Commercial keratin for shampoos, conditioners and salon smoothing treatments is typically rendered from wool, horns, hooves and feathers collected as slaughter by-products. Brands that want the same strengthening claim without animals use plant proteins from wheat, soy or corn, often labelled as a vegan keratin alternative.
CollagenCollagen is the scaffolding of animal bodies: skin, bone, connective tissue. There is no plant version, so every real collagen supplement is animal-derived, and vegan collagen is a different thing wearing the same name.
ElastinElastin is the protein that lets skin snap back. In a serum, it is usually harvested from animal connective tissue, the same as its cousin collagen.
LanolinLanolin is wool grease from sheep. No sheep is killed for it, but it is an animal product all the same, and it is the quiet source of most vitamin D3 on the shelf.
Frequently asked
Is keratin in shampoo vegan?
Traditional keratin is from animal hair, horn or feathers, so it is not vegan. Some products use plant-derived proteins and market them as vegan keratin alternatives, which are.
What is a vegan alternative to keratin?
Hydrolysed plant proteins from wheat, soy, corn or rice are used to give similar strengthening and smoothing effects without animal keratin.
The same clear-eyed sourcing behind these verdicts, applied to each day’s news: what actually moved veganism forward, quoted and checked before you read it. One short brief, free.
