The Buzz Around - Vegan Beauty

It’s not just a diet, it’s a major lifestyle shift. And it’s slowly taking over your beauty shelf, too.

- Hena Desai

It’s 2019, and according to The Economist, it’s the year of the vegan. Those once termed hipsters and extremely picky eaters are spearheading a major shift in lifestyle trends today, which has caused this eco-friendly diet option to expand to every aspect of daily living, including your beauty regime. Whether for the love of animals, the environment or for health reasons, even celebs like Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Ellen DeGeneres have turned vegan, and that’s only generating more buzz about it. In fact, with the demand going so high, even McDonald’s has started serving vegan burgers in select global outlets. Imagine that. While it’s easier than ever to order a vegan meal, it may be slightly more challenging to find cosmetic products that fit the bill. But the tides are changing, and here’s all that you need to know about it.

ALL ABOUT THE ‘V’ WORD

With the number of vegans world over rising by almost 180 per cent in the last five years, this lifestyle shift isn’t a passing fad anymore. And yes, it’s about a lot more than eating just salads. Unlike vegetarianism or organic living, veganism completely discards the use of animal products and by-products from daily life. This means no meat, no dairy – but don’t worry, it doesn’t mean compromising on nutrition. Leading athletes like Venus Williams (tennis player and Olympic gold medalist) and Lewis Hamilton (Formula One world champion) are advocates of the vegan diet, and have managed to stay at the top of their game while at it.

It also goes beyond – giving up on animal farming also lowers greenhouse gas emission and carbon footprints by a huge margin. Veganism has broken away from its niche and grown into a full-fledged, mainstream movement.