Ulta Beauty x Harry Potter: The Importance of Cruelty-Free Cosmetics

7/14/2020

The Wizarding World isn’t exactly known for its creature-free products.

The popular Honeydukes sweet Fizzing Whizzbees are made with dried Billwing stingers. The Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion and Scalp Treatment that tamed Hermione’s notoriously bushy brown hair for the Yule Ball counted among its active ingredients Asian Dragon Hair. And don’t even get us started on Ollivanders’ wand cores!

Thankfully, the muggle and no-maj world is making big strides when it comes to limiting and reducing animals being harmed in cosmetics testing and having their parts used to make said cosmetics.

Makeup giant Ulta Beauty is one of the latest megabrands to ditch animal testing when it comes to concocting their cosmetics. The Humane Society reports that over 100,000 rabbits, mice, rats, guinea pigs, and hamsters are killed around the world every year in abusive and outdated chemical tests.

So, Ulta pledging to go cruelty-free is HUGE. Like, getting tickets to the next Quidditch World Cup huge. So naturally, when we at The Protego Foundation heard Ulta Beauty’s announcement about their new Harry Potter makeup collaboration, we broke out the butterbeer!

However, cruelty-free does not mean products are also vegan. While the Ulta Beauty x Harry Potter collection is cruelty-free, we encourage you to check the ingredients listed for each of the Harry Potter products in this makeup collection to ensure they are vegan.

As of right now the only products in the Ulta Beauty x Harry Potter collaboration that we are certain are vegan and cruelty-free are:

Gryffindor, Hufflepuff , Slytherin and Ravenclaw Cosmetic Bags

House Pride Hair Scrunchies

Next, we’ll pull up our Auror’s robe sleeves, grab our wands, and get to investigating as we pull out the darkest animal-derived ingredients from popular makeup products and, like Mad-Eye Moody who came before us, teach you constant vigilance when it comes to picking out vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics.

To put the ghastly reality of what hides in some of the most popular makeup products today into perspective, we’re going to reimagine the animals used in the muggle world as their fantastic beast and creature counterparts in the wizarding world.

Take a moment to imagine yourself back at Hogwarts.

Picture getting ready to go out on a swoon-worthy date at Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop. Before you head out you swish shimmery pink blush into the apples of your cheeks with a fluffy beauty brush . . . made from Pygmy Puff fur.

Or you take your inspiration from Hermione’s sleek Yule Ball ‘do and style your hair for the next dazzling Celestial Ball at Hogwarts with a special keratin treatment. . . made from ground up Thestral hooves and Hippogriff feathers.

Or how about when you slather on some cool and creamy overnight moisturizer before your next big Quidditch match, but the price for that dewy soft skin is the hundreds of thousands of Knarls who are killed for the oily secretions of their quills that go into that cream.

Those chilling examples are enough to make even Malfoy’s greasy hair curl! (😜)And here’s the really tragic thing: the instances of animals being used in muggle and no-maj cosmetics is even worse. However, unlike checking food labels in the grocery store for animal products, cosmetics use a ton of sneaky and wordy names that many of us don’t know off the top of our head. Beyond beeswax, collagen, and casein, there are dozens of insect and animal-derived ingredients lurking in cosmetics in the muggle and no-maj world.

So, to spare you hours of research and to make your next trip shopping for that perfect vegan and cruelty-free lipstick and nail polish as easy as casting Accio, we browsed the muggle web (much to Arthur Weasley’s delight!) to round up a list of 14 of the worst offenders to look out for!

