to think aboutwhat kind of animal products are hiding in our beauty products. I'm a vegetarian and an animal lover, so while I will use products that contain lanolin, beeswax, honey, milk, etc, I absolutely will not use products that contain lard, animal collagen, gelatin, etc. I don't even use regular fabric softeners because they are made up of tallow. Obviously it's a personal decision and everyone has his or her own comfort level, but given the choice, I will always prefer to give my money to cruelty-free companies.

free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 12:09 pm

Up to a few years ago I was completely green about animal parts and chemicals in products and would happily use whatever on my face.

It was only when I had a bad attack of spots and tried Ketsugo which had Isolutrol in that I became bl**dy annoyed at how we are conned by skincare companies!

According to Ketsugo, Isolutrol was a 'marine based organism', I did a bit of research and Isolutrol is from shark liver! Well as sharks are not killed for meat, fur, skin etc I assumed that they were being killed solely for this acne ingredient and it should have been mentioned on the packaging that Isolutrol is a byproduct of shark liver. I certainly wouldn't have bought it. How can they word shark liver as a marine based organism?

Apparently now, the Isolutrol is synthetically made.

This experience changed my outlook on cosmetic products completely.

We SHOULD know exactly what animal parts are in our products, although I eat meat I want a choice as to whether I want to slap on cow backside (collagen), lanolin (sheep oil), Isolutrol (shark liver) etc. If there's an alternative I certainly use it now.

free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 12:13 pm

Oh my God, just had a look at Ketsugos website and it says...

The active compound in Ketsugo was originally extracted from a 'marine-based organism'. It is now made synthetically and is known as Isolutrol.

Isolutrol is the extracts of deep sea shark liver and gall-bladder! 'Marine based organism' makes it sound like a seaweed not a bl**dy shark gallbladder!

free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 12:32 pm

I know exactly how you feel. Lipfusion lists "marine collagen" as an ingredient, and it sounds so elegant, but when I asked them what it was exactly, they replied that it's fish.

free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 2:25 pm

I'm trying to avoid animal ingredients as much as possible and so now I also avoid those with lanolin. From what I've heard/read, the yarn/lanolin/sheep industry does often involve practices which involve animal cruelty. So I'm looking more and more at vegan beauty product options.

free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 2:54 pm

I agree but it is not just animal ingredients we should be concerned, I reacently watched a program about dead sea mud used in beauty products and how areas are just being destroyed for our vanity.

free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 3:18 pm

I am not a vegetarian but I have considered becoming one at one time or another. I honestly do not know how I feel about animal products in skincare. There are alot of things that I have a kneejerk yuck reaction to such as emu oil and fish DNA (and much more but I won't list it all here). See this post for a not so serious discussion of the fish stuff: http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=12669. When I think about it there are animal products in a lot of things that I use. My soap contains tallow. My lip balm has a little lanolin. I say that it is yuckier to put animal products on my skin than it is to eat them but then again I wonder if there is a rational basis for this belief... I wear cow skin on my feet everyday and don't really think twice about it! Then there is the whole safety issue. What are the safety standards for animal products in cosmetics. I know that they exist I just don't know what they are. I know that some of the animal stuff they put in cosmetics comes from rendering plants which to me sounds gross. But then again my husband used to work in a fast food restaurant and said that the used vegetable oil gets sent to rendering plants and ends up in cosmetics. I think if I made the decision to become a vegatarian I would avoid animal products in meat but then again I have known vegetarians that wear leather shoes!

Just some thoughts. I really, really don't have an opinion on this one...

free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 3:30 pm

I'm a vegetarian but..... but...... but...... I only think about it when I'm eating. I love leather jacket, I love leather bags, I love leather shoes........... Bad! Bad! Crying or Very sad

I..... I....... I.....

free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 4:01 pm

MACrisis I don't think that wearing leather makes you a bad vegetarian. I hope you didn't feel that I was implying that. What you feel comfortable using is up to you. Some vegetarians give up all animal products and are vegans, some eat eggs or dairy, some wear leather... I honestly do not know if I would give up leather if I became a vegetarian.

