Beauty: Why Vegan Beauty Is on the Rise

Vegan beauty is one of the fastest rising categories of beauty products.

Founders of vegan and cruelty-free beauty brands Lux Aestiva and Noughty spoke to us about the rise and rise of Vegan Beauty during this, world vegan month.

Lux Aestiva is a natural beauty lifestyle range of carefully curated artisan hair and skin care products as well as luxe homewares.

With over eleven years-experience as a hair stylist, 28-year old founder of Lux Aestiva Katie Blyth talks about what inspired her to create her brand and why Vegan beauty is on the rise.

What inspired you to create a vegan beauty product?

“Throughout my career I’ve been exposed to numerous hair and beauty products that were potentially harmful.

“I felt there was a gap in the market for natural and vegan products that were not only good for us and the environment but were also aesthetically pleasing. I toyed with the idea of creating a hair care product for a while, and from that, Lux Aestiva was born.

“We launched with our Endless Summer Hair Hydrator (a vegan hair oil that hydrated, nourished and rejuvenated hair). That product has since been revived and remade into what is now the incredible Aphrodite Hair Oil.”

Why do you think veganism is becoming so popular?

“I think as consumers we have a right to choose what we put on and in our bodies. It’s important to be mindful about how we treat ourselves and how we treat other species on this planet.

Do you think there is enough awareness about veganism in the media? 

“Not yet! It has certainly gotten better, but I do believe veganism gets a bad rap at times, especially through stereotypes.  A lot of people’s perceptions of vegans is the typical ‘tree hugging, hessian bag loving hippy’ type, when in reality, many vegans are everyday Australians who are doing a lot of good for this planet.

“There is also a misconception that to be vegan means you can no longer enjoy food, which is completely false – some of the best meals I’ve had have been vegan.”

Where do you see vegan beauty in the future?

“I see vegan beauty on the rise for the future! It seems like one of those things that is ‘hot right now’ but I don’t think that will go away.

More and more people are educating themselves on the importance of veganism and are being mindful about what they buy. The future looks bright for the vegan industry and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

UK-based founders of cruelty-free and vegan haircare brand Noughty Lorna Mitchell and Rachel Parsonage believe it’s important for everyone to understand what vegan beauty means.

Developed in 2016, Noughty was developed by the founders who recognised the need for cruelty-free and vegan haircare products, which were not only good for the hair, but also offered high performing results.

With the help of beauty botanist Jennifer Hirsch (read our interview with the beauty botanist here), they worked to create a brand for every woman who cares about the world and people around her, but also knows how to have fun and let down her hair.

Are you both vegan?

“Not entirely. But, we both choose to eat a heavy plant-based diet, sharing a joint passion for health and well-being.

“At Noughty HQ we have a tribe of vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians, because today, there is no doubt it is in everyone’s interest to choose healthier food options as part of their everyday lifestyle choices.”

Why develop a vegan haircare product?

“Our core inspiration for creating Noughty was to deliver a performance and benefits-led natural brand.  In addition, the beauty offering for vegans was hugely limited and in fact was largely un-catered for specifically within haircare (at that time).

The Vegan community are passionate, savvy, and increasingly looking for new products and brands to support their lifestyle.

Our experience in formulating natural products, also meant we knew restricting ingredient choices to vegan-friendly options was going to be a hard challenge, especially when we weren’t prepared to compromise on performance and benefits.”

Is it a struggle to educate the public on your brand being vegan and the importance of it?

“We reach the vegan community through targeted relevant blogs and media such as Vegan Living. We also communicate our vegan credentials on pack with the Vegan Society logo and use our website to speak to our customers about vegan issues and the important reasons why we choose to be vegan.

We attend vegan-based events and join in conversations on forums and web sites where customers are often looking for information and advice on which products to use to meet their concerns.

Outside of the vegan community, we focus first on the naturals message: plants have delivered great results for beauty from their millennia of use so efficacy is fully proven. Some of the most cutting edge, effective technology for hair is plant-derived, which provides our customers with great results from their products.”

What’s the future of vegan beauty?

Vegan beauty brands will become more commonplace as consumers demand more choice in cruelty-free and vegan products to overcome the perceived lack of value for money that still exists with most vegan friendly products.

Brands have to listen to what the customer wants if they are to survive, so vegan friendly choices will dominate a much wider selection of beauty categories.  In-store retail spaces will be dedicated to vegan beauty and this is likely to be led initially, by pop up initiatives.”

Rebecca Wilkinson

Beauty Editor

Rebecca is a freelance content creator and beauty editor for Bondi Beauty. She is a pescatarian, who may yet become vegan. She loves all things beauty, health & travel, has a weakness for coffee and is obsessed with cats and yoga. If she's not answering her mobile - it's probably because she's trying out the latest beauty trend, like massaging crushed pearls into her skin for the ultimate collagen and vitamin boost to skin cells.

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