In the past few years, the beauty industry has seen a shift towards environmentally “conscious” products and brands whether that’s vegan, cruelty-free, plastic-free, organic, natural or clean. Last year Pinterest reported searches for vegan skincare beauty were up 281% since 2017, while sales in organic health and beauty products increased by over 20% in 2017 according to the Soil Association Certification.

Now, a new study conducted by Cosmetify has found that the majority of British women are making an effort to buy consciously, with over half buying vegan products despite not necessarily being vegan themselves.

The study surveyed over 2,200 women, all of whom said they wear make-up regularly, between the ages of 18 and 45. Of the women that took part, 56% said they buy vegan beauty products all the time or more than they used to, however, almost two-fifths (39%) of those women were not vegan themselves.  

The study also found that “organic” (defined by Cosmetify as having a formula that has been made with only plant-derived ingredients grown without genetically modified organisms (GMOs), herbicides and synthetic fertilisers) was the most bought conscious beauty category at 68%, followed by “natural” (no parabens, paraffin, alcohol, colourants and fragrances) at 61% and vegan (49%).

Forty-seven percent of women said they buy more vegan products than they used to, making it the most popular rising trend, closely followed by “plastic-free” with 39% of women saying they buy these products more than they used to.

Meanwhile, just under half of the women surveyed (44%) said they would be happy to pay more for clean or conscious beauty products.

Speaking on the findings of the study, Isa Lavahun, Digital Brand Manager at Cosmetify said the results show consumers are more ethically conscious than ever before. “It’s great to see consumers questioning certain packaging, and that movements like plastic-free are disrupting the landscape”. We couldn’t agree more.

See below for our top vegan beauty picks.