Don't beat yourself up over it. Smile

Edit: In my original post I meant to say that if I became a vegetarian I probably would give up animal products in skincare not animal products in meat. Athough I honestly do not know about this as well!

free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 4:30 pm

I'm vegan, no leather, and I've got to say this is the hardest part. Diet is pretty easy if I just buy all my own food and don't eat out much. But in products and supplements unless it states that it is vegetarian it is really hard to know. So many ingredients can come from multiple sources. They can be synthetic, derived from a plant or an animal. There is no way to know on them just reading the ingredient list, unless it states it. Many things. Vitamin A can come from animals or synthetic, hyaluronic acid can come from animal or plant sources, etc. I trust companies like Aubrey Organics which state which products are 100% vegan, but most companies I have to ask and the person replying often doesn't even know. There is this company I found that states on every product of theirs that they are 100% vegan, even though they have ingredients like collagen and elastin etc. in some of the products. I was like ok, those are possible to come from non-animal sources so that's the type they must use. But then other products of theirs contain bee products in them, and those are not possible to come from anything but bees. Yet they say they are 100% vegan. It made me question if they meant vegetarian or if they even know what they meant by it. So I wrote them several times but still have not gotten any responses. I'm the most relaxed about bee products but I still try to avoid them when I can. The company I'm talking about is Devita.net or something.

Carmine also is from beetles and is in a lot of cosmetics like lipsticks and blushes etc. I heard though that they don't kill the beetles but just collect them after they die naturally, which happens in large amounts often because of short lives or something. I don't know, I'd have to confirm it can't believe everything I hear.

"Natural" flavors in foods I have to watch out for too cause it could be from anything natural, plant or animal. In fact it's quite common for a certain type of insect they use for flavoring many foods and drinks to be disguised as "natural flavor". Sounds better then saying they put insects in the food for flavoring. I don't know why it's legal though to use that term to hide what it really is, but it is.

rosebud wrote:

I agree but it is not just animal ingredients we should be concerned, I recently watched a program about dead sea mud used in beauty products and how areas are just being destroyed for our vanity.

Very true. I decided to be vegan because I love animals, but many things we are not even aware of can cause a lot of harm to animals or the earth. I didn't know anything about sea mud. But I just read recently about how the production of Palm Oil in southeast Asia is wiping out vast lands of forests and habitats they are clearing for the plantations. Which is becoming the #1 threat to Orangutans and other animals in the area. Apparently a lot of companies are switching from trans fats to cheap palm oil because of the media health scares on trans fats. But they buy cheap stuff from the plantations. I still eat palm oil, but I buy it directly from small organic farms in West Africa, where it's grown ethically and in a sustainable way. But when you buy pre-made and processed products it becomes almost impossible. Confused

free skin care · Fri May 19, 2006 10:00 pm

TheresaL wrote:

I am not a vegetarian but I have considered becoming one at one time or another. I honestly do not know how I feel about animal products in skincare. There are alot of things that I have a kneejerk yuck reaction to such as emu oil and fish DNA (and much more but I won't list it all here). See this post for a not so serious discussion of the fish stuff: http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=12669. When I think about it there are animal products in a lot of things that I use. My soap contains tallow. My lip balm has a little lanolin. I say that it is yuckier to put animal products on my skin than it is to eat them but then again I wonder if there is a rational basis for this belief... I wear cow skin on my feet everyday and don't really think twice about it! Then there is the whole safety issue. What are the safety standards for animal products in cosmetics. I know that they exist I just don't know what they are. I know that some of the animal stuff they put in cosmetics comes from rendering plants which to me sounds gross. But then again my husband used to work in a fast food restaurant and said that the used vegetable oil gets sent to rendering plants and ends up in cosmetics. I think if I made the decision to become a vegatarian I would avoid animal products in meat but then again I have known vegetarians that wear leather shoes!

Just some thoughts. I really, really don't have an opinion on this one...

I think I am with you on this. I'm still confused how I feel about this topic even after reading what everyone else thinks. I would feel like a hypocrite saying it's wrong to use animal products when I love leather shoes and eat tuna and chicken and the occasional steak.

It definitely bothers me that some ingredients
may be obtained "cruelly" but it seems like you'd have to launch your own Dateline investigation to find this out.

For now, I think I will scrutinize the ingredients listings on whatever I buy, and stay away from anything that seems shifty. For example, I was looking into something that contained placental protein! I quickly crossed that off my list!

free skin care · Sat May 20, 2006 9:31 am

FYI: Lanolin is a by product of wool production, it's extracted from the wool, not directly from sheep skin. In unrefined form lanolin is very dirty but can be filtered and refined to a medical grade. I have no trouble using that type.

It is extremely rare in skincare and cosmetics to not have at least one animal derived ingredient. The thought of emu oil totally grosses me out, it even looks like bacon fat <shudder>.

I tried going no-leather, wow, that was tough and I gave up but I wish there were more non-leather, good quality shoes and bags. I do like the idea, however, that if a cow is being butchered for someone else to eat, that the skin is somehow useful as well so it doesn't go to waste.

I don't eat beef, lamb/mutten or pork but do eat chicken and fish. It's such a tough thing for an animal lover to reconcile and I've thought about this a lot.

