Over a Third of British Women are More Interested in Buying Vegan Beauty Products than Being Vegan

New research has found that as many as 9% of British women always buy vegan beauty products, while 47% do so more than they used to. What’s more, over a third (39%) who exclusively buy vegan beauty products are not actually vegan.

Nine in 10 British women check the labels of beauty products at least some of the time, largely to ensure that what they buy is better for the environment. What’s more, two thirds of women revealed their clean beauty shopping habits have changed in the past five years, and nearly half would be happy to pay more for clean or conscious beauty.

As part of an ongoing Cosmetify study into female beauty habits, more than 2,200 women between the ages of 18 and 45 years old were polled, all of whom said they wear makeup regularly.

It was initially found that just 15% of women check the labels and ingredients of beauty products that they buy all of the time, compared to one in 10 who said that they never do. A further 28% said that they do some of the time and 13% do occasionally, but significantly just over a third (34%) said that they do now more than they used to.

Whilst one in five of those who check the labels of beauty products (18%) do so because of allergies that they have, and 15% to check for less harmful ingredients, it was found that 29% do so because of lifestyle choices (i.e. veganism or vegetarianism). An even larger number (34%) confessed to checking labels to ensure that the products they buy are better for the environment.

Asked which three clean and conscious beauty products they buy the most, it was found that organic was the most popular, with 68% selecting this option. The next most popular were natural products (61%) and vegan products (49%).

Delving further, it was found that 22% of respondents always buy beauty products that are organic, and 38% said they do more than they used to. One in five (20%) said they always buy natural products, and 29% do so more than they used to. Whilst just 9% admitted to always buying vegan products, 47% said that they do so more than they used to, which was more than any other trend. Not far behind was plastic-free, with 39% saying they buy these products more than they used to.

Interestingly, of the 56% of respondents who admitted to buying vegan products all of the time or more than they used to, almost two fifths (39%) revealed that they themselves were not actually vegan.

Skin care was found to be the clean beauty product bought most often, with 49% saying these were what they owned the most of. This was in comparison to 35% who said they owned the most makeup items considered to be ‘clean beauty’, and just 10% who said hair care. Only 6% own an equal amount of each product deemed to be clean or conscious.

The majority of women (62%) professed that their clean and conscious beauty shopping habits have changed in the last five to 10 years, compared to only 15% who said their habits haven’t changed at all. The remaining 23% said that their habits had changed ‘somewhat’.

Despite certain clean beauty products being ambiguous (for example products not having to be 100% organic to qualify as organic), 63% said that they trust brands that have certified labels, such as natural or organic, on their products. Furthermore, 54% of respondents said that they would still buy a product that wasn’t 100% certified as organic, natural, vegan, etc.

There has been a clear movement towards clean beauty, and this was reflected by just under half of those questioned (44%) saying that they would be happy to pay more for clean or conscious beauty products.

Speaking on the findings of the study Cosmetify’s Head of Digital Isa Lavahun said:

“Many of the current trends in the cosmetics industry concern clean and conscious beauty, whether that be plastic-free, vegan or natural. Consumers are clearly becoming more mindful of what goes into their beauty products and what they’re applying to their skin, face and hair. I expect that these trends will continue to grow apace, and more and more brands will try to get on board.”

Contact Us

Need further information on this study? For any media queries or interview requests please contact us via our press page.