Nothing is more disappointing to us than to discover a promising new line, one that touts itself as cruelty-free and mostly vegan. Then, after doing a bit of internet research, we discover, to our dismay, that several of their products contain carmine and lanolin!
It is possible to obtain lanolin (which is derived from sheep) in a gentle manner, one that doesn’t involve mulesing (the very painful removal of wool to obtain the liquid substance that eventually is made into lanolin). There is no real way of knowing whether these less forceful measures have been used on sheep, though, unless you write a particular company to inquire.
However, carmine is always made from the exoskeletons of crushed beetles. Nothing cruelty-free about that! We are honestly baffled as to how a company can be classified as cruelty-free, let alone certified by Leaping Bunny, if they use carmine in their products. Animal testing is obviously bad, but the squashing of thousands of beetles isn’t a good thing, either.
There are a lot of good products on Mineral Fusion’s website, www.mineralfusion.com, and many of them really are vegan. For example, the Liquid Lip Gloss comes in a variety of tantalizing colors and doesn’t utilize any animal products whatsoever. Sunflower seed oil and vitamin E combine to create a sensual elixir for your lips. It’s free from parabens and phthalates, and comes in such tantalizing shades as peachy pink and berry. A solid, five-star offering!
Another vegan item is the Instant Bronzing Body Butter. Described on the website as a “richly pigmented blend of natural bronze minerals that give you an instant healthy, natural, sun-kissed glow’, this product contains shea butter, mango butter, aloe and grapeseed oil. It’s hypoallergenic and made without the use of harsh chemicals. In addition, it contains natural peptides, which tighten the skin and make you appear more youthful.
Other vegan products include all of the company’s lipsticks, eye pencils, lip glosses, and beauty balms. In fact, the full list of vegan offerings is too long to name here. So, it seems that Mineral Fusion is already well-versed in the principles and application of all-vegan (or at least vegetarian) body care. That being the case, why don’t they just ditch the carmine and lanolin in their few remaining products, and replace these substances with truly cruelty-free ones? We can always hope. Meanwhile, we urge readers to write the company and express your concerns. Contact their customer service via phone or email: [email protected] or 800-428-1668.
