Is Vaseline Cruelty-Free and Vegan Lip Balm?

Vaseline – this name has been associated with us since childhood. Chipped or cracked lips in winter or minor scratches on the knee while playing – for everything big or small, we’d keep finding excuses to apply a bit of that sticky-white cream. And now as we’ve grown older, we understand better that some of our favorite childhood creams and ointments come to us after being tested on poor, innocent animals!

And as the concept of veganism gains more popularity, brands like Vaseline too have come under the scanner. Is our beloved Vaseline vegan and a cruelty-free petroleum jelly? Let’s find out together.

About Vaseline

An American brand Unilever product Vaseline has a variety of products in its bucket that includes the Vaseline petroleum jelly which we are going to explore in this article. It is sold in several countries and is liked by almost everyone because of the usage benefits it provides.

Brand Alternatives for Vaseline

For a vegan, completely abandoning Vaseline might be difficult because of its animal-derived status. So, to make it easier for you, we have come up with some best branded vegan alternatives to Vaseline. These products are completely reliable and works well. Check out the products below.

Products	Rating
1. Vegan Lip Balm by Eco Lips	4.6/5	Buy Now
2. Hurraw Sun Protection	4.6/5	Buy Now
3. Hurraw 3 Pack Vegan Bundle	5.0/5	Buy Now
4. PURE + SIMPLE Aria Lip Balm	4.6/5	Buy Now
5. Pacifica Natural Lip Balm	4.6/5	Buy Now
6. Pacifica Lip Balm (Rose Water)	4.5/5	Buy Now
7. Sun Bum Lip Balm	4.3/5	Buy Now

Check specifications of each products here:

1. Eco lips – It is a completely vegan lip balm which is made from cocoa butter and coconut oil. These ingredients make your lips soft and glossy.
2. Hurraw Sun Protection – This vegan lip balm protects your lips from sun and gives it silky and smooth texture.
3. Hurraw 3 Pack Vegan Bundle – Here, you get 3 lip balms, all of which are fruity flavors, vegan, cruelty-free and gluten-free.
4. PURE + SIMPLE Aria Lip Balm – This vegan lip balm is completely natural, cruelty-free and beeswax-free product. It has avocado oil that keeps your lips smooth and healthy.
5. Pacifica Natural Lip Balm – If you are opting out for a natural lip balm with oils and fruits in it, then the Pacifica Natural Lip balm is the best vegan lip balm for you.
6. Pacifica Lip Balm (Rose Water) – This vegan lip balm not only has rose water, but also has coconut oil, almond oil and jojoba oil that keeps your lips nourished and fresh all day long.
7. Sun Bum Lip Balm – Sun Bum provides you a variety of fruit flavored vegan lip balms that can moisterize and nourish your lips.

The points describe above do attempt to lend some clarity to the common concern in the minds of many – is Vaseline vegan and cruelty-free? However, there might still be a few who aren’t 100% sure as yet. Until they find some more convincing answers to this dilemma, here is the further explanation on the same.

What Does Vaseline Contain?

Let’s start with the basic composition of the petroleum jelly Vaseline and take a look at its major ingredients. Well, Vaseline is essentially a formulation of one single ingredient that’s boldly listed on each of its packs – petroleum jelly. Now, is petroleum jelly vegan? We can answer it by understanding its composition – a blend of mineral oils and waxes. This goes on to state that Vaseline in itself does not comprise any animal products or animal-derived product.

Does Vaseline Test on Animals?

There is a certain level of ambiguity in this regard primarily because Vaseline is a product of the parent brand Unilever. Now even though Unilever may own a few brands under its umbrella, which conduct test on animals for their products, it might be wrong here to include Vaseline too under that umbrella.

But, the Unilever brand claims that “We do not test our products on animals and are committed to ending test on animals. Occasionally, across our portfolio, some of the ingredients we use have to be tested by our suppliers to comply with legal and regulatory requirements in some markets; and some governments test certain products on animals as part of their regulations.”

This tells us that Vaseline animal testing is not conducted on the brand’s own will; however, some of the countries it’s sold in might be doing so as part of its regulatory procedures.

Is Vaseline Certified Cruelty-Free?

So does all this go on to mean that Vaseline can be certified as a cruelty-free personal care brand? Well, before we jump the gun, let’s take a look at what the regulatory body, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), has to say about this. PETA has certified 6 of over 40 brands by Unilever as cruelty-free. Unfortunately, Vaseline doesn’t feature in the list like Clinique Cosmetics. Check out Is Clinique vegan with us.

To understand that further, let’s look at the common criteria required to qualify PETA certification. PETA requires that the brand must not conduct or commission animal testing on any of the following:

• Ingredients
• Formulations
• Finished products

Now, as already stated above Vaseline doesn’t conduct animal testing on its own. So the only possible reason for its non-inclusion in PETA’s list can be attributed to the fact that perhaps its suppliers may be conducting so. We also know that Vaseline is sold in China where the product might undergo animal testing because China makes the process mandatory for all the products sold therein. This explains it.

You might also want to try the following skin care products in the vegan and cruelty-free category:

• Plum: Choco-Latte “Not just another foot cream” – contains cocoa butter, shea butter, glycolic acid, and other natural emollients (there is a notion around on whether cocoa butter is vegan or not, which is cleared by us)
• Lush’s Ultra Balm – contains organic jojoba oil, candela wax, and rose wax

Also, there are several Bare Minerals Brand’s Vegan Products that you can use instead of using Vaseline. If you are beginning to turn vegan, it will be quite difficult at start to change everything in your lifestyle. At VegansFirst, you can find guides to all your queries on veganism.

For food to cosmetics to shoes, you must slowly make the shift. While you move to vegan cosmetics, you can move ahead with these Vegan Makeup and Cosmetics products. And, since Vaseline has been a daily use product and does qualify to the basic composition of veganism, at the start you can stay put with the usage of such products.

Conclusion

It may not be very easy to label Vaseline as vegan or non-vegan; however, it’s a personal choice to stick to the brand or switch to its vegan alternatives. Overall, the brand does look fine to be considered a vegan petroleum jelly.