Anushka Manchanda on her favourite vegan beauty products

‘Why did the vegan cross the road? To tell somebody on the other side he’s vegan’. Or the classic — ‘Dating a vegan must be so easy — all you have to do on date night is take her to a field to graze’. You’ve either at least laughed at a vegan joke — or been the butt of one, considering the movement’s new place in mainstream (re: meme) culture. Whether in the form of adopting a plant-based diet or using beauty products only from cruelty-free and vegan brands, a new generation of consumers is focused on ethical consumption.

And as we’ve grown more conscious towards our impact on the planet, an array of cruelty-free and vegan beauty brands have entered the market. These aren’t tested on animals, nor do they contain any ingredients like honey, beeswax, lanolin, collagen, cholesterol, gelatin, and other animal by-products. Some names are ambiguous, like carmine, which is a pigment derived from insects.

But finding the right vegan beauty products can be tricky. To make things a little easier, we turned to Anushka Manchanda for guidance. Her multi-hyphenate career spans into activism as a proud advocate of veganism. She uses her platform @nukatoearth to share information and awareness regarding climate change, rallying for ethical co-existence.

“There are so many people making great things as a cruelty-free alternative. In food, fashion and beauty,” she says. Talking to us about all the changes she made in her lifestyle once she fully adopted the philosophy, she shared with us some of her favourite vegan beauty products.

1. Disguise Cosmetics Rainbow Glow Oil

The Rainbow Glow Oil is less oily and more like a heavy serum in its consistency. It’s a lightweight blend of powerhouse facial oils like marula, avocado, grapeseed, almond, argan and jojoba, to name a few, supplemented with Vitamin E (antioxidant), shea butter (moisturising) and pomegranate extracts.  

“I’m an oil junkie. I’ve bought facials oil from all over the world, and I absolutely love this one. It melts into your skin, leaving an incredible glow. I’ve gifted so many bottles of this to my friends,” says Manchanda.

2. Dr Hauschka Eye Make-up Remover

Dr Hauschka’s make-up remover is gentle yet effective, working well to remove even the more stubborn waterproof eye make-up. Not only is it a great cleanser for our sensitive eye area, its formula includes rose water and plant extracts for their soothing benefits. The sunflower and sesame oil in the cleanser nourishes your skin along with your eyelashes and eyebrows. What’s not to love?

3. Veganology body & face glitter

Veganology makes a variety of vegan products ranging from edibles and desserts to fragrant soaps. “On request, they created a naturally-derived face and body glitter that I wear for my shows,” says Manchanda, explaining just how horrendous glitter is for the environment.

“Glitter is basically microplastic. These things don’t degrade and severely pollute our environment for a few moments of a great makeup look,” she adds.

4. Disguise Cosmetics lipstick: Blush Actress (no. 10)

Disguise Cosmetics lipsticks are made using healing oils like avocado and marula, as well as nourishing oils like almond, argan and jojoba. “They’re so smooth, they just glide on but are still very pigmented. I think I own most of their lipsticks.” These lipsticks are available in a number of shades, all with a waterproof formula that doesn’t dry out your lips.

5. Cold-pressed virgin coconut oil

Manchanda gets homemade coconut oil through friends. “A friend of a friend makes it at home and I got it through her,” she says. It’s always better to know exactly where your product comes from, considering how easily these can be adulterated. Since not everyone’s lucky enough to have friends with such special skills, Tweak suggests the Kama Ayurveda Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, Forest Essentials Organic Cold Pressed Coconut Virgin Oil or Organic India Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.

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