Are You Vegan? How Vegan?

To begin with, I will be very clear about the fact that I am not a vegan. But, I do respect the choice of others to consume foods that contain no animal products. Whether its for health reasons or out of general concern for the rights of animals, everyone has their own reasoning and can make their own choices.

I have always been concerned about how animals are treated when it comes to testing cosmetics and skin care products. I don't need to show you the videos or the pictures. You have seen them and they are brutal. I love animals and the idea of exposing them to cruelty so we can look better makes me feel sick.

In addition, I know that animal by-products are used in a large portion of store bought cosmetics. I don't want to put dead animal fat on my skin.  I have taken the following quote from the PETA website to explain why cosmetic companies use animal byproducts:

 Animal ingredients are used not because they are better than vegetable-derived or synthetic ingredients but rather because they are generally cheaper. Today's slaughterhouses must dispose of the byproducts of the slaughter of billions of animals every year and have found an easy and profitable solution in selling them to food and cosmetics manufacturers.

Gross. While it is great for vegans to not eat animal by-products, some may be unaware that they are still consuming them in the forms of what they put on their skin. The skin is the body's largest organ and what you put on it goes right into the blood stream.

Luckily, more and more options are becoming available for vegans and people like me who don't condone animal testing. All Arbonne products are tested voluntarily by consenting humans. They are also formulated without any animal byproducts and the company has been certified by PETA.

To find out about Arbonne, you can visit their website and contact me directly at v.stachurski@gmail.com if you are interested in learning more, testing out product or in finding out how you can get %20 off.