A lot of animals are hurt in the process of farming, gathering and refining non-animal ingredients as well. It all comes down to consumption, use less of everything and try not to waste. This is what I try to do, we recycle, grow our own veggies, own gas efficient vehicles, small Toyota pick-up for our hobby farm and a Honda Civic.

It's about attitude and respect, I try to respect ecosystem as a unit. A huge orange hummer passed me dangerously yesterday, I was so disgusted by the amount of gas that thing takes and the attitude of the driver, I know her personally. All I see with that whole family is an attitude of excessive consumption on every level.

free skin care · Sat May 20, 2006 11:59 am

sarahb wrote:

Up to a few years ago I was completely green about animal parts and chemicals in products and would happily use whatever on my face.

It was only when I had a bad attack of spots and tried Ketsugo which had Isolutrol in that I became bl**dy annoyed at how we are conned by skincare companies!

According to Ketsugo, Isolutrol was a 'marine based organism', I did a bit of research and Isolutrol is from shark liver! Well as sharks are not killed for meat, fur, skin etc I assumed that they were being killed solely for this acne ingredient and it should have been mentioned on the packaging that Isolutrol is a byproduct of shark liver. I certainly wouldn't have bought it. How can they word shark liver as a marine based organism?

Apparently now, the Isolutrol is synthetically made.

This experience changed my outlook on cosmetic products completely.

We SHOULD know exactly what animal parts are in our products, although I eat meat I want a choice as to whether I want to slap on cow backside (collagen), lanolin (sheep oil), Isolutrol (shark liver) etc. If there's an alternative I certainly use it now.

Sharks are hunted/fished for meat. I've eaten shark, and while I know it's not exactly mainstream here, it's fairly common in several parts of the world to eat shark. Shark liver compound isn't in demand enough that it's economically feasable to hunt sharks just for their livers.

I really hate how stuff is misleadingly labled. The lanolin... well, the oil collected off of wool has been called that for centuries, I don't think it's an atempt to be misleading. It may be because of my upbringing, but I thought it was fairly common knowledge what lanolin is.

However, describing stuff as being "from a marine organism" *shakes head* That's a blantent attempt to keep consumers in the dark.

I like to know what I'm eating/using.

free skin care · Sat May 20, 2006 2:11 pm

pustekuchen wrote:

Sharks are hunted/fished for meat. I've eaten shark, and while I know it's not exactly mainstream here, it's fairly common in several parts of the world to eat shark.

....I like to know what I'm eating/using.

So it's OK to eat it, as long as you know what it is? Wink

free skin care · Tue May 23, 2006 1:09 am

sarahb wrote:

pustekuchen wrote:

Sharks are hunted/fished for meat. I've eaten shark, and while I know it's not exactly mainstream here, it's fairly common in several parts of the world to eat shark.

....I like to know what I'm eating/using.

So it's OK to eat it, as long as you know what it is? Wink

heeheehee.

I was thinking along the lines of how they play tricky stuff like that with food ingredient labels too. Like how MSG is sometimes under "natural flavour" (it is a natuural byproduct of fermenting grain) or under "glutin" or some other label... but I didn't quite make that clear. Embarassed

But to treat the question seriously... yes and no.

I wouldn't eat anything endangered, but just about anything else I'd try at least once, possibly twice.

A few times it's been good that I didn't know what it was until after (like salmon testes)

There is also one thing that knowing full well what it is I will almost certainly NEVER eat unless you got me very very drunk and tricked me.

Bird's Nest Soup--the real stuff. The broth is actually made out of a bird's nest boiled with seasonings.

The bird that makes the nest chews grass and plant fibers and pastes it all together (somewhat like a wasp nest).

These nests are harvested when the birds migrate.

The soup is basically "Bird Spit Soup" and I'm just not brave enough for that.

free skin care · Tue May 23, 2006 1:16 am

pustekuchen wrote:

[heeheehee.

I was thinking along the lines of how they play tricky stuff like that with food ingredient labels too. Like how MSG is sometimes under "natural flavour" (it is a natuural byproduct of fermenting grain) or under "glutin" or some other label... but I didn't quite make that clear. Embarassed

But to treat the question seriously... yes and no.

I wouldn't eat anything endangered, but just about anything else I'd try at least once, possibly twice.

A few times it's been good that I didn't know what it was until after (like salmon testes)

The soup is basically "Bird Spit Soup" and I'm just not brave enough for that.

Come on now, you'll eat anything else, including shark and testicles but not bird spit?! Thought you gave everything a go 'at least once, possibly twice'? Bad Grin

free skin care · Tue May 23, 2006 1:31 pm

i said "just about anything else" key here is "just about"

shark is tasty--like a really dense cod or halibut. the fish testes... well, i didn't know what they were going in.

but spit? Not talking

the soup even gets a thicker texture like saliva.

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