Harmful Self Care Ingredients You May Be Using On The Daily & The Importance of Vegan Self Care
- iloveatiya
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Harmful Self Care Ingredients You May Be Using On The Daily & The Importance of Vegan Self Care
by Love Atiya, Founder of Ethereal by Love Atiya
There’s a quiet war going on in our bathrooms that many of you know nothing about. It’s not your fault. That’s the way the world has been designed.
It’s not loud. It doesn’t announce itself. It smells like lavender and vanilla and comes in beautifully marketed packaging. But inside those luxurious jars and glossy bottles are toxins, irritants, and the heartbreak of animals harmed in the name of beauty.
This is why I created Ethereal by Love Atiya also known as Ethereal self care, a cruelty-free, vegan, and clean self care line that honors our bodies, the planet, and the beautiful animals who share it with us.
I’ve been an animal activist since I was 2 years old so this article is dedicated to my inner child.
The Toxic Truths Hidden About Your Favorite Self Care Products
I’m gonna hold your hand when I say this extends hand … MOST mainstream self care products are anything but “care.” Here’s what the industry doesn’t want you to know:
The average woman uses 12 personal care products a day, exposing herself to over 168 unique chemicals (Environmental Working Group).
60% of what you put on your skin gets absorbed directly into your bloodstream within minutes.
Common ingredients like parabens, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances have been linked to hormonal disruptions, skin conditions, and even cancer.
Formaldehyde (a known carcinogen) is still found in popular hair straighteners and nail polishes.
Microplastics, found in scrubs and exfoliants are actively polluting our oceans and are entering the food chain.
And of course the most devastating: millions of animals suffer and die every year due to testing in the beauty and self care industries. That’s bunnies having shampoo rubbed in their eyes until they go blind. Mice with chemicals forced down their throats. All for the sake of a new moisturizer?!
This is not beautiful and doesn’t make the beauty you feel when using these products even feel worth it. Because it’s not boo.
Why “Cruelty-Free” and “Vegan” Matter To Ethereal
Just to make sure that we’re on the same page, “cruelty-free” means no animals were harmed in the making or testing of a product. “Vegan” means no animal-derived ingredients like lanolin, beeswax, carmine, or collagen are used.
These popular ingredients can be found in some of your favorite non vegan products but here’s the truth about them:
Lanolin:
What it is: A waxy substance secreted by the sebaceous glands of sheep.
Source: Extracted from the wool of sheep after shearing.
Why it’s not vegan: It is an animal-derived byproduct, often sourced from commercial sheep farming, which usually involves cruelty, overbreeding, and poor living conditions.
Harmful Properties:
Animal Cruelty: Lanolin is often harvested from sheep raised in factory farming environments, where they may undergo painful procedures like "mulesing" without anesthesia.
Allergenic Potential: Lanolin is a known allergen for some people and can cause skin irritation, redness, or dermatitis.
Impurities: Depending on how it’s processed, lanolin may contain pesticides or other contaminants from sheep wool, especially in non-organic or low-grade products.
Environmental Impact: Industrial sheep farming contributes to land degradation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Beeswax:
What it is: A natural wax produced by honeybees to build their honeycombs.
Source: Harvested from bee hives, often during honey extraction.
Why it’s not vegan: It comes directly from animals (bees), and commercial beekeeping practices can involve harm to bee colonies, including wing clipping, artificial insemination, and hive destruction after honey extraction.
Harmful Properties:
Animal Exploitation: Large-scale bee farming often involves practices like wing clipping of queen bees, artificial insemination, and smoking hives, which disrupts natural bee behavior.
Pollinator Decline: Commercial beekeeping can displace wild bees and contribute to ecological imbalance, negatively affecting global pollination and biodiversity.
Potential Contaminants: Non-purified beeswax can contain pesticide residues or environmental toxins absorbed from the bees’ environment.
Comedogenic: Beeswax can clog pores, making it problematic for acne-prone or sensitive skin types.
Carmine (also called Cochineal or Natural Red 4):
What it is: A red pigment used in cosmetics, food, and skincare products.
Source: Made from crushed cochineal insects, specifically the females who are dried and ground to extract the dye.
Why it’s not vegan: It involves the killing of thousands of insects to produce small amounts of pigment, making it both non-vegan and unethical for cruelty-free claims.
Harmful Properties:
Ethical Concerns: Producing carmine involves killing tens of thousands of insects to yield a small amount of red dye, raising concerns about cruelty and mass killing for cosmetic use.
Allergic Reactions: Carmine is a known allergen and can cause severe skin reactions or anaphylaxis in sensitive individuals.
Lack of Transparency: Often hidden under labels like “natural red 4” or “E120,” making it hard for consumers to identify and avoid.
Insecticide Use: The insects are often farmed in environments where pesticide use is high, potentially contaminating the final product.
Collagen:
What it is: A structural protein found in skin, bones, and connective tissues.
Source: Typically derived from animal bones, tendons, ligaments, and fish scales, often from cows (bovine) or pigs (porcine).
Why it’s not vegan: It is directly extracted from animal bodies. YIKES! Vegan alternatives use plant-based peptides and amino acids to support the body’s own collagen production without harm.
Harmful Properties:
Animal Suffering: Collagen is a byproduct of the meat and leather industries, both of which are associated with systemic animal cruelty and intensive farming practices.
Toxin Risk: Animal-derived collagen may carry heavy metals, hormones, or antibiotics used in industrial animal farming.
BSE Risk (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy): Though rare, there is a theoretical risk of contamination with diseases like BSE (mad cow disease) in poorly regulated sources.
Sustainability Issues: Industrial farming for collagen production contributes to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and water waste.
So, so far we’ve learned It’s not enough to pick just one or the other (vegan or cruelty-free). If it’s not both, it’s not ethical self care.
We can all agree that beauty should never be built on broken bodies or stolen innocence right?.
At Ethereal, we strongly believe every being, human or not, deserves to feel safe, loved, and radiant.
Ethereal isn't just better. It’s radically different for yourself and the planet.
Ethereal vs. The Rest: A Sacred Comparison
A Brand That Honors Every Life
Ethereal is rooted in sacred care and self love. Every product is formulated with intention. We use ingredients that nurture your skin and spirit.
Our goal is to help you reconnect with yourself and the planet.
I know it can be so tempting to grab the cheapest shampoo on the shelf or fall for the influencer-backed serum trending on TikTok or shop with the toxic brand that claims to be black owned but is really owned by some random white man in Idaho.
Remember most “cheap” products are able to be the price that they are because they’re made with synthetic and artificial ingredients.
I urge you to slow down. Read the label. Ask where your products come from and who or what paid the price for them.
When you choose Ethereal, you choose a healthier life and a healthier relationship with YOURSELF and your self care. You choose softness without sacrifice and self care that’s guilt free.
Every purchase with Ethereal makes you more than just a consumer. You are a revolutionary changemaker.
I just love you.
Thank you for reading!
Sincerely,
Love Atiya Founder of Ethereal by Love Atiya & The Ethereal Pleasure Academy
Animal Advocate. Earth Guardian. Sacred Feminine Embodied.
Harmful Self Care Ingredients You May Be Using On The Daily & The Importance of Vegan Self Care
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