Squalene: This is well-known for its anti-aging properties and is often the base ingredient in anti-wrinkle and other anti-aging creams, balms, and serums. Squalene often comes from shark liver oil! Thankfully Squalene does have a vegan counterpart that comes from olives and wheat germ.
Carmine (also known as cochineal, natural red 4, E120, crimson lake, and C.I. 75470): The number of different names for this crimson pigment ought to tip you off that there is something as suspicious about this ingredient as Draco Malfoy was in The Half-Blood Prince. Found in many strikingly red lipsticks and glosses, carmine comes from the crushed shells of female Cochineal beetles. If you’ve been waiting to cast a good Banishing Charm, now’s your chance!
Shellac (or E904): Another insect-derived ingredient to watch out for, shellac is often used in nail polishes and hair lacquers. This glazing agent comes from the secretions of female Lac beetles! Maybe Professor Snape would be okay with this ingredient, as his potions class is full of creatures and their parts, but not us!
Guanine (or Pearl Essence): This is another sneaky ingredient! Often going by the decidedly more glamorous sounding pearl essence, guanine is known for giving iridescent and shimmery eyeshadows, nail polishes, bronzers, and blush their sparkly appearance. But what is it? Scales ripped off of fish! If you wouldn’t paint your nails with shimmery polish made from Dragon or Runespoor scales, why would you do it with fish scales? Hard pass!
Albumen: This is another word for egg whites! Albumen is often used in shampoos, conditioners, and other hair products. You don’t eat the omelets in the Great Hall for breakfast, so why would you put those eggs in your hair? No, thanks!
Stearic Acid: At first blush, this sounds like it was cooked up in a lab. But, Stearic Acid is actually animal-derived. This moisturizing ingredient is often found in hair care products, deodorants, soaps, and lotions. Stearic acid often comes from pig, cow, and sheep stomachs and their body fat. It CAN be derived from plants though, like palm oil and shea butter, so be sure to read labels carefully.
Lanolin: Brace yourself for this one! Often found in lip balm, lip gloss, and lotions, lanolin is the greasy secretions from sheep’s wool! YES. Lanolin is essentially oily buildup from unwashed hair! Makes the idea of swiping on that glittery pink gloss a whole lot less sexy, am I right? Coconut oil and shea butter are popular vegan alternatives.
Animal Hair: The fur industry doesn’t stop with fashion. A surprising amount of companies in the cosmetics industry are still using mink, sable, fox, and even squirrel fur in false eyelash kits and makeup brushes. If you wouldn’t wear it, why use it as a part of your beauty routine? Practice Mad-Eyed Moody’s “Constant Vigilance!” and check the materials listed on the package before you buy!
Oleic Acid and Glycerin (or Tallow): These ingredients are the cosmetic industries equivalent of lard in baking and cooking. Oleic acid (also known as oleyl stearate and oleyl oleate) and glycerin come from animal fats and are used in moisturizing products. There are so many plant-based options to counter these cruel, animal-derived ingredients: coconut oil, palm oil, jojoba oil, and shea butter are a few vegan options.
Propolis: Thought you just had to look out for honey and beeswax? Unfortunately, propolis also comes from bees. Known as “bee glue,” propolis is a blend of beeswax and bee saliva. In nature, bees use it to seal up cracks, holes, or open spaces in their hive. This resin-like ingredient is often used in deodorants and toothpaste.
Elastin, Collagen, and Gelatin: If you’re familiar with gelatin then you already know what’s in elastin and collagen: they’re the goopy remains of the boiled skin, ligaments, bones, fats, and other tissue from cows, fish, sheep, and other animals. They’re often used in nail lacquers, anti-aging products, moisturizers, and lip products. Vegan-friendly alternatives include plant-based hyaluronic acid, plant stem cells known as Phytoceramides, and even white tea extract!
Keratin: This has been a buzzword in beauty for a hot minute. Often used in hair treatments, Keratin comes from the protein-rich horns, hooves, hair, and even feathers of animals like sheep, cows, and chickens. Plant amino acids and almond oil make a great vegan alternative.
“Natural Sources”: Just like in the food industry, there’s a lot of wiggle room for what constitutes as “natural” in cosmetics. This can often be a catchall term for animal-derived oils, fats, and proteins. When in doubt, hit the web and go to the cosmetic company's website, or grab your muggle fellytone and ring them up for more details.
Retinoid: Another big word in the world of anti-aging cosmetics and products, retinoid is a potent compound that increases skin elasticity and reduces wrinkles and fine lines. This “miracle” ingredient is often derived from fish liver oil, egg yolks, or milk protein (also known as casein). The vegan alternatives are known as carotenoids and they come from vitamin and nutrient-rich plants like carrots and green tea!

So, there you have it! These are just some of the many animal and insect-derived ingredients skulking around popular cosmetics and beauty tools. But the learning doesn’t stop here! We highly suggest you take some more time to educate yourself about non-vegan ingredients in makeup and beauty products. You can learn more about cruelty-free cosmetics at Beauty Without Bunnies, and you can check the cruelty-free status of brands at The Leaping Bunny organization’s database or on the blog Cruelty Free Kitty.

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Written by Victoria Tomis

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Ulta Beauty x Harry Potter: The Importance of Cruelty-Free Cosmetics

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